BTCC: Colin Turkington extends early season lead at Brands Hatch

Reigning British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington extended his lead at the top of the standings, taking his second win of the season at Brands Hatch.

As was the case in last week's season opener, Turkington won race two having taken second in race one behind Dan Cammish, who did not score in the last two races.

Elsewhere on a fantastic day for Northern Irish motorsport, Templepatrick's Wayne Boyd won the European Le Mans series .

Turkington's compatriot Chris Smiley was on course for an impressive fourth place in the final race of the day having moved up from 13th, but crashed out with two laps remaining as Tom Oliphant claimed his first BTCC race win.

It was another satisfactory weekend for 38-year-old Turkington, who took advantage of the car problems encountered by Cammish and Tom Ingram, two of his main title rivals, to move into a 16-point lead after six rounds of the season.

The Motorbase Performance Ford Focus of Rory Butcher set the early pace in race one and looked set for victory before suffering a puncture following a safety car period, which opened the door for Cammish to take the chequered flag with Turkington less than a second behind.

The second race saw Turkington's BMW pull away from Ingram after an intense early battle, as the four-time champion set about asserting his authority at the top of the leaderboard.

Having started from 12th in the reverse-grid third race, Turkington moved himself into the points before the late drama involving Smiley helped the championship leader claim fifth, with a delighted Oliphant securing his maiden race win.