FIRST-TIME outright victories in the double header saloon car championship races by two former teammates and champions were just one of the highlights of the Motors TV Live Race Day at Castle Combe.

For the second consecutive meeting, rain played an important role, helping former champion Tony Hutchings from Calne to his first outright victory in the National Mobile Windscreens Saloon Car championship race.

Hutchings used his wet weather prowess to put his Audi TT on pole for race one, and changed to wet tyres late on as he recorded a lights to flag victory.

Race two also looked to be going the way of Hutchings, the TT leading for all but the last lap when it started spitting with rain. On dry tyres this time, Hutchings made an error going into Tower by his former Turnpike Racing teammate, Peugeot 106 driver Will Di Claudio from Corsham, who had won class B in race one, fourth overall.

Mark Funnell from Trowbridge, who took an impressive third in race one, was left to contemplate whether his decision to stick with dry tyres cost him victory.

The second race saw Funnell battle his Mini home to fifth behind Melksham’s Rob Ballard in the SEAT Leon, one place up from his race one finish.

Castle Combe’s Formula Ford 1600 championship races were both thrillers. Saltford’s Steven Jensen led both but was denied a win, though still came out of the weekend leading the championship.

In race one, with Jensen leading for the first eight laps, it was Nathan Ward who took advantage of backmarkers to slip through and take his first victory.

Third was pole man, Roger Orgee, who was also deposed by Ward in a do-or-die manoeuvre around Tower.

Yatton Keynell’s Luke Cooper took fourth in the Swift SC10 while Bratton’s Ben Norton in the Wiltshire College Spectrum battled through from 10th on the grid to take fifth.

Bradford on Avon’s David Vivian had a superb drive from 13th on the grid to take sixth and win class B.

Adam Higgins from Chippenham was pleased with second in class B on his debut in his newly rebuilt Van Diemen RF94.

Race two saw Jensen again take the lead, but Norton came from eighth on the grid to round his rival on the outside of Tower and triumph by a quarter of a second.

Orgee took third with Ward fourth, while a great drive to fifth went to Timsbury’s Oliver White from 10th on the grid in his Van Diemen RF01.

The Gadget helpline.com Castle Combe Classic series race saw a trio of highly developed Mark 1 RS Escorts head off into the distance led by Chipping Sodbury’s Nick Stagg, with John Moon holding fourth on the debut of his Cox GTM until its battery expired on the last lap.