Andrew Shanley took yet another pole and win in the Sports and GT championship race at the Castle Combe Circuit's Bank Holiday Monday A Plant Lux Sportscar Raceday.

The Trowbridge driver's victory, added to his four already this year, finally puts him at the head of the class A points table and with an outside mathematical chance of the overall title.

In his usual taciturn manner, Shanley said: "We had a few problems with backmarkers but otherwise it was a good race."

The start of the race was again decisive as fellow front-row man Simon Tilling hesitated as the lights changed, allowing Shanley to build an instant gap which was never to be closed.

Darcy Smith in a Radical PR6 took second ahead of Josh Fisher in a Mantis.

Bath's Guy Parr took fourth spot in his Nemesis 02 sports car after qualifying in that position.

Trowbridge's Mark Funnell was looking good for another easy class B win when his road-going Lotus Exige developed a mysterious handling fault.

"I felt the back come round at Quarry when it shouldn't have and after that it didn't feel right, so I backed off rather than go off," he said.

Funnell's second-place finish in class B gave him the class title and kept him in the hunt for the overall crown. He will fight it out for the honour with class C winner Keith Dunn on October 2.

Reigning Formula Ford 1600 champion Ben Norton from Bratton took a pole to flag victory, his job made easier after the demise of Felix Fisher when his gear linkage broke on his Van Diemen RF00 while his brother, Josh, went off on the first lap.

Norton, driving a Wiltshire College Spectrum, said: "That was really good. Shame it wasn't close at the end, it's been really close with Felix and Josh these last few years.

"It's good for the team, though, who have worked hard after the DNFs [did not finish] we've had.

"They've used their summer holidays and been working permanently to get us ready, so thanks to them."

The Wiltshire College team, based at the circuit, had a double bonus with David Vivian, from Bradford on Avon, finishing second overall and winning class B after qualifying fifth.

Another star performance came from Chippenham's Adam Higgins, who overcame worn-out rear dampers to come from ninth on the grid to finish third in his low-budget Van Diemen RF90.

Saltford's Steven Jensen had another recovery drive to sixth after his qualifying was ruined when he clipped a slower car, causing severe damage to his Spectrum. That left him to fight through from 12th spot, the car having been miraculously repaired by his Kevin Mills Racing team.

The class C cars under 1.8 litres were again the talk of the circuit's Saloon Car championship race, with Yatton Keynell's Jason Cooper qualifying his Fiesta on outright pole with a stunning time which was well under his own lap record.

His race was shortlived, however, as gearbox problems sidelined him for the fourth time this year. The reigning champion has won every time he has finished.

Fellow front row-sitter Kevin Bird from Ditcheat took advantage with his powerful SEAT Leon but was harried all the way to victory by the class C Peugeot 106 of Nick Charles, who is one of two drivers able to take the championship at the last meeting.

He said: "I was hoping for a good one but when Jason outqualified me I thought it would be difficult. Kevin was a lot quicker in a straight line so I couldn't get past him."

Bristol's David Kift had his best result, taking his C class 106 to third overall ahead of Tony Dolley in the bigger 206.

Calne's Tony Hutchings made a great initial start from fourth on the grid in his Audi TT but dropped back to then recover to fifth, ahead of B class championship leader Mark Wyatt from Bristol, in the Astra.

In the pair of AAA saloons races Bath's Angus Gorringe took fourth and third in class B with his unique Audi S2.