JUSTIN Dawkins claimed two fourth place finishes in Formula Ford 1600 races at Mallory Park, despite doing more than enough to retain his second position in the Daly Systems Star of the Midlands Formula Ford 1600 Championship after four rounds.

The 20-year-old Stockton-on-Teme driver felt that a couple of podium positions were easily within his grasp.

The day started badly after a misunderstanding over the length of the qualifying session saw his plans to set a fast lap towards the end thwarted, leaving him down in fifth position on the grid for the Championship race.

When the lights went out the Stockton-on-Teme man lost a place to reigning champion Peter Daly, but after a prolonged effort managed to take the place away at Gerard's Bend on lap eight. Daly regained fifth position mom-entarily on lap 12 but Dawk-ins got the place back and was looking good until lap 20, when he had a moment at one of the fastest parts of the circuit.

"I made a mistake half way around Gerard's. My belt came undone after a few laps and it was preying on my mind so I tried to put it back and I was messing around," Dawkins said.

"Then I got really sideways half-way round the corner and I managed to keep it on the track but Daly got past."

With two cars ahead crashing out, what would have been sixth position became fourth, but that was little consolation for Justin, who is supported by Direct Vehicle Leasing and West Midlands Fasteners.

In a later non-championship event Dawkins drove the wheels off his Van Diemen RF90 and was beating FF1600 star Gavin Wills into third place when fuel starvation problems caused him to drop off the pace in the closing laps. "That really did get to me quite badly, it was probably the best race I've ever driven," rued Dawkins.

"For some reason we used more fuel in the second race than we had in the first."

"I'm pleased that I've still got second place in the championship but we weren't at our best this weekend. Silverstone should be different," he added.