Champs fall at first hurdle

Drivers champion Rickard Rydell languishes 11th in the points after a solitary seventh place finish, while Nissan, holder of the manufacturers' title, took just one finish from four starts. A win for independent Primera racer Matt Neal, however, lifted the Japanese firm to second in the manufacturers points.

Rydell and the Volvo S40 were off the pace for most of the weekend. The team couldn't get the handling sorted and the Swede was forced to drive defensively all the time. 'We're not very happy with the grip and we're not sure why,' he said. 'It's just very slow.'

Nissan's problems almost entirely stemmed from the first qualifying session, when both cars failed to register a time because of engine misfires. There were suggestions that a mix-up between the mechanics meant that the fuel injectors were not checked. This was denied by the team.

Team boss Ray Mallock said, 'All I can say is we've sorted it now. It's unfortunate that it set in at a critical time.'