ROB Austin made a welcome, and long-awaited, return to the top six at a rainy Snetterton 300 Circuit on Sunday as the second half of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship got off to a strong start for Swindon-based DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing.

Showcasing impressive pace in the dry during second practice and qualifying on Saturday, Austin started race one of the weekend from seventh on the grid and went on to secure a sixth-placed finish in a rain-affected opening encounter on Sunday morning in his Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Although contact from a rival early in race two, round 17, led to a highly frustrating retirement with damage, Austin hit back impressively in the special 60th anniversary ‘Diamond Double’ race – round 18 – to finish in 13th position from 25th on the grid, despite a damaged radiator and limited power.

Austin said: “I am absolutely convinced we are cursed. We had a great car again and were actually a little disappointed to only qualify P7 for the first race.

“We were into the unknown with the wet conditions, the car is set up so differently to the last time we ran in the wet and we weren’t sure how it would perform.

"Matt, our engineer, did a great job and although we didn’t have the pace to hang on to fifth, finishing sixth was a decent result.

“I have never experienced a run of bad fortune like this in my 28 years of racing and it’s blowing my mind at the moment, but we clearly have a fast, solid car in the DUO Motorsport with HMS Alfa Romeo and we won’t give up.

"Our fortune will change, and when it does we are ready.”

The BTCC is back in action for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the season, at Rockingham International Super Sportscar Circuit in Northamptonshire, over the weekend August 11-12.