Giovanardi leads dominant Vauxhall 1-2-3

Reigning BTCC champion Fabrizio Giovanardi picked up his first victory of 2009, heading teammates Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan, as Vauxhall locked out the podium in the opening race at Thruxton.

Poleman Giovanardi led from start to finish to record his fifth BTCC victory at Thruxton, with Neal and Jordan holding second and third positions throughout, despite a mid-race safety car period closing up the field.

The Italian made the most of carrying no performance ballast to make a lightening start, as Jordan leapfrogged Jason Plato at the Complex on the opening lap to pick up his first podium for VX Racing.

The youngster came under pressure from Plato and Colin Turkington in the opening stages, before the Team RAC driver made it past the Chevrolet Lacetti with a move up the inside at the Complex on lap seven.

Plato darted into the pits a lap later with tyre problems, leaving Turkington to pressure Jordan for the final podium spot.

The Northern Irishman’s cause was helped when the Safety Car made an appearance on lap ten because Liam McMillan’s SEAT Toledo was considered to be stopped in a dangerous place – on the outside of the run to the Club Chicane.

The safety car bunched the pack up, but once again Jordan calmly held off Turkington at the re-start, as teammates Giovanardi and Neal disappeared up the road.

Behind the leading group, Paul O’Neill was putting in an assured drive to fifth on his first start in the series since 2007, while another returnee James Thompson was involved in several exciting battles throughout.

Before the safety car period, Thompson was enjoying a good fight with Jonathan Adam and Adam Jones, while once the racing resumed the double champion held off Rob Collard, Stephen Jelley and a pair of Chevrolet’s in Harry Vaulkhard and Matt Jackson, as Jones continued ahead on his way to sixth.

Jelley and Collard then came together, for the second meeting running, at the chicane on the penultimate lap, firing the Airwaves BMW off the circuit. Thompson then slowed dropping to 11th, as Jelley continued to seventh place, ahead of a trio of Lacetti’s as Vaulkhard, Jackson and Plato rounded out the top ten.

Victory moves Giovanardi up to third in the BTCC standings on 30 points, ten behind Turkington and 20 points behind championship leader Matt Neal.

Stay tuned for the second and third races of the day!