Brighton's Mike Webb has been forced to concede third spot in the Ford Saloon Car Challenge.

Webb needed good results in the final two rounds of the season to claim third place in class B of the championship.

In qualifying at Castle Combe last weekend, the car was flying and a time which was 2.2 seconds quicker than Webb's previous visit to the track was recorded.

However, in the sixth lap there was a big bang as he went into Camp Corner, which forced him to pull off and that was the end of Webb's action for the weekend.

On inspection, a three inch hole was discovered under the exhaust manifold, which means a new engine is needed. Webb is unlikely to be able to do that this season.

He said: "I have salvaged one or two things to help rebuild for next season. I'll be back."

Hailsham's Rick Lemmon suffered a similar fate in latest round of the VSR Challenge at Silverstone. Lemmon suffered a blown engine in practise and then another in the first race.

Determined to salvage something from the weekend, Lemmon drove from Silverstone to Yorkshire overnight to get another engine for race two the following day.

However, engine No. 3 did not perform well and Lemmon left the circuit highly frustrated.

He remains in third place in the series but needs a good performance in the final two rounds of the season, at Brands Hatch this weekend and at Mallory Park next month, to make sure of finishing third overall.

Lemmon said: "I strengthened my position in third because the guy who was chasing me had an equally bad meeting.

"The guy who I am chasing in second place had a good weekend. I have virtually no hope of finishing second now.

"The guy getting kidnapped is the only chance I have of getting second."