The 2017 edition of the New Zealand Junior Drivers' Championships was simply the Rory McIlwrick show.
McIlwrick finished with an almost perfect score with three wins and a second placing in the four-heat series contested at Addington on Friday night and Forbury Park on Saturday and was crowned this year's series champion.
The accomplishment was one that McIlwrick described as a dream come true.
''What a dream to win something like this.
''You start out and you wouldn't imagine you would be winning a trophy like this, but to do it is fantastic.''
McIlwrick finished with 63 series points, ahead of runner-up Ben Butcher on 32 points and third-placed Katie Cox on 31 points.
''It was a fantastic series and I can't thank Harness Racing New Zealand enough for running these competitions and giving opportunities to junior drivers,'' McIlwrick said.
''It was a really good experience meeting all of the other junior drivers and it's a highlight to go in a competition with a bunch of people you really get on with and have a great time with.''
Though he had a commanding lead throughout the series, it was an all-Otago victory that clinched McIwrick's title.
He produced a daring drive to score the narrowest of victories behind the Ali Malcolmson-trained Mr Majestic over Dusky Eyre and Ben Butcher in the last heat of the competition.
McIlwrick launched Mr Majestic with a big move passing the 500m mark, quickly going past Dusky Eyre and putting three lengths on the field.
''I was battling just to keep up during the race, but it wasn't till we got down the back straight he got going and it was such a torrid tempo I thought I had to keep the pressure on and try to outstay them.''
Mr Majestic was clear in the lead, but Dusky Eyre fought back and came desperately close to reeling in the leader in an epic home-straight battle.
''I thought with Dusky Eyre fresh up and Ali's trotter having a few starts, I would try to make him work for it.''
''We got there - just after the post, Dusky Eyre was in front.''
His treble of series victories, along with his undercard win on Blaser S at Forbury Park, have almost guaranteed the 25-year-old will also win this season's national junior driver's premiership.
McIlwrick's 38 wins this season give him a 13-win break that looks impossible for his nearest rival, Matt Anderson, to chase down.
Dylan Ferguson was the only driver who managed to beat McIlwrick during the series, when he won heat three with Arthur Lowe at Forbury Park on Saturday.
The race was a battle of tactics in which there were two lead changes, both where McIlwrick took the lead with Franco Huntington.
In the later of those, McIlwrick handed the lead to Arthur Lowe and Ferguson before quickly coming out of the trail to take it from them.
The shuffling did not bother Ferguson, who was happy to take a trail with his charge.
''It suited me fine because I was getting ready to stack them up in front and he came around,'' he said.
The Kirk Larsen-trained Arthur Lowe sprinted too quickly for Franco Huntington in the straight to hand Ferguson his first win in his first drive at Forbury Park.
