Third place in the Formula Renault Finals table is an impressive result for Josh Webster on his first taste of the current car and against top class opposition.

While Oliver Rowland and Josh Hill won the races at Rockingham Speedway, as they had done the previous weekend at Snetterton, the Suffolk racer secured his impressive finishing position with ninth and fifth places in the twin races.

'It's really good getting third in the points, I'm so happy we managed to achieve it against such tough and experienced competition with just a few days in the car,' said the man from Stowmarket.

'The field in the Finals Series this year has been unbelievably strong, especially with the guys who came over from Europe, but we did a great job.'

Having impressed at Snetterton Webster continued in the same vain in pre-event testing claiming the fastest time in the third session.

'We thought we'd missed the window but we put new slicks on and there was a short time at the end of the session where the track was a little drier. We had two laps and managed to get it all together and went fastest which was great for us to end on.'

Qualifying wasn't as productive with Webster starting tenth which he turned into fifth place at the end of the opening lap but a mid-race error, when he ran too deep into the Deene Hairpin and lost several places, saw him resume and finish in ninth place.

Starting seventh for the second race Webster improved to sixth place on the opening lap which he then turned into fifth place by passing Dan Well at one third distance to finish the season off on a high point.

The Stratton Motor Company ran Lotus Evora GT4 took a hard fought victory in the recent Lotus 1000Km race at Brands Hatch.

Lotus Motorsport chief Gavan Kershaw, from Carlton Rode, was joined by Stuart Hall for the 515 lap event which almost proved to be a little too far for the fuel the Evora was carrying.

Hall took the lead just after the second safety car period, the first period coming on the very first lap as a backmarker beached his car in the gravel at the opening corner.

Just after half distance the Lotus, which had won comfortable earlier in the season at Snetterton in the hands of Kershaw and Martin Donnelly, had to take a near ten minute pit stop to cure a leaking catch tank.

Kershaw resumed in second place which soon became the lead but a second long stop was required for repairs to a loose suspension component.

Hall was in the car for the final stint with the local team unsure if he had sufficient fuel aboard while the chasing car of Jamie Stanley was intent on pushing the works Evora to its mileage limit,.

Instead, it failed itself when the gearbox broke just a quarter of an hour before the finish.