BTCC

Mat Jackson Takes Race Three Victory At Thruxton

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Mat Jackson took a lights-to-flag second victory of the season in the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Thruxton.

The Motorbase Performance driver took the lead from pole-sitter Dan Welch when the lights went out to start the final 12-lapper in Hampshire, a lead he would never surrender to back up his win at Donington Park.

Welch held firm in second spot as he eased the BMW of Sam Tordoff aside exiting the Complex on lap one, a place that saw Stewart Lines and Kelvin Fletcher come to blows further behind.

Jackson held on despite a nervy final few corners, beating former championship leader Matt Neal who recovered a disappointing weekend with second spot.

That position had been held superbly by the Proton Gen-2 of Welch for four of the 12 laps, but on lap five it turned sour after an aggressive trip across the Complex exit kerbs, damage sending Welch skittering straight on into the tyre barriers.

Jack Goff took over second spot but came under intense pressure from Gordon Shedden, Adam Morgan and the second Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic Type-R of Neal in the closing laps.

Shedden was tagged sideways after a lunge from Rob Collard at Village corner on lap seven, Neal pouncing on both to grab second spot. The dramas for the reigning champion then got far worse, as contact from Goff into the chicane on lap 10 sent both spinning out of contention, Shedden retiring a corner later with terminal damage.

Morgan joined Jackson and Neal on the podium, Josh Cook finishing a close fourth ahead of Triple Eight team-mate Ashley Sutton. Collard was top West Surrey Racing driver in sixth, Rob Austin an impressive seventh for Handy Motorsport ahead of Tordoff.

The top 10 was rounded out by Daniel Lloyd after a strong return to BTCC for EurotechMike Epps grabbing a top 10 finish for Team HARD on a memorable weekend of his own.

The result sees Neal and Collard now tied on 101 points at the top of the standings, three ahead of Morgan after just nine races from 30.

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