NORTH Hampshire racing drivers Rob Collard and Nick Foster endured a difficult time at Rockingham in the latest rounds of the British Touring Car Championship.

The eBay Motors team struggled with excessive tyre wear throughout the weekend and were unable to compete at the head of the race.

Both men had a difficult time in qualifying, with Collard putting his car eighth on the grid, while Foster had to settle for 15th.

The first race was run in dry conditions and both men were able to improve their positions, with Collard holding off championship leader Matt Neal to finish fifth, while Foster was 10th.

The heavens opened before the start of the second race but Collard got an excellent start and was challenging for the lead into the first corner. Unfortunately, he then began to struggle for grip and slipped down the field, while contact with Aron Smith and Adam Morgan damaged the rear of his car and left him limping home in 11th, one place behind Foster.

The third race was also run in the rain and Collard again got a fantastic start, moving up from 11th on the grid to third.

Again contact and tyre wear saw him drop down the order and finish 13th, but Foster was on course for a seventh-place finish before he put a wheel on the grass and lost two places, coming home ninth.

The results mean that Collard is fifth in the drivers’ standings going into the penultimate round of races at Silverstone next weekend, while Foster has moved into the top 10.

“I was fairly happy,” Odiham driver Foster said. “They were difficult conditions so I was pleased to get three top 10 finishes and it pushes me up into the top 10 in the championship.

“We should be strong at Silverstone. We are waiting to see whether we get any turbo boost back. If we do then we should be pretty strong and I will be looking to get into the top six.”

Hook racer Collard went into Rockingham full of confidence after winning two of the three races at Knockhill but left the Northamptonshire track disappointed.

“It was a tough weekend in challenging conditions and I went away feeling quite bruised,” he said. “It was a case of damage limitation because we knew we would find it tough but we go to Silverstone more confident because we were quick there in testing.”