Mat Jackson claims fourth reverse-grid win to move into the championship lead
Mat Jackson has taken the lead of the British Touring Car Championship with his fourth reversed-grid race win of the season at Snetterton
Jackson found a way by the polesitting Special Tuning Racing SEAT Leon of Dave Newsham on lap two and drove away.
His cause was helped by Newsham holding the pursuers back as Jackson set three consecutive fastest laps in his Motorbase Ford Focus.
Paul O'Neill finally found a chink in Newsham's armour at the Montreal hairpin on lap six. He pulled clear, but could not catch the leader.
Reigning champion Jason Plato (Chevrolet Cruze) was the next driver in the train to challenge the SEAT, but he didn't find a way past until Newsham ran wide at Nelson on the penultimate lap to finally cede third.
Matt Neal's Honda Civic, up from row nine, finally took fourth. He charged through the field and passed Newsham on the final run down Bentley Straight.
Newsham was denied a well-deserved top-five finish when a tap from Alex MacDowall's Chevrolet forced him off at Murrays and he fell to eighth on the run to the line.
Gordon Shedden, who had taken the lead in the title race with victory earlier in the day, struggled with 45kg of ballast.
He was given a warning flag for flapping bodywork, but deliberately removed it on the soft barrier on the exit of Williams, allowing him to come home seventh.
Twenty points now covers the top four in the title race, with Jackson leading Shedden, Neal and Plato.
Results - 12 laps
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 24m16.307s
2. Paul O'Neill Tech-Speed Chevrolet + 3.340s
3. Jason Plato Chevrolet + 6.740s
4. Matt Neal Honda + 9.117s
5. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet + 10.770s
6. James Nash Triple 8 Vauxhall + 11.087s
7. Gordon Shedden Honda + 11.933s
8. Dave Newsham Special Tuning SEAT + 12.084s
9. Nick Foster WSR BMW + 14.507s
10 Rob Austin Austin Audi + 15.888s
11. Tom Onslow-Cole Arena Ford + 17.568s
12. Rob Collard WSR BMW + 21.810s
13. Tom Chilton Arena Ford + 22.738s
14. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Vauxhall + 23.701s
15 Tony Gilham Triple 8 Vauxhall + 24.812s
16 Martyn Byford AmD Volkswagen + 29.800s
17. Jeff Smith Eurotech Vauxhall + 33.267s
18 Lea Wood Central Honda + 52.267s
19. Daniel Welch Welch Proton + 1m15.318s
Retirements
Chris James ES Racing Chevrolet 7 laps
John George Tech-Speed Chevrolet 4 laps
Andy Neate Arena Ford 1 laps
Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford 0 laps
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