Great Britain’s Joe Turney has bounced back from injury to secure his first career FIA karting title – the FIA European OK Championship.

Last September the Kart Republic racer was hospitalised following a freak accident when battling factory CRG karter Gabriel Gomez for the lead in final round of the World Karting Championship at Franciacorta, Italy.

The duelling duo collided sending both drivers spinning onto the grass. Desperate to rejoin the race, Turney was able to move his kart back onto the track but then, while trying to push start his stalled machine, he was struck from behind on his lower right leg.

The nasty impact resulted in an immediate red flag. Turney was stretched off and taken to hospital for swift surgery on a compound fracture… and the start of a long road to recovery – a stirring fightback which has now ended in title winning triumph.

After strong performances in Valencia in Spain, Val d’Argenton in France and at the Slovakia Ring, Turney arrived at Kristianstad in Sweden for the season finale with a commanding points lead over Brazilian arch-rival Gomez. Even so, after missing out in the past, he knew there was was no margin for error.

Making no mistakes, he qualified well on Friday and then finished a safe second on Saturday to clinch the crown before Sunday’s final.

“We’ve been close a lot of times ­– second in the World Championship, twice third in the European – but now I’ve managed finally to get it done,” said the 24-year-old with obvious relief. “It has been a long way – less than a year ago I wasn’t even sure that I’d be racing in the European after the crash in the World Championships.

“The team has been amazing and I can’t thank everyone who has helped to get me back here enough. I knew we had to do the best job we could: a good qualifying and to stay towards the front in the heats just to be sure. I didn’t want to risk anything in the pre-final and wanted to make sure.”

With the title safely in the bag and now under no pressure, Turney then produced a masterclass in Sunday’s final. On wet track, he slipped past Gomez on lap four and quickly a good lead to win by more than four seconds – a fittingly victorious finish to what has been a seminal, title winning campaign.