In appalling conditions at Brands Hatch yesterday, Rob Huff drove his Chevrolet Lacetti to a stirring fourth place in round five of the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship. The 25 year-old from Cambridge, qualified a superb third place, to take a second row spot, but was held up at the off by a slow-starting pole-sitter Rickard Rydell immediately in front.

This dropped Rob down to fifth, the top non-SEAT driver, until he found a way past Rydell for fourth and set about chasing down the trio ahead. For the rest of the race Rob took every opportunity to move ahead but at the flag, he narrowly missed out on his first Chevrolet podium, the four crossing the line almost as one.

With the reversed grid for the top eight for race two, Rob started from the inside of the third row in fifth and at the lights gained a place on the entry to the first corner. His charge was short-lived through, as the pack approached Druids Hairpin for the first time, the young Briton found himself with no grip and aquaplaned off the track and into the gravel, ending his race on the spot.

His RML-prepared Chevrolet Lacetti team-mate Alain Menu went on to record the team's first victory in the Championship.

"Things started well," said Rob. "The car was fantastic in the wet and I was really pleased with the pace and the progress we've made. The team has worked hard and the car worked well all weekend. We timed the qualifying perfectly changing to slicks at exactly the right time to take the third quickest time.

"Then before the warm-up when the team were prepping the car, they found that the steering rack had completely split in half, which they quickly changed in time. I was hopeful for a podium at least in race one but at the lights, Rydell made a bad start, boxing me in, allowing two other cars through and I dropped to fifth.

"I managed to get past Rydell for fourth, I dummied him to the left and took him on the right and then tried to get past James Thompson ahead. It was a really good race and I was happy with my performance.

"Unfortunately race two was all down to tyre choice, there simply weren't enough grooves on the tyres and just at the start of the race the rain really threw it down. I made a good start but as we went into Druids, I had no grip and the car just aquaplaned off the track.

"It was a good weekend for the team though, Alain won the race and I'm really happy for him and the boys, it's a great result for Chevrolet."

Rob's next WTCC event will be in two weeks time at Oschersleben in Germany on June 3/4 but he will take to the wheel of his MGB this coming Sunday, again on the Brands Hatch track in Kent.