Leicester's Stephen Jelley hopes to build on his mixed start to the 2009 British Touring Car Championship.

Jelley, 26, is seventh after the first round at Brands Hatch and was pleased with his efforts despite the setback of not finishing the third race.

He placed seventh in the first race and a career-best fourth in the second.

The BMW driver said: "Race one and two were very good, that's what I should be doing all the time. It was typical race three was where people got heated."

Jelley was third after a fine opening lap in race three then ran but ran wide off the track in a tussle with defending champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and had to retire.

Matt Neal emerged as the early leader in the drivers' standing with three podium finishes.

The experienced VX Racing star won the first race from pole position and claimed third-placed finishes in the day's other two races.

The wins in the second and third races were shared among Airwaves BMW duo Robert Collard and Jonathan Adam.

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