James Nash has achieved his first race win in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at his home circuit of Rockingham in Northamptonshire.

Newport Pagnell racer Nash, driving the 888 Racing with Collins Contractors team’s Vauxhall Vectra, clung on to win today’s third race ahead of the ever-present Rob Austin in his Rob Austin Racing Audi A4.

The result means that the 888 team’s record of winning at least one race every season since 1998 remains in tact. Nash becomes the eighth different driver to win this year, while Austin’s second place marks his first podium result in the BTCC.

Having been passed by GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed’s Paul O’Neill in the mid-stages, Robert Collard fought back in his WSR BMW to re-pass the Chevrolet driver and grab third position.

Jason Plato, setting the race’s fastest lap, took fifth ahead of Matt Neal in his Honda Racing Civic – Neal left it until the last corner to get alongside Jeff Smith’s Pirtek Vauxhall Vectra and take the position by just 0.028s in the sprint to the line.

The five points scored by Neal mean he and Honda team-mate Gordon Shedden are now tied for the championship lead. Shedden could only finish 21st after a collision with Collard’s team-mate Nick Foster’s BMW left his Civic struggling for pace. Meanwhile Plato, third in the title race, has closed the gap to the championship leaders from 35 to 24 points.

Smith’s team-mate Andrew Jordan finished the race in eighth ahead of Frank Wrathall’s Dynojet Toyota Avensis. Tom Boardman headed a train of cars to complete the top ten.

Notably, Nash's win means he now comfortably leads the Independents Trophy from Mat Jackson, as does 888/Collins the Independent teams' championship. He is now also only one point behind fourth-placed Jackson in the outright drivers' championship after the latter, for the second event in a row, failed to score in any of the three races.

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