IPSWICH'S Rick Kerry finished all three races in his first outing in the British Touring Cars Championship at Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.It was also a world first not only for Kerry but also the championship, as the car that he will be driving this season is a BMW Series one but with a diesel engine - and it is the first time a diesel BMW has raced in a series worldwide.

IPSWICH'S Rick Kerry finished all three races in his first outing in the British Touring Cars Championship at Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.

It was also a world first not only for Kerry but also the championship, as the car that he will be driving this season is a BMW Series one but with a diesel engine - and it is the first time a diesel BMW has raced in a series worldwide.

The car is powered by a 2000cc engine and produces over 250bhp.

This was also the first time the car has been raced as Kerry has only just finished building the car.

Also, this was the first time he has raced on slick tyres which hold the track like glue.

The weekend had two free practice sessions and one qualifying session on Saturday with three races on Sunday.

The crowd were all amazed when Kerry was speeding around the circuit as there was no noise from the car - just a low whistling which is unusual for diesel powered cars.

The car was looking good through the tight corners of the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

After qualifying on Saturday afternoon, Kerry had managed a time of 53.58 seconds to put him in 24th position out of 25 cars which would start the race.

The car was all intact and could be prepared for the three races the following day.

Sunday was the first time that Kerry had to do three races all in one day so fitness also plays a vital part for himthis season.

The first race got under way and as the cars were going into the infamous paddock hill bend which has a sheer drop on one side, Kerry was already gaining a couple of places.

He was driving well and was as quick as in qualifying. This was to be a 27-lap race. As Kerry took the chequered flag he had not only finished in 18th place overall but also finished the very first touring car race of his career.

For race two, Kerry was to start in 17th place on the grid. Again, he was very fast away and this race was over 24 laps of the circuit.

The car was performing well and Kerry was steering away from trouble as he knew there was a third race to come and there wasn't enough time to do much to the car between races.

On this occasion, Kerry finished 19th and was the last car home, but once again the car was virtually unscathed.

The final race of the day for Kerry was over 27 laps and this was also shown on live television - another first for the driver.

This race was fast and furious, but Kerry finally finished in 19th position overall.

Three races and the car was still running without any major damage.

The diesel car will not have some modifications made to it to make it go quicker before the next round of the championship at Rockingham near Corby in a couple of weeks.

Kerry was delighted for the team who had worked so hard to prepare the car for him and also for himself.

He now knows that he can not only race with the best in the country, but he also has a very reliable car underneath him.