Reigate racing driver Nick Padmore has raced his way to the podium in the prestigious Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

Nick, at the wheel of a 1975 Formula One Grand Prix car, finished on the podium in the world famous race at the weekend.

Afterwards he said he could not believe it.

Driving a 1975 Walter Wolf Racing Williams FW05, Nick secured fourth place in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, but was promoted to third when the second-placed car ran into troubles as Sunday’s race was about to start.

With the start aborted, the field was sent round for a further warm-up lap when Nick's car started losing water. With the temperature of the car soaring as he took his grid slot, it looked as though the race was over for him before it had even begun.

But when the race got underway, Nick made a perfect start despite his car's temperature issues.

Blocked at first off the line, he managed to steadily move up the field.

He had to concede two places as he struggled with his car's temperature problems, and was unsure he would finish the race.

But he kept the car going and eventually took back third position, although as he began hunting for second place, a heavy accident late on in the race forced the safety car to be deployed.

Nick's charge for second position was halted, with the race being concluded under safety car conditions.

But Nick was happy with his podium finish.

He said: “I’m still waiting for it to sink in. I can’t believe it!”

Thanking the car's owner and WDK Motorsport, he said: “I almost got out of the car on the grid and I could see the water spilling out of the car on one of the spectator TV screens.

“It was a very tough race and there was never a moment to relax. I just had to keep it going and do everything I could to get the temperature down.”

With a special mention of his parents, who he said had been his “biggest support right from my days karting at Tilbury,” he said: “This result is for everyone who has supported me.”

Full results are available from the Automobile club de Monaco (ACM) website at: http://acm.mc/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Document_636_Serie_F_D%C3%A9finitif.pdf