Two wins from three races at the 2005 World Sidecar Championship opener at Brands Hatch put North Yorkshire's Steve Webster and Paul Woodhead's Team Castrol outfit into second place in the points table to Kent's Tim and Tristan Reeves.

Webster's hopes of three straight wins were foiled half way through the third and final race when mechanical problems caused a retirement, gifting the win to Reeves who had been a distant second.

Said the ten-times world champion: "The bike was going really well until something went - I don't know what yet, and we'll have to wait until we get it home and stripped down."

After qualifying on pole on Saturday, raceday began with a convincing win in the mad-dash, opening five-lap Match Race.

The lead changed at each of the first three corners before Webster stamped his authority to win by just over half a second. Fastest lap went to Webster at 47.692, a new lap record. World Championship returnee Jorg Steinhausen and Scarborough-based passenger Trevor Hopkinson were third.

The second race, a fourteen-lapper (one lap was cut after a delayed start) saw more fireworks. Reeves had the upper hand in the early stages, with Webster challenging strongly up the hill and into the Druids hairpin. The lead changed several times until Webster grabbed the advantage and made it stick.

At the finish, Webster had a 2.3 second lead over Reeves, but both machines returned to the pit lane battle-scarred. In the melee Webster had hit Reeves' outfit damaging his nosecone, and cracking Reeves fairing. Both riders shook hands accepting it as part of the battle. Again third was Steinhausen.

That left the third race, a full 30-lapper. Reeves took the early lead, with Webster sat inches behind searching out the gap. Four laps in and Webster forced a way through at Paddock Hill bend, grabbed the lead and started inexorably to pull away.

At halfway, Webster had motored away to a six-second advantage when the engine started to misfire. Webster's retirement after 16 laps gifted the race to Reeves.

But Webster was upbeat, declaring: "Reeves has got a 15-point lead on us but there is a long season ahead, and plenty of time to make it up."

The next round is at the Hungaroring in Hungary on May 27-29.

Updated: 11:45 Monday, May 09, 2005