After Saturday’s bright sunshine, Sunday could not have been more different. The rain started falling on the enthusiastic Croft crowd at about 8:30am, so by the time of the first race at midday, there were large puddles of standing water around much of the track. The slippery conditions claimed the unlikeliest of victims on the second of two green flag laps – Seat’s Jason Plato aquaplaned into the gravel at Clervaux and was recovered back to the pits where he would start the race, leaving his second row grid spot standing empty.

When the lights went out to start the race, polesitter Darren Turner lost out to fellow front row starter Gordon Shedden, who led into the first corner. Mat Jackson’s rear wheel drive power propelled the BMW Dealer Team UK car into second position. Turner’s race got worse when he ran wide at Tower and ended up in the long grass on the outside of the track.

With heavy rain continuing to fall, Team RAC’s Stephen Jelley ran into the tyre barrier at Tower and was quickly joined by Alan Taylor in the Robertshaw Racing Honda Integra. Unfortunately a marshal that had gone to the aid of Jelley was injured when Taylor landed alongside. This brought out the red flags and with just three laps of the race completed, the cars lined up on the grid.

It provided another chance for the rear wheel drive advantage to come into play and also for Jason Plato to continue his progress through the pack after starting from the pitlane. The order on the grid was as follows: Jackson, Shedden, Neal, Turkington, Onslow-Cole, Chilton, Giovanardi, M. Jordan, Jones, Vaulkhard, Collard, A. Jordan, Doyle, Stockton, Kane, Plato, Hughes, Kizilirmak, Bell.

The restarted race saw Mat Jackson lead away from the line, but the BMW driver would have been kicking himself when he slid off the track at Tower on the opening lap, handing the lead to Gordon Shedden. Jackson was in good company though, as both Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole also suffered excursions off the track. Chilton’s Honda was the only car not to rejoin the track, but that was enough to bring out the safety car.

Gordon Shedden would have been leading behind the safety car had the Team Halfords driver not run wide on the exit from the final corner hairpin. That allowed Colin Turkington through into the lead and Matt Neal into second position. Shedden managed to hang on to third, ahead of Fabrizio Giovanardi and Motorbase Performance’s Rob Collard. Sixth was Mike Jordan, with Steven Kane seventh and Adam Jones eighth. Micky Doyle was up to an impressive ninth position, with Andrew Jordan in tenth.

The safety car turned into a second red flag as the rain continued to fall heavily and the result was declared as above.

Racewinner Colin Turkington said, “I’ve never driven on a track as wet as that. I don’t think these conditions are good for anyone, but you just have to try and keep it on the track if you can.”

Despite the race result being classified at just two laps, full championship points were awarded for round 13.