Toby secures his maiden pole at Brands Hatch

With no opportunity to test ahead of the race weekend, Toby’s first chance to drive his home circuit came during qualifying. With a crowd of friends, family, fans and sponsors there to support him, the pressure was on.

Toby says: “This was the first time I was driving the GP circuit on my own. I told myself, it was just another test session, calmed my nerves and lit the car up onto the track with pure aggression.” 

With no timing available in the car due to a technical glitch, Toby just had to drive and hope. He knew he was going quicker but set his fastest time on lap nine without even realising it.

Toby pulled the car in at the end of the session with no idea where he’d placed. He says: “The chequered flag dropped, and I brought the car back not knowing where I would start from the race. That was until I saw my bud, Russ, bouncing around parc ferme with one finger in the air.”

Toby had secure pole position by five-tenths of a second.

Race one saw Toby make a great start but an early mistake going into a third-gear corner cost him the win. He says: “I locked my inside wheel as I downshifted, and knocked the gear into fifth, slowing my momentum.”

Toby dropped to fourth but was determined not to let a small mistake deter him. He battled back up to third but didn’t have the time to chase down any more places before the timer ran out.

This was Toby’s third consecutive podium, but this time it felt even more special at his home track in front of 50 of his guests.

Race two came around Toby, who started from third, lost a place early on. He kept up with Mike Kidson and had the pace but great defending from the driver in front meant that Toby couldn’t make a pass stick.

Toby says: “Kidson held on for the entire race, blocking me no matter what I tried. I got so desperate I even looked for the outside line.

“Sadly it wasn’t enough but it was the best battle I’ve had and with the championship leader no less!”

This season has shown how a normal guy with a dream can do something great. From never having raced a tin top to three consecutive podiums, a pole position, and a driver of the weekend award, Toby has shown just what can be achieved when you put your mind to it.

He says: “The thing that has stood out to me most this season is the togetherness it has brought to so many people. Believe me, when I’m racing, nothing else matters but to push the boundaries of what seems impossible, possible and race as hard as I possibly can go. But when I’m out of the car, my goal has always been to bring people together, share happiness and above all create memories that will last a lifetime.”