Dan Lloyd makes it five from five in Brands Hatch Race 1

Dan Lloyd has won the first race of the day at the Brands Hatch circuit, fighting back to take the lead from early race leader Ollie Taylor to take his fifth win of the year and extend his points lead to 80 points.

Taylor got the jump on Dan Lloyd’s WestCoast Racing Volkswagen into Paddock Hill bend in his Pyro Motorsport Honda Civic TCR, while Lewis Kent in the Essex & Kent Motorsport Hyundai launched into third ahead of Andreas Bäckman’s Volkswagen.

Kent then ran into the rear of Lloyd’s Volkswagen at Druids which unsettled the championship leader on the way down to Graham Hill bend, with Kent then sideswiping Bäckman’s car at the exit.

Bäckman was the pushed into a half-spin by the BMR Honda of Josh Price towards Surtees, which saw him drop two positions behind Price and his sister Jessica.

Taylor’s lead lasted for another four laps, before Lloyd made a last-minute lunge down the inside of the Honda driver at Clearways, and from then maintained the gap to Taylor for the remainder of the race.

Finlay Crocker was also on the move in the VFR Honda Civic, passing Andreas Bäckman’s Volkswagen for sixth on lap six, but soon spun out at Surtees as he was catching Jessica Bäckman’s WestCoast Volkswagen.

Jessica Bäckman was right on the tail of Price’s car when it was confirmed the Honda driver would receive a five second time penalty for exceeding track limits.

The race then settled down, with Andreas Bäckman losing two spots to Maximum Motorsport Cupra driver Stewart Lines on lap 29, with Crocker also making his way past, before Crocker then made a mistake at the final corner, allowing Bäckman back past.

Lloyd went onto win the race just under two seconds clear of Taylor, with Kent third, while Price suddenly slowed out of fourth on the final lap, allowing Jessica Bäckman up into a clear fourth, with Lines securing his best result of the season with fifth.

Lloyd’s win means he now leads the standings on 233 points, 80 clear of Ollie Taylor, who now moves past Andreas Bäckman into second in the championship.

“Sometimes you just know when you’re driving well. This year I’ll feel like I’m in a really good place,” said Lloyd.

“(Taylor) got me into the first corner and I got a big whack at the hairpin and I just had to collect myself.”

Race 2 follows at 15:45 BST with Carl Swift starting from pole position ahead of team-mate Stewart Lines, while Dan Lloyd will start from ninth for the reversed grid race.