It has been a week of mixed emotions for Burgess Hill driver Mark James.

A frustrating weekend at Silverstone saw him drop to third place in the Fiat Racing Challenge.

However, better news was to follow as his performances have brought an invitation to race in this weekend's Brands Hatch Touring Car meeting.

The offer has come from Atlanta Motorsport who have invited James to drive their Sony-backed Renault Clio at Brands.

James said: "Although it's a one-off drive, it does give me an excellent chance to compete at the next level and it's nice that my efforts to date are being recognised.

"I'm grateful to Sony and Bewarm for backing me. Over the years I have beaten several of the drivers who now compete in the Clio series, so hopefully I'll do enough to secure a drive for next season."

Returning to action at Silverstone after a four-week break, James was hopeful of extending his record of having won on every previous visit to the circuit.

However, misfire problems with his Fiat Uno meant he managed only three laps of qualifying, which left him 18th on the grid.

It looked like the problem had been cured in time for the race as James set out in pursuit of the leaders but the misfire returned and he had to retire.