BTCC - Three different winners, SEATs out on top

Three different driver came out on top at Donington on Sunday in rounds 7, 8 & 9 of the British Touring Car Championship.
Here is our round-by-round analysis of what happened.


Matt Neal and Tom Chilton clash

Round 7

Jason Plato scored the first BTCC victory for a diesel-powered car in the opening race of the day at Donington Park. Plato, who became a father for the first time last week, got the better of Vauxhall’s Tom Onslow-Cole to take his first win of the season.

The start of the opening race at Donington Park was delayed when the red lights failed to illuminate as the cars lined up on the grid. When the race eventually got underway with an old-style flag start, Team RAC’s Colin Turkington slightly over-anticipated the drop and was almost at the first corner before any of the others left the grid.

Behind Turkington, who along with BTC Racing’s Stuart Oliver, was handed a drive-through penalty for jumping the start, it was Tom Onslow-Cole who led the remainder of the pack. The Vauxhall Vectra was second ahead of Jason Plato in the leading SEAT Leon TDi. Gordon Shedden was next for Team Halfords, ahead of the second SEAT of Darren Turner. Fabrizio Giovanardi was running sixth until a high-speed excursion onto the grass dropped him down through the order.

The slippery Donington track claimed another couple of victims early on. Motorbase Performance’s Rob Collard ran wide on the grass and was then collected heavily by John George in his TH Motorsport Honda Integra. Collard was stranded, and George’s attempts to limp back to the pits on three wheels were shortlived. Matt Allison was unable to make the most of his best qualifying performance so far this year in the Robertshaw Racing Chevrolet Lacetti, spinning heavily into the tyre barrier.

The safety car was deployed at the end of lap three to allow recovery of the various cars stranded around the circuit. Turkington had already conceded the lead to Tom Onslow-Cole when he pitted to serve his drive-through penalty. Gordon Shedden was second ahead of Turner and Plato. Plato briefly led the race, but was caught out when Onslow-Cole retook the lead at the old hairpin.

The restart came on lap seven, with Onslow-Cole holding on to the lead. There was action behind though, with both SEATs passing Shedden through the old hairpin. Jason Plato inherited second position when his teammate’s Leon lost power as he exited the chicane on lap nine.

BMW Dealer Team UK’s Mat Jackson could only manage 14th on the grid in qualifying, with the championship ballast taking its toll around the Donington Park circuit. But rapid progress in the early stages of the race saw Jackson up to eighth by lap ten. That was where the race ended for Jackson, however. A gentle tap from Tom Chilton’s Honda Civic was enough to turn the rear-wheel drive BMW around, with both cars ending up in the gravel trap. Motorbase Performance’s Steven Kane carefully negotiated the Chilton/Jackson clash to move up to fifth position, and lead the independents’ class.

Another safety car period was required to move Jackson and Chilton to safety, with the drivers finding time to discuss their relative views of the incident at the trackside.

Five laps of the race remained when the safety car pitted once again. Following the restart, Tom Onslow-Cole ran wide at Mcleans, allowing Jason Plato through into the lead. Gordon Shedden followed the SEAT through into second position, but lost the position to both Onslow-Cole and his Vauxhall teammate Matt Neal on the following lap.

Steven Kane defended hard over the closing stages of the race, first from Stephen Jelley, until the Team RAC driver spun out on the penultimate, and then from John Guest Racing’s Andrew Jordan. However, it was Jordan who took the independents’ spoils at the end of the race, after Kane was slowed by Jelley’s exit.

Plato held on at the front to take his first win of the year, ahead of Vauxhall pair Matt Neal and Tom Onslow-Cole. Gordon Shedden finished fourth, with Andrew Jordan fifth. Steven Kane claimed his best BTCC finish in sixth, if a little disappointed to lose the indy win. Seventh was Adam Jones, ahead of Giovanardi, Turkington and Jordan snr.

Racewinner Jason Plato said, “That was a great race. It was really interesting with the safety cars and everything that was going on. Tom Onslow-Cole has been stunning all weekend. I managed to get past him but then he pulled a stunning move to get back into the lead at Mcleans. It’s great for the guys to get a win. We’ve struggled a little bit with the diesel, but I think were homing in on the sweet spot now.”


The two VXRs battled each other

Round 8

Fabrizio Giovanardi put in an impressive run through the field to win race two at Donington Park, after starting eighth on the grid. The VX Racing driver extended his lead in the championship, as Jason Plato finished second. Tom Onslow-Cole made it two Vauxhall drivers on the podium by finishing third.

There was a confusing start to the race after Andrew Jordan stalled on the grid. The ‘delayed start’ board was displayed and then the pack headed off on a second green flag lap. Or so you would think. Instead of the green flag being waved, the red lights came on and the race got underway, much to the surprise of many of the drivers. Slowest away of the front-runners was Matt Neal from second on the grid.

Rain was starting to fall at Donington as race two got underway. It could never be described as anything more than drizzle, but it was enough to make the track even more slippery than usual. A combination of slippery track and surprise at starting the race combined to create a collision at the first corner. Martyn Bell, Alan Taylor and Stuart Oliver all ended up in a pile at Redgate, which led to an early safety car period.

Gordon Shedden found himself leading the race, with Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi behind him. Giovanardi was on the ball at the start, jumping up from eighth on the grid to third. The rain was starting to cause more trouble while the safety car was on track, affecting the rear-wheel drive BMWs in particular. Colin Turkington, Mat Jackson and Steven Kane all pitted to put on wet tyres, but none were able to feature strongly in the race as the rain remained light enough for the rest of the pack to run on slicks.

Following the restart, the slippery track caught out Gordon Shedden at the old hairpin – the Team Halfords driver running wide, allowing Jason Plato to take the lead of the race. Fabrizio Giovanardi also made the most of the Scot’s mistake, moving up to third. In his ballast-free Vectra, Giovanardi once again showed his skill in on a slippery track, passing Plato to take the lead through the Craner Curves next time round.

It was starting to look like a strong result could be on the cards for Vauxhall. As Giovanardi led the race, Matt Neal and Tom Onslow-Cole were running fourth and fifth respectively, piling the pressure on Gordon Shedden in third. Neal found a way past his former Halfords teammate on lap nine and then a gentle nudge from Onslow-Cole sent the orange Civic across the gravel at the old hair pin on the following lap, dropping Shedden down to eighth.

By mid-race, the leaders found themselves lapping the wet-shod BMWs. The rain was still falling, and the track was still slippery, but it was the slick-running front-wheel drive cars that were setting the pace. With six laps remaining Giovanardi and Plato looked comfortable in first and second respectively. Tom Onslow-Cole claimed third spot when he passed fellow Vauxhall driver Neal on the way into the chicane. SEAT’s Darren Turner sensed an opportunity to follow Onslow-Cole, but Neal carefully closed the door to hold on to fourth. Turner got his way on the following lap though, with an impressive move around the outside at the old hairpin.

Neal’s race got worse in the closing stages, when he was tagged by Tom Chilton, sending him off the track and into the tyres under the Starkeys bridge. Neal may have been out, but Vauxhall still took the win courtesy of Giovanardi. Jason Plato complimented his earlier win with second place, ahead of Onslow-Cole. Darren Turner finished fourth, ahead of Tom Chilton, Andrew Jordan and Adam Jones. Chris Stockton, Gordon Shedden and Jason Hughes rounded out the top ten.

Following the race, Fabrizio Giovanardi commented, “I enjoy this kind of conditions. We had the same in 2006 when I got my first win. I was ready for that at the start. When the others were pushing the limits in the first few laps, I knew that was my chance. It’s fantastic.”


Jason Plato lead the pack for the first part of race two

Round 9

Darren Turner has won the third of today’s three HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire.

Turner, driving a diesel-powered SEAT Leon TDI, led every lap although came under increasing pressure from the closing Vauxhall Vectra VXR of Tom Onslow-Cole in the final stages.

Onslow-Cole, who set the race’s fastest lap, finished second ahead of SEAT’s Jason Plato and his own Vauxhall team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Moving to the next three rounds at Thruxton, Hampshire on 18 May, Giovanardi leads the standings by 16 points from Plato.

On a damp track surface, Gordon Shedden led away initially in his Team Halfords Honda Civic only to slide straight on at the chicane at the end of lap one and gift Turner the lead.

And Turner's hold on the race strengthened when, behind him, the chasing Onslow-Cole was sent into a half spin by team-mate Giovanardi. Both continued before Giovanardi took over second two corners later. Onslow-Cole, though, was not done and was soon back past the Italian – taking Plato with him into third. They would remain in this order to the finish, Turner becoming the seventh different driver to win in the opening nine rounds.

Tom Chilton’s Team Halfords Honda and Matt Neal’s Vectra completed the top six. Seventh and the highest-placed privateer driver was Adam Jones in his Air Cool SEAT – a result that has moved into the lead of the Independents standings. Next up in eighth was previous leader Mat Jackson whose BMW’s rear-wheel-drive struggled in the damp conditions. This was Jackson’s only points score of the day and, having arrived at Donington second only to Giovanardi in the outright championship, has instead slumped to sixth overall.

Ninth and tenth, each with fading grip after their wet weather tyres proved to be the incorrect choice for the conditions, were Mike Jordan’s John Guest Honda Integra and Shedden’s Honda Civic.


Championship Standings after nine rounds:

1 Giovanardi - 63pts

2 Jackson - 56pts

3 Shedden - 50pts

4 Neal - 47pts

5 Turner - 38pts

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