By Amanda Little

Last updated 05:40, Friday, 29 August 2008

CUMBRIAN racing driver Oliver Turvey tightened his grip at the top of the British Formula 3 Championship despite being forced to settle for two second-place finishes in Romania last weekend.

Oliver Turvey: Leading the way

Carlin Motorsport team-mate Jamie Alguersuari took his third win of the season around the streets of Bucharest but Turvey’s two seconds still enabled him to stretch his lead to 12 points.

Turvey, who has just become the first racing driver to be awarded a Cambridge Blue, admits the heat is on going into the final round at Donington Park mid-October but is confident of holding off the challenge of Alguersuari.

The 21-year-old, from Langwathby, near Penrith, is planning to graduate into GP2 – one rung below F1 – if he can raise the £1million budget required.

He said: “It’s still quite close but 12 points is a good lead and Donington Park is one of my favourite tracks so I am pretty confident. I want to win every time but last weekend was my first street race. It’s easy to make a mistake and clip the wall but I didn’t damage the car all weekend and got pole position. We were very strong again and picked up crucial points for the championship. It was also good experience to drive on the streets.”

Turvey had gained the upper-hand over his Carlin Motorsport team-mate Alguersuari with a pair of wins in the last round at Silverstone.

Alguersuari's victory in the second race in Romania – which marked Carlin Motorsport's 150th win – came when he overtook rivals and team-mates Turvey and Brendon Hartley, who were caught out while battling over the lead.

Pole-sitter Turvey finished the race as runner-up, half a second behind, with Hartley claiming third place.

Hartley lies third in the championship standings but, with a 30-point deficit to Turvey, he remains an outside chance.