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British Touring Car Championship
Brands Hatch (Indy) - Race 2 Report - 5/4/15

By MJP Media | 5 April 2015

Gordon Shedden takes a maiden victory for the new Honda Civic Type R as Andy Priaulx gets his first podium finish of the 2015 BTCC season. Colin Turkington completes the podium.

Gordon Shedden wins the second race of the day

In previous years, the grid for the second race at BTCC events was based entirely on the results of race one. This season sees the grid for race two decided by the fastest lap times in race one. This, combined with higher levels of success ballast for the cars, makes things much less predictable. This race saw exactly that mix as Jason Plato started on pole position with 57kg of ballast whilst alongside him on the front row of the grid was Andy Priaulx with only 15kg of ballast after he fell down the order in race one as his tyres went off. For the second race of the day both were on the same 'normal tyre' and the battle would be hard for Plato with the extra weight.

As the lights went out it was Jason Plato in the Team BMR Volkswagen CC who led from Rob Collard 2nd, Gordon Shedden 3rd and Andy Priaulx 4th. Colin Turkington soon got up to 5th with team-mate Aron Smith 6th. At the start of lap 3, Gordon Shedden passed Rob Collard to take 3rd plus there was a big collision that put Martin Depper in the Eurotech Racing Honda Civic out of the race. By lap 5, Jason Plato was 2.7 seconds clear of the field, even with 57kg of success ballast on board which was incredible. Behind Plato, Shedden was 2nd, Priaulx was 3rd and Colin Turkington was 4th.

The Honda Civic Type R on the way to its first BTCC victory

Plato continued to extend his lead against all the odds with the success ballast and by lap 11 he was 3.7 seconds ahead. Adam Morgan in the WIX Racing Mercedes Benz A-Class was putting in a charge and was up to 5th as Rob Collard slipped down the field in his JCT600 Racing with GardX BMW 125i M Sport as his soft tyres went off. The battle for second place was intense with Andy Priaulx all over the back of Gordon Shedden's Honda Yuasa Racing Civic Type R whilst having to defend from Colin Turkington in 4th.

Jason Plato in the Team BMR Volkswagen CC was by far the most impressive driver and car on the circuit as he was able to maintain his lead ahead of the battle behind him. Disaster struck on lap 21 however when a puncture caused him to go off into the gravel at Paddock Hill, gifting Gordon Shedden the lead whilst the Scot was exchanging paint with Andy Priaulx in an exciting battle for an entire lap. As they entered the final lap the leaders were lapping backmarkers and in the confusion caused by passing the Infiniti Q50 of Derek Palmer, Priaulx was able to get up the inside of Shedden and exiting the last corner they were side by side. On the short run to the line, Shedden won by about a foot - 4/100ths of a second!

Colin Turkington, Gordon Shedden and Andy Priaulx

At the finish it was a first win for the new Honda Yuasa Racing Civic Type R in the hands of Gordon Shedden. Andy Priaulx was 2nd for Team IHG Rewards Club and Colin Turkington 3rd for Team BMR. There was then a 3.5 second gap back to Adam Morgan's WIX Racing Mercedes Benz A-Class in 4th, Andrew Jordan's MG 888 Racing MG 6GT 5th and Tom Ingram in the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis 6th. Sam Tordoff, Matt Neal, Jack Goff and Rob Austin rounded out the top ten.

The reverse grid for race three was drawn by Rob Austin who had finished 10th and he drew his own number to give himself pole position for the last race of the day! Alongside him on the front row of the grid will be Jack Goff in the MG 6GT with Matt Neal and Sam Tordoff on row 2. Tom Ingram and Andrew Jordan will start on row 3 with Adam Morgan and Colin Turkington on row 4.

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