Diesel power triumphed over petrol at Donington Park on Sunday (21 May), Lloyd Allard and his Golf TDI blasting to victory in the fourth round of the Volkswagen Racing Cup. It was the first UK race win for a diesel car since 2002.

Allard, grandson of Monte Carlo Rally victor and sports car marque founder Sidney Allard, was in unstoppable form on the drying track and was not to be denied his maiden championship victory.

The day's other big winner - apart from the atrocious weather - was Paul Taylor, who won the very wet round three thanks in part to the superior traction afforded by his four-wheel-drive REVO Technik Golf R32.

Hertfordshire-based Taylor, only fourth fastest in the dry qualifying session, spent Saturday night praying to the gods of rain and was not disappointed, streaming wet weather facing him and the other runners as they lined up for Sunday's first race.

Predictably his R32, prepared by Big Boys Toys, proved more than a match for the conditions, Paul able to floor the throttle at the lights and rocket past front row men Martin Rutherford and Allard as if their front-drive-only machines were standing still. By the end of the first lap Taylor was nearly five seconds to the good.

But though the task of reeling Taylor in might have been a daunting one, Allard and his ATMR-prepared Golf were more than up for the challenge. Cheltenham-based Lloyd twice claimed the fastest lap of the race during his pursuit and, though hampered by an intermittent misfire, he was able to prevent Taylor from romping away, crossing the line in second spot less than seven seconds adrift. 'The weather played right into my hands,' said Taylor. 'I had a good run and the car was perfect.'

Third place ought to have belonged to Adrian Dziurzynski. 'Didge' had gambled on running slick, dry-weather Hankooks on his Mk II Golf GTI in the hope of capitalising on a strong showing in qualifying. His bid appeared to have paid off, Dziurzynski hanging on well to the leaders until three laps from the end when he skated off into the Redgate Corner gravel trap.

'I am so disappointed,' said Didge, from Exeter. 'The tyres were fine when it was really wet, but it started to dry a little and the track became greasier. I saw Rob Palmer bearing down on me and just overdid it.'

Palmer was making his first appearance of the season in the Exeter Diesels Golf and did a sterling job to climb from eighth on the grid to fourth before Dziurzynski handed him third. He resisted perfectly a last-corner attempt from Steve Wood to pass him, holding his line into Goddards to secure his maiden podium finish.

Wood, still at the wheel of a borrowed Beetle RSi due to persistent teething problems with his new Golf GTI, had tried to outbrake Palmer but spun instead and lost fourth at the last to Craig Inskip's turbo Golf. Martyn Culley recovered from an early misfire with his Vento to take sixth, hard on Wood's heels.

Ken Lark put in the drive of the race to fight back from 20th after a second-lap excursion into a gravel trap in his Corrado. 'I was well stuck but I was determined to get the car out, I was that angry,' said Ken. 'I waved away the marshals who came to help and managed to reverse the car back on to the track.'

The bit firmly between his teeth, Lark carved his way through the field and broke into the top 10 by lap seven. He picked off a further three cars by the end.

Alex Dziurzynski claimed eighth in his Corrado, ahead of Barrie Culley's Vento VR6, Tony Gilham's Beetle and the Europcar Golf GTI of Michael McInerney. Paul Lloyd-Roach was 12th in his Beetle and Rutherford a disappointed 15th, blaming his tyre choice and power delivery problems.

Among the disappointed non-finishers were Car magazine editor Jason Barlow, whose strong run in the new Polo GTI came to an end in the Craner Curves gravel on the penultimate lap, and Joe Fulbrook, whose Bora's engine cried enough. Peter Wyhinny failed to make the grid after ignition problems with his Caddy.

Taylor's prayers weren't completely answered, however - for the start of race two the sun made a brief enough appearance to start drying the track. Some of his rivals were tempted on to slick Hankooks, but Paul stuck to grooved rubber, a choice he would later rue.

Taylor made his customary lightning grid getaway to overhaul front row men Martyn Culley and Wood for the lead on the run to Redgate but was to stay ahead for only two laps this time, the track beginning to dry enough to lessen his four-wheel-drive advantage and to hurt his tyres. Wood was the first to dislodge him from top spot, with Allard battling past both Taylor and Wood to lead on the fourth lap.

Lloyd wasted no time in pulling out a lead, building his advantage to more than three seconds with a blinding fifth lap, the fastest of the race up to that point. A brief safety car hiatus, required to retrieve Wyhinny's stricken Caddy from the circuit after it suffered a mechanical problem, interrupted Allard's progress only briefly and he sailed on to his first championship victory - and the first for a diesel since Michael Neuhoff's Thruxton wins in 2002 - by a margin of two seconds.

'My tyres were almost gone towards the end,' said Lloyd, 'and I was panicking a bit when I saw another car coming up behind. But it was a brilliant race and I really enjoyed it. It's great to have won at last.'

It wasn't Wood who followed Allard home for second but Inskip, who had overcome the struggling Taylor for third on lap nine and was promoted to second when Wood slithered into a gravel trap at Redgate. 'It's good to get on the podium again,' said Craig.

Expectant father Martyn Culley was third: 'I'd just like to thank my wife for letting me go racing on the day she was due to give birth!' he said.

Lark flew to fourth this time, ahead of Didge Dziurzynski, whose fifth place was his best-yet championship result. A popular sixth was the slick-shod Beetle of Darelle Wilson, the Solihull 17-year-old not only scoring a personal best but setting fastest race lap into the bargain. His rivals voted Darelle driver of the day.

Taylor slipped to seventh at the flag, with Grant Woodhatch eighth in his Vento, Gilham ninth and granddad-to-be Barrie Culley 10th ahead of Lloyd-Roach, McInerney and Barlow in the Polo GTI, which the journalist rated a 'cracking good hot hatch' after his strong finish.

Those unlucky not to make the finish line included erstwhile championship leader Rutherford, who spun into the pit straight wall at the start; Andrew Smith, whose Golf did the same later in the race, and Palmer, whose Golf was dealt a heavy rear-end blow by Alex Dziurzynski's Corrado.

With four of the 12 rounds complete, Taylor is the new championship leader with a 22-point advantage over Martyn Culley. Rutherford slips to third overall.