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VX Racing's Excellent Form Continues At Thruxton |
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Sunday, 06 May 2007 |
VX Racing laid down the gauntlet for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton today, winning two of the three races and doubling its lead in the manufacturers’ title battle.
Fabrizio Giovanardi spear-headed the Vauxhall works team’s attack, winning races one and two despite carrying substantial ‘success’ ballast, a result of his fantastic recent form.
In a thrilling driving display, the seven-times touring car champion
showed his mastery of the new-for-2007 Vauxhall Vectra, blitzing
Thruxton’s rapid, sweeping corners and holding his nerve to brush past
rivals in some daring moves.
In the third race, which features a reverse grid, the Italian did not
sit on his laurels but capitalised on some fierce battles to climb from
10th on the grid to fourth at the chequered flag. The result puts him
just nine points behind Drivers Championship leader, Jason Plato.
Team-mate, Tom Chilton, struggled to set up his Vauxhall Vectra for
what is the fastest circuit on the BTCC calendar. As a result the
22-year-old struggled with tyre-wear the entire weekend, but still
registered a podium helping VX Racing extend its lead in the Teams
Championship to 19 points.
Fabrizio Giovanardi: “I really don’t care to lead the
championship just yet; I prefer to leave Jason Plato in front. If he is
in front he has more ballast and he has the pressure on. This is not
the time to fight too much. It is the time to wait and keep the
pressure up.
“I’m feeling at home now because I’m not in trouble with everything
like last year. Now I know the way, I know everything and I’m at home
but now I just want to sleep! I’m a guy who makes inside a lot of
pressure, like a pressure cooker!
“Every victory is good but special was my first win in England because
last year was a really tough season for me. Now, it’s not normal to win
but I know we have the potential to do it.”
Tom Chilton: “In the last race there was a scrum with about eight
cars side-by-side fighting for fifth place. I got held up because Colin
Turkington went sideways. I had to try and go around him but I was held
up so much that the guys behind me went through 25kph quicker; I felt
my car moving with the wind as they all fired past! I was a sitting
duck.
“It’s going to be right down to the wire for the last race here in
October and it will be crucial to have a good round here. I love racing
around this circuit. It’s a big adrenalin buzz so for the last round
I’ll be getting ready by looking at all the data. I want to make sure
I’m fighting at the front in October.”
BTCC Drivers Championship 2007
1. Jason Plato (107); 2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (98); 3. Tom Chilton (68)
BTCC Manufacturers Championship
1. Vauxhall (209); 2. SEAT (164)
BTCC Teams Championship
1. VX Racing (158); 2. SEAT Sport UK (139); 3. Team Halfords (96)
BTCC Provisional Round 7 Race Result
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra); 2. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon) ;
3. Darren Turner (SEAT Leon); 4.Colin Turkington (BMW 320si) 5. Matt
Neal (Honda Civic); 6 Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra)
BTCC Provisional Round 8 Race Result
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra); 2. Matt Neal (Honda Civic);
3. Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra); 4. Mike Jordan (Honda Integra); 5.
Colin Turkington (BMW 320si); 6. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon)
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