Vauxhall’s Fabrizio Giovanardi and SEAT’s Jason Plato (Oxford) again shared the victories in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Thruxton in Hampshire – the fastest track on the BTCC calendar. Just as at Rockingham a fortnight ago, Giovanardi won twice and he has now slashed the gap to championship leader Plato from 18 points to just nine as the BTCC prepares for its next meeting, at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire on 3 June.

Plato’s victory in today’s third, his 36th in the BTCC, moves him into second equal on the championship’s all-time winners’ chart with former team-mates Alain Menu and Yvan Muller. But just as in 2001 when he beat Frenchman Muller to the title, Plato, himself one of the world’s top touring car drivers, knows that a second crown will again require him to eclipse another class act, this time Italian ace Giovanardi.

Plato said: “I’m actually quite pleased with my results today – a second, a sixth from the back of the field and a win on what we know is a circuit that is better suited to the Vauxhalls. Our SEAT Leon will be a stronger at Croft which is a twistier circuit, but Fabrizio is a class act and this is turning into one heck of a fight. It’s noticeable that Finals Day will be here at Thruxton in October – it would be nice to have the title sewn up before then…”

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Giovanardi, with seven Italian, Spanish and European touring car titles to his name, is confident of his chances. He added: “Jason and I both now have four wins this season and if I hadn’t had a bad couple of opening rounds at Brands Hatch I would probably be in front. But as a team we are performing superbly at the moment and I’m really pleased with the development of the Vectra. We have it working well with or without success ballast through the corners, on the straights, on a single qualifying lap and over a long race distance. But we have to keep pushing because everyone will have made more improvements for Croft.”

Giovanardi and team-mate Tom Chilton (Reigate) who took three strong finishes today have helped Vauxhall extend its lead over SEAT in the Manufacturers’ championship. Similarly, Vauxhall’s VX Racing squad has moved further ahead of SEAT Sport UK in the Teams’ standings. Meanwhile, Mike Jordan (Sutton Coldfield), who came close to victory today in his Eurotech/John Guest-Speedfit Honda Integra, was twice the top-scoring privateer to move to the head of the Independents drivers’ table. BMW outfit Team RAC is now the leading Independent team.