TOCKWITH Motorsport speedsters Phil Hanson and Nigel Moore enjoyed a superb victory in the opening round of the new Britcar Endurance series.

Hanson and Moore, in their Tockwith Motorsport Audi R8 LMS, made the most of the new Britcar regulations to post a fine win in a rain-blighted race at Silverstone, which was cut short by the horrendous conditions half an hour early.

Twenty-six cars took to the grid, with the regulations this year determining that the fastest driver in each car in qualifying must take the first stint. Some of the cars had been delivered only days before the event so were unknown quantities.

Moore took over the Audi from Hanson with about 55 minutes left on the clock and immediately punched in a string of fastest laps in the treacherous conditions - un-lapping himself from the leading Mosler car, and carving through the field, assisted by the front-runners now taking their mandatory stops and handing over to their second drivers.

That initial flurry quickly paid off as, with 45 minutes of the race left, he held a comfortable lead of over a minute and a half over Greensall, with Cintrano a further 25 seconds back.

The weather then became even worse - terribly heavy rain exacerbated by a driving wind making the track virtually impossible to drive on - and the officials threw the red flag to halt proceedings.

One hour and 27 minutes of the planned two hours had elapsed, so positions at that time were declared the final results.

Moore, formerly a precocious teenager and now an established professional, said: “In these conditions, it's never about the car, is it. In this type of racing, you’ve got to be quick right out of the box, when it matters.

"Phil had good pace, and there’s more to come from him in this car."

The championships reconvene at Snetterton on May 7-8.