Cheshire racing driver Daniel Buxton’s new career in British Touring Cars just gets better and better – in his latest race he briefly held first position on the track and now goes into the final two rounds at Donington Park and his home circuit of Oulton Park bubbling with confidence.

Daniel took part in two races at Brands Hatch on bank holiday Monday, 25th August, for the Team Halfords Peugeot 307 squad and, after impressive performances at Croft and Snetterton, looked every bit a BTCC driver – again proving hugely popular among the 16,000 crowd during the pit lane walkabout session for spectators.

He finished both races to score valuable points for his team and once more proved a match for his experienced team-mate Dan Eaves. In the second race, being broadcast live on television across Europe, he brilliantly led for a lap during the mandatory tyre change pit stops before coming in for his tyre change.

“That was a terrific feeling, knowing I was leading in only my sixth British Touring Car race, but I could only allow the feeling to last for a fraction of a second. At this level, you have no time to sit back and relax. This is racing on a different level and you have to concentrate so hard,” said Daniel.

Unfortunately, Daniel was handed a drive-through pit lane penalty for stopping fractionally outside his pit box. A Safety car period close to the end of the race allowed him to close back up to his rivals and at the end he was just a few seconds from breaking inside the top 12 with a best race lap time within a second of the race winner.

“The drive-through definitely cost me at least two places in the end,” said Daniel. “I’d been right with my team-mate up until the pit stops and he went on to finish 11th and win the Hilton Independent Trophy. It could have been a Team Halfords 1-2.”

Daniel had also been performing strongly in the first race until another pit lane mix-up cost him dear. As he came in for his tyre change, he found his pit box blocked by a confused out of position driver and he was waved through for another lap.

“It meant I had to drive slowly down the pit lane, back out onto the track for another lap and then come back in for my stop. This probably cost me the best part of 20 seconds, plus there was all the extra time I lost having to then fight my way back past slower cars who had got past me while I was in the pits.” The results show that Daniel would have been close to his team-mate Eaves who finished 11th overall and third on the podium in the Independents Trophy.

Daniel said: “I am very encouraged by my performances this weekend. I was keeping in touch with the field until the pit stops and it was just unfortunate what happened then. The fact I was right behind Dan in the second race and he went on to win the Independents means I can look forward to Donington and Oulton with great optimism.”