Goudhurst’s Jake Hill made a promising start to his first full Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

Hill, 22, is competing in his first 30-round campaign after appearing in one-off races over the past three years.

The former Ginetta ace – who is handling an ex-Stewart Lines Toyota Avensis for the Team HARD squad – scored a best result of 13 over three races on the capacity 32-car grid.

Hill told KentOnline at Brands: “It was an eventful weekend.

“Race two was really good, the car was quick and I loved every second, but then the fuel pressure regulator stopped working and it cut fuel to the engine.

“All in all it was a good learning curve weekend.”

Hill targeted a top-15 grid slot, but was left frustrated after a busy qualifying session left him 19.

He made progress in the first thrash, however, and - after a battle with Mercedes pilot Aiden Moffat - took the flag in a points-scoring 13.

The BRDC Rising Star retired from a strong 10 position in the second race after a tussle with Sam Tordoff, but recovered to finish 23 in the final encounter.

"All in all it was a good learning curve weekend..." - Jake Hill

Hill survived a scary spin on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend after contact with race one winner Tom Ingram, who received a £500 fine and three penalty points on his licence for the incident.

Hill said: “It’s frustrating.

“We were on for a solid finish in race three and I thought I was going in the barrier, but somehow I managed to hold it.

“It was a good save, but one I didn’t want to have.”

Meanwhile, Wrotham-based Motorbase Performance started their 2016 season in strong fashion, securing four top-eight finishes.

The squad’s drivers Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson struggled in qualifying, but improved on race day to sit fourth and 11 in the championship standings respectively.

Jordan suffered boost sensor issues in race one before improving in the later encounters, while Jackson picked up a puncture in race three on his Ford Focus.

Team manager Oly Collins said: “The net result of the weekend was a solid team performance, bagging some good points to sit second in the teams’ championship amongst some very strong competition.

“Both drivers showed a really good race pace and we’ll head to Donington aiming for stronger results still..." - Oly Collins

“Both drivers showed a really good race pace and we’ll head to Donington aiming for stronger results still.

“It’s a long championship and we’re in the mix.”

Ingram, 2015 champion Gordon Shedden and Adam Morgan won the three races.

Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal leads the standings, five points clear of team-mate Shedden.

The next round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season will be held at the Donington Park circuit in Derbyshire on April 16-17.