British Touring Car Championship
Rockingham - Race 3 Report - 23/9/12
By MJP Media | 23 September 2012
Gordon Shedden takes a 2nd victory in the third race at Rockingham and now leads the championship from team-mate Matt Neal with only 2 meetings left on the 2012 BTCC calendar.
Gordon Shedden celebrates his 2nd win of the day at Rockingham
As the rain continued to pour at Rockingham, there was excitement on the grid after the reverse draw had the well-deserved pairing of Adam Morgan in the Speedworks Toyota Avensis and Ollie Jackson in the AMD Tuning.com Volkswagen Golf on the front row following their top ten finishes in the previous race. The draw was kind to Andrew Jordan with 3rd place, whilst title rivals Jason Plato, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden were 7th, 8th and 9th respectively.
Off the line, Adam Morgan made a great start with Aron Smith in the Redstone Racing Ford Focus 2nd and Mat Jackson in the Redstone Racing NGTC Ford Focus 3rd. In the treacherous conditions there were numerous incidents on the first lap which resulted in Aron Smith leading from Matt Neal and Rob Collard by the end of the lap! As the second lap unfolded, Jason Plato was able to take Rob Collard for 3rd place with Gordon Shedden moving up to 4th.
Jason Plato finishes 3rd in the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6
On the 3rd lap there was a Safety Car period as Jeff Smith in the Pirtek Racing Honda Civic crashed heavily into the wall at turn one. After 3 laps under the Safety Car, the race restarted and Aron Smith made good his advantage to stay ahead of Matt Neal and Jason Plato. Gordon Shedden in 4th place was attacking Plato, with Andrew Jordan in 5th and Dave Newsham taking Rob Collard for 6th. On lap 10 Shedden took Plato for 3rd and Dave Newsham spun at the first hairpin to rejoin well down the field.
On lap 11, Matt Neal passed Aron Smith to take the lead and team-mate Gordon Shedden also passed Smith at the start of lap 12, giving the Hondas a 1-2 in the deepening gloom. Jason Plato took 3rd on lap 13 and on lap 14 Shedden passed Matt Neal for the lead. Shedden then extended his lead as Matt Neal came under pressure from Plato.
Gordon Shedden now leads the championship
As they entered the last lap, Gordon Shedden led from Matt Neal with Jason Plato 3rd and Andrew Jordan 4th. They maintained this order to the chequered flag with Aron Smith finishing 5th and Mat Jackson in 6th. Completing the top 10 were Tom Onslow-Cole, Ollie Jackson, Nick Foster and Rob Austin.
The result of this dramatic race means that Gordon Shedden has taken a 3 point championship lead from team-mate Matt Neal with Jason Plato 29 points further back. Andrew Jordan now leads the Independent Championship by 40 points from Rob Collard. With 6 races to go in the 2012 season the British Touring Car Championship is still wide open as we head off to Silverstone in a fortnight's time. Look out for our Silverstone preview later this week with the chance to win tickets for another great weekend of BTCC racing.
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BTCC - Rockingham - Race 3 Report - 23/9/12
Gordon Shedden takes a 2nd victory in the third race at Rockingham and now leads the championship from team-mate Matt Neal with only 2 meetings left on the 2012 BTCC calendar.
BTCC - Rockingham - Race 2 Report - 23/9/12
Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal take a 1-2 victory for Honda Yuasa Racing Team in the 2nd race from Rockingham. Jason Plato takes 3rd place in the treacherous conditions.
BTCC - Rockingham - Race 1 Report - 23/9/12
Jason Plato dominates the first race from Rockingham as Matt Neal struggles with a broken hand. Gordon Shedden narrows the gap at the top of the points table with a solid second place finish.
BTCC - Rockingham - Qualifying - 22/9/12
Jason Plato secures pole position for the first race from Rockingham tomorrow following a brilliant qualifying session at the Northamptonshire circuit.
BTCC - Rockingham - Free Practice - 22/9/12
Jason Plato lays down the gauntlet to his rivals at Rockingham as he tops the time sheets in both free practice sessions whilst the Honda Civics also put in a strong performance.
BTCC - Rockingham Preview - WIN TICKETS!
Rockingham starts a Northamptonshire BTCC double header on September 22nd and 23rd as the British Touring Car Championship makes the first of two visits to the county.
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BTCC - Knockhill - Race 3 Report - 26/8/12
Dave Newsham takes his 2nd career BTCC win in the 3rd race at Knockhill as championship contenders Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato fail to finish. Matt Neal regains the lead in the championship.
BTCC - Knockhill - Race 2 Report - 26/8/12
eBay Motors score another 1-2 victory as Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole reign supreme in the 2nd race at Knockhill. Gordon Shedden now leads the championship by 5 points.
BTCC - Knockhill - Race 1 Report - 26/8/12
Rob Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole take a 1-2 victory for eBay Motors in the first race of the day from a sunny Knockhill as pole-sitter Jason Plato crashes out on the 2nd lap.
BTCC - Knockhill - Qualifying - 25/8/12
Aron Smith qualifies a sensational 3rd for Redstone Racing with his best ever BTCC qualifying performance as Jason Plato secures pole position for the first race at Knockhill.
BTCC - Knockhill - Free Practice - 25/8/12
Gordon Shedden sets the early pace in free practice at Knockhill as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship makes its annual trip to the Scottish circuit. Rob Collard is fastest in the 2nd session.