Fresh from the summer break, the sixth round of the 2016 British Touring Car Championship shocked at Snetterton this weekend.
Colin Turkington, Mat Jackson, and Gordon Shedden all took wins in a chaotic trio of races, but it was Rob Collard who ended the weekend top of the championship.
Race One
Shedden took pole position for race one at Snetterton, Honda’s first in over three years. Turkington, who started from second, was quick off the line, though, and the pair enjoyed a race long duel which ended in the Subaru driver just beating Shedden to the flag after managing to get past on lap eight.
Best start
Whilst Mat Jackson was flying forward at the start of the race, it was his teammate, Andrew Jordan, who made up the most places on the opening lap. Jordan started at the back of the grid, and had made up seven places by the time the field crossed the line for the first time.
Highest rookie
Michael Epps led the way for the rookies in the first race of the weekend. Ashley Sutton was the highest placed rookie on the grid, but a puncture for the MG driver cost him his race, leading the way for Epps, who finished twentieth, to take the award for highest rookie.
Best climber
Again, this award goes to Andrew Jordan. After his impressive opening lap, the Motorbase performance driver climbed another ten places through the rest of the race, finishing fourteenth after starting thirty first. Rob Austin came second in this category, after making up ten places through the race.
Most improved on last round
Hunter Abbot failed to finish race one, being the first driver for drop out of race one at Croft, putting him thirty second in the order. The Power Maxed Racing driver finished seventeen places higher with a seventeenth this weekend. Mat Jackson, James Cole, and Adam Morgan all came joint second in this category after finishing sixteen places higher than their Croft race one classifications.
Race two
The second race of the weekend was shortened after a chaotic first lap. Mat Jackson took the race win after James Cole, Aron Smith, Kelvin Fletcher, Dan Welch, Ollie Jackson, Alex Martin, Hunter Abbot and Ashley Sutton all ran into trouble on the opening lap. Turkington joined Jackson on the podium again, along with Matt Neal, who finished third.
Best start
After the chaos at the beginning of the race, Josh Cook had made up the most places between the grid to the end of the first complete lap. The MG driver made up eleven places. After starting twenty sixth on the grid, he finished the first lap fifteenth.
Highest rookie
Matt Simpson took the award for the best rookie after finishing seventeenth. He was one of only three rookies to finish the race, along with Michael Epps and Mark Howard, with Ash Sutton and Kelvin Fletcher retiring on the opening lap.
Best climber
Jeff Smith made up the most places from the grid to the end of the race. He started the race twenty ninth on the grid and made up fourteen places over the ten laps (helped along by the ten non finishers). Cook made up thirteen places over the course of the race, whilst Collard and Moffat both made up twelve places.
Most improved on last round
Adam Morgan made the biggest improvement from his Croft Performance. The WIX Racing driver failed to finish the second race of the Croft round, the second driver to drop out of the race. His P5 this weekend was an improvement of twenty seven places. Croft DNF Michael Epps finished eleven places higher than his classification last round whilst Warren Scott, who finished twenty sixth in Croft, finished ten places higher at Snetterton.
Race three
Race three started with another voided lap after five cars failed to finish the first lap, including pole sitter Sam Tordoff, who pitted after the green flag lap. After his disappointment earlier on in the day, Gordon Shedden took the race win. Rob Collard took the race lead early on and only gave up the race win to Shedden on the final lap.
Best start
Rookie Ash Sutton made up the most places on the opening lap. His retirement in race two put him at the very back of the grid for the final race of the weekend. Though helped by the multiple DNFs ahead of him, Sutton made up fourteen places on the opening lap, jumping up to seventeenth.
Highest rookie
Ash Sutton also takes this title. After finally finishing a race, he finished ahead of the two other drivers who managed to complete the ten laps, finishing fourteenth.
Best climber
After his flying start, Sutton continued his climb through the field, making up a total of seventeen places throughout the race.
Most improved on last round
Aiden Moffat failed to finish the final race before the summer break. As the third driver to drop out of the Croft race, he’d be placed thirtieth. This round, the Scotsman finished eighth, meaning he improved by twenty two places on last the last race weekend. Shedden was the next best improver. He finished twenty second at Croft, and first at Snetterton.
Feature image credit: Caroline Rhea
