MAX Coates' debut in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Championship left him with a grin from ear to ear.

PHOTOS: View pictures from the British Touring Car Championship at Croft

Coates, the 21-year-old from Scorton, who lives just five miles from Croft Circuit, improved throughout the weekend despite only sitting in his No71 Infiniti Q50 for the first time on Saturday morning.

And backed by a posse of family and friends, Coates, racing in the Support Our Paras racing team, not only achieved his principal objective of the weekend — completing all three races without damaging the car — he bagged his first top 20 finish in the day's finale.

The Northern Echo:
Max Coates in action on Sunday in the BTCC at Croft Circuit

The North Yorkshireman also scored points in the Infiniti in two of the races in the Independents Trophy, and on all three occasions in the Jack Sears Trophy for BTCC rookies.

"At the beginning of the week I didn't know anything about the car: and now I've just had my first top 20 finish," Coates said. "I'm properly made up.

"At the start of the week, I didn't think my smile could get any bigger, but it has. I've improved with every session, so I'm pleased with my overall performance. It felt really, really good, and that has made me seriously excited about the next race at Snetterton.

"I started the weekend in the 1min 29.7s and finished on a 27.2s, so it's a big difference. I haven't seen the times, but I'm sure the gap to the lead times is now closer than it was at the beginning."

In actual fact, in qualifying, Coates' gap to the polesitter was 3.440s, in Race 3 the gap was just 1.914s to the fastest lap of Honda's Matt Neal.

"It's more than 12 months since I raced," Coates said, "but I now feel like I'm a racing driver again. And it's a brilliant feeling."

Coates said he had felt extra motivation because of the make-up of the team - many of whom are former and serving members of the Parachute Regiment who have been injured while serving their country.

"The team is all about the Paras, the cars are built, prepared and run by them and they have a massive involvement in the team," he said. "They have skills in abundance and they are learning a hell of a lot about the car and how that works.

"It is a privilege and an honour to represent them. They are an inspiration and when you look at what they have gone through and the issues they face you realise that me not having a test before this weekend in a British Touring Car is not a big deal."