Round two of the Pace Ward Mitsubishi Lancer Register Sprint Series took place at Oulton Park and, as in previous years, the competitive action was held on the two interlinked smooth-asphalt rally stages located on the venue's infield, rather than on the race-circuit itself. As usual, this twisty 2km course provided a few surprises, as its slippery surface and technical nature meant that it's not all about power and more about technique and tidiness.

Consequently, the outcome was to reveal a new name at the top of the time sheets: Paul Allin, who achieved a rare success by setting the fastest time of the day in his Class C Evo V, an accolade usually reserved for the more modified - and more powerful - Class D cars.

Whilst Anthony Lidster winning Class D and setting the second-fastest time of the day was no surprise, the car he did it in was, as he was driving a Class B Evo VI borrowed from Stephen Moore, who in-turn used his own car to secure Class B honours. Class A was won by an inspired Jamie Howlett, who came out on top after an intriguing battle in the standard car category.

The day began in overcast and breezy conditions, with evidence of the overnight rain taking the form of standing water at various points on the course. With most of the drivers knowing that the surface of this track can be unpredictable at best, all opted for a cautious start for the first of the morning's practice runs.

After his Evo VI was sidelined last weekend when the crankshaft snapped during a trackday at Blyton, Lidster was pleased to set the quickest time in Class D in Moore's Class B Evo VI (rules allow drivers to enter higher classes in a lower-class car if they wish). Moore was also getting the best from his car and went quickest in Class B, whilst Karl Richardson was fastest in Class C and Ian Fleming in Class A driving his trusty Evo II.

With the rain holding off, the characteristics of the track began to change dramatically and, as the grip levels went up, the times came down - so much so that, by the end of the five practice sessions, most drivers had taken between five and ten seconds of their earlier times.

However, it was still Lidster who was fastest overall and in Class D with a 1:06.48, with Allin close behind on 1:06.94 and setting the benchmark for Class C. Keith Bryan headed up Class B in his Evo VI on a 1:09.35 and Jamie Howlett showed signs of things to come in Class A after posting a very respectable 1:09.60 in his close to standard Evo VI. Impressively, the four class leaders occupied the top five positions overall.

After the first of the competitive runs there was an interesting look to the overall leaderboard, with Steve Peel in his Class B Evo VI setting the fastest outright time with a 1:06.60, closely followed by Allin on 1:06.8. Then, over a second behind, was the first of the Class D runners: Gary Nuttall in his Group A Evo VI rally car, with David Forbes heading up the Class A field in his Evo VI.

By now, the track had almost completely dried out and drivers found that their cars' handling was changing accordingly, some adapting more quickly than others to the different conditions. After competitive run two Alan Rochelle briefly topped the time sheets in his Class C Evo VI, with Steve Peel in his Evo VI the first of the Class B cars and now with Fleming leading Class A, the com petition was really hotting up in the category for the least modified cars.

With the grip levels still changing - but not always for the better - the front-runners' times were generally slower by the time run four took place, with Lidster fastest. But it had little effect on the overall positions, as Allin and now Lee Whitfield in his Class B Evo VI and Nuttall still held the top three places by virtue of the times they set in run three. Not so for the Class A runners though, with Jamie Howlett and Ian Fleming both setting identical times to the 100th of a second, which meant they now shared the class lead.

Then, on run five, Paul Allin was the first and, as it transpired, the only driver to go under the one-minute mark with a 59.48 on run five. Stephen Moore also delivered a respectable run to take second place overall and the Class B lead, whilst Lidster still led Class D and was now on exactly the same time as Moore! In contrast, Class A was now in the hands of Jamie Howlett, having shaved a full second off his previous best.

As run number six came to an end it started to rain - and on this track the addition of water changes things dramatically. Consequently Allin was off the pace - although he had already done enough to hold FTD and the Class C lead - while Class D runners Lidster and Nuttall went through before the rain to claim second and third places overall respectively.

With the rain getting harder for the seventh and final run of the day, the chance of anyone making a late bid for glory was completely scuppered, which meant that the positions after run seven were to be the same as they were after run six. Consequently, Paul Allin's 59.48 secured him his first Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series FTD and allowed him to claim the Class C victory by over two-seconds.

Setting the second-fastest time of the day at 1:00.87 - in the Class B Evo VI he borrowed for the event - was Class D winner Anthony Lidster, whilst quickest in Class B was the car's owner Stephen Moore with a 1:01.93. Jamie Howlett's time of 1:05.71 on the fifth run was enough to secure him the closely fought Class A honours.

There's now a five-week break before round three, which takes place at Blyton Park on 31st May.

The 2014 Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series is sponsored by: Pace Ward performance insurance, SuperPro suspension parts, AP Tuning, Ross Sport and HKS Europe.

Round 2 Class WinnersClass Driver Car TimeA Jamie Howlett Evo VI 1:05.71B Stephen Moore Evo VI 1:01.93C (FTD) Paul Allin Evo V 0:59.48D Anthony Lidster Evo VI 1:00.87Class standings after Round 2

Class Driver Car PointsA Jamie Howlett Evo VI 180B Stephen Moore Evo VI 190C Paul Allin Evo V 200D Anthony Lidster Evo VI 195

The Pace Ward MLR Sprint Series features four classes:· Class A for standard road cars - sponsored by SuperPro· Class B for fast road cars - sponsored by AP Tuning· Class C for super-road/track day cars - sponsored by Ross Sport· Class D for cars with unlimited modifications - sponsored by HKSAll cars must be road legal.

2014 Calendar19 March: Castle Combe 26 April: Oulton Park31 May: Blyton Park28 June: Hethel19 July: Kames30 August: Teesside Autodrome4 October: Snetterton