Honda’s Gordon Shedden snatched a late win from WSR’s Rob Collard in the final British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Snetterton, which was earlier red-flagged due to a dramatic startline accident.
The defending champion forced his way past the BMW driver on the last lap at Agostini bend, with the pair making contact in the process. Collard finished 0.525 seconds, having been unable to get back past Shedden, whilst Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin took the team’s maiden podium in the series, along with his first using front wheel drive machinery.
Once again the race was mired by controversial incidents, including a start-line shunt which was triggered when Mark Howard turned Alex Martin into the pit wall. An unsighted Hunter Abbott then launched his Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet into the back of Howard’s car, barrel rolling along the barriers and knocking over a television platform.
The race was immediately red-flagged whilst the incident was dealt with, and it was later announced that the cameraman had escaped serious injury.
After a 20-minute delay the race was restarted, with drama even before the lights had gone out. Championship leader and pole-sitter Sam Tordoff was forced into the pits to retire with a broken propshaft, denting his hopes of a victory.
After the lights went out it was Subaru’s Jason Plato who initially led from Collard, but the BMW driver muscled his way past for the lead at Oggies on the following lap.
At the same time Shedden passed Austin for what was then fourth, before the pair of them got past Plato on the following lap.
Whilst Collard had been able to open up a 1.5 second lead, Shedden charged after the WSR driver to be hot on his tail on the final lap, before passing with contact through Agostini and Hamilton, with Collard trying his best to nudge past Shedden at Williams to no avail.
Austin scored the first-ever podium for Handy Motorsport, whilst Plato took the chequered flag in fourth, despite late-race pressure from Motorbase Performance’s Andrew Jordan, who impressively came through from 14th on the grid to take fifth.
Colin Turkington finished in sixth, moving him up to fifth overall in the drivers’ championship standings, ahead of WIX Racing’s Adam Morgan in seventh, who had dropped down the order during the race.
Aiden Moffat followed his team-mate home in eighth, ahead of the MG of Josh Cook in ninth, who had been battling on the fringes of the top ten throughout the race. Honda’s Matt Neal completed the top ten.
Tom Ingram, who inherited pole when Tordoff pulled into the pits, finished in 12th position after contact with Morgan at the Wilson hairpin on the opening lap dropped him out of contention.
Aside from those wiped out in the accident at the start, Motorbase Performance’s race two winner Mat Jackson was a high-profile retirement, as he slowed on the back straight on lap two immediately after having moved into second.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME/GAP | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 52 | M | Gordon SHEDDEN |  |
Halfords Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 10 | 19:56.310 | 1:57.560 | 10 |
| 2 | 100 | C | Rob COLLARD | |
Team JCT600 with GardX | BMW 125i M Sport | 10 | 0.525 | 1:57.843 | 5 |
| 3 | 11 | Rob AUSTIN | |
Handy Motorsport | Toyota Avensis | 10 | 3.738 | 1:58.024 | 9 | |
| 4 | 99 | M | Jason PLATO | |
Silverline Subaru BMR Racing | Subaru Levorg GT | 10 | 4.306 | 1:57.960 | 3 |
| 5 | 77 | Andrew JORDAN | |
Motorbase Performance | Ford Focus | 10 | 4.406 | 1:58.329 | 14 | |
| 6 | 4 | M | Colin TURKINGTON | |
Silverline Subaru BMR Racing | Subaru Levorg GT | 10 | 5.278 | 1:58.338 | 7 |
| 7 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | |
WIX Racing | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 10 | 6.288 | 1:58.457 | 4 | |
| 8 | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | |
Laser Tools Racing | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 10 | 6.434 | 1:58.165 | 11 | |
| 9 | 66 | M | Josh COOK | |
MG Racing RCIB Insurance | MG6GT | 10 | 6.621 | 1:58.492 | 13 |
| 10 | 25 | M | Matt NEAL | |
Halfords Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 10 | 7.219 | 1:58.341 | 6 |
| 11 | 24 | Jake HILL | |
RCIB Insurance Racing | Toyota Avensis | 10 | 8.724 | 1:58.717 | 12 | |
| 12 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | |
Speedworks Motorsport | Toyota Avensis | 10 | 9.365 | 1:58.786 | 2 | |
| 13 | 31 | C | Jack GOFF | |
Team IHG Rewards Club | BMW 125i M Sport | 10 | 16.650 | 1:58.030 | 26 |
| 14 | 116 | M | Ashley SUTTON | |
MG Racing RCIB Insurance | MG6GT | 10 | 17.339 | 1:58.790 | 31 |
| 15 | 55 | Jeff SMITH | |
Eurotech Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 10 | 18.337 | 1:59.030 | 15 | |
| 16 | 30 | Martin DEPPER | |
Eurotech Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 10 | 18.777 | 1:58.646 | 24 | |
| 17 | 40 | Árón SMITH |  |
BKR | Volkswagen CC | 10 | 19.945 | 1:59.073 | 23 | |
| 18 | 84 | Kelvin FLETCHER | |
Power Maxed Racing | Chevrolet Cruze | 10 | 20.718 | 1:58.714 | 25 | |
| 19 | 20 | M | James COLE | |
Silverline Subaru BMR Racing | Subaru Levorg GT | 10 | 21.238 | 1:58.796 | 27 |
| 20 | 12 | Mike EPPS | |
RCIB Insurance Racing | Toyota Avensis | 10 | 23.045 | 1:58.782 | 19 | |
| 21 | 95 | Stewart LINES | |
Maximum Motorsport | Ford Focus | 10 | 35.751 | 1:59.583 | 18 | |
| R | 39 | M | Warren SCOTT | |
Silverline Subaru BMR Racing | Subaru Levorg GT | 6 | 4 Laps | 2:00.221 | 16 |
| R | 7 | Mat JACKSON | |
Motorbase Performance | Ford Focus | 2 | 8 Laps | 1:59.989 | 8 | |
| NS | 14 | Alex MARTIN | |
Dextra Racing with Team Parker | Ford Focus | 0 | DNS | N/A | 20 | |
| NS | 38 | Mark HOWARD | |
BKR | Volkswagen CC | 0 | DNS | N/A | 21 | |
| NS | 48 | Ollie JACKSON | |
AmD Tuning | Audi S3 | 0 | DNS | N/A | 30 | |
| NS | 53 | Hunter ABBOTT | |
Power Maxed Racing | Chevrolet Cruze | 0 | DNS | N/A | 28 | |
| NS | 303 | Matt SIMPSON | |
Speedworks Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R | 0 | DNS | N/A | 17 | |
| NS | 600 | C | Sam TORDOFF | |
Team JCT600 with GardX | BMW 125i M Sport | 0 | DNS | N/A | 1 |