Julian Belcher made easy work of winning the opening Pre-66 Touring Car race of the season in rapidly failing light at Castle Combe. Belcher took his Triumph Vitesse clear of the pack at a prodigious rate to win by a minute after 10 laps.

Running last race of the programme on a wet and dismal day meant that the pack assembled on the grid in poor light. It only got worse, and visibility became a real problem for some drivers.

But Belcher was peerless and romped away, building a 5sec lead on the opening lap. Thomas Lailey de Ville gave chase in his1.5-litre Anglia as Andy Messham stretched clear of Tim Dodwell in a battle of Minis for third place.