Rob Collard’s home meeting turned to disappointment for as the Hampshire racer was he was knocked out the opening British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton this Bank Holiday Monday, severely damaging his Vauxhall Astra. His Collard Racing team now have a huge task to get him on the grid for Silverstone in just two weeks time, the bodyshell ruined and some major mechanical components damaged.

In Sunday’s 20-minute qualifying, Collard was second quickest of the Independent Cup runners, and ninth overall – though he felt he could have qualified better.

“The car was very good on the first set of tyres, we put in a good time,” explained Collard, from Eversley in Hampshire. “On my quickest lap I had a big lock-up at the chicane so I feel we could have gone quicker. Disappointed to be ninth as we could have been fifth or sixth, but there's nothing in it really, and our race pace will be good. We've been conservative with our tyres in qualifying and have plenty of good rubber left.”

A good start in the first of Bank Holiday Monday’s 25-lap races saw that confidence look well founded, but in the jostling pack exiting the first corner Collard’s Astra was spun round, and he slammed into the barriers, only to bounce back into the path of other cars. Hit several times, each corner of his car was severely dented, his home meeting over after just a few hundred metres of racing.

“I mad a good start, got past an MG and one of the Vauxhalls, and got inside an Independents Cup rival, and on the exit of the first corner felt a tag from behind and got turned round straight into the tyre wall.

“Sometimes people clip you and back off, but this time I was off and hit the tyre barrier at full speed, and got spun round into the oncoming pack. There was nothing those drivers could do, and they hit me.

“The car is in a bad condition, with a lot of damage at the front and rear. The car can be repaired – but the sheer cost is going to be a problem for us, when you are running on a budget as tight as ours, this is exactly the sort of thing you don’t need. The car is wiped out after just five races.

“We’ve surveyed the damage and already made a shopping list of what we need. Most of the major mechanical components are damaged, and we think the engine has ingested debris, so that needs to be stripped down – a major cost. Even my seat is broken!

“We will have a major rebuild, but I’m sure we’ll be at Silverstone.”

Next Races: Silverstone, Northants, June 8.