"Any hopes for the rest of the Castle Coombe pack that Keith Murray's pace during Easter Monday's first round of the series had been a one-off were comprehensively dashed in rounds two and three last Saturday.

Even championship returnee Mark Wyatt could not live with the Audi A4 Quattro as Murray blasted to a brace of wins, making his career tally three victories from three starts. His rival' title hopes are already looking slim, and there is worse news to come.

"We haven't sorted out the chassis by a long way," he said ominously.

The opening race had run for only a few seconds when Tony Dolley's still-new Peugeot 206 was dispatched stage right into the field after Folly corner. When it rolled over in the crops, the action was duly halted.

The restart allowed Murray to make a better getaway, and he had clear air to Wyatt's Astra by the time they crested Avon Rise and braked for Quarry.

However, Wyatt set to work and began a lengthy chase of the Quattro, pushing the Astra right to the limit and cracking Gary Prebble's three-year-old lap record in the process.

It was a gutsy chase from Wyatt and the gap was still only half a second at the flag.

"I could see him in my mirrors all the time," acknowledged Murray afterwards.

At the end of the day, the second race was easier for Murray because Wyatt had to deal with Ian Craig (BMW M3) and Steve Turvey (Subaru Impreza) before getting a sight of the fleeing Audi. However, a spin at the Esses cost Wyatt any slender remaining hopes and Murray romped home to another triumph."