The Westbourne Motorsport racer arrived in Cheshire as the ‘man to beat’ after strong displays at Donington Park and Thruxton, and wasted little time in re-asserting himself by topping both free practice sessions.

Qualifying proved no different, with Dorlin putting his Vantage Motor Group and GardX Protection-supported Clio Cup car onto pole position for the second time in 2018 with a margin of two tenths of a second - an almost healthy advantage by the highly-competitive single make category’s standards.

In front of a capacity crowd in the Cheshire sunshine, Dorlin made the perfect start in the opening race and eased into the lead, seeing off a brief challenge from series stalwart Paul Rivett at Old Hall before extending an advantage of nearly five seconds at the chequered flag.

His rivals struck back in the second race - televised live to the nation through ITV Sport’s free-to-air coverage - but could do nothing to prevent Dorlin from taking a sixth straight podium in third - and with it a four point lead in the standings leaving the 2.2 mile circuit.

The championship marks it’s halfway stage next time out at Croft Circuit in Yorkshire, another of Dorlin’s favourite haunts. If past results are anything to go by, then his recent strong form is set to continue.

James Dorlin said, “It’s been another great weekend for me, with two podiums including a race victory that extends our lead in the championship. It’s clear we’re right in the thick of the championship fight in 2018, so consistently scoring these results is important.

“We’re on a really good run of form at the moment and I don’t see that changing next time out at Croft, which is definitely among my favourite circuits and one that’s held plenty of success for us in the past.

“A huge thanks as always to everybody at Westbourne Motorsport for preparing the car to the highest standards, and to all my sponsors for enabling me to get out there and race - this run of results is for you.”