HARTLEY Wintney racer Jack Timpany has had to settle for third place in the British Racing and Sports Car Club T-Cars Championship, after a bad start at the final race at Rockingham Motor Speedway.

The 17-year-old was one of only three drivers capable of catching series leader Adrian Quaife Hobbs.

But Quaife Hobbs' victory in the first race of the day was enough to secure him the overall title, leaving Timpany and James Williams to battle for the runner-up spot.

With the pair lining up side-by-side for race two, it was bound to be a close-run affair. But at the lights, it was Williams who got the verdict, as Timpany ran wide onto the grass, dropping him down the order.

"I think I let the pressure get to me," Timpany said at the finish. "I definitely wasn't on form this weekend and don't particularly like the track. But I've had a great season, really enjoyable, and I'm quite happy to come away with third in the championship."

In the first race, Timpany made up two early places after an uncharacteristically low grid position and had to settle for a sixth-place finish.

The second race produced one of the most closely-fought finishes in the six-year history of T-Cars.

At the start, Ryan Borthwick had just got the jump on Quaife Hobbs, but, as the cars entered the first corner, the newly-crowned champion surged ahead.

James Williams slotted himself into third, ahead of Timpany, with Max Chilton slotting in ahead of Daniel Laddiman and a fast-starting Jolyon Palmer.

By the end of lap one, the lead pair had again pulled out a slight advantage over the rest with several two-car battles happening in the field.

Timpany and Chilton ran close for fourth, while Laddiman and Palmer were enjoying a battle for seventh.

With Williams and Timpany running third and fourth, it seemed like it was going to be a close race. But a rare error by Timpany saw him run wide onto the grass to allow Chilton and Laddiman through. At that point his bid for second place overall was over and he had to settle for eighth in that round.

At the front of the race, champion Quaife Hobbs beat Borthwick to the line by just 0.041 seconds.

Final Championship points table after 18 rounds: Adrian Quaife Hobbs 284, James Williams 257, Jack Timpany 251, Daniel Laddiman 245, Ryan Borthwick 241, Drew Lammas 211; Oliver Webb 208; Max Chilton 187; Alex MacDowall 164; Emma Pascall 147; Barry Russell 129; Daniel Brown 91; Jolyon Palmer 20

First published: Monday, October 17, 2005