Giovanardi closes on title lead with win

Fabrizio Giovanardi has taken victory at the second race at Knockhill, and has closed the championship lead down to just 13 points going into the final race.

Pole sitter Jason Plato pulled into the pits at the end of the parade lap with a misfire before the race even started.

This gave the home team and driver Gordon Shedden the best position for the start. Colin Turkington had a great start in the BMW but got caught out on the outside heading into the first corner and was passed by the Airwaves BMW of Jonathan Adam and the Vauxhall of Giovanardi.

A far more frenetic first few laps saw a lot of paint swapping in the middle of the pack.

Giovanardi had immense pace though, and was quick to pass Mat Jackson for second, and then passed the Cartridge World Racing SEAT of Gordon Shedden for the lead when the scot locked up in the hairpin at the end of lap 7.

The safety car was brought out on lap 10 as a tyre bundle had been knocked on to the circuit. Once the race resumed, Giovanardi was untouchable.

Matt Neal and James Thompson, who had started at the back, made good work of moving through the field, and would go on to finish fourth and sixth.

Shedden appeared to struggle with the 39kg of success ballast he was carrying, and fell back through the field. On lap 23, Shedden was forced out wide by Rob Collard, and gave as good as he got later on the lap, which pushed Collard off the circuit and he could only recover to finish 12th.

With Plato not finishing (despite attempting to rejoin the race but then breaking down on lap 8), he drops to joint third in the standings with Matt Neal on 144 points.

Turkington still leads the championship with 200 points, with Giovanardi closing on 187.

For the final race, the top 6 was reverted following the draw by future Team Dynamics driver Johnny Herbert, which gives his future car pole position with James Thompson driving.