Oliver Turvey secured a hard-earned ninth-placed finish for his NIO Formula E team in Hong Kong.

Starting 19th on the grid after struggling to get heat into his front tyres in a rain-affected qualifying session, Turvey, from Langwathby, produced a great performance for NIO in the first of the team’s two “home” races this year.

Meanwhile, team-mate Tom Dillmann enjoyed a season-best performance, and ended a roller-coaster race in 12th.

With rain ceasing ahead of Sunday’s e-Prix, track conditions improved but grip was still at a premium.

Dillmann and Turvey both made it safely through the tight right-hander at the start, although the Frenchman was then shuffled back behind his Cumbrian team-mate and, by the end of the lap, Turvey was 14th and Dillmann 18th.

On lap two, Turvey gained another place into 13th and Dillmann leapt into the top 15, prior to the appearance of the safety car and eventual red flag.

The action resumed with around 38 minutes remaining on the clock and both NIO drivers consolidated their positions. Dillmann dropped to 16th after being hit and pushed wide with just under half an hour to go but then, as a number of rivals encountered trouble, Turvey moved through into the top 10 and Dillmann recovered to 13th.

After another safety car late on, and dramas for race leader Andre Lotterer, Turvey broke into ninth and Dillmann finished in 12th.

Penrith-born Turvey, 31, said: “It has been a really tricky day with the weather conditions.

"We had a great start and strong first lap where I was able to move up six places to P13. It was a tricky race with lots of safety cars and restarts but we managed it well and made the most of it, the race dried out and our pace was pretty reasonable.

"It’s difficult to overtake here in Hong Kong but we were able to move forwards and finish in the points.”