DANIEL Rowbottom survived wet weather conditions to prove he's up to the challenge in the SEAT Cupra Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

The 19-year-old, from Mamble near Kidderminster, overcame heavy rain and technical difficulties to finish sixth and seventh in his championship debut.

Rowbottom headed to the circuit with little chance to practice in his SEAT but he steadily improved in qualifying, improving from 11th place in the first session to eighth in the second.

With heavy rain making it hard to race Rowbottom found himself in last place after he was shunted onto a treacherous part of the track.

Despite the setback he started to weave his way through the traffic and finished in a respectable seventh place.

The young driver had to overcome more problems in the second round.

He started well and was pushing the leading cars in fifth place, when his right wing was damaged and affected his ability to overtake.

Despite the set back he was able to keep up the pace and finished in sixth place.

"The wing disintegrated and meant that I couldn't be quite as adventurous as I would have liked," said Rowbottom.

"The only way to overtake at Brands Hatch is to brake later than the car ahead and I couldn't do that because of the damage.

"The weather made it hard because you couldn't get a grip on the track but I came through it okay.

"It was a tough weekend but I definitely gained more confidence and I see no reason why I can't finish in the top three."

He will be aiming to continue his progress in rounds three and four of the championship on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13.