SPEEDWORKS Motorsport will miss the next round of their debut season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship while it fixes a damaged car.

The Northwich team’s Toyota Avensis suffered major damage on the opening lap of the third race at Donington Park on Sunday, ruling it out the third meeting of the term at Thruxton.

“It’s a great shame,” said team principal Christian Dick.

“We could have repaired the car in time to go to Hampshire, but we have decided instead to opt out and spend our time more productively in sorting a couple of underlying issues we have.”

Driver Tony Hughes scored a season-best finish in race two last weekend, crossing the line in 16th place to help the newcomers to score points in the Independent Teams Trophy.

He posted his fastest lap of the weekend too.

The Knutsford-based ace had claimed 19th spot in the opener earlier in the day despite being forced to pit when a oil warning light came on.

However he was denied a hat-trick of finishes when he was collected by Dave Newsham’s spinning BMW off the line in race three, forcing the 51-year-old to retire on the opening lap.

“We’d have preferred not to suffer damage but that’s all part of motorsport and it looks worse than it is,” added Dick.

“Overall we made good progress and I’m content; I felt we moved forwards in each session and the car is improving all the time.

“When we return, we want to be sure it is in top form.”

Hughes, competing in the UK’s premier car racing series for the first time, has finished four of the six races to date in a car built to the new Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specifications.

Rival Frank Wrathall (Dynojet), also piloting an Avensis, secured a maiden BTCC race finish at Donington in the day’s opener when he took the flag in 16th position.

Matt Neal (Honda Racing Team Civic), Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra) and Mat Jackson (Airwaves Racing Ford Focus) shared the wins in a dramatic day’s racing in which defending champion Jason Plato (Silverline Chevrolet Cruze) suffered a high-speed crash.

However rising star James Nash (888 with Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra), despite never being a race-winner, leads the points standings heading to Thruxton next week.