Team BMW driver Tom Oliphant took his first victory of the season in a thrilling finish with Team Dynamics’ Gordon Shedden.
Polesitter Rowbottom had an awful start opening the door for Tom Oliphant and Aidan Moffat to complete the first lap in first and second places repectively.
Shedden also lost out to Tom Ingram but was able to pass the Hyundai driver before the end of the first lap keeping himself in third place.
Moffat, quite quickly, became the cork in the bottle and was soon passed by Shedden into Druids.
After his poor start, Rowbottom started to work his way back up the field overtaking Jake Hill for fourth place on lap eight.
Rowbottom was then able to pass Moffat for third two laps later.
Moffat’s lack of pace meant he was under pressure from multiple drivers and was unfortunate to lose out to Jake Hill, Ash Sutton, Ingram and Chris Smiley at Paddock Hill Bend on lap 13.
Shedden then put in a charge, closing the gap to Oliphant to under a second with three laps remaining.
Oliphant was able to hold off Shedden but got held up by traffic at the final corner putting the Honda driver right on the bumper of the BMW coming across the finish line.
Rowbottom’s recovery drive gave him the final podium poistion ahead of Hill and Sutton.
Ingram finished in sixth with Smiley in seventh and Moffat eighth.
Stephen Jelley finished ninth on the road but was given a 5-second penalty for a false start, putting him down into 15th.
Josh Cook therefore inherited ninth place and Jack Goff was promoted to 10th.
Round 7 Results
- Tom Oliphant 19:50.305s
- Gordon Shedden +0.188s
- Dan Rowbottom +4.603s
- Jake Hill +9.811s
- Ash Sutton +10.007s
- Tom Ingram +11.289s
- Chris Smiley +11.633s
- Aidan Moffat +11.938s
- Josh Cook +15.398s
- Jack Goff +15.720s
- Dan Lloyd +15.982s
- Senna Proctor +16.339s
- Jason Plato +17.510s
- Sam Osborne +18.683s
- Stephen Jelley +18.771s (+5 Second penalty)
- Rory Butcher +19.025s
- Carl Boardley +19.257s
- Adam Morgan +22.713s
- Aron Taylor-Smith +23.051s
- Tom Chilton +23.443s
- Colin Turkington +24.816s
- Jade Edwards +25.081s
- Ollie Jackson +27.159s
- Sam Smelt +28.500s
- Jack Butel +28.720s
- Andy Neate +33.172s
- Glynn Geddie +36.402s
- Nic Hamilton +37.808s
- Rick Parfitt +1 Lap