Andrew Jordan has started his championship defending season with a win despite a first corner scare which saw him completely sideways going into paddock hill bend from the start.
Luckily Jason Plato avoided contact with him and from then on he was never headed.
Alain Menu also lost control at the first corner narrowly escaping contact with the barrier on the inside. This left him last and the rest of his race was spent at the back of the field.
Behind the two way battle for the lead between Plato and Jordan a number of cars battled for the final podium spot. Turkington initially held the position having got an excellent start which would have seen him take the lead but for Plato and Jordan managing to box him in. He then faded with first Matt Neal and then Gordon Shedden passed him. Things didn’t get any better with Rob Austin passing him for fifth, then Aron Smith and Rob Collard pushed him down to eighth.
Tom Ingram took an impressive ninth. He initially lost places but once he got into his Rhythm he held off Tordoff in the second works MG for the rest of the race.
Giovanardi finished fourteenth on his return but was the highest of the Ford Focus with team mate Jackson behind in fifteenth after a spin.
Later in the race Jordan’s team mate, Martin Depper made an over optimistic move on James Cole into Druids and the two made contact. Depper got going again after a delay but Cole was out with damaged rear suspension.
The second race gets underway at just after 2:15pm. Full results can be found on TSL Timing as always by Marc Waller
