Tom Chilton drove the perfect race in the Brands Hatch rain to take his eighth career win and record Ford’s first victory since Prodrive run the Ford Mondeo in the British Touring Car Championship.
As the rain hammered down for the start of the race Chilton started well, defending his first place from Rob Collard who had jumped from fifth to second in the short space between the start line and Paddock Hill Bend.
With the field rounding Surtees James Nash And Jason Plato battled it out with Nash losing out after being pushed off the track, resulting in a short safety car period as they recovered Nash’s stricken Vauxhall.
Martin Johnson would be the next victim of the weather as he spun off track and then a lap later David Pinkney would slide off the track at Sheene Curve under braking, resulting in safety car returning to the track once again.
On the restart Tom Onslow-Cole would put Gordon Shedden under pressure in to the first corner, further back Plato would run wide, giving team-mate Alex MacDowell the perfect opportunity to leap past the ex-champion and head onwards to chase down Matt Neal.
Lap fourteen would see Mat Jackson run wide at Paddock Hill into the gravel as man on the move Paul O’Neill surged passed Tom Boardman and then Jason Plato on the following lap.
Heading up to Druids on lap 17 O’Neill followed MacDowell closely, tapping him gently, forcing him wide and gifting a free run heading down to Graham Hill Bend.
Chilton would cross the line nearly six seconds ahead of Shedden and mark the fifth different winner of the year, with Tom Onslow-Cole taking the bottom step of the podium.
Photo credit: BTCC.net
