Darren Turner capped an impressive day for SEAT Sport UK with a win in round nine of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park. Turner started the race from sixth on the grid but made a strong getaway and inherited the lead from Gordon Shedden after the Team Halfords driver failed to hold on to first place for the second time in as many races.

The weather played its part yet again, with another on-off rain shower as the cars lined up on the grid. Polesitter Gordon Shedden opted for wet tyres on the rear and slicks on the front of his Honda Civic, while most of the other runners stayed with slicks, with the exception of some of the rear-wheel drive runners.

Shedden led at the start, but it was Darren Turner who impressed, making a move around the outside of the first corner to climb to second position. The SEAT driver found himself in the lead when Shedden overcooked his entry to the chicane on the opening lap. Tom Onslow-Cole moved up to second behind Turner, with Andrew Jordan in third. The wet track caught Jordan out on lap two though, as he slid sideways onto the grass, handing third position to Jason Plato.

Motorbase Performance driver Steven Kane was enjoying the strongest outing to date in his brief BTCC career, running in fourth position in the opening stages of race three. But there was bad news to come as he was handed a thirty-second stop-go penalty for the team working on the car on the grid after the three-minute board had been shown. Encouraging signs for Motorbase though, with Kane leading the independents class in two of the day’s three races.

At the front of the pack, Tom Onslow-Cole continued to show the strong pace he had enjoyed all weekend, keeping Darren Turner under pressure. While the SEAT had the upper hand in that battle, just behind them, the Vauxhall of Fabrizio Giovanardi got the better of Jason Plato on the way up the hill towards Mcleans.

Giovanardi’s next target was his teammate Onslow-Cole in second. The pair’s Vauxhall bosses watched on in despair as the unthinkable happened and the pair suffered contact. Fortunately, Onslow-Cole made a superb save after he was hit from behind by his more experienced teammate. Giovanardi took second position, only to lose it again a couple of laps later when he ran wide. The same incident also allowed Jason Plato to move through to third position.

At the chequered flag, Darren Turner was still out front, taking his first win of the season, and the second of the day for SEAT. Tom Onslow-Cole finished second to make it a podium hat-trick for the day. Jason Plato was third, ahead of Giovanardi. The Italian tried his best to find a way back past Plato, but also had to defend from Tom Chilton, who finished fifth. Matt Neal crossed the line sixth in the third of the Vectras, ahead of independents Adam Jones, Mat Jackson and Mike Jordan. After leading early on, Gordon Shedden could only manage 10th position at the end of the race.

Race winner Darren Turner said, “Victory is just a great way to end the weekend. I had a good start, moved up to second early on, Gordon Shedden then made a mistake and I had the lead for the majority of the race. I was under a lot of pressure from the two Vauxhalls behind and I was really pleased to see the chequered flag at the end of the race. It’s just been a great race weekend for the team. Jason had the first win for the diesel Leon TDI in race one and has had strong races all weekend and both cars have been competitive. We’re honing in to where the sweet spot of the car is and I can’t wait for the next race. Donington, Thruxton and Snetterton are all circuits where we think the Leon TDI will be at its best. We’ve been proved right at Donington and the whole team can’t wait to get to Thruxton to continue from where we’ve left off here.”