He's only 17-years-old, but Tauranga lad Jordan Grant has already made an impression in the world of motorsport.

The Otumoetai College student recently placed first in the junior category of the 2017 Motorsport NZ ClubSport Championships earlier this month.

He was driving a 1991 Peugeot 205 1.6 GTi lent to him by family friend Neil Rogers, which required a bit of work before the day.

'It took a few late nights to get the car ready, but it handled really well. It had more power than I expected a little 1600 to have,” says Jordan.

The championships involved time trials in courses on paddocks (autocross) as well as tarmac track-based bent sprints and motorkhana. Dad Alan says the cars are generally quite basic – for example, Jordan's hadn't had any modifications at all.

'The events are designed to bring out the driver's skill, rather than the car's performance,” says Alan.

'One of the restrictions is they must use only road tyres, not rally tyres or slick tyres.”

He and Jordan worked on the car together, although he adds his son's ‘the better driver', which is why he took the wheel during the competition.

It was Jordan's first big event, having only really done karting beforehand. He says he didn't expect to win, but hopes to carry on with it in the future.

'I'd like to carry on doing these events. It may even come to Tauranga in later years. I'd like to try rallycross, but it just depends on what's available.”

He will be presented with his trophy at the Motorsport NZ AGM Prizegiving Dinner in Wellington on May 27.

Jordan on the tarmac.