Motorsport: Tordoff chalks up first victory of the season

Sam Tordoff on the top step of the podium at Oulton Park.
PIC: DENNIS GOODWIN. — Sam Tordoff on the top step of the podium at Oulton Park. PIC: DENNIS GOODWIN.

LEEDS’ Sam Tordoff claimed his first victory of the season in today’s third Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Oulton Park.

Team JCT600 with GardX squad BMW driver Tordoff had to fend off the attentions of former champion Andrew Jordan in the latter stages of the race but held on for a morale-boosting third victory of his career.

Speaking after the race Tordoff said: “It’s been a difficult year and it’s not clicked like I hoped it would click, and it’s taken longer than I would have wanted because I set myself high standards.

“I want to be touring car champion and I want to emulate what the guys around me have achieved, and we’ve made the jump but it’s just not quite gone quite as well as we hoped. But this weekend it’s been a real transformation, a really good step in progress and that’s the end result.

“I was a bit anxious with Andrew (Jordan) coming towards the end. I didn’t know quite how much pace he had in the car, but I just did my own race and in the end it was enough.”

The first two races of the day were won by double champion Jason Plato, who now leads the championship by three points.