Austin switches to Cupras

Afterwards he said: "I'm definitely going for the title, without a doubt. I suppose this is a step down. I don't look at it as being as competitive as F3. I probably should do but I don't. I don't see any reason why I can't win this."

Austin also picked up a licence endorsement for taking fellow series rookie Larry Carter out of the opening race. Coincidentally, Carter was also involved in the collision which put Austin out of race two.

Austin revealed: "I attempted a manoeuvre which went horribly wrong. I ended up taking him out, which wasn't intentional, but I hold up my hand and admit it."

Austin was one of five late additions to the Cupra Championship, with former British Touring Car racer Tom Boardman also making his debut.

Boardman said: "It was a last minute deal or I would have ended up doing nothing. I wanted to keep myself on track. I looked at other saloon car options and decided on SEAT. It's a very good series, and it's very, very competitive."

Cupra returnees Emmet O'Brien and Spencer Marsh and former Formula Ford racer Jon Lanceley were the other late signings, taking the entry to 18 cars, one more than for the opening round of last season.