SHAUN Hollamby was back at the wheel of Thurrock-based AmD Milltek Racing.com’s car at Croft as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship reached its halfway point.

The team principal drove the team’s VW Golf for the first time this season following Tom Onslow-Cole’s decision to quit AmD earlier this month.

Hollamby drove the car in the BTCC last season but admitted the race at the North Yorkshire track was the first time he felt he was competing on a level playing field.

“Race three was the first proper race I feel I’ve had in the BTCC as I was able to fight with people on track and I wasn’t just running around towards the back,” Hollamby said.

“Earlier in the day, James Nash fired me off in the first race and then in race two, I went off in sympathy when Frank Wrathall had a problem and was suddenly slow in front of me.

“I think some of the boys tried to push me around on track today but I wasn’t having any of it and even though I didn’t manage to get into the points like I hoped to, I feel I can go away from Croft with my head held high.”

Hollamby qualified 21st on the grid for the opening race of the weekend but was quickly made progress when the lights went out to get the first race underway.

In tricky wet, but drying conditions, he took the Golf up to 12th before being tipped into a spin by Nash, which dropped him back down the order. Hollamby recovered to take 17th place.

He again made quick progress through the field in the second race to run in 13th place before slipping back to 17th after running off track at the opening corner while avoiding an incident for another car. But after this he fought his way up to 13th, which would be his starting position for the final race.

In this event Hollamby finished 15 despite contact late on with Paul O’Neill. The local racer posted his quickest ever BTCC lap around the Croft circuit to end the weekend.

With a six-week break before the next round of the season at Snetterton, Hollamby and the AmD Milltek Racing.com team will now evaluate a number of possible options before deciding who will be at the wheel of the Volkswagen for the remainder of the BTCC campaign.

Acting team manager Rhea Beauchamp stepped in for the weekend to allow Hollamby to focus on his on-track role.