100th Victory!

Delight swept the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship paddock this afternoon as Vauxhall – one of the series' most successful manufacturers - took its 100th win in the prestigious championship.

In one of the most thrilling races in BTCC history Fabrizio Giovanardi snatched the lead from Jason Plato on lap six after starting fourth on the grid at Knockhill.

The two-times European Touring Car Champion then had to hold off the relentless efforts of first Plato, then Darren Turner and finally Matt Neal for 26 laps before he and the team could finally celebrate their 100th race win in 17 years of racing.

Gavin Smith made it Vauxhall's best race of the season by racking up his second podium of the year to score the Luton-based manufacturer’s first 1-2 of 2006.

In the final race of the day all three Astra Sport Hatches bore special visor strips to commemorate the historic landmark but neither race one nor race three were to bring the team as much satisfaction as the victorious round 23.

In race one Giovanardi made a poor start from third on the grid to scupper any chance of a podium and success ballast hampered the team’s progress in race three.

Tom Chilton had a disastrous weekend, limping home 12th in race one after running wide, being shoved off in race two when looking good for a podium and retiring from race three with clutch failure.

Fabrizio Giovanardi: “I’ve finished the nightmare! I’m thrilled but I’m very tired now.

“Today I didn’t make any mistakes like in Donington. I was in first place and I stayed in first place.

“I think it’s great to win the 100th race. It was not so easy to win but then I don’t like to win too easy! Today was great.

“It’s not the first hard battle for me. It’s a really, really good circuit. You can make the difference if you are not in the best conditions."

Ian Harrison, VX Racing Team Principal: "I told Fabrizio it was a great drive. It's what we knew he could do but we've only just given him a car that allowed him to show that.

"This gives the guys a lift. They've all won a bit of prize money ... I think they'd forgotten what it looked like but they deserve it. When things are tough you start to see who the good outfits are. These guys have hung in there and kept focused and they've delivered. It's great."

Gavin Smith: “The car was very good. In the second race I was in a strong fourth place on the last lap when carnage broke out in front of me. It’s just the way the race goes. Fabrizio was holding them up and they were bashing on the back of my car.

“When you get in a situation like that it’s just about staying on the track. I’m not going to say I was lucky. It’s a matter of judgment when cars spin in front of you. I’m chuffed to bits with that result.”

Tom Chilton: "In the first race I went over the top of the chicane and the car ran wide a little bit more than I thought it would. I couldn't see the outside of the corner, misjudged it and slipped on the curb.

“I’ve had three races with no points this year. I’m very frustrated but I’ve got to keep myself up-beat. I’ll just have to train harder. I really want to do something crazy which is going to give me some confidence. I need to gather my thoughts together and focus on the next round.”