A pair of podium finishes at Donington Park saw AJ Owen maintain his standing near the summit of the overall standings for the pre-2003 Touring Car Championship.

Despite carrying 25kg of success ballast into qualifying due to his win last time out, Owen still managed to secure second place on the grid for race one.

A superb start allowed him to climb into first position after the first corner and he was in command from then on.

Regular lap times of 2.5 seconds quicker than his qualifying speed ensured the remainder of the race was a procession as Owen claimed his second race win on the bounce.

The victory in race one left Owen with a further 25kg of success ballast for the second race of the weekend and a poor start further hampered him early on.

He managed to hold his place at the front of the race out of the first corner and was soon under pressure from the Hondas of Steve Barden and Danny Cassar.

The trio battled it out in an excellent race as Owen held the lead for 11 of the 15 minutes of the race.

He could do little, however, to prevent the more powerful Ford Escort of Simon Beaumont from sweeping from fourth to first to claim victory late on.

Owen’s results leave him third in the overall Championship, some 10 points adrift of the Championship leader.

The championship’s next race takes place on the weekend of Saturday, July 2 at a Thruxton track Owen has previously thrived at.