Joe Ferguson is hit by another driver in race two.

DUNMOW racer Joe Ferguson is on the brink of lifting the Stock Hatch Championship as he takes a 12-point lead into the final two rounds.

Heading into the penultimate weekend at Donnington Park, Ferguson had a 16-point gap atop the standings. A fourth and a third place finishes may have narrowed his lead but the 19-year-old couldn’t have hoped for a better weekend.

“It was another good weekend for me,” he said. “Although I lost some points in the championship, I only gained 5kgs success ballast meaning I will go to Snetterton in four weeks time with just 45kgs of ballast.

“With just two more races to go and a 12 point lead, Snetterton is going to be an intense weekend for both me and the team but we are hopeful we can bring back the title.”

The weekend started perfectly for Ferguson as he finished the practice session one second ahead of his closest rival. He couldn’t take the momentum into qualifying as five red flags hampered the session.

However, he still put in a quick enough time to earn seventh for the first grid and third for the second.

Starting from the fourth row on the grid, Ferguson tried to make a move on the first corner but lost two places as a car in front slowed. He manoeuvred himself up to fourth with a lap to go but ran out of time to catch the cars in front.

In race two, Ferguson was challenging for the lead until a tap on the rear wheel lost him valuable time. He managed to catch up to the leaders again but once again ran out of time to make a passing move, coming home in third spot.

Ferguson is back in action for the final two roads at Snetterton on October 7.