VX Racing’s Fabrizio Giovanardi scored one crucial podium in Sunday’s rain-drenched rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Donington Park, while team-mate Tom Chilton scored points in race three with seventh place overall.

After a disappointing qualifying session due to technical issues, Giovanardi was eager to fight his way back in a bid to remain on top of the Drivers Championship standings.

Rounds sixteen, seventeen and eighteen of the BTCC took place in extremely difficult conditions with running water on many parts of the track.

Giovanardi, however, showed his experience in the wet and charged through the field, finishing eighth in race one after starting the race from fifteenth on the grid. Meanwhile  team-mate Chilton became tangled with some back markers and suffered broken front suspension, but still managed to finish the race in fifteenth place.

Starting from eighth on the grid for race two, Giovanardi fought his way through the field and after a tough but fair nose-to-tail battle with Matt Neal, the Italian climbed onto the third podium step. Chilton’s second race was again filled with drama when his starter motor broke while leaving the pits. Although the VX Racing mechanics managed to fix the problem quickly, Chilton was left with no time to reach the grid and was forced to start the race from the pit-lane. The Vauxhall works driver still managed to fight back and finished twelfth by the chequered flag.

Giovanardi was again heading for a podium in race three, but early in the race his windscreen wiper broke which hindered his vision. The outcome of this was the Italian lost control of his Vectra and went off the circuit, but managed to re-join to finish the race in seventh place. Tom Chilton run of bad luck changed in the last race of the day, when the 22-year-old made up four places and finished in a points-scoring seventh place, recording his best result of the day.

The outcome of the weekend has meant Giovanardi has lost his points lead in the Drivers Championship.

The team is now preparing for the Championship’s next outing, which will take place at Snetterton in two weeks time.

Fabrizio Giovanardi #5“It wasn’t a good weekend for us. I had big problems with my screen and could hardly see a thing. It got worse in race three when my windscreen wiper broke.

“We lost many points in the Championship today and I’m now second in the standings. I’m sure we will be able to attack again at Snetterton."

Tom Chilton #7“I’ve learned so much this weekend, especially in the last race today. I had a good feeling and just kept my head and it felt really good to fight back from the disappointing qualifying we had yesterday.

“The conditions were dangerous throughout the day and I suffered from lots of under-steer du to a broken front suspension in race one.

“Now we are going to Snetterton, a circuit which suits our car well and I really like racing there.”

Ian Harrison, VX Racing Team Principal

“It was a disappointing weekend for us. We simply didn’t do a good enough job. We experienced some mechanical issues and we have to re-focus to get these sorted for Snetterton in two weeks.”

BTCC Drivers Championship 20071. Jason Plato  (188); 2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (163); 3. Matt Neal (129); 7. Tom Chilton (87)

BTCC Manufacturers Championship1. Vauxhall (384); 2. SEAT (370)

BTCC Teams Championship1. SEAT Sport UK (266); 2. VX Racing (243); 3. Team Halfords (233)

BTCC Provisional Round 16 Race Result1. Gordon Shedden (Honda Civic); 2. Adam Jones (SEAT Toledo); 3. Matt Neal (Honda Civic); 4. Mike Jordan (Honda Integra); 5. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon); 6. Matt Allison (SEAT Toledo Cupra); 7. Colin Turkington (BMW 320si); 8. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra); 15. Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra)

BTCC Provisional Round 17 Race Result1. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon); 2. Gordon Shedden (Honda Civic); 3. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra); 4. Matt Neal (Honda Civic); 5. Adam Jones (SEAT Toledo); 6. Darren Turner (SEAT Leon); 7. Mike Jordan (Honda Integra); 8. Matt Allison (SEAT Toledo Cupra); 12. Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra)

BTCC Provisional Round 18 Race Result1. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon); 2. Matt Neal (Honda Civic); 3. Mike Jordan (Honda Integra); 4. Mat Jackson (BMW 320si); 5. Gordon Shedden (Honda Civic); 6. Colin Turkington (BMW 320si); 7. Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra); 8. Tom Onslow-Cole (BMW 320si); 11. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra)