Andrew Jordan wins as Jason Plato rolls out

Andrew Jordan took his first non-reverse grid BTCC win in an eventful race two at Donington, which featured plenty of thrills and spills. Jordan headed home James Nash in a Vauxhall Vectra one-two, although the race was marred by an alarming opening lap roll for reigning champion Jason Plato.

As a result of Plato’s second pointless race of the day, Matt Neal extends his championship lead thanks to his third place finish behind Jordan and Nash.

For the second time of the day Neal failed to convert pole position into an opening lap lead, as not only did fellow front row starter Jordan dive past on the run to Redgate, but so did third placed Nash, with both Vauxhalls maintaining their positions at the head of the field for the entire race.

Behind though chaos ensued on the opening tour as Gordon Shedden began carving his way through the field from the back of the grid thanks to his disqualification from race one.

The Scot was up into the middle of the pack by the exit of Redgate, making contact with the right rear of Liam Griffin’s Ford Focus, turning the Airwaves machine sharply into Plato.

Both Griffin and Plato headed off at speed onto the grass on the inside of the Craner Curves, the Focus with substantial front air damage. Plato initially seemed to be escaping any serious contact, but as his car continued across the grass and gravel at unabated speed it made contact with the grass banking beyond the end of the barriers, tipping the Cruze into a serious of rolls.

With the Chevrolet eventually coming to rest on its wheels, Plato emerged unscathed as the safety car was scrambled to retrieve the wrecked Cruze, as well as the machines of Griffin and Rob Austin, whose first BTCC racing lap ended halfway round with the Audi A4 beached in the gravel.

After several laps circulating behind the safety car racing resumed with Jordan, Nash and Neal remaining 1-2-3 at the head of the field.

Mat Jackson then made his way past Tom Chilton into fifth at the re-start, then past Rob Collard a lap later into fourth. Collard then ran wide at the Old Hairpin trying to keep with the Focus, promoting Chilton into fifth, which became fourth when Jackson straight lined the chicane at the end of the lap.

Paul O’Neill was the next to fall foul of the Old Hairpin, spinning out of seventh and into the gravel. Two laps later and it was Jackson’s turn to explore the outer reaches of Donington after Chilton enjoyed a lurid slide through the Old Hairpin.

This allowed Jackson alongside and the Focus’ ran side-by-side through Schwantz Curve, but as the Airwaves car edged ahead under braking for Macleans Chilton made contact with his rear, punting the red and yellow machine off and through the gravel.

WSR’s Nick Foster was the next to enjoy a trip off the circuit with an alarming high-speed bounce through the gravel trap on the inside of the Old Hairpin. The BMW man had been squabbling with Jeff Smith and the pair diced side-by-side through Hollywood and down the Craner Curves until Foster ‘s machine twitched, made brief contact with the side of Smith’s Vauxhall, and pitched into a spin into the infield and then back across the track between Smith and Tony Gilham.

With the BMW eventually coming to rest in the gravel the safety car was brought out again to retrieve it bunching the pack up once more and helping Shedden to make up a couple more places on the re-start, with the Honda man eventually finishing in sixth after an impressive drive through the field.

At the front though there were no problems for Jordan, taking his first win of 2011 ahead of Nash and Neal. Chilton took fourth, with Collard fifth in front of Shedden. In seventh place was Tom Onslow-Cole, with the VW Golf driver enjoying an incident free race that saw him run as high as sixth. Gilham, Alex MacDowall, who takes pole for race three thanks to the reverse grid draw, and a recovering Jackson rounded out the points.