MICHELLE Nixon had a dream weekend at Pembrey race circuit in Wales with four podium finishes from four races in the Dunlop Mini Challenge.

The second race meeting of the season, which started in wet conditions, looks to have been a turning point for the Little Malvern racer, who went into the weekend sixth in the Club Class Championship.

The meeting was busy with two lots of 20 minutes for qualifying and two 20-minute races on Saturday, with two further races on the Sunday.

Races one and two were challenging for the 25-year-old. Starting from fourth on the grid in both races, Nixon moved up into third place but found her Mini difficult to handle due to huge amounts of understeer.

Nixon, however, still managed to finish third in both races but was unable to catch the leading pair.

Races three and four took place in intense heat, where the track temperature was nearing 28 degrees.

Nixon got a great start in the first race and had moved up from fourth to second by the first corner and, after being held behind race leader Aston Blake, she dived down the inside at Woodlands to take the lead.

She was comfortably out in front until Rebecca Nuttall crashed out and the safety car was needed.

Nuttall was not hurt but the cars were bunched up as a result of the incident.

The chequered flag came out to see Nixon clinch her first win in the Dunlop Mini Challenge.

She said: "I was so pleased to see the chequered flag, I can't believe I've finally done it."

Race four saw Nixon push leader Graham Parsons from start to finish but she couldn't add another victory to her tally and had to settle for second place.

Nixon, whose car is run by her father Dave, now sits third in the overall championship, second in club class, and is currently 46 points clear in the Ladies' Championship.

Fellow Malvern Mini racer, Andy Beever, also had a triumphant weekend, taking his first podium of the season with third place in race three.

The championship now moves to the Croft circuit in Yorkshire on the weekend of June 14 and 15.