But in a weekend where qualifying caused a problem, the ADD Motorsports driver was happy to leave just 22 points off the leader and remain firmly in the hunt for the Championship.

He said: “I was happy to pick up the points, but disappointed with how events unfolded this weekend.

“I was in P1 in final practice and running P1 in qualifying on wets, but with a few laps to go the track dried and I was not able to get a lap in on slicks and ended up in 13th.  It set the scene for the whole weekend as it put me further down the grid than we should have been based on our lap times on Friday.

“But I’m just 22 points behind top spot and I’m going to keep fighting all the way. There are still 9 races left and a lot of points available.”

English driver James, born in Singapore, now living in Herts, was quick in free practice, topping the times in one session and looking set for another podium-packed weekend.

He took this pace into qualifying – and was sitting nicely in P1 on wets until the track began to dry out.

With many other drivers having pitted for slicks, track conditions went away from him, and a number of other title contenders, leaving him back in 13th.

However, in race one, despite two safety cars halting his progress, James expertly made up seven positions and was just one place away from securing pole for the reverse grid of the second race.

Instead, he started 7th but showed his growing maturity by staying away from a number of collisions to fight his way back to fifth by the end.

James started eighth in the final race, but lost two places at the start. Again, he fought back well, pulling off one brilliant overtaking move in particular on his way to a seventh place finish.

It left him joint fourth in the standings with all to play for.

He added: “To be where I was in free practice and at the beginning of qualifying and drop those places when the track dried out was the most disappointing aspect of the weekend. Despite this, I know the speed is there and I am very happy with my racecraft.

“We are still in there fighting for the title and I am very confident going into Rockingham in two weeks time. There’s a long way to go and it’s really exciting.”