|
Scotland’s Gordon Shedden has won the first of today’s HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire.
Shedden, driving a Team Halfords Honda Civic, led all the way from pole position and dedicated his victory to fellow Scot and former top BTCC driver David Leslie who died in an air crash two weeks ago.
The 29-year-old from Dalgety Bay said: “My pole position yesterday was for David and this is also for him."
Prior to today’s opening BTCC race all drivers on the grid joined the Rockingham crowds in a period of applause for Leslie and also Richard Lloyd - another former top BTCC name who died in the same air accident.
Finishing second in the race was the turbo-diesel SEAT Leon TDI of Darren Turner – celebrating his 34th birthday – and third, after fighting back from a minor off, former double champion Matt Neal in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR.
Championship leaders Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra) VXR and Mat Jackson (BMW 320si) finished fifth and sixth.
Seventh after being swiped aside by Jackson was Vauxhall’s Tom Onslow-Cole who set a new race lap record before rain fell in the closing stages.
Leading positions, BTCC race 1 Rockingham (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
|
