WINS FOR GIOVANARDI & TURKINGTON AT BRANDS HATCH - TITLE
RACE ON KNIFE EDGE
 Fabrizio
Giovanardi won twice and Colin Turkington once in today’s
three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at
the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. Crucially, Italian Giovanardi’s
two wins have helped him slash the gap to championship leader
Jason Plato down to just four points as the race for Britain’s
premier motor racing title next heads to the Knockhill circuit
in Fife for its penultimate three rounds on Sunday 2 September.
Vauxhall driver Giovanardi finished all three of today’s
races in front of Plato, following up his victories in races
one and two with a fourth place in race three. Plato finished
both races one and two in second and was fifth in race three.
Plato, looking for a second BTCC title to add to the one
he won in 2001, said: “It should have been a great weekend,
but it’s not been all bad. A few things didn’t
go our way today and Fabrizio got a few breaks, but we’re
still leading this thing. Sure, he’s closed up, but
I’d rather have a four-point advantage than be four
points behind. Knockhill will be a real crunch meeting, though.
We need to start beating him again but with the SEAT and the
Vauxhall so evenly-matched on just about every type of circuit
we seem to visit it’s going to be another very hard
day in the office.”
Giovanardi, who now has eight wins this season to Plato’s
six, added: “The two wins today were perfect –
for me, for my team and for the championship. Consider we
were 25 points behind six races ago, we have had a great run
of results and we must keep the pressure up on Jason. But
he is a very clever driver – everywhere I finish, he
is right behind, making sure I don’t take away too many
points from him. I think we both have great respect for each
other. It’s going to be very close and will probably
go right to the final lap of the season.”
Meanwhile, Vauxhall has extended its lead over current title-holder
SEAT in the Manufacturers’ Championship. In the Teams’
standings, its VX Racing outfit has also closed to within
seven points of SEAT Sport UK at the top of the table. Mat
Jackson has taken over the lead of the Independents Drivers’
championship – although the youngster left the circuit
requiring medical treatment after his car filled with exhaust
fumes in race three. Team RAC has further stretched its Independents
Teams’ championship lead and is in a strong position
to provisionally clinch that title at Knockhill.
BTCC points after Brands Hatch, rds22, 23 & 24
(provisional):
Drivers:
1. Jason PLATO, 239 points
2. Fabrizio GIOVANARDI, 235
3. Gordon SHEDDEN, 161
4. Matt NEAL, 154
5. Colin TURKINGTON, 142
6. Mat JACKSON, 129
7. Darren TURNER, 118
8. Tom CHILTON, 115
9. Mike JORDAN, 109
10. Tom ONSLOW-COLE, 106
Manufacturers:
1. Vauxhall, 522 points
2. SEAT, 484
Teams:
1. SEAT Sport UK, 342
2. VX Racing, 335
3. Team Halfords, 300
4. Team RAC, 230
5. Jacksons MSport, 127
6. Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit, 105
Race reports…
Round 22, 22 laps (26.3692 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Wet
GIOVANARDI WINS, TURKINGTON SPINS
In difficult wet conditions Giovanardi took victory after
Turkington, who had led from pole position in his Team RAC
BMW, spun away first position while under pressure from the
Vauxhall driver. Plato and SEAT team-mate Darren Turner, who
had initially challenged Turkington for the lead until running
wide off the track, finished second and third.
Turkington recovered to make up several places and finish
fourth ahead of team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole and Vauxhall’s
Tom Chilton.
A fine eighth on his return to the series was Irishman Gavin
Smith in GR-Asia’s SEAT Leon, while an ecstatic tenth,
achieving his first BTCC points finish, was Turkish driver
Erkut Kizilirmak in Arkas Racing’s Vauxhall Astra Sport
Hatch.
Notably, the race had to be stopped and later restarted following
a dramatic 11-car pile-up on the opening lap which eliminated
reigning champion Matt Neal’s Team Halfords Honda Civic
and Dave Pinkney’s Alfa Romeo 156. Both drivers required
medical treatment for whiplash injuries. The incident was
triggered when Jackson spun his Jacksons MSport BMW at the
first corner across the bows of the 24-car field. He was later
fined £1,000 and had his competition licence endorsed.
Result:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra,
20m00.886s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +3.119s
3. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +4.108s
FASTEST LAP: Turner, 53.401s (80.80mph)
Round 23, 27 laps (32.3622 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Damp
NO STOPPING GIOVANARDI
In a race that depended heavily on the right choice of tyres
on a damp but drying track surface, Giovanardi was left to
‘cruise’ to his eighth win of 2007 after his chief
rivals hit problems on the opening lap, chiefly Plato who
spun off the track in a collision with Chilton but still managed
to work his way back through the field to finish second.
Third was Team Halfords Honda driver Gordon Shedden. Jackson,
Jordan in his Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit Honda Integra and
Adam Jones’ Team Air Cool SEAT Toledo completed the
top six, the latter having run third until a clash with Shedden
in the closing stages put him off the track.
Ninth, with the race’s fastest lap time, was Turkington,
but he finished a lap down after making a pit stop for repairs
to damage to his car caused in a start line collision with
team-mate Onslow-Cole and Turner who both retired from the
race.
Following his race one joy, Kizilirmak added a second BTCC
point to his name with another tenth place finish.
Result:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra,
26m08.333s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +9.271s
3. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +13.319s
FASTEST LAP: Turkington, 50.268s (85.84mph)
Round 24, 27 laps (32.3622 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Dry
TURKINGTON A CLEAR WINNER
After his race one and two troubles, it finally came good
for Turkington in race three. Jordan and Giovanardi led initially,
but the pair tangled and, together, span wildly across the
circuit in front of the BMW driver. In what will stand as
one of the season’s most dramatic images, Turkington
somehow drove his car between them and into first position.
Jackson pressured him but, mid-race, with fumes from his
car’s exhaust system – damaged in that race one
pile-up – leaking into the cockpit, he started to drop
back and ultimately surrendered second to Shedden. Jackson,
unable to take the podium, would later require medical treatment
for the effects of smoke inhalation.
Giovanardi recovered to finish fourth –
although was later fined £500 and had his licence endorsed
for the earlier incident with Jordan who trailed home a wounded
eighth. Fifth was Plato who, in the closing stages, made up
three places in one move as Jones, Onslow-Cole and Smith tangled
ahead of him. Jones, who had started the race from pole position
thanks to the reversed grid rule, retired with accident damage,
although Onslow-Cole and Smith continued in sixth and seventh
respectively. In tenth, achieving his third points finish
of the season, was John George in his TH Motorsport/JAG Honda
Integra.
Result:
1. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si, 23m54.988s
2. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +7.490s
3. Mat Jackson (GBR), Jacksons MSport/BMW 320si, +8.143s
FASTEST LAP: Mike Jordan (GBR), Eurotech-John Guest-Speedfit/Honda
Integra, 49.953s (86.38mph)
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