WINS FOR NEAL & JORDAN AT MONDELLO PARK
Matt Neal (Droitwich) and an emotional Mike Jordan (Sutton
Coldfield) shared the victories in today's three Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Mondello Park
circuit in Ireland. Two wins and then a third have catapulted
reigning Champion Neal from fifth into the lead of the Drivers'
standings, following a heavy crash in Brands Hatch's opening
meeting of 2006 two weeks ago.
Newcomer Jordan and his Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest
squad were left to celebrate their first-ever BTCC race victory
in only their second race meeting in Britain's premier motor
racing championship. The sensational achievement was broadcast
live across the UK on the nation's biggest commercial terrestrial
television channel ITV1.
Team Halfords Honda Integra driver Neal leaves Mondello with
a two-point lead over fellow independent squad Team RAC's
Colin Turkington. SEAT's James Thompson, who led the standings
prior to Ireland but crashed out of today's third race, has
fallen to third, just ahead of team-mate Jason Plato.
Neal said: "It's been an amazing weekend. My car was
wrecked at Brands Hatch and my team have done a fantastic
job to rebuild it to such a high standard. I've got thank
them for that." But despite three strong performances,
Neal remained cautious as the BTCC prepares to head for its
next three rounds at Oulton Park, Cheshire on Sunday 14 May.
"As championship leader, I'll have maximum success ballast
on my car at Oulton, although it's a circuit I enjoy and I've
been the heaviest there before and still won," added
Neal. "But the championship is so close and there are
so many competitive cars on the grid. Turkington is obviously
having a great run, but I still consider Plato as the big
title threat. I know how quickly things change. Remember,
I was fifth coming to Ireland..."
Jordan, meanwhile, appeared shocked by winning race three
after his Integra had struggled for pace in the day's opening
two rounds. Jordan said: "The car would not perform and
we traced the problem to a suspension problem. We fixed it
for race three and it was rock solid. Talk about changing
fortunes! But this is just fantastic for the team and our
sponsors."
Elsewhere, SEAT and SEAT Sport UK have maintained their respective
leads in the Manufacturers' and Teams' standings. Turkington
and Team RAC remain top of the Independents Trophy's Drivers'
and Teams championships. All the latest BTCC news and results
can be found on the championship's official website www.btcc.net.
Round 4, 14 laps (30.47 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
Champion Neal opens 2006 account
Starting from pole position, Neal kept cool under pressure
throughout from Plato to open his 2006 victory account. Despite
setting a new race lap records, Neal was just 0.500s clear
of Plato's SEAT Leon at the finish.
"Jason had his headlights on, trying to distract me,
and at the end I was really pushing hard," said Neal.
"One mistake and I knew he'd pounce so I concentrated
on keeping it tidy. But it wasn't comfortable."
Third and fourth, split by just six tenths of a second, were
the two championship leaders arriving at Mondello, Thompson
and Turkington, their cars handicapped by the two heaviest
amounts of success ballast. Neal's team-mate Gordon Shedden
and Tom Chilton, in VX Racing's Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch,
completed the top six.
Result:
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, 25m04.534s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.500s
3. James Thompson (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +9.678s
Fastest Lap: Neal, 1m46.094s (NEW LAP RECORD)
Round 5, 14 laps (30.47 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
Neal doubles up
Race two's result was almost a mirror image of race one, Neal
leading all the way from pole position and Plato, who this
time set the fastest lap, shadowing his every move in second.
Turkington was right behind in third. The result moved Neal
to the top of the championship standings ahead of Turkington
and the tying Plato and Thompson.
Thompson, who had led the championship going into the race,
retired at the opening bend after a collision with Shedden.
The latter went on to finish fourth, but officials excluded
him for his part in Thompson's retirement - one of two incidents
that led to safety car periods.
This elevated Motorbase Performance Honda Integra driver
David Pinkney to a best-ever finish of fourth, Eire's big
home hero Gavin Smith's Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch to fifth
and James Kaye's Synchro Honda Civic to sixth.
Further behind, Mark Proctor's Fast-Tec Honda Civic crawled
across the line in ninth with a blown engine. But Shedden's
exclusion promoted him to eighth and, with it, pole position
for race's three reversed starting grid.
Result:
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, 34m09.627s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.998s
3. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/MG ZS, +1.681s
Fastest lap: Plato, 1m46.544s
Round 6, 14 laps (30.47 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
Maiden BTCC win for Jordan
With Proctor unable to repair his car's engine in time to
take up pole, Jordan, lining up in second, effectively inherited
the position... and he took full advantage to achieve his
first ever BTCC race victory.
Aided by Smith and Neal tussling over second, Jordan quickly
built up an unassailable lead. Courtesy of a clash between
Neal and Smith, the opportunisticTurkington muscled his way
into second but was unable to catch the fleeing Jordan who
drove on to an emotional victory.
Neal recovered to hold off Thompson for third, although there
might have been podium finishes for Team RAC's Robert Collard
and Vauxhall's Fabrizio Giovanardi had they not clashed and
run off the track. Giovanardi at least recovered to finish
fifth. Plato, lying fourth early on, was eighth after a false
start earned him a pit lane drive-through penalty.
Result:
1. Mike Jordan (GBR), Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest/Honda
Integra, 25m12.335s
2. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/MG ZS, +01.056s
3. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, +12.604s
Fastest lap: Robert Collard (GBR), Team RAC/MG ZS, 1m46.670s
Leading BTCC points after Mondello Park (provisional):
Drivers:
1. Matt NEAL 64pts
2. Colin TURKINGTON 62pts
3. James THOMPSON 56pts
4. Jason PLATO 51pts
5. Tom CHILTON 37pts
6. Gavin SMITH 30pts
7. Mike JORDAN 28pts
8. Gordon SHEDDEN 20pts
9. Fabrizio Giovanardi 18pts
10. David Pinkney 13pts
Manufacturers:
1. SEAT 134pts
2. Vauxhall 88pts
Teams:
1. SEAT Sport UK 102pts
2. Team Halfords 79pts
3. Team RAC 72pts
3. VX Racing 69pts
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