MATT Chapman remains upbeat despite being denied a first podium at Rockingham.

The Oxford teenager was third with only a quarter of the race to go in the third round of the British GT4 Championship.

But an oil pressure issue, followed by a major steering problem, saw the 17-year-old slip to fifth place, before sliding off into the gravel.

Chapman had taken over from Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 teammate Sam Webster, building on a strong start to be in contention for a rostrum in the two-hour race.

And for that reason, the teenager is encouraged for the rest of the season.

He said: “It was a really unfortunate way to end the race, but there are so many positives to take away from the weekend.”

l WALLINGFORD’S SPY Motorsport recorded three podiums in the GT Cup at Donington Park.

Dominic Paul and Brent Millage enjoyed a successful start to the weekend, qualifying second and third respectively in their Ginetta G50s.

Paul, competing in his first race for more than ten years, finished second and fourth on the Saturday.

Millage retired from the opener due to a technical issue, but took second in the other race.

Paul qualified on pole for Sunday’s endurance race, but was forced to retire due to contact with another car.

He said: “It’s very unfortunate The incident on track forced me to retire.

“I very much enjoyed my debut race in the GT Cup and can’t wait for the next round at Brands Hatch.”

Millage started fourth and went on to claim his second podium of the weekend with a third-place finish.

l WITNEY duo James Hall and Simon Bradley’s podium hopes were hit by a heater pipe problem in the third round of the British Junior Rally Championship in Snowdonia.

Lying a few seconds adrift of third after the first two stages, they were forced to pull over when a boiling coolant pipe burst.

A quick repair allowed them to finish the stage, but it gave way once again.

Driver Hall brought the car home without further damage and said: “It’s a shame that we had problems, but at least we had time in the car and we had a finish, gaining points.”

l OXFORD’S Jason Plato is hoping for an upturn in results during the fourth round of the MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton.

The 49-year-old has scored just four points this season.