Oxford's Adam Sharpe hit top form as he set a new Formula Palmer Audi lap record at the Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire.

Sharpe, 19, a student at Oxford Brookes University finished the first race a fighting eighth, after being forced back to 15th from his original 11th place on the starting grid.

His pace eclipsed that of the leaders as he fought his way back past the slower drivers to roar to a best lap time of one minute, 4.81 secs, at an average speed of 102.76mph, to break the previous record.

Only one other driver broke the one minute, five seconds barrier.

In the second race, Sharpe started ninth on the grid, but again found himself pushed back several places in the first-lap reshuffle.

Once more, though, he gradually worked his way up the field, picking off slower drivers.

And, as the race entered its final third, he was up to seventh and hounding the clutch of four drivers fighting over third place.

As in the previous race, his raw speed earned him the fastest lap time of 1.04.823 sec just 13-hundredths of a second slower than his lap record earlier.

A collision in the closing stages with rival Niki Faulkner forced Sharpe into the pit lane for repairs to his car's damaged nose.

He rejoined the track, but was out of the points and has finished ninth overall in the final championship standings.

Sharpe said: "Fastest in both races, including a lap record, is a great way to finish the Formula Palmer Audi season."

Sharpe now turns his attention to Brands Hatch in a fortnight's time when he will contest the final round of the British GT Championship for the Morgan sports car manufacturer, sharing the team's Aero 8 model with New Zealand's Neil Cunningham.