WINS FOR SHEDDEN, NEAL & PLATO AT OULTON PARK
Gordon Shedden (Dunfermline), Matt Neal (Droitwich) and Jason
Plato (Oxford) shared the race wins in today's three Dunlop
MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds in front of both
a bumper crowd and live ITV1 cameras at the Oulton Park circuit
in Cheshire.
Reigning champion Neal, in his Team Halfords Honda, has extended
his championship lead from two to 14 points as the title race
now heads to the super-fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire
on 4 June. But Neal could count himself fortunate at Oulton
- he had struggled in qualifying, but problems in the first
two races for chief rivals, SEAT team-mates Plato and James
Thompson and Team RAC's Colin Turkington, ultimately played
to his advantage.
Neal said: "After qualifying I thought I'd be kissing
goodbye to the championship lead, but everyone else's misfortune
has been my gain. Looking ahead to Thruxton, I love that circuit
because it's the fastest on the calendar and requires a lot
of bravery, but it's also a circuit where I've never won.
Despite what it says, SEAT's cars are clearly very fast in
a straight line and they'll be strong there and Turkington
has shown again today how fast his MG is. I'd sooner have
a 14-point lead than be chasing the leaders, but this is going
to be a very long season."
Elsewhere, SEAT and SEAT Sport UK have maintained their respective
leads in the Manufacturers' and Teams' standings. However,
Neal and Team Halfords have overtaken Turkington and Team
RAC to take command of the Independents Trophy's Drivers'
and Teams championships. All the latest news and results can
be found on the BTCC's official website www.btcc.net.
Round 7, 15 laps (33.39 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Dry
Shedden takes maiden victory
Shedden took advantage of problems that befell four of the
fancied runners to achieve the first BTCC race win of his
career. Shedden, starting fifth on the grid, quickly moved
up to second and when early leader Plato, who had started
from pole position, was handed a 30-second stop-go penalty,
Shedden was left clear to take a popular maiden victory.
Mike Jordan, himself a first-time winner in the previous
round at Mondello Park, was close behind in second in his
Team Eurotech with John Guest Racing Honda. James Kaye, driving
the tiny Synchro team's Honda Civic and who only just made
the race start after his road car broke down en route to the
track, brilliantly held off Neal to take his first BTCC podium
result since joining the championship some 15 years ago.
The race start had a peculiar look about it after mixed weather
conditions during Saturday's qualifying session resulted in
a topsy-turvy grid. Plato and Thompson had locked out the
front row in their Leons, but third was BTCC rookie Martyn
Bell, in the tiny Geoff Steel Racing team's BMW, and fourth
Kaye. Turkington was seventh and Neal only 11th.
Bizarrely, though, Thompson and Turkington were ordered to
start from the back of the grid for failing to leave the pit
lane on time and then came Plato's penalty - punishment for
the SEAT team having continued to work on his car outside
of the allotted time frame. Turkington at least salvaged a
seventh place finish, while Thompson, his car's power steering
having failed, was out of the points in 11th. Plato, following
his penalty, was able to score one point by setting the race's
fastest lap. Poor Bell, meanwhile, held on for a lap but then
crashed out.
Result:
1. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, 22m40.341s
2. Mike Jordan (GBR), Team Eurotech with John Guest Racing/Honda
Integra, +1.177s
3. James Kaye (GBR), Synchro Motorsport/Honda Civic, +5.257s
Fastest Lap: Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, 1m29.140s
Round 8, 15 laps (33.39 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Dry
Victory extends Neal's points lead
From fourth on the grid, Neal made a champion's start to lead
into the first corner. Soon putting him under pressure in
second was Vauxhall's Fabrizio Giovanardi but, try as he might,
the Italian could not get to grips with Neal who kept his
cool to record his third win of the season - a result that
stretched his points lead to 21 points ahead of the day's
third race.
Giovanardi took second, his best result to date since joining
Vauxhall at the start of the season, while third, backing
up his race one win and further boosting his points tally
was Shedden. Thompson was fourth, after muscling past Team
RAC's Robert Collard who just held on to fifth ahead of a
fast-closing Plato in sixth.
But Turkington was out of luck. He set a new lap record to
earn a bonus point, but he was a lap behind in last position
after making a pit stop for repairs to his car after it was
damaged in a start line skirmish that also involved team-mate
Collard and Vauxhall's Gavin Smith. Turkington at least retained
second in the standings to Neal, although he was now just
three points clear of third-placed Thompson.
Result:
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, 22m36.444s
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Astra Sport
Hatch, +1.311s
3. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra, +5.732s
Fastest lap: Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/MG ZS, 1m28.403s
(NEW LAP RECORD)
Round 9, 17 laps (37.84 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Dry
Plato leads SEAT 1-2
Plato's tactic of playing a waiting game in the opening laps
paid off as he came through for a comfortable victory ahead
of team-mate Thompson in a SEAT 1-2.
Vauxhall's Tom Chilton, starting from pole position thanks
to race three's reversed grid rule, led the opening lap but
then ran wide, allowing both SEAT drivers to pass him. Initially,
it was Thompson who hit the front, but Plato was soon by and,
even with damage to the front of his car after he'd clipped
a chicane marker and then a brief Safety Car period to recover
Shedden's spun Honda, victory was a formality for the 2001
champion.
Thompson, not contesting the full BTCC season, followed in
second with Chilton in third. Collard was fourth, but it was
team-mate Turkington who kept the crowds on their feet with
a sensational drive through the field from last to fifth.
Smith completed the top six.
Neal and Giovanardi, their cars heavily laden with success
ballast thanks to finishing first and second in race two,
faded to eighth and ninth positions. Both also lost time and
several places when being passed by the charging Turkington.
Turkington's fine race, however, was not enough to prevent
both Thompson and Plato leap-frogging him into second and
third in the title race, although at least all three had managed
to cut back down points leader Neal's advantage over them.
Result:
1. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, 26m31.186s
2. James Thompson (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.516s
3. Tom Chilton (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch,
+2.655s
Fastest lap: Plato, 1m28.603s
Leading BTCC points after Oulton Park (provisional):
Drivers:
1. Matt NEAL 91pts
2. James THOMPSON 77pts
3. Jason PLATO 76pts
4. Colin TURKINGTON 73pts
5. Tom CHILTON 54pts
6. Gordon SHEDDEN 46pts
7. Mike JORDAN 44pts
8. Gavin SMITH 39pts
9. Fabrizio Giovanardi 38pts
10. Robert Collard 30pts
Manufacturers:
1. SEAT 201pts
2. Vauxhall 156pts
Teams:
1. SEAT Sport UK 143pts
2. Team Halfords 130pts
3. VX Racing 109pts
4. Team RAC 101pts
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