Giovanardi clinches title in finale
Fabrizio Giovanardi beat Jason Plato to the British Touring Car Championship title in the final round at Thruxton
Mat Jackson took the race win, while Giovanardi's second place was sufficient to clinch the crown as Plato could only manage fourth.
The title battle was decided at the start, as Giovanardi jumped from seventh to fourth and then passed Matt Neal for third further around the opening lap, while Plato lost a position from sixth on the grid.
At the front, Jackson and Colin Turkington leapt from the second row into first and second in their BMWs and then enjoyed an extremely close dice for the lead until Turkington spun at the chicane on lap 11 and allowed Jackson to cruise to the win.
That moved Giovanardi and his Vauxhall teammate Tom Chilton into second and third, with Plato by now up to fifth behind Neal.
The SEAT driver moved up a position after giving Neal a tap going into the complex, and then survived intact despite Neal retaliating at the chicane a lap later.
Plato closed on the two Vauxhalls, but could not get past before the race was red-flagged a lap early after Mike Jordan crashed on the exit of the chicane.
Having started from the front row, guest drivers Tom Coronel and Alain Menu faded to eighth and 12th in the race.
Classified:
Pos Driver Car Time
1. Mat Jackson BMW 17:33.434
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi Vauxhall + 2.659
3. Tom Chilton Vauxhall + 3.463
4. Jason Plato SEAT + 4.322
5. Matt Neal Honda + 4.644
6. Darren Turner SEAT + 4.897
7. Adam Jones SEAT + 6.096
8. Tom Coronel SEAT + 6.567
9. Gordon Shedden Honda + 6.898
10. Rob Collard SEAT + 14.638
11. Colin Turkington BMW + 14.884
12. Alain Menu Vauxhall + 20.587
13. John George Honda + 26.015
14. Jason Hughes MG + 28.468
15. David Pinkney Alfa Romeo + 30.052
16. Paul O'Neill SEAT + 31.985
17. Alan Taylor Honda + 33.812
18. Fiona Leggate MG + 44.451
19. Rick Kerry BMW + 55.152
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Car Laps
Mike Jordan Honda 12
Erkut Kizilirmak Vauxhall 10
Matt Allison SEAT 8
Martyn Bell BMW 7
Eoin Murray Alfa Romeo 6
Tom Onslow-Cole BMW 5
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