SOMERSET man Josh Fisher took a hard-earned Formula Ford victory at Castle Combe’s May Day Madness event on Bank Holiday Monday, pushed all the way to the flag by Yatton Keynell’s Luke Cooper.

Fisher lined up second on the grid for the third round in the series, having qualified 0.249secs slower than brother Felix, while reigning Castle Combe Formula Ford champion Cooper was third, 0.539secs further back.

However, a strong start saw Josh Fisher seize the lead, and when pole man Felix made a mistake on lap two, it left Josh and Cooper slugging it out at the front.

Lap after lap the battle ebbed and flowed, with Josh eventually bringing his Van Diemen JL14 1600 home just 0.181secs ahead. Felix was third.

“The pace was really good and Luke just wouldn’t go away,” said Josh Fisher, after his second Castle Combe Racing Club FF1600 victory of 2019.

“It was relentless. Luckily, Luke made a couple of mistakes but it was a real yo-yo scrap and really hard work. I just couldn’t afford to back off at all.”

Cooper said: “It was another brilliant race, although unfortunately I did made a couple of little errors.

“Every time I got on the back of him, I'd make a little mistake and drop back and then I had to catch up again.

"A couple of times I was close enough to try and make a move, but he knew exactly how to position the car and I wasn't able to fight my way passed.

"I'd have liked another lap because I was the closest I had been all race at the end."

In the CCRC Pro Alloys Saloon Championship, Adam Prebble led from lights-to-flag to make it two wins from two, while behind Dursley’s Alex Kite and Calne ace Simon Thornton-Norris had a fierce duel for the runners-up spot, the former taking by just 0.223secs. Adrian Slade, from Melksham, was seventh and first in Class C.

Prebble said: “I got ahead luckily quite quick and I think they probably battled with each other - it got me away."

Meanwhile, in the CCRC Reis Motorsport Insurance GT Championship, the fight went right to the wire, with Barry Squibb the victor in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, despite late contact with Tetbury’s David Krayem.

Krayem retired as a result, handing second to Nigel Mustill and the final podium spot to Lucky Khera.

As for the Samco Sport CCRC Hot Hatch Challenge, Sam Stride made a strong start to jump pole man Kieren Simmons and then pull further ahead to beat the Weston-super-Mare man by over 15secs.

Burnham-on-Sea’s Tony Cooper bagged third, with Taunton’s Craig Fleming fourth and Class E winner Erling Jenson, from Bath, in his Mini Cooper S fifth.

Of the rest, Craig Dolby took a dominant victory in the Dave Allan Trophy, with Ben Scivens and Krayem second.

Clive Haynsford and Rich Hockley managed a win apiece in the two Track Attack Racing Club races, while Darren Dowling and David Mason both won a race each in the TVR Dunlop Challenge.

Bill Lancashire headed home Matt Holben and Graham Walden in the TVR Tuscan Anniversary race.

The Castle Combe Racing Club Championships continue on Monday, May 27.