THE third round of this season's Avon Tyres Formula Ford Championship at Brands Hatch ended in the gravel trap and disappointment for Durham teenager Sean Gaffney.

After two solid races in the opening rounds of the championship earlier this month Gaffney returned to the Kent circuit with the Myerscough College Team hoping to build on the promising start made to the season.

Once again qualifying had not gone well with Gaffney struggling with understeer and being unable to get a good clear run in his Fullspec Solutions backed Van Diemen R03.

Again he would start the race from the sixth row in the 16-car field.

A good start to the 25 lap race saw Gaffney immediately gain places on the opening lap and soon joined the battle for eighth place where he was held up for several laps behind a battling trio of cars.

Frustrated by having a faster car and unable to find a way past for several laps, Gaffney eventually made his move into the Druids hairpin for the tenth time.

Diving down the inside of Chris Mole, Gaffney was clearly alongside as they reached the corner when Mole turned in over the front left corner of his car damaging the suspension and spinning him into the gravel trap causing further damage to the rear of the car.

"I just don't understand it, " said a furious Gaffney.

"I was clearly down the inside of him with plenty of room and at the last minute he just turned in on me.

"He had been holding me up for a few laps and I had to get by before we lost touch with the cars ahead. I thought I had done everything correctly, waited for the right moment, made a clean move and he does a stupid thing like that, it's very frustrating we should have had at least a top six finish."

With this non-finish Gaffney drops down the championship order to ninth place, but will be looking forward to climbing back up the order at the fourth round of the championship at Donington Park later this month.

Published: 20/05/2005