The sky lit up for Sussex track star David Mason when he won the Conference League Riders' Championship.

Mason raced to victory in front of 2,500 fans in the final at Rye House, then admitted it was the most nerve-shredding night of his life.

"The atmosphere was electric. The crowd were fantastic. You couldn't hear a thing out there.

"But when I went round the last bend, I thought I could hear every nut and bolt moving on the bike. When I crossed the line, I said to myself: Wow, I've done it.' Then I went into emotion mode."

The title triumph was further confirmation that the comeback kid from Seaford is on the up and here to stay after nearly a year out of the sport.

Afterwards, Rye House promoter Len Silver paid tribute to the one-time Arlington junior he rescued from the speedway wilderness.

"He was the best rider on the night, and no one deserves it more than David.

"He has worked hard to get where he is, and I'm over the moon for him."

Mason won four of his five races to finish in first place, but all still came down to the last heat of the championship.

Whoever won out of Mason and Rye House team-mate Simon Wolstenholme was destined to be crowned champion.

Mason led from the gate, but he had to hold off a determined challenge from Wolstenholme, who came hard on his inside during a thrilling finale.

It meant Mason finished with 13 points, one more than Wolstenholme and defending champion, Scott Pegler, who went on to win a run-off for second place on the rostrum.

Mason clashed with two of the pre-meeting favourites, Newport rider Pegler and Swindon's Malcolm Holloway, in his first two rides and beat them both.

"It was a blinding start, and knew if I held my nerve after that I could win." Mason's title bid got off to a flyer with Pegler back in third place behind Boston's Luke Clifton.

He then beat Holloway and Somerset's Australian rider, Nick Simmons, in the fastest time of the night.

Win No. 3 took Mason clear of the chasing pack, but it was all in the melting pot again after he was beaten into third place in his fourth outing.

Off the outside gate, he was taken right out to the fence by the riders on his inside and did well to recover and hold on for a vital point behind Buxton's James Mann and young Peterborough star Jason King.

Mann, the surprise packet, finished fourth overall, while Holloway was no longer in contention when he crashed out of the meeting.

Mason, who completed memorable two days by scoring an 18-point maximum for Rye House at Mildenhall, will now progress to Premier League racing next season.

That should hold no terrors for Mason. Many of the riders he defeated in the final have plenty of experience at the higher level.

"I've covered every avenue can in this league now, so it will be good to move up, but winning this championship was something special."