THE AmD with Cobra Exhausts team was unlucky to come away from Thruxton without any points on the board after a challenging third weekend of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.

The West Thurrock-based team headed for the fastest circuit on the calendar hoping to challenge for top 15 places but it would prove to be a tough weekend for drivers Ollie Jackson and Sam Smelt.

Jackson finished 25th in race one, 17th in race two before being forced to retire in race three.

Smelt was 28th in the opening race, 24th in race two and 26th in race three as the rookie gained further valuable experience of racing in the highly competitive series.

And Jackson admitted he was frustrated not to take something from the meeting.

“I think we were on the back foot in practice a bit after missing the test and then we mis-read the conditions in qualifying which left us out of position on the grid,” he said.

“We changed the car for the races and just got our heads down to try and work our way forwards.

“With the field as it is, it was hard to make progress but we got into a position where we could try and push for some points in race three. Unfortunately I got hit on the opening lap, which forced me across the kerbs and damaged the front right.

“It’s unfortunate as we could have scored but we have shown decent race pace again and should be going home with something to show for it.”

Shaun Hollamby, AmD with Cobra Exhausts team principal, said: “It was a weekend we could have taken points from with the Audis and it is unfortunate that we come away from Thruxton without adding to our tally. We were on the back foot after qualifying and it wasn’t easy to make up places, which you could see across the whole field.”