ARCHIE JOHNSON CONTROLS JCW SPORT OPENER AT KNOCKHILL

Archie Johnson made it three wins for the season in JCW Sport with victory in the opening Vertu MINI CHALLENGE race of the weekend.

The Jamsport driver lined up on class pole for the 20 minute encounter and was able to keep the lead ahead of team-mate Henry Howarth when the lights went out at the start.

The pair went side-by-side mid-way through the opening lap as Howarth tried to make a move for P1 but Johnson was able to hold on around the outside into the hairpin and then set about trying to establish a lead at the front.

Johnson was edging away when Howarth started to come under pressure from the delayed JCW car of Brent Bowie, which had gone off track and then clipped the current points leader as he rejoined the circuit.

That provided Johnson with the chance to scamper away and he would eventually take the flag nearly four seconds clear to add to his wins at Donington Park and Croft.

“Henry kept me on my toes at the start and had a go into the hairpin, but I was able to hold on around the outside,” he said. ‘From there, it was a case of getting my head down and I was able to build a lead and keep him behind.

“It certainly helped when the JCW car got between us but I was full of confidence coming here and it’s nice to start the weekend with another strong result.”

Howarth was able to overcome the clash with Bowie to take second place, with the lead pair both managing to stay on the same lap as the overall race winner, with Johnson drawing slightly closer to Howarth in the standings.

Behind them, Chris Mackenzie took third spot having survived a clash with Nicky Gauci at the start that saw the Maltese racer forced to pit with a puncture – although Mackenzie was handed a two-place grid penalty for race two on Sunday for the contact.

Will Crooks and Ben Crossley took fourth and fifth, with Gauci back in sixth having also been forced to contend with a lack of power steering throughout the race.