Romsey'S Rob Austin raced into second place in the first of the John Cooper Challenge races at Donington Park.
The 43-year-old chartered surveyor followed up with a solid fifth place to go to the next meeting well up in the championship standings.
Several competitors were involved in a collision first time out and in the restart pole man Barney Craggs got a poor start and was passed by the hard-charging Austin.
Craggs applied pressure for several laps before Austin ran wide, allowing him to pass and take the lead in the Club class. Fast-starting Gary Kounnis caught Austin, but the Romsey driver got home by a tenth of a second.
The second round saw Craggs lead from the start with Austin moving up into second place, only to slip back to fifth as novice racer David Shepherd won a terrific scrap for third place.
Austin began his motorsport career in Formula Fords then ran a Formula Renault team in the late 90s.
He joined the John Cooper Challenge in 2004, racing his 133 bhp Works MINI Cooper and finishing eighth.
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