It was a weekend of mixed emotions for budding young racing driver Ayrton Simmons as he claimed a victory, only to then suffer the disappointment of not starting the following race.

The 11-year-old, from Epping, was competing in the second round of the Spanish and Portuguese National 2012 Series Rotax.

With two races held over the weekend, the youngster showed great maturity as he secured top spot in qualifying. His time of 1.07.121 was two tenths of a second ahead of his nearest rivals.

Simmons was one of the youngest racers in the field but he showed his undoubted potential as he led from the front in the opening race.

He drove well throughout to take victory and also claimed the award for the fastest lap during the race.

He would’ve been confident going into the second race but as he went onto the track to complete his warm-up lap, he suffered a probable electrical issue and did not start the race.

The Essex driver has now competed in more than 110 official licensed races and it currently second in the Madrid Torrejon championship and is leading the Motorland championship.

He is preparing to return to the UK in 2013 for a year of racing.