Tom Chilton gives new Ford first win

Tom Chilton led home Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden to take a comfortable win in the first race of the British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill.

The Team Aon driver led every lap of the race from pole position – despite an early safety car intervention. His win means that Chilton moves up to seventh in the drivers’ championship. For Honda Racing their double podium means that both Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden are joint championship leaders, after their main rival Mat Jackson failed to take home any points.

Click here for the full Round 19 Results.

The start of the race was a clean affair for most of the drivers – although Dynojet’s Frank Wrathall had a moment at Scotsmans corner, whilst alex MacDowall went wide at the John R Weir chicane, losing him many positions.

Rob Made a strong start in his rear-wheel drive Audi from fourth on the grid, immediately moving into third at the first corner. However the race would end in disappointing style for the NGTC racer as on lap 6 he made contact with Tom Onslow-Cole whilst attempting to defend his position. Austin was sent spinning backwards into the barrier whilst Onslow-Cole also made heavy contact with the wall, putting both men out of the race and bringing out the safety car.

This left Wrathall as the top NGTC racer and he held on to match his best-ever result in the BTCC by taking fourth.

Rob Collard finished in fifth – although the WSR racer was involved in some fierce battling late in the race. Contact with Mat Jackson at the chicane possibly caused the Airwaves driver to suffer a puncture late in the race, meaning he could finish no better than 19th and lose his championship lead.

James Nash finished in sixth after a steady drive through the field once again. A frustrated Jason plato could only finish in seventh – the reigning champion lost several places towards the end of the race however when, whilst defending against Collard, he cut the chicane and also lost out to Nash.

Tom Boardman finished the race in eighth, Andrew Jordan was ninth and on his début in the championship Irishman Árón Smith took the final point for tenth.