James Lay made it a second successive winning treble, as he dominated the Radical Challenge’s visit to the Silverstone GP Circuit.
RAW Motorsports team-mate John Macleod secured pole position for the first race, but when he was held up at the first corner, Lay sailed around the outside to lead on the run to Maggotts Curve.
It got worse for Macleod as he pitted after only three laps, “I had to brake early at Copse when Jim Booth braked hard as I was trying to follow. My race was stuffed and I was in fourth, but the temperature went sky high as the water pump had gone,” he explained.
Lay’s lead grew steadily and he was over four seconds clear at the flag.
Ben Stone and Chris Preen had been caught in a train of cars battling for fifth, and it was only in the final laps they managed to get by.
“I finally got clear and then the water pump went on the last corner and I managed to coast over the line,” Stone explained.
Preen therefore moved up to fifth, with Stone slipping to eighth, closely followed by Chris Short.
Elliott Goodman, Chris Myhill and Jacek Zielonka just missed out on the top 10 in 12th, 13th and 15th respectively.
With team mate Zielonka caught up in a first corner incident, Lay led the field through four laps behind the safety car in race two, before it became a four lap sprint the flag.
“I got clear at the start and then at the restart to get a good gap,” said Lay, after taking the flag 2.7 seconds clear.
Macleod had a strong race too holding off Lay’s title rival Noah Degnbol for third. “It was very close at the restart but Noah wasn’t quite close enough to challenge,” he said.
Stone and Preen took their duel for fifth right to the flag, with Preen just 0.260 seconds ahead of his team mate.
Short was set for a top 10 finish, but was pipped by Goodman and dropped to 11th on the last lap, while Myhill completed the RAW runners in 14th.
There was rain threatening but everyone started the final race on slicks, just as the rain started to fall.
Degnbol had the initial lead from Lay, “he got me around the outside at Copse but I was happy to follow,” said the RAW driver.
As the rain got heavier Lay was one of the first to pit for wet tyres and with most of the field following, the order became somewhat chaotic.
Stone had stayed out and was in second place, with Preen third. Lay was flying though on his wets and made his compulsory pitstop on lap 10 from third.
The rain had stopped and the sun had briefly broken through, but the safety car was out and from the green flag there were just minutes left on the clock.
Mark Williams led but Lay was in second and on the attack. “I suppose the safety car helped me, but I got him a lap from home,” said Lay after completing his second successive winning treble with over five seconds in hand.
Both Preen and Stone also made it past Williams on the last lap to take fourth and fifth. “I think I was the only one who did the whole race on slicks,” said Stone.
“It was good fun, maybe I should have pitted earlier for wets though, especially when it was aquaplaning on the Hanger Straight,” Preen added.
Short had taken the flag in fourth, but received a post-race penalty, as did Myhill. Macleod was classified 11th, with Myhill 12th, Short 14th and Goodman 20th.