Race three report

Sun 30th August 2009 Mat Jackson won round 25 at Silverstone to complete a remarkable day for Racing Silverline. The Chevrolet driver passed Rob Collard just after mid-race distance and then survived a late surge from the Airwaves BMW driver to take his second win of the day and his sixth consecutive podium finish.

Collard started from pole position after the top nine finishers from race two were reversed. He was joined on the front row by Johnny Herbert, but it was a BMW 1-2-3 into the first corner as Collard led from Jonny Adam and Colin Turkington.

Turkington moved up to second on lap two, passing Adam at Brooklands. Adam quickly dropped to fourth when Mat Jackson also squeezed through at Luffield. Johnny Herbert was running inside the top five after starting from pole position and he was next to challenge Adam, however before he could make the move, he himself had been passed by Fabrizio Giovanardi. Herbert was then dumped in the gravel after a tap from Jason Plato as he in turn passed the Team Dynamics Honda.

At the front, Collard continued to lead, but Jackson was now up to second having dispatched Turkington. Collard led by over two seconds, but Jackson closed by several tenths a lap. By lap 12, there was nothing to separate Collard and Jackson and the Chevrolet was through into the lead at Brooklands.

Behind the lead pair, Colin Turkington fell back into the clutches of Giovanardi, who was the meat in a Team RAC sandwich, with Stephen Jelley right on his tail. Turkington was under significant pressure from Giovanardi for several laps, but in the end, Jelley did the job that he has rarely been in a position to do this year, passing the Vauxhall and putting himself between Turkington and Giovanardi.

Over the course of the final few laps, Collard closed back up on Jackson at the front and looked to pose a serious threat for victory. Jackson was forced to defend as Collard climbed over the back of his Chevrolet but he had just enough pace in the end to hold on for his fourth win of the season.

At the chequered flag, Jackson won from Collard and Turkington. Stephen Jelley headed Giovanardi for fourth. Jonny Adam finished sixth, with Plato seventh and James Nash eighth. Paul O’Neill and David Pinkeny rounded out the top ten.

With six races remaining, Colin Turkington leads the championship by 11 points from Fabrizio Giovanardi. Jason Plato is third, a further 31 points behind.