EVESHAM'S Rob Austin was limited to a best finish of 11th in race one as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship headed to Rockingham.

The DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing driver had won twice previously at the Northamptonshire track but he was hit by more misfortune in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

An enforced retirement in the second encounter was followed by a challenging drive to 18th from 27th on the grid in the concluding contest.

Several incidents of contact across race day riled Austin who is 16th in the standings with 72 points.

He said: “It’s been another frustrating weekend sadly. I did my best and we all tried as hard as we could.

“We went the wrong way with the car in qualifying but race one was OK other than struggling with understeer.

"In the damp conditions in race two, being one of the very few cars on the hard tyre was the worst possible situation for us.

“All we needed to do was finish but once again I suffered through contact from another driver.

"Unfortunately, some drivers are beginning to think they can get away with pretty much anything which isn’t good for the championship.

“Race three could have been good for us as we had the correct tyre but typically the delayed starts gave time for the track to dry and for the guys on the hard compound to get heat into their tyres which negated my advantage in the early laps.

"Handling issues throughout the race meant I couldn’t then make the progress I had hoped for.”

Senna Proctor from Bidford outfit Power Maxed TAG Racing was fourth in race two with team-mate Josh Cook 12th.

Proctor finished 12th in the first contest in the Vauxhall Astra and 14th in the third with Cook 12th.

Adam Morgan, Ashley Sutton and Chris Smiley shared the race winning spoils.

Next on the calendar is Knockhill, Scotland, over the weekend of August 25 and 26.