Local racing driver Will Burns took a first and second placing at Silverstone to take him to the top of the Ginetta GT5 Challenge.

RACING driver Will Burns yet again made a name for himself at Silverstone with a win and a second to take him to the top of the Ginetta GT5 Challenge.

Will was suffering from a 24-hour bug going into qualifying and his car then suffered from brake failure, affecting him through qualifying. With just two flying laps to register times to determine his grid position, Will managed fourth and eighth respectively.

He said: “It was 50/50 whether I was well enough to take part, but minutes before the first race I found enough energy to make my way to the grid.”

Race one saw Burns climb to third where he had his sights set on a solid result, but was hit off the track by a rival and with his car damaged, he had to go to the pit dropping back to finish 15th overall.

Race two saw Will start from eighth, but his luck changed as he gained three places in the opening lap and chased down the pack to pick off his rivals one by one and cross the line in second place.

But with an illegal car that finished in front of him, Burns soon discovered he was handed the win following the exclusion of his rival with an official verdict.

The final race saw Will start from pole position. With the race underway, Burns pulled away from the pack, but found it hard to fend off his Academy Motorsport team-mate and on the last lap got overtaken to finish second.

“With the difficulties I faced through qualifying and race one, I am pleased to get positive results for Academy Motorsport. It was damage limitation for me, so to go home with a couple of podiums and the championship lead is amazing,” he said.

Will would like to thank a new local sponsor Fans & Blowers Ltd for their involvement and support for the remainder of the season. If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Will through his website - www.willburnsracing.com