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Plato & Jackson win at Snetterton, Giovanardi extends points lead |
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Sunday, 13 July 2008 |
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Jason Plato and Mat Jackson shared the race wins in the HiQ
MSA British
Touring Car Championship’s latest rounds at the Snetterton circuit in
Norfolk today, but it is reigning Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi who
continues to lead the standings and by an increased margin as the title
race next heads to the daunting Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire on
Sunday 27
July.
Having qualified on pole position on Saturday, Plato,
driving SEAT’s turbo-diesel Leon TDI, won both the day’s opening two
races to briefly take hold of second in the points table, but a
non-finish in race three has dropped him back to third behind
Giovanardi’s
Vauxhall team-mate Matt Neal.
Italian Giovanardi achieved a seventh and two third place finishes – and also set two fastest race laps in
his Vauxhall Vectra VXR – today to stretch his advantage from 23 to 34 points overall.
“It
was looking like Jason was going to
come away from today a lot closer to me in the championship, but
fortunately for me he had problems in race three and I could take the
third
place,” said Giovanardi. “Four race meetings to go; 12 races. I still
have a nice lead but it is important to keep up the pace –
I know the others will be ready to take any opportunities they can.”
BMW Dealer Team UK driver Jackson’s win in race three – his
second of the season – came after he converted a front-row starting
position on the reversed grid into an instant lead and from there he
was
never headed. But right behind him throughout and closing right up on
the final lap was fellow BMW driver Steven Kane who crossed the line in
second
to give an ecstatic Motorbase team its first-ever podium finish in the
BTCC.
Elsewhere, Team RAC BMW driver Colin Turkington has taken command of the
Independents championship with three very strong results – including a second outright.
Vauxhall
and its VX Racing squad continue to
comfortably head the Manufacturers’ and outright Teams’ championships.
Team RAC also maintains its lead of the Independent Teams’
order.
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