Race 2: Sato back on top at Donington

The Japanese was in a class of his own as he consistently stretched his lead in his Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen Honda, and is now 63 points clear of closest title rival Derek Hayes with eight races to go.

"I wanted to show everybody I was on the pace after the first race," said Sato, who finished out of the points earlier today due to a puncture. "I could go much quicker than anyone - as long as I had the right tyre pressures! I pushed all the way, not taking any silly risks and keeping it under control."

Behind Sato, Andre Lotterer was second early on from the outside of the front row, but struggled in the early stages as his car lacked traction. The Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen came good mid-race, but by then he had already lost places to Mark Taylor and Matt Davies (who passed him simultaneously at Redgate), and then Bruce Jouanny, who moved ahead of the German when he ran wide at the Old Hairpin.

Taylor drove the race of his life, but the Manor Motorsport driver had jumped the start and was called in from second place for a stop-go penalty at mid-distance, pushing him outside the points.

That promoted Davies, who bounced back to form after a shocking recent run of results and held off the ever improving Jouanny for second place.

Fifth, behind Lotterer, was Anthony Davidson, who was gutted after wasting another opportunity of a good result through a bad start. As Davidson, who had qualified third, trickled away from the line after nearly stalling, he fell to midfield, but put on a strong recovery charge to net a respectable result.

First race heroes Derek Hayes and Gianmaria Bruni were among Davidson's scalps, this duo re-enacting their earlier war by battling for sixth, a scrap which the Irishman won fairly early in the proceedings.

Another jump-start penalty befell Andy Priaulx, which at least relieved a bottleneck for James Courtney to get a clear run to eighth from Jeffrey Jones and Alex Gurney, who completed the scorers on his best showing of the season.

Robbie Kerr took a fairly comprehensive win in the Scholarship Class from Michael Keohane, who had a blinding start and first lap from sixth on the grid. Battle of the race was for third in this division, Ernani Judice hanging on from Matt Gilmore and Robert Doornbos.

Takuma Sato (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) 15 laps in 22:22.570
Matt Davies (Team Avanti Dallara-Opel) +10.601
Bruce Jouanny (Promatecme Dallara-Mugen) +11.849
Andre Lotterer (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) +12.781
Anthony Davidson (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +15.678
Derek Hayes (Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +19.204
Gianmaria Bruni (Fortec Dallara-Renault) +20.102
James Courtney (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) +23.741
Jeffrey Jones (Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) +25.916
Alex Gurney (Fortec Dallara-Renault) +26.502

Robbie Kerr (Fred Goddard Racing Dallara-Renault)

Sato 237
Hayes 174
Courtney 146
Davidson 138
Lotterer 125
Bruni 111
Priaulx 103
Davies 102
Edwards 56
Jouanny 49

Kerr 250
Gilmore 219
Keohane 193
Mayall 144
Doornbos 126
Judice 96