ROB Collard quickly learned Macau's famous street circuit and qualified well for the Guia Race, the Far East's most prestigious saloon event - only to go out on the first lap!

Both the rear-wheel drive BMW320i and the Macau street circuit were new to the Hampshire touring car ace and he had two free practice and two qualifying sessions to learn car and track.

He had the Edenbridge Racing BMW lapping quicker and quicker with each session - finally lining up 11th on the 35-car grid after final qualifying on Friday.

Then it all went wrong on the opening lap.

Collard explained: "I made a good start and went past a couple of cars but when I went outside Simon Harrison's Honda into the first corner he held me wide and put me on to the dirty part of the track. I lost grip, clipped a barrier, and that was that.

"It was a huge disappointment after travelling so far, and having had to work our way through lots of car problems - we never ran a full session in qualifying or practice.

"It was my first time on a track circuit and it was an awesome experience. Macau is a fantastic circuit. Half the island seems to close down and the track goes round the city centre - you can see shops and taxis and everyone going about their daily business as you go past. It was frustrating to end the event how I did, but it has been a great experience. We might have done so much better if we could have sorted the car sooner, but that's racing. I'm now hoping to do a tarmac rally in December - another complete contrast."