Team ES Racing’s Dave Newsham claimed his first-ever win in the British Touring Car Championship in the third race at Snetterton, after starting from second in the reverse grid race.
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Scot Newsham, who started from second on the grid alongside fellow Vauxhall Vectra racer Lea Wood, initially lost out to Tom Onslow-Cole’s rear-wheel drive BMW at the start of the race. However the Team ES driver was able to retake the position before the end of the lap, and then went on to pass Wood for the lead of the race on lap four. Thereafter he was never troubled for the lead, despite eventual second-placed finisher Onslow-Cole closing in during the final laps of the race.
Poleman for the third race of the day was Lea Wood – and the BINZ Racing driver led the first three laps before being passed by Newsham. Wood looked to be settling into a comfortable second position until his gearbox failed on the seventh lap of the race, forcing him into retirement. Wood showed good sportsmanship however by cheering eventual race winner Newsham on the pit wall at the chequered flag.
Works Honda driver Gordon Shedden originally finished in third, but was subsequently excluded from the results for exceeding the turbo boost limit on his Honda Civic. His exclusion elevated Jason Plato to third overall, with the result meaning that a mere 10 points covers first to third in the championship, where Plato currently lies.
Mat Jackson took the brand new NGTC-spec Motorbase-built Ford Focus to its best-ever result on only its first weekend of racing with fourth, ahead of race two winner Andrew Jordan.
Irishman Árón Smith finished in sixth in the older S2000-spec Ford Focus ST, just ahead of Frank Wrathall who finished seventh in the Dynojet Toyota.
Matt Neal finished in eighth, having spent much of the race recovering after contact from Wrathall on the opening lap dropped him down to 20th. The current series leader (by just 8 points) finished ahead of Rob Collard in ninth and Adam Morgan in tenth, with the Speedworks driver taking his best-ever race finish in the BTCC.