MAX EDMUNDSON CARRIES PRO ALLOYS RACING TO MAIDEN WIN

Max Edmundson scored a first win for the Pro Alloys Racing team with an impressive drive through from sixth on the grid in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE opener at Oulton Park.

Tom Ovenden had started the first of two races this weekend from the front of the grid after topping the times in qualifying, and it was the EXCELR8 driver who was able to hold onto P1 when the race kicked off ahead of Lewis Selby and Josh Porter.

Porter would then lose ground through the opening lap as Albert Webster rose up into third spot, with Edmondson ending lap one sitting fifth.

Edmundson then cleared both Porter and Webster on lap two, which put him in the ideal position when Selby launched a bid for the lead at turn one at the start of lap three.

As Selby and Ovenden diced for the position heading down the Avenue in damp conditions, Edmundson saw his chance to get ahead and having swept past Selby, went around the outside of Ovenden at Cascades to hit the front.

From that point on, Edmundson was in a class of his own as he raced away at the front to score a maiden win in his third weekend in the series.

“I saw them battling going into turn one and I managed to get alongside Lewis and then had the overlap on Tom,” he said. “I just had to be brave and try to brake later – and pray I didn’t hit a wet patch!

“It’s great to get a win under our belt in our third weekend because I’m still not 100 per cent comfortable in the car and I know we’re only going to get quicker as the season goes on.”

Edmundson’s charge was aided by the fact that Ovenden and Selby would spend the whole race fighting for position behind, with the pair rarely having more than a car length between them.

Despite Selby’s best efforts, Ovenden was able to hold on to secure second spot and a key result that allows him to gain ground in the title standings.

“I’m happy with P2 as the conditions were really wet at the start and it was a step into the unknown on slicks,” he said. “Fair play to Max for the move that got him ahead as I think he has bigger balls than me!

“He won that one by being brave but I had more to lose, and second is still a good result.”

Selby would have to settle for third place, with Webster scoring his best result to date for JRW Motorsport as he took fourth.

Alex Solley also secured his best result to date, despite a relative lack of experience of Oulton Park compared to a number of his rivals, as he took fifth, with Porter taking the flag in sixth.

Porter would later be handed a two place penalty however for gaining an unfair advantage whilst fighting with Charlie Hand, with the penalty moving Marlo Cordell up to sixth and Hand into seventh.

Harry Campey and Ned Anthony rounded out the top ten, despite the latter picking up a ten second penalty for being out of position at the start – having been caught out by Cameron Richardson and Jacob Hodgkiss pitting after the first green flag lap to fit wet tyres.

Points leader Jamie Osborne was penalised for the same reason but dropped out of contention for a top ten finish when his suffered a gearbox issue that left him stuck in sixth, which meant he ended up back behind the leading JCW Sport runners in the results.