MOTORSPORT: Max right at home

The 16-year-old, from Southwick near Trowbridge netted him two victories and a third place in the Autosport Young Guns races.

The new championship is designed to give 16 to 19-year- old drivers experience of single-seater cars and Castle Combe was only the third race weekend for Cornelius, who said: “It’s been another fantastic weekend, I’m really pleased with the result.”

Three wins from the last three meetings for Trowbridge’s Andrew Shanley in the circuit’s Sports and GT championship propelled him to the top of the points in his class and in a position to challenge for the overall title as the season moves into its second half.

A lights to flag domination in his Radical Prosport was only slightly marred by the fastest lap set by fourth fastest qualifier, Josh Fisher, prior to Fisher’s race-ending accident involving a back marker.

Bradford on Avon’s Guy Woodward, in a ‘one-off’ race in a borrowed Radical SR3, recovered well from a disastrous first lap which saw him down in 11th to take fourth overall.

Mark Funnell, from Trowbridge, qualified his class B Lotus Exige an incredible third overall in the damp morning session, only to have to start from the back of the grid as he had arrived too late.

A tremendous drive to the lead of his class and fifth overall came to nothing when another back marker incident took him out at Camp corner, like Fisher having to be content with fastest lap.

The Formula Ford 1600 race on Saturday saw a dramatic crash on lap seven which may determine the outcome of the closely-fought championship.

Front row qualifiers Ben Norton, from Bratton, and Bridgwater’s Felix Fisher had established a narrow but useful lead from points leader Marcus Allen only for their intense dice to become a little too close.

The pair came together and ended their race at Tower corner allowing Allen to come through to a dominant victory.

The result meant Allen has a perfect maximum score in the B class.

Castle Combe’s Andrew Jones, in the Ray GRS07, had been running at the front earlier in the race only to drop back under pressure from the likes of Fisher.

He also gained from the Norton/Fisher incident to take the runner up position.

“I’m really pleased, I didn’t expect that at all. It was at Tower they got me and then it did me a favour,” he said.

Clocking up his best result of the year, Chippenham’s Adam Higgins withstood enormous pressure to take the final podium place from his sixth qualifying position.

“I was miles off the pace and they were all trying to get by me but they weren’t going to if it took them all day,” said the determined son of the former multiple champion, Bob.

“We’ve had so many struggles with the car, but it’s all coming together now.”

Maintaining his 100 per cent record of poles, fastest laps and class wins was Chippenham’s Kyle Tilley who dominated the Pre 90 cars with his Van Diemen RF87.

The final race of the weekend for the circuit’s Saloon Car championship was well worth waiting for.

Once again, under 1.8 litre class C cars filled the front row, with Chippenham’s Will Di Claudio in a class of his own in the changeable qualifying conditions, to take pole with his Peugeot 106.

Alongside him was his nemesis, Jason Cooper from Yatton Keynell, the reigning champion.

Their race battle came to a swift end at the Esses, when the pair came together, Di Claudio’s boot lid popping open and requiring a pit stop.

Cooper recovered and still led his class, then moving up from fourth to third overall, after Mark Wyatt in the Astra overcooked it on lap 10.

Although class points were essential, Cooper was again brave enough to mix it with the theoretically-faster class B cars.

The powerful SEAT Leon of Ditcheat’s Kevin Bird took a clear victory, with Calne’s Tony Hutchings in the unique Audi TT second.

Nick Charles from Yate in his 106 GTi, took second in class C and fourth overall.

Ian Crisp from Devizes was second in class in both races for the CSL Cup in his BMW M3.