WINS FOR TURKINGTON, TURNER & GIOVANARDI AT CROFT
Team RAC’s Colin Turkington, SEAT’s Darren Turner
and Vauxhall’s Italian driver Fabrizio Giovanardi shared
the victories in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring
Car Championship rounds in front of a bumper crowd at a hot
and sunny Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.
 Each
of their wins carries great significance: Turkington’s
is the first for a BMW driver in the BTCC for 11 years; Turner’s
is the first of his BTCC career; Giovanardi’s moves
him to within just two points of series leader Jason Plato
as the title race moves to Oulton Park in Cheshire on 24 June.
Today’s race meeting also truly underlined the competitiveness
of the BTCC in 2007 as all nine podium positions up for grabs
in the three races were shared by nine different drivers.
Plato, who for the first race meeting in 2007 failed to win
a race – he managed seventh, second and then eighth
place finishes – said: “I’d hoped for more
today and in race three in particular I probably lost six
points or so because our strategy wasn’t right and that
cost me several positions on the track. Sure, Fabrizio is
very close now but I think Oulton Park will suit our car more
– it’s a more flowing circuit and I don’t
think carrying maximum success ballast will hurt my car as
much there as it did here in qualifying and race one. Forget
today, let’s crack on, but we will need to score well
at Oulton.”
Giovanardi, who now has five wins this season to Plato’s
four, added: “This was probably the hardest day of the
season so far – there were so many things happening
on the circuit – so to come away with two sixth places
and a win is excellent. As a team we’ve achieved our
aim of out-scoring Plato and keeping up the pressure on him.
This is a very exciting championship for the fans and I’m
delighted to be part of the fight at the front.”
Meanwhile, Vauxhall and its VX Racing squad continue to lead
the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ championships, but
by significantly reduced margins over SEAT and its SEAT Sport
UK outfit respectively, the Spanish make enjoying the upper
hand over its British rival in today’s three races.
Mike Jordan consolidated his lead in the Independents Drivers’
table with strong form all day, including a podium finish
outright in his Eurotech/John Guest-Pirtek Honda Integra.
Team RAC maintained its holdon the Independents Teams’
table, thanks to Turkington’s landmark race one victory
and also a fine second by his team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole in
race three.
BTCC points after Croft, rds10, 11 & 12 (provisional):
Drivers:
1. Jason PLATO, 127 points
2. Fabrizio GIOVANARDI, 125
3. Matt NEAL, 81
4. Tom CHILTON, 75
5. Darren TURNER, 71
6. Colin TURKINGTON, 64
=7. Mat JACKSON & Mike JORDAN, 55
9. Gordon SHEDDEN, 54
10. Tom ONSLOW-COLE, 51
Manufacturers:
1. Vauxhall, 264 points
2. SEAT, 236
Teams:
1. VX Racing, 190 points
2. SEAT Sport UK, 187
3. Team Halfords, 131
4. Team RAC, 109
5. Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit, 55
6. Jacksons MSport, 54
Round 10, 15 laps (31.876 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
TURKINGTON’S LANDMARK VICTORY
From second on the grid, Turkington used the better traction
of his BMW’s rear-wheel-drive to take an immediate lead
and from there was never headed – his victory the first
for the German manufacturer in the BTCC for almost 11 years.
But he was under pressure throughout from both Gordon Shedden
and his Team Halfords team-mate Matt Neal in their rapidly
improved Honda Civics. The latter actually ran second for
a while until controversially tangling with Onslow-Cole while
attempting to lap him (the youngster having lost time with
a pit stop for repairs to his car).
This incident lost Neal momentum and Shedden, who had started
the race from pole position, was quickly back past into second
which he held to the line. Neal was third followed by Turner,
Jordan, Giovanardi and Plato.
Result:
1. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si E90, 22m06.494s
2. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +3.957s
3. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +5.083s
FASTEST LAP: Turkington, 1m27.210s (87.67mph)
Round 11, 18 laps (38.259 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
TURNER TAKES FIRST BTCC WIN
An action-packed race saw Turner avoid plenty of incidents
en route to his first BTCC race victory as he became the fifth
different race winner so far this season.
Turkington, starting from pole, led the early stages but
ran wide at a corner and Shedden was able to move in front.
But the Scot cruelly began encountering steering problems
on his car and started tumbling down the order before later
retiring. The race was one to forget for Team Halfords as
Neal, the reigning champion, finished 13th and out of the
points after an engine problem on the grid forced him to start
a lap late.
Shedden’s demise, meanwhile, allowed Turner to take
over the lead from Plato but then came a moment of high-drama
when Turkington’s and Giovanardi’s cars tangled
and became stranded in the middle of the track – an
incident that led to a three-lap safety car period as marshals
cleared up debris. Giovanardi would rejoin the race and fight
his way back through to sixth, but Turkington was an instant
retirement.
After the re-start, Plato overtook Turner to become the race’s
fourth leader, but as they exited the final corner he deliberately
backed off to allow his team-mate through for his maiden win.
Plato explained: “Darren had very smartly let me past
to get an extra point for leading the race, so it was only
right that I backed off and let him have back the win which
he deserved.”
Mike Jordan came through to finish an excellent third for
what was also his fourth Independents win of the season. Mat
Jackson was a strong fourth in his family-run Jacksons MSport
BMW ahead of Gareth Howell, at last enjoying a trouble-free
run in his Motorbase SEAT Toledo for his best result of the
season to date.
Finishing an astonishing eighth, having started 23rd and
last on the grid following an early retirement in race one,
was Jason Hughes in his Kartworld team’s bio-ethanol-powered
MG ZS. From 18th on the grid, John George also kept clear
of the skirmishes to finish a solid ninth in his JAG/TH Motorsport
Honda Integra. George would also later be drawn on pole position
for race three’s reversed starting grid.
A recovering tenth, having been nudged off the track while
in seventh, was the BTC Racing Lexus of Chris Stockton. And
there was a best-ever 11th for Jim Pocklington in the tiny
J Team with Tech Tuning squad’s BMW.
Result:
1. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, 29m17.908s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.374s
3. Mike Jordan (GBR), Eurotech-John Guest-Pirtek/Honda Integra,
+3.326s
FASTEST LAP: Turner, 1m27.482s (87.45mph)
Round 12, 16 laps (34.001 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
GIOVANARDI CRUISES TO VICTORY
Giovanardi effectively dominated proceedings after wresting
the lead early on from Onslow-Cole. The latter, from third
on the reversed grid, led into the first bend but two laps
later the experienced Giovanardi was past into the lead and
on his way to his fifth win of the season.
Onslow-Cole finished a lonely second, while in third was
the similar car of Jackson, although in the closing stages
he came under mounting pressure from a hard-charging Shedden,
up from 17th on the grid. Turner, his car now carrying maximum
success ballast thanks to his race two win, was fifth from
the attacking Neal. Plato, who lost places in a brief moment
with team-mate Turner, took eighth.
Result:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, 24m00.874s
2. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), Team RAC/BMW 320si E90, +3.628s
3. Mat Jackson (GBR), Jacksons MSport/BMW 320si E90, +8.601s
FASTEST LAP: Giovanardi, 1m26.817s (88.12mph)
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