ROB Collard made a positive start to his British Touring Car Championship, but he could have been even better had he not been spun round while challenging for the lead in race two.

The Hook driver travelled with high hopes to Brands Hatch to race in the season opener at the Indy circuit.

After suffering a miss fire in final practice, Collard recovered to claim 12th place in qualifying and a good start had the West Surrey Racing driver up to ninth.

After a spell under the safety car, Collard managed to climb to sixth by the chequer flag.

This was from where starting race two and a storming start saw him up to second by the first bend off the line.

By the next lap he was going head-to-head with race one winner Tom Ingram and coming into Druids he looked to have the inside line, but was then hit and spun round by Ingram.

This forced Collard to rejoin at the back of 32 field, but he produced a great recovery to come up to 16th.

The final race of the three on the Kent circuit again saw him move up to an eighth after two laps and by lap eight he moved up to sixth which was where he stayed until the end of the race.

His three results saw him end the day tenth in the championship on 20 points which is 21 points behind leader Matt Neal in his Honda.

With his fellow West Surrey Racing also doing well at Brands the future looks bright for the team and Collard said: “We certainly have a competitive car, but race two really spoiled the weekend. I felt I had made the move on Tom Ingram and the next thing I know he is in my door and he has compromised both our races. He has to learn when to concede.”

Also racing in one of the support races to the BTTC was Rob’s youngest son Jordan Collard who qualified a creditable tenth and finished tenth in his first ever Ginetta Junior Race.

The teenager was doing even better in his second outing until he was knocked off at Druids which saw him hit the crash barrier and lose the bonnet of the car.

Both drivers will be back in action at the championships next round which is a Donington on the weekend of April 16 and 17.