Rob Collard left Brands Hatch today still leading the British Touring Car Championship Independents Trophy, but with his lead reduced after a dramatic race day that saw him fail to finish either race. Knocked out of round 15 by a rival, Rob’s Collard Racing Vauxhall Astra was sidelined in the second race of the day by a rare mechanical failure.

Rob was running strongly in the opening 25-lap race, battling for the class lead when an incident through the high-speed Paddock Hill Bend left his Brackenwood Windows-backed Astra embedded in a gravel trap. A tap from a class rival sent him off, and saw Rob fail to add to his all-important points tally.

“I was able to catch him easily, his tyres had gone,” said a very unhappy Rob, from Eversley in Hampshire. “I went round the outside at the final corner, he pushed me wide and I backed off, and I sat behind him until he was really holding me up. I put a nice move on him at Clearways, got underneath him, and we raced into Paddock. He hit me with a big bang, and I was off into the gravel.”

A last minute drama saw the Collard Racing Astra start the second race from the pit lane, and once again Rob was soon climbing up through the field. Sadly, he was out the race after just five laps, driveshaft failure rounding off a disappointing race day.

“One spot of luck was that the gravel from when I went off in the first race didn’t do any engine damage,” explained Rob, “but we were late out for the second race as we had an air-jack jammed. It must have somehow been damaged when I was knocked off, and it just packed up. We had the car stuck up on the jack, had to change it just minutes before the race, and had to start from the pit lane.

“I made a good start, got up through the Production Class cars, and went past a rival as he made a mistake. I was closing on another class rival, used the kerb at Graham Hill Bend, and as I exited the corner the car just veered sharply to the left – a driveshaft had broken. I don’t know if that was a result of going off earlier. We have been quickest Independent all weekend yet haven’t finished a race.

“I’m really devastated by how the weekend has gone. We have had the pace, took pole position carrying ballast in the car and everything felt right, yet we have ended the meeting with no points. I’m still six points in the lead of the championship, but the aim of Brands Hatch was not to lose any points and extend the lead if I could.”