Drivers of the British Touring Car Championshiꦑp will no longer be involved in the race three grid-draw following the Rob A🏅ustin controversy at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Series organisers TOCA have moved swiftly in making ch☂anges to the procedure after Austin admitted in deliberating picking his own number out of the pot during the 💝live ITV 4 race-three grid draw, which gave him pole position.

When the race three grid was redrawn🍌 - following the suspicions of series director Alan Goไw - Austin, ironically, still kept his pole-position when his number was once again picked out of the pot.

Up until now, the tenth placed driver from race two has been given th🐓e opportunity to pick a numbered ball out of the pot - during a live TV draw - which dete🅺rmines the pole man for the final race.

Austin was unable to covert his race three pole-position into victory a💟nd has since 🅺issued an apology for his actions.

"I want to apologise to the fans of the BTCC, to the championship itself, 🔯my team and my sponsors," said Austin. "I can't tell you how crap I have been feeling about it.

"Whilst I don't condone what I did and there is no excuse or justification for my actions I would like to ask you to consider the🐈 position I was in before making judgment.

"Many of you are aware of the dedication my whole team put in to the BTCC, it has become our whole lives for a number of years now and the 🙈pressure, determination and sheer desire to achieve results is extremely high.

"So when I glanced down and by chance saw #10... well... If I picked that ball it was an opportunity to get Exocet, Alcose💖nse, DUO and all of our sponsors on to the front row and lots of TV coverage, an opp♔ortunity to potentially reward my teams hard work and my fans with some silverware... it's been done before, I've seen what they do, they all do it...

"Once again, I🎶 am truly and sincerely regretful and sorry for letting everyone down with my moment of stupidity and I hope everyone will accept my most sincere apologies and not let my actions be a negative reflection on the championship, my sponsors or my team."