Qualifying

Rob Collard qualified his MG ZS in fifth position on his debut for WSR in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. After being in third position for most of session Collard lost out as two of his rivals popped in quick laps in the dying minutes.

Rob Collard: "I was frustrated to only qualify 5th after such a strong showing on the Media Day, however I'm still on a learning curve with the car and the new Dunlop tyre."

Dick Bennetts: "We're very impressed with Rob's progress after such a short time in the car. There's more to come from him and we're making a few changes to the set-up to improve the car for the races."

Race 1

Rob Collard made a good start and was challenging for third position before being tagged from behind by Dan Eaves. Pushed on to the grass, Collard lost four positions, but quickly made his way back up to fifth and onto the tail of Eaves. Rob challenged on several occasions but just couldn't find a way past. The two of them caught and passed Colin Turkington with Rob eventually settling for fourth place and valuable points at this early stage of the Championship.

Rob Collard: "I was very pleased to successfully complete a race distance in the car and am really looking forward to the next race."

Race 2

A good start from fourth by Collard saw him take second place into the first corner. He held this position until lap 4 when he lost out to a lunge by Matt Neal at Redgate Corner. However, Rob kept with Neal and bided his time before passing him with a brilliant manoeuvre at Redgate. Collard then set the fastest lap of the race in his pursuit of leader Yvan Muller. Catching him with a lap to go Collard tried everything to get past, but Muller made his Vauxhall very wide and Rob had to settle for second place, his first ever BTCC podium.

Rob Collard: "I'm still finding the car's limits and its handling is excellent."

Race 3

With the starting order reversed for the third race, Rob Collard lined his WSR MG ZS up in eighth place on the grid. A superb start saw Collard exit the first corner in second place, immediately behind leader Jason Plato. Collard tried several times to take the lead but was frustrated by some very defensive driving from Plato. These tactics allowed the pursuing pack to catch up and Collard lost out in melee involving several cars. Heavy contact from Muller adversely affected the car's handling and Collard had to be content with fourth place.

Rob Collard: "I was a bit disappointed with the result, but am happy with the progress we've made this weekend. We've started the season with a healthy points haul and I'm really looking forward to the next race, at my 'home' circuit, Thruxton.

Dick Bennetts: "Rob's done a great job this weekend. I'm very impressed with his pace, particulary in the second race where he set fastest lap and would have won if only the race had been a lap longer! He's slotted into the team very well and it's a pleasure to work with him."