Plato wins, but it’s Turkington’s title!

Colin Turkington has claimed the BTCC title, despite Jason Plato winning the final round of the 2009 season. Turkington came second in an action packed race holding off the challenges of Tom Chilton and Fabrizio Giovanardi, to win his first BTCC championship by five points from Plato, who leapfrogged Giovanardi thanks to his Brands Hatch treble.

Plato becomes only the second driver to win all three races at a BTCC meeting, but in the end it wasn’t enough to snatch the championship, as Turkington held on in a wounded car to claim, what he described as, an “unbelievable” victory.

Double champion Giovanardi could only come fourth, despite the efforts of his Vauxhall teammate Matt Neal to ‘control’ the race in the early stages. In the end though, Turkington came through to become the first driver from Northern Ireland to win the British Touring Car Championship, whilst he also claimed the Independent Drivers’ title for the third year in succession. The win is also the first Drivers’ title for West Surrey Racing.

Off the grid the Airwaves BMWs made excellent starts to slot in behind pole sitter Neal, who immediately set about backing the field up into each other as he sought to benefit Giovanardi. The first casualty of this was Plato who was shuffled out by Paul O’Neill and Tom Chilton, although the Chevrolet driver lived to fight another day, just further down the order than desired.

Not so lucky was Robert Collard, who was punted into the South Bank barriers by Chilton as team tactics threatened to spoil the BTCC finale. Neal’s backing up of the pack caused chaos as the race descended Graham Hill Bend for the first time, with the whole field bunching right up.

Collard went off in one direction, while Andrew Jordan and Johnny Herbert explored the run off in the other direction and Jonathan Adam was spun out at Surtees as he tried to pass the dawdling race leader.

With the safety car out to clear up the Indy circuit carnage, Neal led from Turkington, who had somehow made his way through the chaos to head Giovanardi, Chilton, Tom Onslow-Cole and Plato.

Once racing was underway again, the games swiftly resumed with Neal taking tight, defensive lines around the circuit, backing Turkington into title rival Giovanardi and the other pursuers. A fly in the Vauxhall ointment was Chilton, who made to pass the Italian around the outside at Westfield, but couldn’t quite make his move stick, this time.

With Turkington the orange meat in a Vauxhall sandwich, Giovanardi tried to take a leaf from Chilton’s book by passing the BMW around the outside at Westfield, but this only opened the door for Chilton to dive up the inside at Sheene Curve, making the move stick this time.

Two laps later and Plato extracted himself from the attentions of Onslow-Cole and Gordon Shedden, making his way past the Ford Focus and immediately latching onto the back of the train infront.

With Plato in hot pursuit, Giovanardi dived down the inside of Chilton at Surtees only to be followed by his title rival who immediately set about attacking the Vectra. A lap later and Neal’s slow Vauxhall was finally removed from the front of affairs, although at a high cost to Turkington.

Initial contact seemed to slide Neal wide on entry, but on exit the front of the Vauxhall made contact with the rear left of the BMW, putting both cars very wide on the grass but Turkington into the race lead, albeit with a wounded machine.

Further round the tour Neal took a detour through the gravel trap at Sheene, rejoining down the order, while at the front Turkington’s BMW had become a mobile chicane, which Giovanardi constantly sought to circumnavigate.

Despite no longer moving in a straight line Turkington held off the Vauxhall, only to see Plato dispense with both drivers around the outside. With the Italian then taking to the grass to get around the RAC machine, Chilton saw his chance and was past into third, providing the cushion Turkington so desperately needed from his rival.

At the front, Plato pulled away, now reliant on other drivers demoting Turkington and Giovanardi if he was to win his second title. For the Chevrolet driver it wasn’t to be, as Turkington overcame his mechanical problems to hold off Chilton, Giovanardi and the now much speedier Neal.

Giovanardi continued to push, going very very wide exiting Hawthorn, but couldn’t make up the lost ground to the Focus, enjoying by far its best weekend of the year. Ahead of Chilton, Turkington was more than content to cross the line in a comfortable second, to finish the 2009 season on 275 points. Plato’s win elevated him to second on 270 points, with Giovanardi third on 266.

Neal’s fifth place helped him to take fourth in the standings, while Vauxhall bowed out of the BTCC by taking both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles, a small consolation for Giovanardi’s loss of second spot.

Unsurprisingly, Colin Turkington was highly emotional on crossing the line, going on to say “I thought after qualifying and race one it was going to be impossible. Winning the British Touring Car Championship…I can’t describe it, it’s unbelievable. Ever since I was racing go-karts this is what I wanted to do.”

While the Team RAC driver publically thanked his family, West Surrey Racing and team boss Dick Bennetts, who gave him his first BTCC drive in 2002, his title rivals paid tribute to him.

“Look what we’ve achieved, it’s been a fantastic year” said Jason Plato. “Had we started the season earlier and prepared, I genuinely believe we would have won this, but Colin’s a worthy champion.”

Fabrizio Giovanardi wouldn’t be drawn on whether he’d be returning to the BTCC in 2010, but also praised Turkington, saying, “It’s been a great season. Colin did all good, so it’s correct that he won. He had a really hard drive today because everyone was trying to win and he didn’t make any mistakes, so I’m happy for him.”

In response to the Vauxhall tactics, which nearly derailed Turkington’s progress, Giovanardi would only say “Colin was really careful, so it’s right that he won.”

Having composed himself following the podium ceremonies, Turkington expanded on exactly what the title means to him.

“That was without doubt the race of my life. I think everything I learnt in my eight years of touring car racing I had to put into practice in that last race. It’s a very diff situation to be in, sandwiched between two teammates, with one slowing you and the other hassling you from behind.

“They didn’t make it easy. I was quicker than Matt but I couldn’t find a way past and Fabrizio was hounding me, so I had to get past.

“It really is a lifetime ambition to come true. Ever since I started racing the only thing I’ve ever had my eyes on is the British Touring Car Championship”.