TOURING CARS; Leslie left in Rydell's slipstream

VOLVO'S RICKARD Rydell grabbed a win and a fourth place at Croft in the latest rounds of the British Touring Car Championship to increase his series lead, though the win came courtesy of hefty contact with Nissan's David Leslie.

Rydell's win at the north Yorkshire circuit came in round 14, the longer feature race, while earlier Honda's James Thompson had become the eighth winner of the season, when he led from start to finish in the sprint.

In the feature race, Leslie led away from pole position, chased by Rydell. When it came to the compulsory pit stops, though, Leslie's advantage was almost wiped out and in the second half of the race Rydell mounted his attack. Leslie held on to second place.

The series is now past the half way stage and although Rydell leads by 42 points there is still all to play for in the remaining 12 rounds. "He said: "It's easy to lose 20 or 30 points in a weekend and then the lead is gone."

Results, Sporting Digest, page 26