Action from round five of the Autocross Winter Championship. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0700410)

OZZY OZANNE took the championship lead for the first time in defence of his title after Martyn Lowe’s two retirements meant he scored no points in round five.

Rachel Bihet took over the lead of the women’s points table by winning the qualifier and Peter Rose outscored Leeroy Sebire to close the points gap in his defence of the standard tyres title.

From the results of heat two there was no doubt that Ozanne was going to be hard to beat in the finals but when Martyn ‘Snake’ Lowe broke a driveshaft in his heat and retired a borrowed car in his final the championship lead changed.

Ozanne, by winning the finals race ahead of Ian Robert, leapfrogged Lowe in the overall points to now lead by three. Robert had beaten his teammate Doug Le Feuvre in the heats to qualify for the main race. This result moves Robert to fifth overall with three more meetings to count.

Callum Queripel is joint third after a second and third netted him seven points.