Subaru wins in BTCC for first time with Colin Turkington at Oulton

Turkington's rear-wheel-drive Team BMR Subaru Levorg led from start to finish and was easily able to pull away from the BMW 125i of Sam Tordoff.

Turkington said: "We have hit the jackpot. We have progressed this car very well, and we bounced back from a difficult start to the season.

"I could see Sam closing in over the middle part of the race, but I was confident I could push more. It is fantastic."

Behind Tordoff, front-row starter Dan Lloyd's Eurotech Racing Honda Civic was soon jostled down the order as champion Gordon Shedden fought up to third place into the Island hairpin on lap two.

Turkington's Subaru team-mate Jason Plato demoted Lloyd with a nudge at the Island hairpin near half-distance.

Plato then set off after Shedden and forced an opening into Old Hall with two laps left to grab a podium slot.

Behind Shedden in fourth, Tom Ingram forced his Speedworks Toyota in front of Lloyd on the final lap to grab fifth spot.

Josh Cook (Triple Eight MG) was seventh from Aron Smith's Team BKR VW CC, Honda's Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan's Motorbase Ford Focus.

There was a sting in the tail for Team BMR when Warren Scott's Levorg burst into flames going up Clay Hill on the slowing down lap.

The team will investigate the problem before race two.

RESULTS - 15 LAPS: