Photo: BTCC media

Croft race 1: win for Turkington

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Colin Turkington has won the first of today’s (Sunday) three Dunlop British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.

Northern Irishman Turkington, starting second on the grid, led into the first corner in his Team RAC BMW 320si and was never headed. He also set the race’s fastest lap.

Turkington’s victory is the first for a BMW driver in the BTCC for almost 11 years.

Finishing second and third were Gordon Shedden, who started from pole position, and his team-mate Matt Neal in their Team Halfords Honda Civics.

Reigning champion Neal had been up to second but controversially clashed with Turkington’s team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole while lapping him and dropped back.

Vauxhall’s Fabrizio Giovanardi finished sixth to move a point closer to series leader SEAT’s Jason Plato who was seventh. Eight points now separate them heading into this afternoon’s second race.