BTCC Title Race on a Knife Edge as Giovanardi and Turkington Win at Brands

19 August 2007

Fabrizio Giovanardi won twice and Colin Turkington once in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. Crucially, Italian Giovanardi’s two wins have helped him slash the gap to championship leader Jason Plato down to just four points as the race for Britain’s premier motor racing title next heads to the Knockhill circuit in Fife for its penultimate three rounds on Sunday 2 September.

Vauxhall driver Giovanardi finished all three of today’s races in front of Plato, following up his victories in races one and two with a fourth place in race three. Plato finished both races one and two in second and was fifth in race three.

Plato, looking for a second BTCC title to add to the one he won in 2001, said: “It should have been a great weekend, but it’s not been all bad. A few things didn’t go our way today and Fabrizio got a few breaks, but we’re still leading this thing. Sure, he’s closed up, but I’d rather have a four-point advantage than be four points behind. Knockhill will be a real crunch meeting, though. We need to start beating him again but with the SEAT and the Vauxhall so evenly-matched on just about every type of circuit we seem to visit it’s going to be another very hard day in the office.”

Giovanardi, who now has eight wins this season to Plato’s six, added: “The two wins today were perfect – for me, for my team and for the championship. Consider we were 25 points behind six races ago, we have had a great run of results and we must keep the pressure up on Jason. But he is a very clever driver – everywhere I finish, he is right behind, making sure I don’t take away too many points from him. I think we both have great respect for each other. It’s going to be very close and will probably go right to the final lap of the season.”

Meanwhile, Vauxhall has extended its lead over current title-holder SEAT in the Manufacturers’ Championship. In the Teams’ standings, its VX Racing outfit has also closed to within seven points of SEAT Sport UK at the top of the table. Mat Jackson has taken over the lead of the Independents Drivers’ championship – although the youngster left the circuit requiring medical treatment after his car filled with exhaust fumes in race three. Team RAC has further stretched its Independents Teams’ championship lead and is in a strong position to provisionally clinch that title at Knockhill.

BTCC.net

See series calendar for British Touring Car Championship 2007

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