WESTHOUGHTON motorbike racer Joe Lawrence started his new season at Brands Hatch for the opening Thundersport GB championship round recently and improved with each race.

The 26-year-old was up against some of the best riders in the country contesting the Pre-National 600cc class on his Kawasaki.

It was his first time at the Kent circuit for the series which includes races over two weekend days.

Lawrence qualified for Sunday's races in 27th place after finishing 22nd in race one and 20th in race two on day one.

The following day, Lawrence's final place on the grid was 24th with a first race finish of 23rd and a weekend best finish of 18th for race two.

He was pleased with a positive debut at Brands Hatch, saying: "Every race we improved – whether by position or lap times.

"We are now looking forward to racing at Donington Park next month and hopefully we will keep moving up the grid."

Lawrence and his JDL race team are looking for sponsors to help fund his progression in the sport.

Anyone wanting to sponsor him can email joe@jdlracing.co.uk or visit the website at jdlracing.co.uk, or the team's Facebook or Twitter pages.