The eighth and final round of the European Junior Cup at Jerez in Spain was a fantastic weekend for Kiwi Jake Lewis, with him claiming the championship title as European Junior Cup Champion.

He takes up the story …

“After an amazingly hard-fought race, I also won my third EJC race of the year, becoming the only rider in the championship to do so.

“Friday practice we came to grips quickly with track on the Honda CBR 500R and put ourselves in a strong No.4 position.

“Saturday was time for qualifying, I struggled most of the session just being a little bit off the pace in each sector which added up and in such a tight class we were only one second off the front row but 14th on the grid.

“This race was the most important race of my life and I knew that it was going to be hard work getting to the front where I needed to be to have any chance of winning the championship.

“I got a great start taking a couple places into turn one, I looked ahead to see my championship rival Augusto had already pulled a small gap in the lead. I said to myself – ‘s*** now I have to really push on’ …. So I put everything I had into the first lap to catch the front guys putting in some pretty hard moves but it got me to where I needed to be, sitting in south right on the top three tail by the end of lap one.

“I kept pushing and got into the lead halfway through lap 2 and did not look back. It was a hard fought battle at the front with Augusto, Michael and Josh Harland, but fair which is why it was also so much fun.”

The clip below was an interview with Jake just before the final round of racing …

“It came down to the last lap. I had the lead and going into the final corner I just went a little too deep and Augusto put his bike in the gap I left with a little rub on the way past. I tucked in right behind him down the front straight to pull out at the last second and grab the lead just before the line to take the championship win.

“It was the most amazing feeling to realise that you have just won a European Championship and then to stand of the top step of the podium with the New Zealand National Anthem playing in front of my team, friends, sponsors and fellow competitors just topped it off.

“I would like to say a very big thank you to my dad (Rob Lewis, also a former New Zealand road-race champiuon) for the amazing amount of time and effort he has put into this year, I could not have done it without him and I certainly wouldn’t have achieved this result without him. Also to Phil and Cheryl of WIL Sport Management for their fantastic help and support it has been a great season working with them and travelling Europe together has been awesome. Thank you to (fellow Kiwi road race star) Avalon Biddle as well, she has been truly amazing, with all her help and support, it has been great to be able to have her at the track with me and also being my umbrella girl on the grid.

“To the whole European Junior Cup community, thank you for this awesome year, especially to Gerry, Susie and Irina for all the hard work they have put in to give us young teenagers an opportunity of a lifetime to be in the WSBK Paddock alongside the riders we look up to and dream to be.

“Also very special thank you to all my sponsors, Stadium Finance, WIL Sport Management, Race Supplies NZ, Arai Helmets, RST Leathers, Charlton Hurrell Drainage, MotoVudu, Budget MC Spares, Get Routed, MPH TV and also to my family back home and all my supporters in New Zealand, you have been fantastic.

“Now I look forward to going back home and training hard to come back to Europe in 2014, fitter and stronger ready for the new challenge ahead.”