Dutch delight for Wigan's Tony Lynch at Valkenswaard

Lynch and his Landsail Team Geriatric outfit made the long trip to mainland Europe hopeful of a first Retro Rallycross win of the campaign, with work having gone into his Toyota MR2 in an attempt to resolve some of the handling issues that had hampered his challenge at Lydden Hill in the previous meeting.

It was quickly evident that improvements to the suspension had paid dividends as Lynch emerged victorious from the opening heat of the weekend, seeing off the challenge of Jon Wood’s Ford Escort to take the win.

With the team replacing a broken brake hose ahead of heat two, Lynch looked set to double up when he once again led Wood but a missed chicane saw him handed a five second penalty as he ultimately had to settle second spot.

Heats three and four once again saw Lynch fend off the challenge of Wood to secure pole for the final, putting him in the ideal position to end Wood’s 100 per cent winning record this season.

As had been the case in the heats, the battle for the victory would ultimately come down to the start, with Lynch able to retain the lead going into turn one for the first time.

With Wood fixed onto the rear of the Toyota, Lynch was unable to relax as he kept his rival at bay to snare a victory that moves him up to fourth in the championship standings.

“Getting a first win of the season in Retro Rallycross was fantastic after a really enjoyable weekend of racing in Holland,” he said.

“Going into the weekend, we were hopeful that the handling issues from Lydden Hill had been resolved thanks to some help from Paul Waldron Motorsport, and as soon as we hit the track, the car was back on form.

“We picked up the win in the opening heat before discovering we needed to replace a brake hose, and a huge thank you to Peter Christmas for stepping forwards to help with a part, despite being one of class rivals.

“I have to hold my hand up to a mistake in the second heat, but we came back to win the next two and before the final, me and Jon both agreed that whoever made the best start and fewest mistakes was going to take the win.

“I managed to keep the lead going down to turn one and then it was a case of keeping my nose clean and not making any errors to let Jon get ahead - and we picked up the win.

“It was a great weekend with lots of camaraderie in the paddock and lots of fun, which is the reason we all go racing.

"A huge thank you to the team as ever for their efforts and now we can look ahead to the next event at Pembrey with our focus on adding another win."