You Are Here > Home > Victory Eludes Local Hero Smith At Mondello Park
Dubliner Gavin Smith was frustrated in his hopes to become Ireland���s first ever race winner in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship today ��� to the disappointment of his home crowd.
In the BTCC���s only overseas event ��� Ireland���s Mondello Park ��� Smith challenged for the lead of the day���s third race for VX Racing but the country���s hopes were dashed when the 28-year-old ran wide on the 10th lap. The chasing pack made Smith pay dearly for his mistake, swamping his VX Astra Sport Hatch and forcing him back into fifth.
Independent entrant Mike Jordan (Honda Integra) went on to score his first BTCC victory in that race. The previous two races of the day were both won by defending champion Matt Neal (Honda Integra).
Smith���s team-mates all struggled at the Dublin circuit, which last year saw VXR win all three rounds.
In the day���s first race, Smith and his team-mates Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Chilton finished in eighth, seventh and sixth places.
Smith was fifth in the second race, but Chilton and Giovanardi were both blameless victims of racing incidents: Chilton had to steer into a gravel trap, and retirement, at the first corner when avoiding the spinning car of James Thompson (SEAT Leon), and when Thompson���s damaged suspension later caused him to spin out of control, Giovanardi was unable to avoid colliding with him.
Giovanardi made a meteoric start to the day���s final race, seeing him move from 13th on the grid to third. Just three laps from a podium finish, however, the Italian was scuppered when Rob Collard made a very ambitious passing move, putting them both in the gravel. The pair rejoined in fifth and sixth place, but Collard���s car later retired. Smith finished in seventh and Chilton ninth.
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