James Kaye was awarded victory in the British Touring Car Championship round at Silverstone despite being second across the finish line.

The Hampshire driver was beaten in the Production Car Feature Race by ex-Volvo works driver Kelvin Burt, standing in for Haselmere's Gavin Pyper, in the Gary Ayles Motorsport Alfa Romeo 156.

But because Burt was a temporary replacement for Pyper, he was not eligible to claim championship points so Kaye was awarded first place to consolidate his lead in the BTC Production Drivers Championship.

Yorkshireman Kaye, who is based in Alton, didn't have it all his own way in the Sprint Race either where another Hampshire driver Rob Collard was just a lap away from claiming victory.

Kaye made tremendous start and soon passed poleman Burt but when a rains-soaked track began to dry out and Kaye's wet tyres began to wear, Collard made a dramatic move through the field in his Renault Clio.

He picked off Kaye then claimed second place as Burt took a wide line at Abbey on his lasp lap. But the leader Norman Simon in his Edenbridge Racing BMW 320i just had enough of a gap to take his second win of the season.

Collard, whose new engine had blown up in qualifying, made another strong run through the field in the Feature Race but after taking sixth place, he was taken out by Simon's BMW teammate Tom Boardman, tearing his front wheel and breaking his suspension.

"It was a big accident at over 100mph which launched me in the air," said Collard. "I was relieved to climb out of the car unscathed but there was a lot of damage. It was an expensive accident."

But Collard says the Clio will be ready for the next round at Mondello Park in Ireland on June 23.

Another local success at Silverstone was Salisbury's Alan Blencowe who powered his Gary Ales Alfa Romeo to fourth place in tbe Feature Race, just seven tenths of a second behind third-placed Spencer March.

Warren Hughes (MG Sport) and James Thompson (Vauxhall Motorsport) took a win apiece in the touring class with David Leslie giving the new Petronas Syntium Proton their best result with third in the Sprint Race.