The Seat Leon TDI has now won in the UK as well
Race 1
Jason Plato has given a diesel-powered car – SEAT’s Leon TDI – a first ever win in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship with victory in the first of today’s three rounds at the Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire.
In an incident-packed race that required two safety car periods, Plato – who became a father in the week – took the lead off Vauxhall driver Tom Onslow-Cole in the closing stages for his first win of 2008. Plato also set a new race lap record.
Finishing second and third were the Vauxhall Vectra VXRs of Matt Neal Onslow-Cole who had started the race on pole position.
There had been drama even on the grid when a lighting gantry failure forced a delayed start by waved flag. When it dropped, Colin Turkington, lining up in third in his Team RAC BMW 320si, took an immediate lead but was judged to have jumped the start and was therefore punished with a drive-through pit lane penalty (as was, further back, Stuart Oliver’s BTC Racing SEAT).
Down the Craner Curves, Plato looked to have overtaken Onslow-Cole for the lead but the youngster retaliated at the Old Hairpin, re-passing the 2001 champion who, having lost momentum, fell back behind Shedden’s Honda and team-mate Darren Turner’s Leon TDI.
All four drivers were delayed in the shuffle and Giovanardi sensed an opportunity to drive around them all as they approached Schwantz Curve. Instead, he was squeezed off the track and needed to pit at the end of the lap to have grass cleared from his car’s radiators.
Fortunately for him, he was soon able to make up lost ground during the first of two safety car periods – required after John George’s TH Motorsport/JAG Honda Integra and Robert Collard’s Motorbase BMW 320si collided at the Old Hairpin. Wheels were ripped off both cars, although George was able to get as far McLeans where, after a spin, he stopped. Elsewhere, Matt Allison’s Robertshaw Racing Chevrolet Lacetti had crashed out spectacularly at Coppice Corner.
Shortly after the re-start, Coppice saw more drama as both Turner and Plato passed either side of Shedden. Starting the next lap, Neal dived past Chilton under braking for fifth position into Redgate Corner and Jackson was also able to sneak by the Halfords driver. Jackson, up from 14th on the grid, then made another position as Turner’s Leon cruelly slowed across the start-finish line when an engine air intake hose broke loose.
Jackson’s incredible drive through the field, though, came to an abrupt halt heading down the Craners when he and Chilton’s cars tangled and span off together and there were sharp words exchanged trackside once both had extricated themselves. This incident forced a second safety car period.
But the drama was not done with. At the re-start, there was an instant reshuffling of the order. At the front, Onslow-Cole ran wide at McLeans, gifting Plato the lead. Shedden and Neal also snuck by and then they too swapped positions. As Neal passed Shedden, Onslow-Cole took his opportunity to follow his team-mate through back up into third, muscling Shedden back to fourth and this is how they stayed to the finish.
Further back, Andrew Jordan’s Team Halfords Honda Integra took fifth – the first Independent driver across the line – after dramatically re-passing Steven Kane’s Motorbase BMW on the final lap. Kane’s sixth place, though, was still a stunning result after he’d started back in 15th. Seventh was Adam Jones Team Air Cool SEAT Leon, while Giovanardi – who made up three places in the last two laps – a recovering Turkington and Mike Jordan (John Guest Honda) completed the top ten. Eleventh, having been as high as eighth at one stage, was Jason Hughes’s Kartworld MG – however, he was delayed at the second re-start when Jordan Snr missed a gear, this enabling Giovanardi and Turkington to drive past…
Thus, in the title race, Giovanardi still leads the standings but up to second is Neal ahead of Shedden and a frustrated Jackson who has slumped to fourth.
The second of today’s rounds is scheduled to start at 2.20pm.
Leading positions, BTCC race 1 Donington Park (provisional):
1. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, 18 laps in 25m08.830s
2. Matt Neal (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +1.309s
3. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +1.602s
Fastest lap: Plato, 1m12.677s (96.95mph) NEW LAP RECORD
Race 2
Fabrizio Giovanardi has won the second of today’s three HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Donington Park to increase his lead in the series.
Giovanardi, starting from eighth on the grid, mastered a track made greasy by light drizzle to move to the front by mid-distance and from there was never headed. The Italian also set the race’s fastest lap in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR.
Race one winner Jason Plato finished second in his SEAT Leon TDI ahead of Giovanardi’s team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole in third.
Vauxhall’s Matt Neal had looked to be on course for third – a position which would have consolidated his second in the standings – but he crashed out with a lap to go.
As a result, he has dropped to fourth in the championship behind Plato and Team Halfords’ Gordon Shedden, but going into this afternoon’s third race Giovanardi now holds a commanding 18-point advantage at the top of the table.
Race three will begin with the leading nine positions from race two reversed at the front of the grid. This puts Shedden's Honda Civic on pole with BTC Racing's Chris Stockton - a fine eighth in race two in his squad's first meeting with its new SEAT Toledo - second and so on...
BTCC race 2 result Donington Park (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, 18 laps in 24m46.915s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, +2.880s
3. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +7.236s
Fastest lap: Giovanardi, 1m13.967s (95.26mph)
Race 3
Darren Turner has won the third of today’s three HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire.
Turner, driving a diesel-powered SEAT Leon TDI, led every lap although came under increasing pressure from the closing Vauxhall Vectra VXR of Tom Onslow-Cole in the final stages.
Onslow-Cole, who set the race’s fastest lap, finished second ahead of SEAT’s Jason Plato and his own Vauxhall team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi.
Moving to the next three rounds at Thruxton, Hampshire on 18 May, Giovanardi leads the standings by 16 points from Plato.
On a damp track surface, Gordon Shedden led away initially in his Team Halfords Honda Civic only to slide straight on at the chicane at the end of lap one and gift Turner the lead.
And Turner's hold on the race strengthened when, behind him, the chasing Onslow-Cole was sent into a half spin by team-mate Giovanardi. Both continued before Giovanardi took over second two corners later. Onslow-Cole, though, was not done and was soon back past the Italian – taking Plato with him into third. They would remain in this order to the finish, Turner becoming the seventh different driver to win in the opening nine rounds.
Tom Chilton’s Team Halfords Honda and Matt Neal’s Vectra completed the top six. Seventh and the highest-placed privateer driver was Adam Jones in his Air Cool SEAT – a result that has moved into the lead of the Independents standings. Next up in eighth was previous leader Mat Jackson whose BMW’s rear-wheel-drive struggled in the damp conditions. This was Jackson’s only points score of the day and, having arrived at Donington second only to Giovanardi in the outright championship, has instead slumped to sixth overall.
Ninth and tenth, each with fading grip after their wet weather tyres proved to be the incorrect choice for the conditions, were Mike Jordan’s John Guest Honda Integra and Shedden’s Honda Civic.
BTCC race 3 result Donington Park (provisional):
1. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, 16 laps in 21m06.582s
2. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +1.426s
3. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, +3.003s
Fastest lap: Onslow-Cole, 1m13.937s (95.29mph)