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RAC dominate opener at Croft

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Team RAC took a dominant 1-2 in the opening race at Croft, with Colin Turkington taking victory to take the championship lead, ahead of teammate Stephen Jelley who recorded his first ever BTCC podium.

The pair of orange BMW’s made an excellent start and were never challenged for the lead, comfortably controlling a race which was shortened by one lap after a large accident between local racer Harry Vaulkhard and Tom Chilton.

In warm conditions beneath sunny skies, Vauxhall were predicted to once again struggle, and that certainly seemed to be the case early on as the RAC BMW’s led from a trio of Chevrolets and the fast starting Rob Collard, with the Vectra’s trailing.

Behind Turkington and Jelley, Plato held third for the entire race, while behind him ran Racing Silverline teammate Matt Jackson and Vaulkhard.

The under the weather Jackson, suffering from a stomach bug, was the first of the Chevrolet’s to suffer an accident, spinning out on lap six after running wide over the kerbing exiting the chicane.

Ahead Turkington was pulling out a large lead, while further back Fabrizio Giovanardi overhauled both his VX Racing teammates and set about reeling in Collard and Vaulkhard, who were running nose to tail.

The BMW found a way past at the hairpin on lap ten, before Vaulkhard ran wide further round the tour, allowing Giovanardi past as well.

Next to pass the Chevrolet was Neal, who dived down the inside of Vaulkhard at Tower. The Tempus Sport driver fought back however, attempting to run side-by-side with Neal through the Clark Esses.

Contact was inevitable, with Neal surviving with just a trip across the run off, while Vaulkhard had a scary spin through the ploughed infield before rejoining.

Continuing on round the lap, Vaulkhard spun once more on the left hand entry to the Complex, spinning back across the track into the path of the fast approaching Tom Chilton, resulting in a large impact at the Focus T-boned the prone Lacetti.

Both drivers were out of the cars, but with debris and cars across the track, the red flag was flown bringing Turkington victory a lap early.

Behind the Northern Irishman, Jelley and Plato came Collard, followed by the Vauxhall pairing of Giovanardi and Neal. Meanwhile at the back of the field Dan Eaves miserable season continued, with his race ending in the gravel early on.

With a three second lead, despite carrying 30kg of ballast, at the time of the stoppage, Turkington’s pace looks ominous for the rest of the field ahead of race two – his 200th BTCC start.

For now though, the WSR driver is just happy with the result of race one, saying:

“I knew it was going to be a matter of managing the tyres, but I got a really good start and after three or four laps I could manage the situation.

The pace in the car today is very very good, so hopefully we’ll have a good chance for the rest of the day.”

Victory moves Turkington into the lead of the BTCC, on 127 points, with Neal in second on 116, eighteen points ahead of double champion Giovanardi who lies third.