Fabrizio Giovanardi was crowned the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion at the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire yesterday
The Italian, driving for Vauxhall, took two race wins and then, in the final round of 2007, finished second to privateer driver Mat Jackson to move ahead of season-long rival, SEAT’s Jason Plato by a winning margin of just three points.
Italian Giovanardi becomes the 32nd different driver to win Britain’s premier motor racing title since the BTCC was first formed in 1958. Plato, who today celebrated his 40th birthday, finished the first two races in second and the third in fourth, but it was not enough to protect the nine-point lead he had arrived with at Thruxton.
Giovanardi’s Vauxhall team had double reason to celebrate – in its first season with its Vectra model it has also regained the BTCC’s Manufacturers’ crown from arch rival SEAT. But it is the Spanish make’s SEAT Sport UK squad that has won the Teams’ title. Elsewhere, Colin Turkington was crowned the Independent Drivers’ Champion while his Team RAC BMW squad has taken the Independent Teams’ honours.
Italian Giovanardi, who ends the season with an unrivalled ten race wins, said: “This is incredible. It has been an amazing fight all year and Jason has always kept ahead until this, the last race. I have won touring car titles before but this is the toughest. Even on the last lap I knew Jason was close. It’s been like this all year. He has been a great rival and what he has done today with the injuries he suffered in the week was really brave – a really fighting spirit. I’m really pleased we had this battle. The result is also very special for Vauxhall and the Vectra. It’s just the perfect year.”
Plato, who so desperately wanted to add to the crown he won in 2001 and today bravely raced on in pain from the burns he suffered to his hands, neck and face in a TV filming accident earlier in the week, paid tribute to Giovanardi and his own SEAT crew. Plato said: “It’s been a great championship and Fabrizio is a great champion. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. Everyone in the SEAT team has tried their hardest in 2007 but it wasn’t to be so we’ll just have to come back in 2008 and give it another go. It would be easy to pick out moments during the season which cost us in the end, but we both knew what we had to do in the final race and it went Fabrizio’s way. But I’m pleased with my performance this year – I’ve finished every race which nobody else has done which shows great reliability in the SEAT. Winning the title, though, just wasn’t to be I’m afraid. The BTCC is a very tough championship to win.”
BTCC points after Thruxton, rounds 28, 29 & 30 (provisional):
Drivers:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), 300 points
2. Jason Plato (GBR), 297
3. Gordon Shedden (GBR), 200
4. Matt Neal (GBR), 195
5. Colin Turkington (GBR), 184
6. Darren Turner (GBR), 160
7. Mat Jackson (GBR), 158
8. Mike Jordan (GBR), 1319. Tom Chilton (GBR), 13010. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), 109
Manufacturers:
1. Vauxhall, 637 points
2. SEAT, 623
Teams:
1. SEAT Sport UK, 446
2. VX Racing, 421
3. Team Halfords, 345
4. Team RAC, 277
5. Jacksons MSport, 155
6. Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit, 125
Independent Drivers:1. Colin Turkington, 2852. Mat Jackson, 2703. Mike Jordan, 2604. Tom Onslow-Cole, 2265. Adam Jones, 1646. Matt Allison, 119
Independent Teams:
1. Team RAC, 3632. Jacksons MSport, 2743. Team Eurotech, 2674. Motorbase Performance, 1865. Team Air Cool, 1706. Kartworld Racing, 116
RACE REPORTS
Round 28, 16 laps (37.696)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
GIOVANARDI WIN CLOSES GAP
Giovanardi was left to stroll to victory, his ninth of the season, after team-mates Tom Chilton and Alain Menu who were running with him at the front of the field dramatically suffered punctures in the closing stages. Chilton, starting from pole position, led initially until Giovanardi slipped past. The trio had looked on course to achieve a dream 1-2-3 finish for Vauxhall but then Chilton and, on the last lap, Menu slowed dramatically when each of their left front tyres deflated. Chilton, who had set the race’s fastest lap time for a bonus point, retired while Menu was able to complete the final half mile to cross the line in fourth – vital to Vauxhall’s Manufacturers’ championship hopes.
Plato was the greatest beneficiary, driving through to finish second behind Giovanardi. SEAT’s Darren Turner could have taken third but he too suffered a puncture meaning Team Halfords Honda driver Gordon Shedden inherited the position. Behind the ailing Menu came Shedden’s team-mate, the outgoing champion Matt Neal and Turkington whose result moved him into the lead of the Independents Drivers’ standings from Mike Jordan who retired with damage to his Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit Honda Integra.
Result:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, 21m33.994s
2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +1.004s
3. Gordon Shedden (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +5.204s
FASTEST LAP: Tom Chilton (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, 1m19.150s (107.15mph)
Round 29, 16 laps (37.696 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
GIOVANARDI WINS RACE TWO THRILLER
Giovanardi achieved his tenth win of the season – a result that came after a race-long battle with Plato and one which now moved him to within one point of the Briton heading into the day’s final race which would ultimately decide the title.
The pair became locked in combat early on and were joined by outgoing champion Matt Neal in what turned into a terrific three-way fight for the lead. Plato eventually shrugged off Neal and then set about Gioivanardi. Twice their cars clashed and for a moment they both were off the track but survived to finish first and second with the Italian just ahead. Neal was third ahead of Turkington, Jackson in his Jacksons MSport BMW and Menu.
Result:
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, 221m35.623s2. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.833s3. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Civic, +1.729sFASTEST LAP: Neal, 1m19.654s (106.48mph)
Round 30, 13 laps (30.628 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
JACKSON WINS, GIOVANARDI IS CHAMPION
Lining up third on race three’s reversed grid, Jackson, using the ‘slingshot’ effect of his BMW’s rear-wheel-drive off the grid, moved into the lead at the first bend and would lead throughout to the end for his second victory in what has been a hugely impressive debut BTCC season. But behind, all eyes would be on the title protagonists Giovanardi and Plato to see who would emerge as champion.
At the start, Jackson had come under immediate pressure from Turkington and this lasted until the late stages until the latter, attempting to wrestle away the lead, spun his BMW down to an eventual 11th. His loss was the watching Giovanardi’s gain and, having made a great start from seventh on the reversed grid, the Italian was suddenly into second – good enough for the title. Plato, having lost ground from his sixth-place starting position, had worked his way through to fourth behind Chilton, but this was not enough to stop Giovanardi moving past him in the final points standings. The top six were completed by Neal and Plato’s team-mate Darren Turner.
Officials stopped the race early when Jordan’s car came to rest in a hazardous position following a crash, although the driver was thankfully unharmed in the incident. Elsewhere, renowned Dutch driver Tom Coronel – drafted in by SEAT to help its title challenge today – finished eighth to complete a clean sweep of points finishes on his BTCC debut. There was also a fine tenth and a point for BTCC returnee Rob Collard in GR Asia's SEAT Leon.
Result:
1. Mat Jackson (GBR), Jacksons MSport/BMW 320si, 17m33.434s
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +2.659s
3. Tom Chilton (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Vectra, +3.463s
FASTEST LAP: Mike Jordan (GBR), Eurotech-John Guest-Speedfit/Honda Integra, 1m19.288s (106.97mph)
