Collard pleased to silence critics after podium finish

Power Maxed Racing's Rob Collard returned to the British Touring Car Championship podium for the first since Oulton Park last season after finishing second at Donington Park in race three.

The former BMW driver took his first podium finish in the Vauxhall Astra since joining Power Maxed Racing for the 2019 season after finishing in second place behind Toyota's Tom Ingram in race three.

Collard had already enjoyed a strong weekend prior to race three after recording two top-ten finishes during the opening two races of the day.

Having set the fastest lap in race three, Collard felt victory could well have been possible had he not been held up Jake Hill, who was running the hard tyre in second position for half of the race.

"I’m just getting confident with the car and I think race one and two really showed that. To get that position in seventh with the hard tyre on in race two I thought was a really good result," said Collard.

"In race three, with the way the tyres worked out, we thought we were guaranteed a podium. It was just a case of whether it was first, second or third.

"I battled hard at the start and got my head down. I thought I was going to be able to catch Ingram at the end. I was catching him but I ran out of laps.

"I knew we had to put a lot in during the first couple of laps and that’s what I done. It was unfortunate I got stuck behind Jake Hill on the hard tyre. That allowed Ingram to get away."

After being forced to sit out much of the final half of last season due to his heavy shunt at Snetterton, which aggravated an earlier concussion from the previous year, Collard says his first podium finish since winning at Oulton Park should quell any doubts over his ability to challenge at the sharp end.

"I think we had the quickest car today with the fastest lap in the race. I’m just pleased to say I haven’t lost it and I’m not too old," Collard continued.

"All those people who wrote me off over the winter, I’m back with a bang. Cracking win for Tom and Toyota. It’s a nice podium for Power Maxed Racing and first podium in a FWD for a few years."