James Thompson has taken his third win of the 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season in the final race of the weekend at Oulton Park, but it was Rob Collard who shone as he came through from 20th on the grid to finish just shy of a place on the podium.

Team Dynamics ace Thompson started the race from pole position thanks to the reverse grid draw and despite spinning his wheels at the start, the double champion was able to lead the field into Old Hall ahead of Andrew Jordan and Jonathan Adam.

As Thompson attempted to scamper away at the front with Jordan giving chase, Adam came under pressure from Matt Neal and contact from the Vauxhall saw Adam spin at the Island hairpin on lap four – plummeting down the order as a result. The same incident forced a number of drivers to take avoiding action behind meaning Jason Plato suddenly jumped up to fourth behind Neal, with Fabrizio Giovanardi and Adam Jones rounding out the top six. Collard meanwhile was already into the top ten in ninth.

On lap six, Collard took eighth from Paul O'Neill on the run down Cascades and then out-dragged Colin Turkington on the run to Hislops on lap seven to move seventh. Lap eight saw the Airwaves BMW man get pas Adam Jones for sixth and he then set about closing down the gap to Giovanardi in fifth.

By lap ten, Collard was right with the Italian and took fifth at Island hairpin and then he took fourth from Plato at Old Hall on lap eleven. Despite his best efforts however, Collard was unable to get any further and had to settle for fourth behind Neal – who followed Thompson and Jordan home to give Vauxhall a double podium finish.

Behind Collard, Plato took fifth place ahead of Giovanardi and Jones, while Mat Jackson came through to eighth from the rear of the field after his gearbox issues in race two. Paul O'Neill took ninth in his Honda Integra while Alan Morrison picked up a second points finish of the day for Team Aon after passing Turkington for position on the final lap – the Team RAC driver having slipped back down the order in the closing stages of the race.

To view the results, CLICK HERE.