SEAN Walkinshaw could not hide his delight after securing victory at the Fuji Speedway in Japan.

The Chipping Norton racer produced a brilliant performance with Autobacs Racing Team Aguri teammate Shinichi Takagi in the second round of the Super GT Championship.

They claimed victory in the GT300 series by 26 seconds, marking Walkinshaw’s second career win in the class after triumphing at the same circuit last year.

Success in Fuji has also seen the team climb to first in the championship.

Walkinshaw said: “Getting the win was amazing for the team, it’s a fantastic result and to take the championship lead as well is pretty special.

“Fuji is very strong for our car, so we were expecting a good result, but to get the win really topped off the week.”

Takagi qualified on pole and opened up a 20-second lead before handing over to Walkinshaw.

A faultless stint saw the 24-year-old extend the advantage to more than 40 seconds, before Takagi took over to seal victory.

Walkinshaw said: “My stint was pretty uneventful.

“Shinichi-san did an amazing job to build a nice lead and when I got in the car all I needed to do was manage the gap.

“The car was fantastic and the ARTA guys did an incredible job.”

The next round is at Suzuka on May 19-20.

  • CARLOS Sainz is relishing the chance to race in front of his home fans in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The 23-year-old, who drives for the Enstone-based Renault team, hopes to build on his fifth-place finish in Azerbaijan a fortnight ago.

He said: “It’s the most special grand prix of the year for me and it feels so different to any other race.

“Wherever I go throughout the weekend, there’s always people cheering, it’s a real privilege to experience.”