HOOK father and son Rob and Jordan Collard were in top gear at Brands Hatch recently.

Rob raced in the British Touring Car Championship, while the next generation boy racer made his debut in the Ginetta Junior Championships. Both of their races were broadcast on ITV4 on Sunday morning.

Before the race, 15-year-old Jordan said: “The Ginetta Junior Championship is a great stepping stone to move from karting into car racing, I had a great time at the Ginetta scholarship, and I am really looking forward to putting everything I learnt there into practice at Brands Hatch.”

Rob, who was driving for West Surrey Racing, said pre-race: “I think you can pick which drivers will be in the top 10, but it will be lottery to decide in what order they will finish. I see no reason why I cannot come out on top if I have a consistent season.”

Unfortunately for Rob and his BMW 125i-M, they could not match last year’s heroics, following a number of unfortunate mishaps.

He was left with work to do after qualifying 12th on the grid, but was soon into the top ten when the race 10 got under way. He produced a characteristically battling performance, powering the BMW in sixth spot.

The second race looked like it would be more fruitful for the experienced racer. He managed to get second place off the line, and a first win of the season was in sight. But then he suffered a collision, battling for the lead, and span out to finish the race in 16th place.

The third and final race saw Rob make use of the softer compound tyres. He raced through to a sixth place finish, ending the weekend with a respectable two finishes to his name, and leaving him tenth in the championship standings as the season gets under way.

Mr Collard said after the race: “We had a very promising start to the season with the pace of the car, However the results didn’t match the performance. While battling for the lead in race two the car was knocked into a spin which is a typical case of the highs and lows of the British Touring Car Championship.”

The weekend was not so kind to son Jordan however. In his first race for the Total Control Racing Team in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship, he was knocked off the track by another driver and failed to finish. It was a nightmare start for the 15-year-old.

But his dad was philosopical. Even before they set off, he knew it would be challenging for Jordan. “It is going to be tough early on for him, as he is in his first year in championship – but he is up against second and third-year drivers.”

The next round of action in the UK British Touring Car Championship will be at Donington Park on Sunday, April 17. All the action will be broadcast on ITV4.