BTCC at Oulton Park: Three different winners again
Andrew Jordan (BMW), Ashley Sutton (Subaru) and Gordon Shedden (Honda) are the race winners in the fourth round of the 2017 British Touring Car Championship today at Oulton Park. Same as in all three championship rounds before, we have three different winners in one weekend. Both for Jordan and Shedden that were wins number 2 this season while Sutton scored his maiden victory with Subaru and the second in a career.
After twelve races, Gordon Shedden is the championship leader with 157 points on his account, sixteen more than Rob Collard. Tom Ingram follows with 132 points, ahead of Colin Turkington (126) and Matt Neal (124). Ash Sutton jumped to sixth place with 112 points on his tally.
Andrew Jordan scored his second win of the season
Andrew Jordan’s 18th BTCC win in a career
In the first race of the weekend, Honda’s Matt Neal started from pole but lost a lead after a lightning start of BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan. The top two drivers pulled comfortably away, leaving the others to fight for the third place on a podium.
Colin Turkington jumped into P3 at the start, ahead of Aiden Moffat. Behind them, Ash Sutton made a move on Mat Jackson. Until lap 7, Turkington was passed by Moffat and Sutton. The battle for the final podium position climaxed when Moffat squeezed Sutton onto the grass on the exit of Island Bend, allowing Turkington back by. Sutton fought back and took P3 at the end.
Moffat finished fourth, ahead of Rob Collard and Mat Jackson. Gordon Shedden held on to seventh despite late race contact with Josh Cook’s Ford. Rob Austin and Jake Hill completed the top 10.
Ashley Sutton wins race 2 at Oulton Park
Ashley Sutton’s second BTCC victory
In the Race 2, polesitter Andrew Jordan defended his position in the opening lap. The fellow front row starter Matt Neal lost two places to rear-wheel drive machines of Ash Sutton and Rob Collard. Jordan’s BMW, carrying maximum success ballast, couldn’t defend his lead and Sutton jumped to P1 on lap 2.
Later in the race, Jordan felt down for three more places, finishing in the fifth place. Rob Collard and Matt Neal completed a podium, Gordon Shedden finished in the fourth place. Josh Cook finished in the sixth place, being rewarded with pole position for the Race 3 in the reverse grid draw.
Gordon Shedden is the championship leader after Oulton Park’s BTCC weekend
Victory number 47 for Gordon Shedden
The third race was over for polesitter Cook after four laps, with a damaged car following his contact with Gordon Shedden. Prior to that, he lost a lead to Andrew Jordan, who pulled away in the opening laps to build more then 2-second advantage over Gordon Shedden. The field was squeezed with the Safety Car intervention following Aiden Moffat crash on lap 8.
After a restart on lap 13, Jordan had mirrors full of Hondas until lap 15, when both Shedden and Neal passed by him. Behind their back, Ash Sutton holds off two BMWs of Colin Turkington and Rob Collard.
Check the full results of BTCC races at Oulton Park
Croft Circuit is the next station in the 2017 BTCC calendar. Three races are scheduled for Sunday, June 11.
Photos: btcc.net,
