A huge crowd of more than 27,000 packed into Brands Hatch over the weekend as MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi raced in Kent for the first time.

The 43-year-old Italian has switched from bikes to cars this season and put in a strong drive during Sunday's second GT World Challenge Sprint Cup contest to score his first points of the year.

The seven-time MotoGP world champion had only sampled the challenging 2.4-mile Grand Prix circuit on a simulator before Saturday's first free practice session.

He spun his Audi R8 twice in practice on the opening day – first at Graham Hill Bend and later at Stirlings – but managed to qualify 17th for race one.

On Sunday, the WRT driver narrowly avoided a crash at the first corner to finish 13th with team-mate Frederic Vervisch, before improving in the second hour-long encounter to score points in eighth.

Rossi, who started race one and took the finish in the later event, was able to hold off another WRT Audi and a Mercedes-AMG GT3 to claim the position.

His best lap time of 1m23.852sec was just a fraction slower than Vervisch's 1m23.704sec.

Brands Hatch owner Jonathan Palmer said he was "absolutely thrilled" with how the weekend went.

"I think we had more fans here than for touring cars and that's really saying something," Palmer told KentOnline after Sunday's second race.

"Having Valentino Rossi here has made a big difference; the crowd is over double what it would normally be.

"When Stephane Ratel [GT World Challenge organiser] said he was working on a deal to get Rossi here, I believed it was going to make quite a significant difference to the gate here at Brands Hatch, and it's done just that.

"He has, quite rightly, a massive following which you can see with the number of number 46 jackets, t-shirts and motorcycles all around."

Palmer, who handed out the trophies after both GT World Challenge races, spoke to Rossi on the grid and said he is "such a lovely guy".

"He has enjoyed learning a difficult circuit and getting quicker and quicker," Palmer added.

"The last few laps of his last session, when he was running in eighth, were really good.

"He's no prima donna who stamps around if he isn't on pole position for his first race in a GT car.

"He knows he has a lot to learn and is up against some very good drivers but he is very eager to learn from them and close up.

"We saw from those last few laps that he drove fantastically."

Palmer said his MSV concern has a "very good relationship" with SRO, the organisers of the GT World Challenge.

He added there is "no doubt" the championship, which first came to Kent in 2014, will return next year.

Ahead of Rossi, former BRDC British Formula 3 racer Ulysse De Pauw won the first race on Sunday with team-mate Pierre Alexandre Jean aboard their Ferrari 488.

The pair scored a fifth-place finish in race two, which was dominated by Mercedes duo Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy.

Jota Sport, which is based in Frant near Tunbridge Wells, were on the 26-car entry list, running a McLaren 720S for Rob Bell and Oliver Wilkinson.

The pair finished the races in 12th and 10th – months after a scary crash saw the team's entry clear the barriers during last year's event.

Brands Hatch will host the British Touring Car Championship on May 14-15. Click here for more details