Jason Plato has taken a lights to flag victory here at Oulton Park with Matt Neal and Andy Priaulx completing the podium.
The race was cut short by a red flag after Stewart Lines Houseman Racing Toyota Avensis was fired into the end of the pitwall.
Fortunately the car survived with little damage and Lines was completely unhurt due to the barrier being covered in lots of tyres and soft barriers. These fired across the pit entrance causing the race stoppage but they did their job in saving the car.
A few years ago the accident would have at the very least resulted in a heavily damaged car but circuit owners MSV have made lots of safety improvements in recent years letting drivers walk away from crashes they may have previously been injured in.
Plato had got a great start off the lights with Neal not making such a good get away. He came under attack from Priaulx who tried to slot down the inside and briefly edged ahead only for Neal to get the better drive out the corner. Jordan also tried to pass them both down the inside but found the door closed as they took the racing line.
The top four then circulated in the same order with Plato gradually pulling away until Lines crash brought out the safety car and then the red flag.
But behind them, Gordon Shedden came under attack from Aron Smith with the two battling for several laps. Eventually Shedden, heavy with success ballast could hold him back no longer and he came roaring through. Jordan, Smith and Shedden were all on the soft tyres, showing that it doesn’t make as big a difference to performance here as it did at Donington when soft tyre shod runners were falling down the order.
Shedden then came under pressure from Goff, Tordoff and Ingram but he was able to hold these three off to the flag.
The final top ten place was taken by Dave Newsham who had been able to make up several places during the race.
Morgan, Cook, Collard and Depper were next up with the point positions completed by Rob Austin who made up places after his unexpectedly off the pace qualifying.
Simon Belcher had a brush with the barriers early on after contact from Alex Martin but he continued with only cosmetic damage.
Colin Turkington was a big name to run into trouble. He went off at the hairpin and by the time he rejoined he was down in twenty fifth.
Full results are available on TSL timing.
