Collard pleased with Thruxton podium finish

Power Maxed Racing's Rob Collard secured his second British Touring Car Championship podium result of the season after finishing second in race three at Thruxton.

Having secured two sixth place finishes in races one and two, Collard was already on course for his strongest weekend the year so far and led most of the reverse grid race from pole position ahead of Honda's Dan Cammish.

Indeed, Collard felt he had the race under control, but a small error from the PMR driver at Church corner gave Cammish the opportunity he needed to out-drag and sweep past the race leading Vauxhall Astra on the run up to the final chicane.

Collard admitted the start of what turned out to be a heavy rain shower towards the end of the race did not help his cause.

"It was completely in hand," Collard told Crash.net. "It was important to get it off the line and I ticked that box. We got a bit of a gap and then I could see where Dan [Cammish] was fast.

"He was fast through Church and he could then drag onto me up the hill. The rest of lap I knew I had nailed.

"When it started getting a bit wet and slippery, you’re the first one into Church every time. I knew I had to then really get Church right because he slipstreamed up to the outside of me a couple of times.

"If I knew if I didn’t commit hard every lap, he’s just going to get past. I got a bit of a slide on which made it easy for him to accelerate past and the rest is history."

Collard's progress wasn't helped when the 50-year old explained the windscreen wipers of his Vauxhall were only working intermittently as the rainfall intensified at the end of the race.

"I was hoping they’d red flag the race when the heavens opening during the last three laps because it was pretty treacherous and we had no wipers," Collard continued.

"Our wipers had failed. I was driving with no wipers. They were working intermittently but when it was really hammering down, I couldn’t really see!

"I just bagged the points and the podium. Two sixths and a second is good points for us."