Team BMW's Colin Turkington scored his 70th career victory in the BTCC as the four-time champion led from start-to-finish in the opener at Croft.
Turkington's milestone was also an incredible 15th triumph for the 42-year-old at Croft, a venue where he has enjoyed many fond memories down the years.
Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Ingram claimed second after nipping by NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish in the early exchanges, the latter having straight-lined the chicane.
Ingram's elevation on-track was enough for him to top the overall Drivers' standings, meaning the championship lead has changed hands in each of the last four races.
Cammish held off NAPA Racing UK team-mate Ash Sutton to complete the podium – his sixth rostrum in the last ten races – whilst Árón Taylor-Smith took an impressive yet lonely fifth place.
The biggest mover was Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport), as he picked off a number of challengers one-by-one, rising from 11th on the grid to grab sixth.
Rob Huff was seventh but the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK man was able to get rid of his Goodyear hard tyres in the process, a tactical decision that may pay off later in the day.
Josh Cook (LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ), Tom Chilton (Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS) and Dan Rowbottom (NAPA Racing UK) rounded out the top ten.
Colin Turkington said: “I need all the points I can get. Faultless race from mine and the car’s side. We obviously have the pace this weekend – we showed that yesterday – the car is feeling really good, and the balance was nice.
"Tom was quick on that opening stint, but I always felt like we have just enough to get the win. It’s going to be tough, but we’ve started the day with a good car so we should still be fast in the races later on.”
The BTCC race day from Croft is being broadcast LIVE throughout the day on ITV4 with Race 2 scheduled to start at 1445 before the finale takes place at 1700.
Croft - Race 1 - Final Classification
| P/ | No/ | Name/ | Entry/ | Laps/ | Time/ | Gap/ | Best/ | On/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Colin TURKINGTON | Team BMW | 15 | 20:50.152 | 1:22.243 | 5 | |
| 2 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 15 | 20:51.898 | 1.746 | 1:22.570 | 3 |
| 3 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | 15 | 20:53.714 | 3.562 | 1:22.516 | 5 |
| 4 | 1 | Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | 15 | 20:54.266 | 4.114 | 1:22.589 | 3 |
| 5 | 40 | Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | 15 | 21:00.383 | 10.231 | 1:22.799 | 3 |
| 6 | 24 | Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 15 | 21:05.926 | 15.774 | 1:23.115 | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Rob HUFF | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | 15 | 21:09.907 | 19.755 | 1:23.640 | 8 |
| 8 | 66 | Josh COOK | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | 15 | 21:19.038 | 28.886 | 1:23.903 | 5 |
| 9 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 15 | 21:21.232 | 31.08 | 1:23.832 | 3 |
| 10 | 32 | Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | 15 | 21:22.317 | 32.165 | 1:23.740 | 5 |
| 11 | 11 | Andrew WATSON | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | 15 | 21:24.967 | 34.815 | 1:24.552 | 7 |
| 12 | 88 | Mikey DOBLE | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | 15 | 21:25.583 | 35.431 | 1:24.541 | 4 |
| 13 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | Team BMW | 15 | 21:29.779 | 39.627 | 1:24.134 | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | 15 | 21:30.682 | 40.53 | 1:24.411 | 4 |
| 15 | 222 | Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | 15 | 21:33.043 | 42.891 | 1:24.073 | 4 |
| 16 | 14 | Ronan PEARSON | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 15 | 21:33.674 | 43.522 | 1:24.368 | 4 |
| 17 | 29 | Scott SUMPTON | Restart Racing | 15 | 21:34.746 | 44.594 | 1:24.730 | 6 |
| 18 | 18 | Daryl DELEON | Duckhams Racing With Bartercard | 15 | 21:37.098 | 46.946 | 1:23.946 | 2 |
| 19 | 77 | Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | 15 | 21:38.573 | 48.421 | 1:24.257 | 4 |
| 20 | 22 | Nick HALSTEAD | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 15 | 21:42.858 | 52.706 | 1:25.055 | 3 |
