• Cambridge racer crashes - but extends championship lead

Despite a major accident, from which he emerged unscathed, Cambridge racer Rob Huff left the Mallory Park circuit last night with his Formula Vauxhall Championship lead extended - putting him in control of the series with just one race left. Launched into a series of rolls when battling for the lead with his title rival, parts of Huff's single seater race car were strewn over the circuit, but the strength of the car kept the 20-year-old unharmed. With his assailant disqualified from the race for the incident, the championship points structure means that Huff now enters the final round 11 points clear of the field.

"I was looking forward to Mallory, having won there twice before in the MGB," said Huff. "The qualifying session in the morning was delayed by fog, and we had to go out on a damp circuit on slick tyres - so I only managed second on the grid.

"I got too much wheelspin at the start of the race and was only third in to the first corner. I got a good exit from that corner, a very long 180-degree right hander, and went past the car in second, and then closed on the leader. He was my big title rival, and I got a good tow from him along the pit straight, then went into the first corner on his outside. We go through that corner at around 120mph, and I was just creeping past him, and got the better exit and took the lead.

"He towed past me on the next lap, so I followed him through the first corner and closed as we were doing 140mph down the back straight. Following him into the Esses chicane he ran wide, so I got alongside and he moved back across and ran me off the circuit. I went though a gravel trap, then caught the lip at the back of it with a wheel and hit the tyrewall with the car up in the air. It ripped the nose off, and the car went end over end twice. I must have taken a knock on my helmet as there are tyre marks on it, and once I opened my eyes all I could see was sky. The car ended up against the tyrewall on the other side of the track.

"When the car finally stopped, I tried to start the engine - but could see the battery lying in the middle of the track! The car was sixty yards from where I'd initially gone off. My race was obviously over - and I thought my championship hopes were gone too - but my assailant was disqualified for his actions. That means he has to count the zero points from today in his final score, he can't treat it as a dropped score, so my championship lead increased!

"We're racing the MGB at Croft next weekend, then the week after it's Snetterton for the final round - it looks like I just have to finish to take the title. I'm sore, bruised, but happy!"

Next race - Snetterton, Norfolk, 14 October