Alex Pate showed little rust in his return to racing.

Not having raced competitively for 11 years, the 28-year-old got behind the wheel of a Firman RFR 1000 Formula B race car at the Mission Raceway Park.

The sleek vehicle, which has a Suzuki motorcycle engine, is capable of speeds up to 241 km/h.

And Pate excelled behind the wheel, reaching a high speed of 201 km/h. while also setting a new track record for fastest lap time when he completed lap 19 in 1:06.082, bettering the old mark of 1:06.444.

鈥�(When) I saw the time on my dash, I had to double take,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淭hen my team came on the radio and confirmed that we had set the record.鈥�

Racing and cars have long been in his blood.

鈥淚 have always loved race cars for as long as I can remember,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y dad (Walter) has a picture of me in a newspaper article as a toddler sitting next to a row of remote control cars.鈥�

Dad got both Pate, and his older brother, Jamie, into racing by buying them their first car.

鈥淎nd as they say in racing, once the bug bites, there isn鈥檛 much you can do about it.鈥�

Pate raced with the 91原创 Quarter Midget Association growing up, but he stopped when he was 17.

After high school, he attended BCIT and now works as a mechanic for Open Road Hyundai.

In February 2010, on his dad鈥檚 urging, he joined Firman West Cars as a mechanic.

Soon, Pate was engineering the 91原创-based team鈥檚 race cars, getting them ready for competition and attending race weekends.

For his birthday in July, team owner Nicholas Belling gave Pate a pretty special gift: the chance to compete in one of their cars.

That is how Pate found himself behind the wheel over the Labour Day weekend for the Sport Car Club of B.C.鈥檚  Labor Daze Classic in Mission.

To prepare, Pate used an internet racing simulator and the work paid off.

Pate beat out the other 16 drivers in the Group 6 class to take the P1 position in both of his qualifying races.

He struggled in the preliminary race as he was plagued by electrical problems, but when the car could race, Pate was posting impressive speeds.

And in his final race of the weekend, Pate nearly took the checkered flag.

On the first lap, another racer hit his car, spinning him out. Undeterred, he rejoined the race at the back of the pack and quickly began manoeuvering his way through the competition.

Along the way, he set the new track record.

But on the last lap, car problems caught up to Pate as his fuel delivery system failed.

Regardless, the owners of Firman West Cars got good investment on their birthday gift to their mechanic, as with Pate showcasing the vehicle, a buyer quickly stepped up and purchased the ride.

The vehicle is valued at $65,000.

Getting back into racing, especially as a driver, has given Pate some new goals.

鈥淢y goal is to eventually make it a career,鈥� he said.

Until this point, Pate figured he would make it in the sport building, engineering or fixing the vehicles.

But his performance has changed that.

Should he be able to secure sponsorship, Pate likely has a car lined up he can compete in, courtesy of Ralph  Firman, who designs the cars.

Pate is trying to get everything lined up so he can compete next season, either on the East Coast Pro Series or the West Coast Pro Series.

The season runs March to September and he needs in the neighbourhood of $30,000 to $$50,000.

The two series are the best way for drivers to work their way to the upper echelon of racing programs.

Anyone interested in coming on board as a sponsor, can email Pate at alex@firmanwestcars.com.

To see video of Pate鈥檚 record-setting lap time,