The top eight finishers from race two were reversed to form the grid for the third race of the day, putting Adam Jones on pole position. However it was Mat Jackson who made the best getaway from third on the grid, to lead into Old Hall corner for the first time. Jones slotted into second position ahead of Jason Plato, Darren Turner and Chris Stockton in the BTC Racing Lexus.

The first corner once again brought a busy start to the race. Matt Neal looked to move inside Jason Plato, but there was not enough room for the Honda Civic, which caused it to twitch slightly, tagging Tom Onslow-Cole. Both drivers were able to keep on the track, but there were further victims. In avoiding Neal’s slide, Mike Jordan was pushed into Fabrizio Giovanardi, damaging the front of the Vectra. While he initially continued, it ultimately marked the end of the Italian driver’s weekend as he was forced to retire a couple of laps later.

There were two further retirements on the opening lap in the form of Matt Neal and Colin Turkington, both of whom went off at Cascades. Almost inevitably, the safety car was deployed at the end of the lap.

The restart came after just two laps behind the safety car and Mat Jackson successfully held onto his lead. The battle to watch was between Matt Allison and Tom Chilton for sixth position. The pair traded places for a couple of laps before the Vauxhall driver managed to make the place his own.

As Jackson continued to lead, Jason Plato sought to maximise his advantage over championship rival Fabrizio Giovanardi. The SEAT driver was on hand to capitalise as Adam Jones ran wide at the exit from Cascades, climbing to second position. A similar error later in the race would also see Jones lose out to Plato’s teammate Darren Turner. Jones was also involved in a further incident when he attempted to lap Jim Pocklington. The BMW driver ended up being fired into the barriers as a result.

At the front, Mat Jackson found himself under increasing pressure from former champion Jason Plato. However, Jackson, in his family-run BMW 320si E90 managed to hold on to the lead and took the chequered flag and a popular maiden BTCC victory.

Jackson said, “It’s awesome. What a result this is for a true independent team. To come here and take a win is a fantastic result for everyone involved in the team.”

Finishing second, Jason Plato cancelled out Fabrizio Giovanardi’s championship lead, leaving the pair tied on 149 points each going into the second half of the season. Darren Turner finished third, ahead of Gordon Shedden and Adam Jones. Tom Chilton came in sixth, ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole, Matt Allison and Mike Jordan and Martyn Bell.