A dramatic night at Monmore Green yielded a shock winner as Josh Bates emerged victorious in the British Under 21 Championship.
On a night littered with incident and controversy, the Sheffield and Mildenhall man got the better of Adam Ellis in a tense final to take the biggest win of his career so far.
Having fallen whilst comfortably leading in his opening ride, Bates was forced to work his way through the semi-final route - yet he charged past the impressive Joe Jacobs to book his spot in the Final.
He then made a blistering start to initially hit the front in the decisive race before a spectacular crash for Stefan Nielsen forced him to do it all again - and when Jason Garrity was controversially excluded following a tight first bend just two riders remained.
Yet the composed Bates made no mistake at the third time of asking as he cruised to a classy win to cap off a magnificent display.
And the 18 year old was in jubilant mood after a memorable evening: "I'm just absolutely over the moon - I came here thinking I'd be happy with sixth or eight place but I've won it!
"I've been run over, had a few crashes, a lot of reruns but I've done it and I'm just so happy.
"It's going to give me a lot of encouragement and a lot of confidence so hopefully this will just be the start for me."
Runner-up Ellis proved a star performer throughout the evening having entered as one of the favourites - advancing straight to the final with Nielsen after both ended with 13 point hauls.
Jason Garrity also provided thrills and spills throughout the night before finding himself on the receiving end of a tough refereeing decision - yet he still earned a well-deserved rostrum spot.
Wolverhampton pair Joe Jacobs and Ashley Morris both also put in strong showings before bowing out at the semi-final stage following a tight race after both impressed in the qualifying heats.
Pre-meeting favourite Kyle Howarth narrowly missed out on the semi-finals following a tough night, with mechanical gremlins in his third ride ultimately proving costly.
Former Heathens favourite Dan Greenwood, Jack Kingston, James Shanes and Marc Owen were always in the thick of the action although unable to challenge the leading pack as Britain's brightest young talents but on an entertaining show.
Cradley duo Tom Perry and Nathan Greaves both endured disappointing nights - with Perry just missing out on a semi-final spot despite a determined effort and Greaves twice hitting the deck before being forced to withdraw from the meeting.
The teenage ace will now take a precautionary trip to hospital tomorrow for checks on a thumb injury as he looks to be fit for the Heathens' trip to Coventry on Easter Monday.
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL, at Cradley 1. Josh Bates (Sheffield/Mildenhall) 2. Adam Ellis (Lakeside/Ipswich) 3. Jason Garrity (Coventry/Rye House) 4. Stefan Nielsen (Belle Vue/Coventry Storm)
Adam Ellis 13, Stefan Nielsen 13, Joe Jacobs 12, Ashley Morris 11, Josh Bates 11, Jason Garrity 10, Kyle Howarth 8, Tom Perry 7, James Shanes 7, Marc Owen 6, Dan Greenwood 6, Jack Kingston 5, James Sarjeant 4, Connor Coles 3, Ryan Terry-Daley 1, Danny Phillips 1 (Reserve), Connor Mountain 1 (Reserve), Nathan Greaves 0
