AJ Owen battled through technical difficulties and a poor qualifying round to secure two stunning podium finishes in the Pre-2003 Touring Car Championship.

A troubled qualifying at Cadwell Park, which saw electrical difficulties scupper Owen’s chances of posting a competitive lap time, left him 10th on the grid for the first race.

The lowly starting position did little to deter Owen though and he soon set about moving up the standings at the notoriously tight Cadwell circuit.

Within two laps he had made his way into the top six and was now setting his sights on claiming some serious points.

A brilliant move saw him pass the sister Honda Civic R Type to move ahead of Luke Allen before Owen hunted down Simon Beaumont to move up to fourth.

He would eventually pass Beaumont’s lighter and more powerful car on lap seven and a further overtake ensured he finished third.

His strong race showing secured a better starting position for race two and Owen did not let the opportunity pass him by.

The start of the race saw the three competing Honda’s battle it out for position at the top of the standings.

Owen had opted to use different tyres form his opponents and it would prove to be a wise decision as he began to pull the pair in from the opening lap.

A minor mistake from second placed Danny Cassar allowed Owen to move ahead of him before the end of the third lap, and he now had his sights firmly set on Steve Barden’s Honda Civic and a race win.

He would take top spot in some style as well as a dart into Park Corner saw him pass Barden to lead the race for the first time.

Owen had set a lap record during his excellent drive in race one, but was not content to rest on his laurels as he produced two more fastest laps to open up a four second advantage on the chasing pack.

The big gap meant he could manage the closing laps of the race in relative comfort as he took the chequered flag to close out a memorable weekend with a commanding win.

The two podium successes came as relief to Owen after he made a less than stellar start to his title defence at Rockingham.

He will now hope to build on his aspirations of retaining the championship in his next race, which takes place at Donnington on the weekend commencing Saturday, June 18.