Asmer delighted to end Hitech run.

Marko Asmer admitted he was delighted to secure his maiden win in the British F3 International Series at Oulton Park, as the Estonian stormed to victory in race two to carry Hitech back to the top of the podium.

The team had endured a barren spell in recent seasons, but hard work carried out over the winter meant the returning Asmer arrived at the Cheshire circuit as many peoples tip for the title - the Estonian having led the way for much of pre-season testing in the #7 Dallara-Mercedes.

After qualifying in fourth place for both Bank Holiday races, Asmer admitted he had work to do to take victory but produced a fine drive in the opening race to finish just one place shy of his target in second place, after a blinding start saw him slot in behind pole man Maro Engel as the field streamed round Old Hall. Although unable to find a way past his Carlin rival, Asmer admitted he was happy with the result.

"I got a good start and got second," he told Crash.net Radio. "I had a few gos at Maro but nothing serious as it is quite easy to defend on this circuit and that it was it for the first start - I just stayed behind Maro and Stephen stayed behind me. After the Safety Car I had a good go at Maro going into the first corner and got next to him going over the line but I was on the outside and I thought I'd go for it, but I saw all the rubber and dust offline and had to back off otherwise I would have crashed. After that I was close, but in the high-speed stuff you lose the front end and I dropped back a bit and stayed there until the flag."

The start of race two saw Asmer not able to repeat his start from race one as he held fourth position into the first corner, but an accident involving three cars further down the order saw the red flags brought out and the race restarted. This time, Asmer jumped up to second place when the lights went green, but a further shunt meant that the race had to be stopped a second time and the grid reformed to try again.

Showing that the old adage 'third time lucky' does indeed come true, Asmer made the perfect get-away on his third start to lead the field into Old Hall and despite the best efforts of Stephen Jelley to find a way past, Asmer led for the entire ten lap race to secure a win that also sees him end the opening weekend of racing as the championship leader.

"It's very nice," he said after stepping off the podium. "It's good for myself but I'm even more happy for the team who have been working so hard and I know what they have put into it. Last year, they had a really shit year to be honest and to start 2007 with this result is great and I am proud of them. They took me on board again, they have faith in me and I hope I can keep paying it back. It is nice to give them this win.

"For me the starts were only getting better. The first start I had some wheelspin and was fourth after the first corner, the second start I was second after the first corner and then on the third start I was leading so third time lucky! The oil [from an accident in the earlier British GT race] was the problem so we asked to move the car to the right a little bit for the start. I was a bit worried about it but on the second start I saw that I could get away well and then I got a perfect start on the third one. It was a bit tight into the first corner with Jelley but that is the way it should be.

"We have now broken the bad luck record the team has had and it nice to get this win. We have been quick all pre-season and have been quickest at most of the circuits so we were expecting it - it's just nice now that it has come."