Oulton Park saw its fair share of incidents
Oulton Park race 1 - Plato controls it from the front
Jason Plato won the first of today's three HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.
Plato led away from pole position in his SEAT Leon TDI but team mate and fellow front row qualifying Darren Turner was passed by a fast starting Tom Chilton from third on the grid.
Plato quickly established a healthy lead and set the fastest lap of the race on lap three. He was never troubled and was able to ease off on his way to a comfortable fifth victory of the year that moves him up to second place in the championship.
Having been passed off the line, Turner kept Tom Chilton’s Honda Civic under sustained pressure in the early laps. On lap four, he got alongside through Old Hall but tried to close out the Honda Civic and was tagged on the approach to Cascades. Turner managed to hold the ensuing slide, but dropped down to ninth and although he was able to recover to sixth, his race challenge was over, leaving Chilton to enjoy his third podium finish of the year.
Defending champion and championship leader Fabrizio Giovanardi, carrying maximum success ballast, was pleased to finish third in his VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra and limit the damage to just a five point swing from Plato’s win.
Colin Turkington enjoyed the most exciting drive of the race, the Team RAC driver climbing from eighth on the grid to finish fourth in his BMW 320si to claim the honours as the leading Independent.
Race two is scheduled to start at 3pm.
Leading positions BTCC Race 1 Oulton Park (provisional):
1. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, 15 laps in 22mins 30.779s
2. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +1.999s
3. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +5.958s
Fastest lap: Plato, 1m28.653s (new lap record)
Colin Turkington taking out race 2
Oulton Park race 2 - Turkington nails it
Colin Turkington has won the second of today's three HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.
Turkington produced an assured drive to claim his fourth win of the season, but the story of the race was pole-sitter Jason Plato’s continuing misfortune. Plato had made a great start from pole position and went into the first corner ahead of Turkington, Tom Chilton and Fabrizio Giovanardi.
Having been nudged out in the first race, Darren Turner’s afternoon went from bad to worse as he was forced to retire from sixth place with a broken front left wishbone. Still worse was to follow for the SEAT Sport UK team on lap 2 as Plato slowed with a misfire and the field went past him. Plato struggled to the pits where the team diagnosed the same misfire problems that has blighted his third race at Snetterton last time out.
Out front, Turkington was in control of the race and the Team RAC driver quickly pulled out a sizable lead. The rear wheel drive BMW 320si showed great handling and drive around the 2.2 mile undulating circuit and the Independent driver took the flag by more than six seconds.
VX Racing drivers Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Onslow-Cole completed the podium places, Giovanardi making the most of the opportunity to extend his lead over Plato at the top of the championship.
Behind them, a thrilling race kept the record crowds hugely entertained as the midfield runners traded places throughout the 15 lap event. Steven Kane, Mat Jackson and Adam Jones came out on top after tremendous drives to finish fourth, fifth and sixth respectively but all the BTCC drivers were trading paint to ensure that the BTCC delivered on its promise of non-stop action.
Race three is scheduled to start at 5.40pm.
Leading positions BTCC Race 2 Oulton Park (provisional):
1. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si, 22mins 23.153s
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +6.779s
3. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +7.722s
Fastest lap: Turkington, 1m28.516s (new lap record)
Shedden and Jordan had difficult weekends but finished first and third in race 3
Oulton Park Race 3: Shedden claims second win of the season
Gordon Shedden won the third race of today's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship meeting in front of a record crowd of more than 30,000 fans at Oulton Park, but it was reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi who left the Cheshire circuit with an extended lead in the series.
Shedden started from the front row of the grid, took the lead into the first corner and never came under pressure during the 16 lap race to record his second win of the year in the Honda Civic.
Behind the Team Halfords driver raged a fierce battle between three Independent drivers. 18 year-old Andrew Jordan had started from pole position and belied his inexperience by driving a great race, only succumbing to the race-long pressure from Adam Jones who claimed second place on the penultimate lap. Jordan then held off the charging Mat Jackson to secure his first ever BTCC podium and trigger wild celebrations among the John Guest team.
Championship leader Fabrizio Giovanardi finished sixth behind VX Racing team mate Matt Neal to extend his points advantage over his rivals. Seventh was race two winner Colin Turkington who struggled to make headway with maximum success ballast on board.
Jason Plato’s weekend ended in further disappointment. Having won the day’s first race, bad luck dogged the SEAT driver as his Leon TDI misfired in race two and then in the final race the Surrey driver was unable to avoid a first lap collision at the Hislop's chicane. He recovered to finish ninth, but now trails Giovanardi by 44 points in the championship.
Leading positions BTCC Race 3 Oulton Park (provisional):
1. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, 16 laps in 25mins 48.501s
2. Adam Jones (GBR), Team Air Cool/SEAT Leon, +1.393s
3. Andrew Jordan (GBR), John Guest/Honda Integra, +2.226s
Fastest lap: Jason Plato, 1m28.831s
Leading Points (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi, 198 points
2. Jason Plato, 154
3. Colin Turkington, 150
4. Matt Neal, 147
5. Mat Jackson, 136
6. Tom Onslow-Cole, 124
etc.