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British Touring Car Championship
Donington Park - Race 2 Report - 17/4/16

By MJP Media | 17 April 2016

Rob Collard pulls off a late move to deny Mat Jackson victory in the second race of the day at Donington Park.

Rob Collard wins the second race of the day

With the grid for the second BTCC race of the day from Donington Park being determined by the finishing order from the first race, Mat Jackson started in pole position alongside Josh Cook with Tom Ingram and Jack Goff on row 2 of the grid. Ashley Sutton and Rob Collard started on row three with Jeff Smith and Aron Smith on row four and Sam Tordoff and Colin Turkington on row five. Absent from the grid was Silverline Subaru BMR Racing's James Cole whose Levorg GT suffered a massive engine fire at the end of the previous race.

Off the line Mat Jackson got a good start and comfortably led into the first corner however it was Rob Collard who made the best getaway with a blinding overtaking move on the outside of the first corner taking him from 6th to 3rd. As in the first race, there was action further down the field and once again there was a Safety Car deployed on the first lap as both Ollie Jackson and Kelvin Fletcher parked their cars in the gravel at the Old Hairpin in completely separate incidents.

Rob Collard passes Mat Jackson to take the lead

After two full laps under the Safety Car it was all systems go with leaders Mat Jackson from Tom Ingram, Rob Collard, Josh Cook and Jack Goff as Sam Tordoff fell away from 6th. There then followed a second Safety Car period on lap 6 after Colin Turkington was involved in an incident at Roberts, leaving his Subaru Levorg GT beached backwards in the gravel.

When racing resumed, the battle was fierce with Gordon Shedden a man on a mission. Back in 8th place on lap11, Shedden really got the bit between his teeth and started his mission up the standings. By lap 15 he was up to 4th, a position he held to the end of the race. At the same time that Shedden made his move, Tom Ingram was having problems and lost places. From 2nd on lap 11, he tumbled to 8th by the end of lap 13 and finished a lowly 15th.

Rob Collard on the podium with Aron Smith and Mat Jackson

The biggest drama came toward the end with Rob Collard harassing race leader Mat Jackson and on lap 15 he made his move with a fantastically brave overtake at the exit of Coppice, completing the move on the entry to Roberts, a lead he was to maintain to the end. At the chequered flag, Collard took the win ahead of Mat Jackson and Aron Smith who was taking his second podium of the year. Gordon Shedden finished 4th with Jack Goff 5th and Matt Neal in 6th. We have now had five races with five separate winners and five different marques.

The reverse grid draw gave pole to the fast starting BMW of Sam Tordoff who finished race two in 8th place. Alongside Tordoff on the front row of the grid will be Josh Cook ahead of Matt Neal and Jack Goff on the 2nd row. Row 3 will see Gordon Shedden and Aron Smith with Mat Jackson and Rob Collard on row 4.

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