JAMES WALKER followed his superb win two weeks ago in Germany with an excellent fourth place finish at Mondello Park in Ireland yesterday, despite a troubled weekend.

Friday’s free practice saw Walker consolidating his recent form with second-fastest time but when it came to official qualifying for Sunday’s two races he could not get the car to his liking and had to start the races in eighth and tenth spots on the grid.

A good start in race one saw him climb to seventh, but he was struggling for grip and ran wide at half distance, losing a place which he was unable to regain, so he had to settle for eighth at the finish.

However, an even better start for Walker in race two saw him leap from tenth to fourth by the second corner, helped by two cars spinning.

He came under intense pressure from his team-mate Mike Conway, and with continuing handling problems had little respite, but he demonstrated his growing maturity to hold him off all the way to the chequered flag for a well-deserved fourth.

‘It was incredibly disappointing not to have Friday’s pace for the rest of the weekend,’ Walker said afterwards.

‘I was expecting to qualify on the front row and get two podium finishes, but at least we had a good finish.

I’m determined to get that podium in the last meeting of the year at Silverstone in a couple of weeks.’