• Rob drives around discomfort

Rob Huff's natural talent has won him two racing national scholarships and one championship, but it was courage as much as skill which produced another podium finish in the Clio RenaultSport UK Cup.

He took third place in the eighth of the 13 races, at Brands Hatch, still without full movement in the shoulder he injured in the frightening crash a fortnight ago, which he admitted dented his confidence as well as writing off his car.

The 22-year-old Cambridge motor racer had to quickly get used to a comp1etely re-built Clio, arrived for the race to see the clutch drop out of the bottom of it, then witnessed a high speed collision which almost burned two fellow drivers alive.

"It wasn't dull," he said. "There were problems all the way through really, but it did the confidence of myself and the team good to get through them for a top three finish.

"The mechanics, especially Kevin, did an amazing job against the clock to get the car ready for the round, but when you get a rebuild like that it's just like driving a new car.

"I was running 10th to 12th at first in qualifying. but then started to get the feel of the car and got up to fourth. Then we had a rod snap on the fuel pump and had to settle for fifth on the grid.

"That was fine but when I turned up for the race I saw the car in pieces again, just three hours before the start because the clutch had fallen out.

"We made it, and I got a good start which took me through to fourth, but after just a couple of laps we all had to sit it out for a hour and a half.

"Just in front of me Bob Smith ploughed into the back of Jason Templeman whose car exploded in a ball of flame. It looked bad, but they did well to get them out, and they went off to hospital with only minor injuries.

"It's a difficult downhill start at Brands from row three of the grid, especially in a modified car without a handbrake, but I got away well again and sliced through to third.

"It stayed that way though for 19 laps. We were not under much threat from behind, but the two in front were driving a perfect line, and on a track like Brands there was no way through.

"But after what we'd been through, to finish, and in third place was a great result. I'm still fourth overall, which is effectively third when worst performances are dropped.

"And by the time we get to Croft in Yorkshire for the next round in a fortnight I should be fully fit and aiming to put some pressure on the leaders."