TONY Hughes could not make the most of an advanced starting position to score a second top 20 finish of the day at Silverstone.

The Speedworks Motorsport driver suffered a first lap spin to leave him on the grass after lining up with former champions Jason Plato (Silverline Chevrolet Cruze) and James Thompson (Airwaves Racing Ford Focus) directly behind him.

It left him at the back of the field.

“I had a bit of a moment,” he told Toyota BTCC afterwards.

“The back end spun around and I ended up on the grass, so losing a lot of ground.”

However a safety car period allowed the Cheshire racer to catch those in front, recovering enough to cross the line in 21st position.

“I caught the others by the end,” he added.

His target now is to collect a hat-trick of finishes in the series’ final round.

At the front, Gordon Shedden (Honda Racing Team Civic) held off teammate and fellow title challenger Matt Neal to finish first.

That pair will battle for overall honours in a last race shoot-out.

Tom Onslow-Cole (Team Aon Ford Focus) finished third.

The last race of the season, to be broadcast live on ITV 4, starts at 5.15pm.