Race 2: Davidson bags a pair

The Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen driver, who also won the European Cup at Pau, led the second race today from start to finish, while his team-mate Takuma Sato was forced to battle through to second place.

Sato made a good start from fourth, giving Davidson what the Englishman described as "a love tap" into Quarry Bend. But the Japanese was boxed in with front-row starter Jamie Spence to the outside. The Essex man had the momentum out of Quarry and swept around the outside of Sato back into second at the Esses.

The safety car came out on lap five to clear up Michael Keohane's car, which had gone off at the Esses on the first lap. Then, at the restart, Davidson rocketed away as Sato lost time behind Spence.

"I came down the straight and just floored it straight away," said Davidson. "They were still weaving away."

Eventually Sato managed to get Spence into Quarry on the eighth lap, but he could do little about the three-second gap to Davidson.

"As soon as I saw Takuma was P2 I thought, 'Oh shit - here we go, he's going to rocket up behind'," said the victor. "So I had to push harder than I've ever done. But I found that whenever I chilled out the gap would stay the same. I'm so glad it's all over!"

As Sato drew clear in second, behind the new lap record-setting Davidson, so Spence was reeled in by James Courtney, the Australian taking two laps before making it by at Quarry on the 10th lap. Courtney then drew away, while Spence, who felt he may have been carrying too much downforce and was losing speed on the main straight, had little trouble keeping Derek Hayes at bay.

This was a disappointing race for Hayes, who lost a place to Courtney in the first lap sort-out and spent the last stages fending off Andre Lotterer, who had passed both Matt Davies and then Ryan Dalziel into Tower Bend.

Lotterer completed the top six, ahead of Dalziel and Mark Taylor, who made a good recovery once he had shaken off a marker board he picked up in the early laps at the Bobbies chicane.

In the Scholarship Class Matt Gilmore drew level again with Robbie Kerr in the points, the Northern Irishman taking his first win since the opening meeting at Silverstone after Kerr made a mistake at Bobbies and lost the lead.

Anthony Davidson (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) 23 laps in 25:19.128
Takuma Sato (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +2.495
James Courtney (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) +8.064
Jamie Spence (Duma Racing Dallara-Mugen) +13.262
Derek Hayes (Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +14.483
Andre Lotterer (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) +15.056
Ryan Dalziel (Duma Racing Dallara-Mugen) +17.240
Mark Taylor (Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +19.270
Matt Davies (Team Avanti Dallara-Opel) +21.195
Bruce Jouanny (Promatecme Dallara-Mugen) +21.888


Matt Gilmore (Performance Racing Dallara-Opel)

Fastest lap Davidson 59.765s


Sato 192
Hayes 130
Davidson 121
Courtney 113
Priaulx 96
Davies 88
Lotterer 86
Bruni 83
Kiesa 46
Spence 36


Gilmore & Kerr 172
Keohane 135
Mayall 127
Doornbos 98
Blair 83.