While for Northern Irishman Loane it marked his first podium visit of the season, and his maiden rostrum finish in the main Formula Renault UK series, Sims’ podium was his second of the year.

Team mates Henry Surtees and Tom Armour also achieved season’s best results with the former finishing in seventh place during round six and the latter fighting his way through to 11th position for the New Ollerton team.

Sims is fourth in the championship on 120 points, Loane has climbed to fifth place on 111 points, Surtees is tied in 12th with the more experienced Sho Hanawa, on 58 and Armour has also moved up the order into 17th with 32.

Lining up on the front row of the grid for round five, Sims made a good start and, as he rounded the outside of pole-sitter Adriano Buzaid at Redgate Corner, contact resulted in the Manor star dropping a wheel off the circuit and into a spin.

Dropping down to about 12th position, he battled back hard and, although disappointed to see a potential win go begging, came home ninth for what could be valuable points at the end of the season.

Loane, meanwhile, made great progress from seventh on the grid and after moving into the top four, his moment of the race came on lap 11 when he produced a superb overtaking move on championship leader Adam Christodoulou.

Pressuring Christodoulou for several laps, it paid off on the 11th tour when he slid slightly wide on the exit of McLeans allowing Loane to get inside on the run to Coppice. He then sealed the move to take third place with a fantastic piece of driving into Goddards.

Armour raced to a 14th place result to equal his previous best from Rockingham while Surtees was given a drive-through penalty when deemed to have jumped the start. and finished a lap down in 17th.

Surtees and Armour achieved best FRUK finishes

Round six saw Loane, who celebrated his 20th birthday the day before, start on row two in fourth place with Sims in sixth, Surtees in 12th and Armour in 18th. At the start, Loane got away from the grid well to move into third place at Redgate and while Sims was hung out to dry a little on the outside, he made it through unscathed.

Challenging fourth placed Ryuji Yamamoto at the Old Hairpin and McLeans, Sims was determined to take the place and make amends for the earlier race.

Looking ultra-quick, he made a pass up the inside at Coppice to take fourth and then set after his Manor team-mate Loane.

Reeling off fastest lap after fastest lap, six on the trot to be precise, Sims closed on second placed Buzaid, but in the end he couldn’t quite get fully on terms with his tyres having given their best.

Nonetheless he also received two bonus points for setting the fastest lap, 1m 06.680 seconds (105.67mph).