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Gordon
Shedden won the third race of today's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship meeting
in front of a record crowd of more than 30,000 fans at Oulton
Park, but it was reigning champion
Fabrizio Giovanardi who left the Cheshire
circuit with an extended lead in the series.
Shedden
started from the front row of the grid, took the lead into the first corner and
never came under pressure during the 16 lap race to record his second win of the year in the Honda Civic.
Behind the Team Halfords
driver raged a fierce battle between three Independent drivers. 18
year-old Andrew Jordan had started from pole position and belied his
inexperience by driving a great race, only succumbing to the race-long pressure
from Adam Jones who claimed second place on the penultimate lap. Jordan
then held off the charging Mat Jackson to secure his first ever BTCC podium and
trigger wild celebrations among the John Guest team.
Championship
leader Fabrizio Giovanardi finished sixth behind VX Racing team mate Matt Neal to
extend his points advantage over his rivals. Seventh was race two winner Colin
Turkington who struggled to make headway with maximum success ballast on board.
Jason
Plato's weekend ended in further disappointment. Having won the day's first race,
bad luck dogged the SEAT driver as his Leon
misfired in race two and then in the final race the Surrey
driver was unable to avoid a first lap collision. He recovered to finish ninth,
but now trails Giovanardi by 44 points in the championship.
Leading positions BTCC Race 3 Oulton
Park (provisional):
1. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic,
16 laps in 25mins 48.501s
2.
Adam Jones (GBR), Team Air Cool/SEAT Leon, +1.393s
3. Andrew Jordan (GBR), John Guest/Honda Integra, +2.226s
Fastest lap: Jason
Plato, 1m28.831s
Leading Points (provisional):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi, 198 points
2. Jason Plato, 154
3. Colin Turkington, 150
4. Matt Neal, 147
5. Mat Jackson,
136
6. Tom Onslow-Cole, 124
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