Words do not really do justice to Rockingham’s third race. Once again it was the weather that dominated the build up, with a heavy downpour commencing just as the green flag lap got underway. At the end of the lap, two thirds of the field opted to dive into the pitlane to change on to wet tyres. It seemed to be the smart option, with the rain falling ever harder. Among those that chose to take up their slots on the grid were polesitter Adam Jones and all three works Vauxhalls. In one of the Vectras, Tom Onslow-Cole struggled to find the right starting slot with so many vacant positions in front of him and had to be pushed backwards on the grid.

As the teams frantically struggled to change from slicks to grooved rubber in the pitlane, the race officials took the decision to delay the start. With a seven-minute window before the second attempt at getting the race underway, it gave those on the grid the opportunity to change tyres and enabled those in the pitlane to take up their positions on the grid.

With five wheelnuts on each corner, it was a race against time to get the wet tyres on before the three-minute board signalled for the grid to be cleared. This was a rule that caught out the crews of several cars, landing Jason Plato, Jason Hughes and John George with 30-second stop-go penalties.

The rain was still falling heavily as the race was finally able to get underway. At the front, Tom Chilton and Colin Turkington got the jump on Adam Jones to lead through the first corner. Motorbase Performance BMW driver Steven Kane also made an excellent getaway, but was squeezed out wide on the run into Deene. Unfortunately for Kane, he was caught from behind by teammate Rob Collard, turning him around. The former Porsche racer was able to rejoin, but found himself at the back of the pack.

Overtaking was abundant throughout the 18-lap race, starting on the first lap with Gordon Shedden passing Darren Turner for fifth position at Brook. Jason Plato also passed his teammate on the opening lap, but pitted for his penalty, leaving him with a huge task to salvage anything from the race.

The slippery conditions claimed their first victim on lap three when VX Racing’s Tom Onslow-Cole landed in the gravel trap on the outside of the Tarzan hairpin. He was soon followed by SEAT’s Darren Turner, who chose the Pif Paf gravel trap for his resting place, having already run off the track at Brook.

The combination of Turner’s beached car and John George going becoming wedged against the tyre barrier brought the safety car out on lap eight. It was the last thing that Colin Turkington wanted – the Team RAC driver had opened up a 5.5 second lead at the front of the field.

Lightning lit up the dark Rockingham sky as Turkington led Tom Chilton, Mat Jackson, Adam Jones and Gordon Shedden behind the safety car. The green flag was waved four laps later and unsurprisingly, it was not long before the paint-swapping started again. Matt Neal passed Gordon Shedden for sixth position, while Tom Chilton was putting Turkington under pressure for the lead. The Team Halfords driver did find a way past, but quickly went from hero to zero as he ran wide and dropped from first to fourth.

Turkington was back in the lead at this stage, with Mat Jackson in second for BMW Dealer Team UK. With Fabrizio Giovanardi down in seventh, Jackson was also set to leave Rockingham with the championship lead. It all went wrong for the race two winner though, when he overcooked the entry to Tarzan and ended up in the gravel on the outside of the hairpin.

The last couple of laps of the race were frantic at the front. Matt Neal and Colin Turkington traded the lead a couple of times before Neal made the move stick at Tarzan. Turkington lost out to Adam Jones through turn one, but took the spot back at Yentwood, only to lose it again – this time for good. There were further woes to come for Turkington, as he also lost out to Shedden and Giovanardi.

Jason Plato made a strong surge through the order after his stop-go penalty, and ended the race by stealing sixth position from Colin Turkington on the run to the line on the final lap, compounding the misfortune the Irishman had encountered in the closing stages of the race.

Victory went to an ecstatic Matt Neal, with Tom Chilton and Adam Jones joining him on the podium. Shedden was fourth, ahead of Giovanardi and Plato. Colin Turkington was seventh, with Rob Collard, Mike Jordan and Erkut Kizilirmak rounding out the top ten.

Fabrizio Giovanardi has a seven-point lead over Mat Jackson heading to Donington Park in three weeks’ time, but the Leicestershire circuit has a tough act to follow if it is to match the excitement at Rockingham!