Our Brands Hatch successes were followed by a five week break and with holidays to take what better way to enjoy the first two wins of the season.

Thruxton loomed up and the sense of expectation is never greater than when contemplating the mega fast Hampshire circuit. Preparations went beyond the usual full spanner check. We have acquired a cylinder leakage tester, which gives an indication of valve seat, piston ring and head gasket condition without the need to disassemble any part of the engine. This showed that leakage was far beyond the expected level, and with time running short we set off in search of solutions. In the end we managed to improve things a little, but it seemed that rings were needed.

The qualifying session went very well. A tow from Gerald Dale dragged me all the way up Woodham Hill, giving an extra 400rpm by the time I braked for the chicane. My dash flashed up a 1 minute 29.25 second lap - the quickest I'd ever been round Thruxton, and on the pit wall Andy showed me up from P3 to P2. I was pleased with that, especially as I was on the new 269 compound Dunlops for the first time.

On the slowing down lap, I looked to where I knew Emma and Max would be standing. There was no missing them, the only two people animated on a spectator bank packed to bursting point. They were leaping up and down, and I thought at the time it seemed an over reaction to qualifying second fastest! Perhaps I was on Pole???? So it proved, the first pole of the year by the small margin of 7/100th of a second. Maybe that leakage tester was leading us astray?

From the pole I got a great start, controlling the pack into the complex and starting the run into the flat out sweeps of Noble, Goodwood and Church. By Church Baldwin and Hunter had swept by and it wasn't looking good as I struggled to stay in contact up to the Chicane. Two big moments dominated the next couple of laps for me. Kelly Rogers had charged impressively from the back of the grid and he had a look up the inside into Church on lap 2. We are flat out here in top gear with 8000rpm on the clock and I turned in unaware that he was quite so close. The smallest of touches jumped me sideways at 110mph! It was over in a jiffy, a snatch of opposite lock straightened it up, although I lost a few more lengths on the leaders.

On the next lap, exiting Segrave Max Hunter found a box of neutrals and slow dramatically, I swerved and missed the back of him by millimetres, but a big lift and a sideways slide didn't help momentum and the Baldwin lead grew again. I was now in a comfortable second, but 7 laps of trying failed to get me nearer to Peter who frankly dominated the race and won as he pleased.

So then, maybe the leak tester results were valid - and Peter Vickers will investigate before we go to Rockingham in two weeks time. Watch this space!