WTCC 2008
2009 WTCC Chevrolet Cruze Preview
04/04/2010
The final race of the day proved intense for the Silverline Chevrolet team, with Jason fighting for position from start to finish. Despite the constant threat in the early laps from Giovanardi, later followed by Shedden, Jason found himself on familiar territory as he took to the podium for the second time today.
Capitalising on contact between Neal and Collard, an incident which forced both drivers into early retirement, Jason was up to P3 by the end of lap 8, carrying 36kgs success ballast. Thanks to a brief safety car period to clear the run off, Jason closed in to the rear of last year's team-mate, Mat Jackson.
Once again, Giovanardi's Vauxhall was flying round the Hampshire track, consistently looking to make a lunge on Jason for position, but it was a move that never came to fruition, as Shedden took Giovanardi on lap 14.
Despite a distant threat from Shedden, Jason managed to pull a gap to safely bring the Cruze home to its second podium of the weekend.
Commenting on day's results, Jason told ITV: "It's been a great day for us. The target was 30 points, I think we got 31. The racing was fantastic and it's great that we've had different winners today. We knew the Vauxhall would be strong here, but for Silverline Chevrolet, the championship begins at Rockingham, which is where we'll be on maximum attack."
In the sister Cruze, Alex endured a tough race having made a slow getaway from the start. With a train of traffic passing, Alex was unable to gain momentum and slipped down to 14th position. But holding his focus, the 19-year old maintained consistent pace and avoided trouble to finish the race in 9th.
The Silverline Chevrolet team leaves Thruxton with six out of six points scoring finishes – Jason is now 2nd in the overall championship with 31 points (7 points behind leader, Giovanardi) and Alex 7th on 11 points. Chevrolet lead the Manufacturer/Constructor Championship with 74 points, 29 points clear of nearest rivals, Honda.
You can read all the latest news on www.chevroletbtcc.com and follow us on www.twitter.com
