Darren Turner turned his first race pole position into his second win of the season at Knockhill. Meanwhile, the championship pendulum swung back in the direction of Jason Plato after Fabrizio Giovanardi was denied a fifth place finish by an over-zealous Tom Onslow-Cole who was late excluded from the race.

On a drying track, Turner led away from the line, staying ahead of the rear-wheel drive Team RAC BMW of Colin Turkington, who started alongside him on the grid. Local hero Gordon Shedden was third through the first corner, ahead of championship rivals Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Further down the order, there was a first lap clash involving two of the drivers that came together at Brands Hatch. Outgoing champion Matt Neal and Mat Jackson were running side by side through Hislops when they touched wheels, sending the BMW off the track and forcing both to retire from the race.

Darren Turner quickly opened up a lead at the front of the pack, as Colin Turkington and Gordon Shedden kept each other occupied in second and third. Fabrizio Giovanardi looked to be biding his time behind the fully-ballasted SEAT Leon of points leader Plato and indeed lap seven saw the Vauxhall driver take fourth position away from Plato at the hairpin after a small lock-up from the SEAT driver. The same location brought a move from Gordon Shedden on Colin Turkington, moving the Scot up to second spot.

Turner continued to lead at the mid-point of the race, but Shedden was closing on the SEAT. Colin Turkington was alone in third, while fourth to eighth were running nose-to-tail. The gaps concertinaed lap by lap as Onslow-Cole put Giovanardi under pressure, while defending from Plato, who in turn was having to watch his mirrors for Adam Jones in the Team Air Cool SEAT Toledo.

On lap 18, Gordon Shedden was close enough to Darren Turner to make a lunge for the lead at the Real Radio hairpin, but the hefty contact between the two cars damaged the Honda’s suspension and punctured his front left tyre. So, despite briefly holding the lead, Shedden dived into the pits almost immediately, where he would remain,

There was further drama to come before the end of the race. With Shedden’s retirement, Giovanardi was now up to third position, but still under pressure from Tom Onslow-Cole. Eventually the BMW driver became a little impatient and hit the back of the Vectra at the John R Weir chicane. It was an ill-timed move that could have much greater consequences. Had the positions remained as they were, Giovanardi would have been tied with Plato for the championship lead. After the contact, Giovanardi managed to keep the Vauxhall on the track, but dropped down the order, dropping behind Plato, among others.

At the chequered flag, it was win number two of the season for Turner, ahead of Turkington and Plato. Onslow-Cole crossed the line fourth but was later excluded. Adam Jones was fifth and Mike Jordan sixth. Giovanardi ended the race seventh, ahead of Gavin Smith, John George and Martyn Bell.

Racewinner Turner said, “It was an exciting race. I had a bit of a lead early on with Colin and Gordon battling together, but then Gordon made a bit of a lunge into the hairpin. It was quite an impact, and I didn’t think I’d be able to walk away from it, but the Leon survived. It was a good result.”