SOUTHAMPTON'S Ricky Cole and co-driver Peter Le Bas lost a wheel in the fifth round of the British GT Championship at Snetterton - and still managed to finish eighth.

It happened with Cole at the wheel of the Team Xero Corvette and scrapping for one of the top-six slots with Winchester's Steve Hyde.

By the time Cole had got back to the pits and another wheel had gone on, several places were lost, but the Corvette made impressive progress back through the field. Hyde went on to finish sixth with co-driver Johnson in the TVR Tuscan.

The following day Hyde and Johnson went even better and took fifth spot. But Cole's luck was out again when the alternator belt was thrown off in the early stages of the race causing major overheating problems and retirement.