BTCC

Andrew Jordan Holds Points Lead After “Great Day”

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A hat-trick of top-four finishes at Thruxton last weekend for Andrew Jordan propelled the reigning champion back into a eight-point lead at the top of the British Touring Car Championship standings, finally breaking his victory duck at the Hampshire venue as he shared the wins with Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington.

The Pirtek Racing man raised the stakes very high after a lap record-lowering qualifying effort put him on pole position for Sunday’s first race for the third time in as many seasons, before converting the achievement into his long-awaited first victory at Thruxton in his BTCC career during race one in a lights-to-flag performance.

“A win, a second and a fourth is consistent, and it’s great to get a win here at last”, Jordan said to The Checkered Flag after a successful weekend that now leaves him heading 2012 champion Shedden by eight points in the title race’s early stages, the Scot being docked a place to Jack Goff in race three afterwards for overtaking under yellow flags.

“It’s been a great day. Obviously we were super-quick [Saturday], but you need to try and convert that into a win which we managed to do. I wouldn’t say it was an easy win but the gap that I had at the end of it was nice.

“It’s the wins that are making us buzz at the minute, and it’ll really help us in that championship at the end.”

A maiden Thruxton win was swiftly followed up by a second place finish in the shortened race two, Jordan losing out in a riveting scrap with fellow Honda driver Shedden after the Civic Tourer powered around the outside on lap 11 heading into the chicane.

A consistent weekend was completed in the reverse-grid encounter later that afternoon, the Red Bull Athlete charging up to fourth place by the conclusion of a carnage-strewn race behind the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus of Fabrizio Giovanardi to confirm his championship lead.

He added: “I could control the tyres, whereas in race two I had to go at a much quicker pace to keep the balance of the tyres because the car wasn’t quite being as user-friendly and trying the bite me in the quick stuff. From there you’re just constantly on the defensive.

“Then in the last race of day; was it fun? Yes, but it was hard work and was tense because you’re trying to stay out of trouble. Looking back at it it’s great to watch, but at the time you just want to keep it out of trouble. I think Fabrizio was really struggling with his tyres in the end.”

Championship standings after round 3/10:

1) Andrew Jordan – 141 pts

2) Gordon Shedden – 133 pts

3) Colin Turkington – 123 pts

4) Matt Neal – 110 pts

5) Jason Plato – 106 pts

6) Rob Collard – 88 pts

7) Mat Jackson – 79 pts

8) Sam Tordoff – 75 pts

9) Adam Morgan – 49 pts

10) Fabrizio Giovanardi – 47 pts

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