A YOUNG speedway star clutched a trophy he feared he would not live to see and admitted: "I'm a lucky guy."

Jamie Westacott, 13, from Duffryn, was in a terrifying crash on Friday when he raced for Great Britain against Germany at Newport's Hayley Stadium.

The teenager, riding his 350cc Jawa, was one of four riders in a heat of the under-16 international when he crashed into a barrier.

Jamie was rushed to hospital but amazingly, when he was X-rayed at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, he was found to have nothing worse than bruises.

Yesterday he was back in the saddle - collecting a trophy he gained for representing Great Britain in the demanding contest.

Jamie said: "It was the last bend of the last lap. There was a German in front of me and I was trying to overtake him.

"I went in too tight and clipped the kerb. I tried to get it back but I lost it. I thought 'I'm going to die' and, for three or four seconds, I couldn't breathe."

The youngster was cut from his racing suit by a St John Ambulance crew and put in a neck brace.

Germany beat Great Britain 46-32, but Jamie received a trophy to mark his Test selection for the series.

And at yesterday's Newport-Stoke clash the Hayley stadium crowd gave Jamie a hearty cheer as he received his trophy.

Mum Annette, was persuaded for the first time to watch her son in action on Friday.

She admitted: "It's the first and last time I watch him. But he has to carry on. He loves it."

Jamie is no stranger to lucky escapes.

In October 1995, he suffered serious burns that left him badly scarred, following an incident at Duffryn School playing field where he was hit by a sheet of burning plastic.

He remembered: "There was a fire at Duffryn school playing field. Dad told me not to mess with the fire but I didn't take any notice. When I got near the fire, someone threw a sheet of burning plastic on me."

Jamie was treated in hospital and made a full recovery.

He said: "It could have been much worse, like this crash on Friday. I reckon I'm a lucky guy."