Former sportscar racer Michael Igoe won the Brands Hatch Winter Stages on Saturday - a year after making his rally debut at the same event.

The Citroen C3 Rally2 campaigner, co-driven by Will Atkins, led the event from start to finish on only his second outing in the 2019-built car.

The Knutsford-based driver set the pace on a frosty first stage and produced a controlled drive in the afternoon to beat John Griffiths/Emma Morrison (Ford Fiesta R5) by 41 seconds.

Igoe was helped by a mistake from closest challenger Patrick O'Donovan on stage five when the double British Rallycross champion picked up a five-minute penalty for striking a chicane in the pitlane.

The Hyundai i20 R5 pilot, co-driven by Jack Morton, was contesting only his second-ever rally and was on the pace throughout - despite selecting the wrong tyres in the early part of the event.

The 19-year-old eventually finished 12th overall, with the penalty helping his father Ollie, the 2007 British Rallycross champion, take third with Ashleigh Morris in his Hyundai i20 R5.

Igoe, who had enjoyed success in a Lamborghini Huracan in British GT, first used the Citroen at Donington Park in December, having previously handled a Ford Fiesta Rally2.

"Just 12 months ago I was at this event doing my first stage and I didn't even know what time control really was," he said.

"I had only just done my licence a month before so it's good to be here now fighting for wins.

“I’m really enjoying it, Will’s done a cracking job, and the team’s done a great job with the car.”

O'Donovan senior said his son "will learn" from his mistake, which damaged the front-left corner of his Hyundai.

“I’m very disappointed for Patrick – I would much rather he was in third instead of me as he is up and coming,” he said.

“There should be a penalty for hitting the chicane, but five minutes is not realistic – I don’t know what the upside is of a five-minute penalty.

“I think it should be 20/30 seconds because you would still be in the fight for the win with two stages to go.

"But his pace is still there and I enjoyed my last couple of stages when we had no delays and got back on the pace again.”

Behind the leading runners, Faversham's Richard Weatherley produced a strong performance to finish ninth overall in his two-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta Rally4, surviving a scare on the final stage when his bonnet flipped up.

The BMCRC Club Bike Championships will start the circuit racing season at Brands Hatch on March 16-17.