A STRONG performance at the Rockingham track, near Corby, last weekend has seen Barton farmer Robert Lawson extend his lead in the 2008 Seat Cupra Championship.

Fastest throughout Friday's testing, Lawson ended up second in the opening qualifying session on Saturday before going one better and taking pole position for the second race the following day.

Before the first race on Sunday, the Bardon Aggregates and Concrete-backed driver was docked two grid places as a result of speeding in the pit lane earlier in the meeting and that, combined with an incident on the first lap, relegated Lawson down the field.

By the race end, a strong drive saw him recover to finish fourth overall.

Race two began in difficult, damp conditions with the whole field electing to start the race on slicks tyres.

Lawson stormed to a lightsto- flag victory, opening up a massive lead of nine seconds in the slippery conditions at the end of the race.

Lawson said: "I did all the hard work in the first few laps and, once I'd pulled a big enough gap, it was a case of monitoring it in the mirrors and not making any mistakes. It's a great result for myself and the JHR team."

As a result, Lawson extended his lead in the drivers' championship going into the next two rounds at Donington Park over the May bank holiday weekend.

● Barnard Castle hotelier Mad' Mark Watson overcame the slippery conditions and more than his fair share of mechanical gremlins to take a superb victory in round two of the Hi Spec Motorsport Rallycross Open Championship at Blyton in Lincolnshire last Sunday.

Driving the ex-Laurent Terriotin French Championshipwinning Citroen Xsara WRC, the Jersey Farm Hotel-backed driver saw off a strong challenge from Chris Langley's Ford Escort RS2000 in the division one final, with Newcastle's David Binks scoring his best result to date in the MSR Motorsportprepared Mitsubishi Lancer.

But it very nearly didn't happen for the 40-year-old defending champion, who had problems with his car during the previous week, but fettled by the capable hands of Tony Bardy Motorsport, he made it to the meeting and took victory in two of the three heats to claim pole position for the final.

However, with the car shedding alternator belts as the meeting progressed, Watson was fortunate that the first attempt to run the final was stopped when he lost drive away from the line, only for Irishman Eddie Kinirons to crash out, causing a red flag.

The second attempt was much better for Watson and he saw off the opposition, including main championship rival Mike Manning, who slid out attempting a pass and, as a result, he leads the series by nine points going into the next round at Pembrey in June.

It wasn't such good news for the region's other division one runner Tony Bell, from Ferryhill, whose Toyota Corolla WRC suffered mechanical problems in the final.

After a clash in the opening heat had seen the car suffer a broken rear suspension, the team fixed it and Bell qualified on row two of the grid for the final.

He got away well in the opening attempt, but a few metres after the start, the car slowed and he retired.

But honour in the Bell Rallycross Team was upheld by son David, who took third place in the Minicross final, with parttime circuit racer David Cox, from Darlington, bringing the team's other car home in third position in the B final.

In the juniors, Ingleton teenager Matt Thompson overcame the problem of an arm in plaster, the legacy of a skiing accident a week previously, to finish third in the final in his Chameleon Lockers-sponsored Mini, as well as taking seventh in the BTRDA final after a flat battery had proved troublesome.

Fourteen-year-old Kelly Bird was also in the wars when she crashed her Top Gear Karting Mini in the heats, but, after a quick medical check and some hasty repair work, she made it out in the finals to take third in the juniors B final and eighth in the BTRDA final.

Borrowby farmer Brian Thornton took victory in the Revivals class in his BL Metro, despite a puncture, and, in the Procar 1600 A final, Ingleby Barwick's Martin Peters claimed fourth in his Citroen Saxo, one place ahead of Great Broughton market gardener Neil Maynard in his Peugeot 205.

Andrew Grimston, from Bishop Auckland, wasn't quite so lucky and, after crashing his Vauxhall Nova in the qualifying heats, he sadly didn't make the finals.

Neither did Moulton's John Pinkney, whose Triumph GT6 suffered problems in practice and ruled him out.

● Stockton and District Motor Club will be running the third round of the 2008 SRH Motorsport Photography Ironman kart series at Teesside Autodrome on Sunday, April 27.

It will also have a small selection of club members' competition and classic cars between 10am and 2.30pm, and will be willing to answer any questions from people interested in becoming involved in motor sport at any level.

The club is one of the region's leading motor clubs, with events such as the Croft Historic Rally and the forthcoming Tour of Hamsterley stages rally in its portfolio.

It is hoping this trial event and a larger display at the Fire Engine and Classic Car Show at Preston Park in June will help to recruit many new members and marshals for forthcoming events.