Australian Joey Mawson enjoyed a solid weekend at Round 2 of the MRF Challenge in Dubai.

The PODIUM-backed driver secured pole position for both Race 1 and 3, before going on to record four podium finishes from his four races.

After leading the early stages of Race 1, Mawson carded a pair of runner-up placings in the opening two encounters.

He then battled with damage to his front wing in Race 3 before crossing the line in third.

Mawson starred in the final 10-lap encounter slotting into second on the opening lap before he found his way into the lead, eventually winning by 4.6s.

This race win secured the 26th podium finish from the 35 races he contested throughout 2016 which included German Formula 4 and British Formula 3.

“All in all it has been a great weekend and fantastic way to end the year,” said Mawson.

“There’s not really any better way to finish off the year, I got a race win and now have the championship lead going into the New Year.

“I really enjoyed the racing across the weekend and the track was great to drive on. It was a good flowing track and reminded me of some of the tracks I used to race on during my karting days.

“Dubai holds some very special memories for me, it was exactly five years ago when I finished on the podium at the Rotax World Karting Finals.”

The victory in Race 4 elevated Mawson to the top of the championship standings.

At the halfway mark of the four-round championship he holds a 28-point buffer over Harrison Newey.

Zane Goddard, a last minute addition to an impressive line-up of young international drivers, claimed third in the final heat, his best result across the weekend.

“It was a challenging weekend” said Goddard.

“I learned so much using the stick shift and every time I went out you could see the improvements.”

The next round of the MRF Challenge is in New Delhi from January 26-28.