After a great opening round at Donington, Dexter and the team headed to Brands Hatch looking to extend the Jack Sears Trophy lead and grow the Independents advantage alongside the other two PMR Audis.

Saturday practice went well — Dexter second overall in the Awesome-sponsored Audi A3 and looking good for a strong weekend. After qualifying 8th for the BTCC Qualifying Race, Dexter gained a place to start Sunday's Race 1 in a promising 7th.

Lady luck didn't smile on the team early in Race 1 — Dexter unfortunately left the track with a damaged wheel. After a visit to the pits, the car was retired; too much gravel from the trap had worked its way into the brakes and cooling ducts to safely continue.

That left the A3 starting Race 2 from second-to-last on the grid in wet conditions. With a determined Dexter and a team that had the car ready to climb the order, he managed a fantastic 9th — and into the points. The ITV commentators picked the driver, team and car out in a very positive light throughout the day.

The grid draw for the third race wasn't kind either; Dexter started 10th and finished 11th with another very strong performance.

Dexter is now 2nd in the Jack Sears Trophy, a narrow 5 points behind rival James Dorlin. The Power Maxed Racing team lead the Independents standings, with the two other PMR drivers 1st and 2nd in the Independents drivers' standings after six races — another podium for Mikey Doble following his Donington win last time out.

Next up is Snetterton on 23–24 May, where we're hoping the team, drivers and cars can keep building points across all the competitions. And keep your eyes peeled for the Awesome PMR RS3 road car out on the road — see below for the Silverstone prize draw.

Brands Hatch — full session results

What a fantastic opening weekend for the PMR #17 car driven by Dexter Patterson. Saturday saw the first ever BTCC qualifying race, where Dexter qualified 10th for Sunday — a promising start for the first proper outing of the new Audi A3.

Come race day, Dexter crossed the line 9th in Race 1 and was elevated to 7th following rule infringements from other drivers — a fantastic result that he equalled in Race 2. BTCC rules then placed him on the front row for the final race of the day; a tricky start dropped him to fourth before he clawed his way back to an amazing 6th at the flag.

Dexter sits 6th in the BTCC drivers' standings and, importantly, 1st in the Jack Sears Trophy. He described it as his "best ever weekend in BTCC" — and we're sure this is only a sign of what's to come.

Mikey Doble in one of the other PMR cars (LKQ) won the first race of the season outright — a perfect start for the seasoned BTCC driver and an incredible achievement for a team who lost everything in a fire towards the end of last season and miraculously built three unbelievable Audis in time for the opener.

"We're incredibly proud of the team's efforts, and we're all looking forward to the next round at Brands Hatch."

Mark Ash — Managing Director, Awesome

Follow the car's progress on Saturdays via ITV's YouTube channel, then on ITV4 and ITVx on Sunday. We'll also be sharing behind-the-scenes video across our own channels — we'd love to hear your thoughts as the season unfolds.