Whilton Mill played host to round eight of the 2016 TW Steel DMAX Championship, with fierce battles in every class setting the scene for a palpitating end to the season.On a warm and sunny day, Whilton’s 1,200m International layout provided the perfect venue for a series of fast-and-frenetic, breathless races with high-octane action throughout the field.Having shared the Heat victories between them, there was the familiar sight of title protagonists Tomasz Zaustowicz and Chris Carter lining up alongside each other on the front row of the grid for the Heavies Final. The pair proceeded to put on a scintillating scrap that had the crowd holding its collective breath, with the lead exchanging hands on a number of occasions.Carter ultimately prevailed by little more than half-a-second to maintain his narrow championship lead over Zaustowicz, with their squabbling enabling Tom Pughe to close right onto their tail by the time the chequered flag fell. Honours were similarly split in Qualifying and the Enduro encounter, with Zaustowicz snaring pole position but Carter turning the tables in the race.The Inters contest saw arch-rivals and Heat pace-setters Lee Hollywood and Bobby Trundley sprint away at the start of the Final, with the latter stealing the early initiative. A misjudged effort to reclaim it earned Hollywood his third black flag of the campaign, however, and with it a zero points score for the round, as Trundley found himself bundled down to seventh position.Richard Lacey gratefully inherited the top spot ahead of Oliver Peacock, and those positions would remain unchanged right the way to the flag. The delayed Trundley recovered to finish third, with Luke Cousins placing fourth following Hollywood’s exclusion and converting pole position into Enduro glory to cut Trundley’s margin at the top of the table to just a single point.The Lights contenders, meanwhile, produced plenty of wheel-to-wheel action of their own. Junior Inkart graduate Axel Slijepcevic grabbed the opportunity to speed clear in the Final as battles raged behind, with championship leader Tom Golding and Matthew Bees fighting their way through to secure the remaining two rostrum positions.Slijepcevic’s fellow Heat winners Jake Butler and Levi Anderson wound up fifth and 18th respectively, while Golding added to his silverware collection with a commanding lights-to-flag Enduro triumph from pole position – his second runaway success in a row to extend his advantage in the points table – as Slijepcevic clinched a well-deserved second.Round nine will take place around Daytona Tamworth’s Grand Prix circuit on 15-16 October. Daytona Motorsport would like to thank all the drivers and extends its congratulations to the Whilton Mill podium finishers: Heavies Final1) Chris Carter2) Tomasz Zaustowicz3) Tom PugheLights Final1) Axel Slijepcevic2) Tom Golding3) Matthew BeesInters Final1) Richard Lacey2) Oliver Peacock3) Bobby TrundleyHeavies Enduro1) Chris Carter2) Tomasz Zaustowicz3) Adam NakarLights Enduro1) Tom Golding2) Axel Slijepcevic3) Ben LeslieInters Enduro1) Luke Cousins2) Oliver Peacock3) Xander Mahony