Shedden victorious amid carnage
Gordon Shedden triumphed in a chaotic first British Touring Car Championship race at Donington Park to claim his fifth win of the season
The Honda driver overtook Tom Onslow-Cole's Arena Ford during the second half of the race, and avoided a multi-car accident that involved championship contenders Jason Plato and Matt Neal just two corners later.
Chevrolet driver Plato tagged the back of Neal's Honda at the new Goddards chicane on lap 12, causing his rival to hit one of the foam barriers placed on the inside of the corner.
The pair collided instantly, breaking Plato's left-front wheel and sending him off into the tyre wall at the exit of the corner.
Behind them Andrew Jordan (Eurotech Vauxhall) and Rob Collard (WSR BMW) collided with the momentum taking Jordan into the side of Plato's car as well.
Throughout the mayhem, which also involved Onslow-Cole whacking a different barrier, Tom Chilton followed Shedden's lead and Mat Jackson (Motorbase BMW) threaded the eye of the needle to move up from eighth to fourth in one hit.
Jackson and Alex MacDowall (Chevrolet) made it home third and fourth as both passed Onslow-Cole before the end, while Neal was also able to continue to finish fifth.
The results mean that Plato's championship lead has been cut from 20 points to 14 over Neal, while Shedden and Onslow-Cole are now 17 and 20 points behind with five races still to go.
Steven Kane climbed from 21st on the grid to finish sixth in his Motorbase BMW, but he was involved in a three-car incident with Tom Boardman (Special Tuning UK SEAT) and Paul O'Neill that ended up with the Tech-Speed Honda crashing out on lap five.
Boardman claimed seventh, one place ahead of the hobbled Onlsow-Cole while James Kaye (WRC Honda) made a superb return after four years away from the BTCC as he passed David Pinkney's Pinkney Vauxhall for ninth on the final lap.
Pos Driver Car Time/Gap
1. Gordon Shedden Honda 26m45.547s
2. Tom Chilton Ford + 0.299s
3. Mat Jackson BMW + 1.193s
4. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet + 1.558s
5. Matt Neal Honda + 2.789s
6. Steven Kane BMW + 4.207s
7. Tom Boardman SEAT + 5.861s
8. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford + 6.441s
9. James Kaye Honda + 7.259s
10. David Pinkney Vauxhall + 7.969s
11. Martin Johnson Vauxhall + 8.271s
12. John George Honda + 8.488s
13. Lea Wood Honda + 10.299s
14. Shaun Hollamby Volkswagen + 11.263s
15. Andy Neate BMW + 11.479s
16. Rob Collard BMW + 12.413s
17. James Nash Vauxhall + 1 lap
18. Arthur Forster BMW + 1 lap
Retirements:
Jason Plato Chevrolet 11 laps
Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 11 laps
Paul O'Neill Honda 4 laps
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