From broken neck to the British title in five years

Many of the large crowd that braved the elements at Vazon on Saturday would have expected it to be reigning champion Zach Wajtknecht successfully defending his title in a reduced field.

But on what turned into a dramatic afternoon, Wajtknecht suffered mechanical problems that saw him withdraw from two of his heats and then, in a thrilling battle, be edged out by Cooper on the line in the penultimate 500cc solos race of the day.

Although that was not the final, it proved fatal for Wajtknecht, who fell just two points short of qualifying for the top-eight shoot-out – points which he would have earned had he won that spectacular sprint to the line.

As it was, that crucial moment cleared Cooper of a major obstacle in the final – albeit one he had already well beaten in race one – and come the final showdown, he blew away the rest of the strong field.

Daniel Winterton was confirmed as runner-up as he edged out Josh Dingle into third place, but the afternoon was all about former York speedway rider Cooper, who competed at Premier League level for 10 years.

The fact that he is now British champion is also a notable comeback story as it comes five years after he broke his neck and spent time in a coma, which ended his speedway career but not his grasstrack one.

'It is great to finally win it, especially after being runner-up last year,' he explained.