GIOVANARDI STILL LEADS TITLE CHASE AS SHEDDEN, JACKSON &
NEAL TAKE RACE WINS
Gordon Shedden, Mat Jackson and Matt Neal shared the victories
in today’s action-packed three HiQ MSA British Touring
Car Championship rounds at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire.
But it is reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi who remains
at the top of the standings and with an extended points lead
as the UK’s premier motor racing series heads to the
Donington Park track in Leicestershire for its next three
rounds on Sunday 4 May.
Scottish ace Shedden achieved his first win of the season
in the day’s opening race in his Team Halfords Honda
Civic and would later dedicate his achievement to fellow countryman
and former leading BTCC driver David Leslie who died in an
air crash two weeks ago. Indeed, on the grid for the first
of today’s races, all BTCC drivers joined the crowds
in a moving period of applause for Leslie and also Richard
Lloyd – a past title-winner in the BTCC as a driver
and team manager – who perished in the same air accident.
After his race one win, Shedden added two fourth place finishes
to leave Rockingham a solid third in the championship –
just six points behind Jackson who, having finished sixth
in race one, won race two after overcoming Giovanardi only
to then dramatically retire from race three as he pushed for
a second victory. At the moment of his retirement he had been
on course to take the lead of the championship…
In the end, a highly unpredictable race three was won by
former double champion Neal who, as others tripped up in the
soaking wet conditions, kept his head to take his first victory
in Vauxhall’s Vectra VXR since joining the reigning
champion outfit in the winter.
Giovanardi, meanwhile, took fifth to add to his earlier fifth
in race one and runner-up spot in the second race. Although
he hadn’t won a race it was sufficient to move him seven
points clear of the disillusioned Jackson at the head of the
table.
Vauxhall driver Giovanardi said: “This has not been
my strongest day, but still I scored some good points and
have increased my lead. I know from experience that you are
not going to win every time and so it is important to take
the most you can when you can’t win. I am pleased to
still be leading but Jackson, Shedden, Neal… in fact
everybody is really strong now. I can see already this is
going to be a very difficult championship.”
Jackson, whose retirement in race three came after contact
with rival Team RAC BMW driver Colin Turkington, said: “It
was looking good in race three. I felt I had the pace to win
that race, but there was slight contact between our cars and
on a wet track I just slithered straight on into the gravel
trap. From the highs of having taken on and beaten Fabrizio
to win race two, this is a bit of a low as the lead of the
championship was there for the taking… at least Fabrizio
didn’t go and win it and he’s not managed to increase
his lead too much.”
Elsewhere, Vauxhall and VX Racing have maintained their leads
in the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ championships.
Despite his non-score, Jackson and his BMW Dealer Team UK
squad continue to head the Independent Drivers’ and
Teams’ standings, although new threats in the shape
of Adam Jones and Team Air Cool respectively have emerged
after strong performances today that ended with a deserved
third place finish in race three.
Result race 1 (provisional):
1. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, 16 laps
in 23m28.251s
2. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, +3.024s
3. Matt Neal (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR, +3.575s
Fastest lap: Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra
VXR, 1m24.698s
Result race 2 (provisional):
1. Mat Jackson (GBR), BMW Dealer Team UK/BMW 320si, 19 laps
in 28m51.807s
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR,
+1.542s
3. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon TDI, +7.321s
Fastest lap: Giovanardi, 1m25.517s (81.66mph)
Result race 3 (provisional):
1. Matt Neal (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra VXR,
18 laps in 31m06.261s
2. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +4.914s
3. Adam Jones (GBR), Team Air Cool/SEAT Leon, +5.785s
Fastest lap: Neal, 1m35.469s (73.15mph)
Drivers’ Championship (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), 63 points
2. Mat Jackson (GBR), 56
3. Gordon Shedden GBR), 50
4. Matt Neal (GBR), 47
5. Darren Turner (GBR), 38
6. Jason Plato (GBR), 35
Manufacturers Championship (provisional):
1. Vauxhall, 143
2. SEAT 111
Teams’ Championship (provisional):
1. VX Racing, 111
2. Team Halfords, 75
3. SEAT Sport UK, 72
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