Andrew Jordan has comfortably won Round 15 at Croft after starting from pole position. The Pirtek Racing driver took his first ever win in the series and historically also the first for the new NGTC engine which he runs. After a last-lap battle Tom Onslow-Cole finished in second, whilst Steven Kane took third after starting down in 19th.
Click here for the full Round 15 Results.
Jordan started the race from pole position and was never headed during the race. The 21-year-old won by one of the biggest margins of the season so far, at 7.885 seconds, as those behind him became embroiled in their own battles. At the first corner he was handed a comfortable advantage when Tom Onslow-Cole attempted to pass Tom Boardman into the first turn. As Onslow-Cole came accross on Boardman, the two made contact and bunched the whole field up, allowing Jordan to make a break.
Jason Plato was the beneficiary of the contact between the two Tom’s in front, although his luck wouldn’t last for long. On lap 3 the Chevrolet driver suffered a left-rear puncture and was forced to pit for a change, dropping him out of the points. Plato continued but with no safety car could not catch the pack. He finished in 16th, although secured a bonus point for setting the fastest lap.
Rob Collard had been running in third after passing Shedden earlier in the race, but he slowed entering the hairpin on lap 12 dropping him out of contention. Like Plato however he rejoined the race and set the fastest lap for an independent driver.
Tom Chilton finished the race in fourth after a fantastic battle into the last few corners on the final lap. Kane had been running in sixth on the penultimate lap but was the major beneficiary and ended up third during the multi-car battle. Behind him and Chilton, Paul O’Neill, who had been battling hard with Boardman for several laps, snuck through at the final turn to finish in fifth, whilst Boardman himself had to settle for sixth. Mat Jackson finished in seventh in the Motorbase team’s best race of a bad weekend.
Daniel Lloyd took his second-ever points finish with an eighth place finish, whilst Gordon Shedden dropped back towards the end of the race to finish in ninth.
Alex MacDowall was tenth, despite having earlier been in seventh. However whilst attacking then Shedden in front he lost out to Chilton, Lloyd and Kane within the space of a few corners after he got off-line.
The unlucky David Pinkney did indeed make the start of the race, but he didn’t last long – his engine giving up after only a handful of laps. Andy Neate, who was punished at the start of the weekend for contact with Jordan last time at Oulton Park, was also a retirement with damage to his BMW.
The BTCC now enters a six-week summer break but will return to action at Snetterton in August.