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Jason Watt tops the rostrum for the first time in 3 years

Following a dismal start to the season the former champion triumphed

Jason Watt became a very popular winner, when he won Sunday's Final in the third round of this year's Danish Touringcar Championship at Jyllands-Ringen. The season had started bad for the 2002 champion, who did not finish the first three heats of the years, and now he could finally top the rostrum for the first in nearly three years.

"I have really missed winning," Jason Watt said in the minutes after having been given the winner's garland. "In the previous races this year I have felt that I had the speed and the car to do it, and finally everything formed a synthesis so that I could win. At some time or another during your career it starts affecting you mentally, if you continue being unlucky. I have to think hard and long to remember a situation, when luck was on my side. But today, I can say that my win had nothing to do with luck, because I led the Final from start to finish, and I did not inherit my win from somebody else."

Jens Edman had been fastest in the Super Pole shoot-out, but as the ride height of his Toyota Corolla T-Sport was found to be 3 mm too small, he had to start the Pre Final from 12th position, leaving Casper Elgaard to claim pole position and romp into a lead from Henrik Lundgaard, he was never to loose. Former champion Michael Carlsen initially held third position, but then he had to let the Peugeot pair of Jason Watt and Jan Magnussen by, before battling it out with John Nielsen for that fifth position that equaled pole position on the partically reversed grid for the Final. With four laps to go, Michael Carlsen elected to let John Nielsen by into fifth position, but in the end it was Michael Carlsen who took up the best start position for the Final, as John Nielsen was given a five second penalty for hitting Jan Magnussen at the start of the Pre Final.

Jan Magnussen should have started alongside Michael Carlsen on the front row for the final, but an electrical problem meant that the reigning champion started from the pit lane and then eventually retired at the end of the opening lap.

Starting from fifth on the grid Casper Elgaard used his rear wheel drive BMW to the best effect to go straight into a narrow lead from Jason Watt and Michael Carlsen, but as the latter pair tangled in the first corner, Watt got sideways and rammed into the left rear-side door of Elgaard's car. The winner of the Pre Final lost a couple of positions in the proces, but as the door started to jump open, he had to pit to get it rectified.

Instead there was now a Peugeot 1-2 due to Jason Watt and Michael Carlsen at the front, but behind Michael Carlsen, the Toyota pair of Henrik Lundgaard and Jens Edman started to make their presence felt. The latter driver had made a perfect getaway to go from seventh on the grid to fourth position, and he seemed to be the faster of the chasing pair. Michael Carlsen would have none of this, and a small queue now started forming behind the white BP 307, as John Nielsen joined the Toyota pair, the BMW driver having worked his way up to fifth from tenth on the grid.

This battle for second place meant that Jason Watt could easily enlarge his cushion, but on the tenth lap Henrik Lundgaard finally found a way past Michael Carlsen, and in an instant Jens Edman, John Nielsen and Martin Jensen all followed through. While Henrik Lundgaard and Jens Edman settled for second and third position in the race, which would give them the top two positions in the championship standings, Martin Jensen was intent on moving further up, and the works Peugeot driver eventually found a way past John Nielsen.

Brief stories: The supporting Fleggaard Renault Clio Cup had two races at the Jyllands-Ringen, the latter race being a quite dramatic affair, when Carsten Mikkelsen and 65-year old 15 time Danish champion Erik Høyer both rolled their cars. The two races resulted in a race win each for the two former DTC drivers Per Poulsen and Kasper Jensen. The Scandinavian Formula Ford 1800 drivers raced for points for the prestigious Scandinavian title, formerly won by JJ Letho and Mika Häkkinen. Dane Anders Ole Egebart won both races, while the 15 year-old son if Kurt Thiim, Nicki Thiim, took a second and a fourth place.

Result of race 1 – Pre Final of round 3 of 8 – Jyllands-Ringen – 10 laps of 2.300 kms:

1. Casper Elgaard Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 12.17,772

2. Henrik Lundgaard Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 12.19,842

3. Jason Watt Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 12.20,581

4. Jan Magnussen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 12.23,569

5. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 12.25,403

6. Jens Edman Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 12.26,143

7. Martin Jensen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 12.26,594

8. Kurt Thiim Renault Sport Renault Megane Sports Hatch 12.27,333

9. Michel Nykjær Seat Racing Team Seat Toledo 12.27,835

10. John Nielsen Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 12.28,983

Fastest lap: Michel Nykjær, 1.12,676 / 113,930 km/t.

Result of race 2 – Pre Final of round 3 of 8 – Jyllands-Ringen – 14 laps of 2.300 kms:

1. Jason Watt Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.15,036

2. Henrik Lundgaard Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 17.18,483

3. Jens Edman Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 17.19,695

4. Martin Jensen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.20,193

5. John Nielsen Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 17.21,232

6. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 17.23,673

7. Michel Nykjær Seat Racing Team Seat Toledo 17.23,860

8. Kurt Thiim Renault Sport Renault Megane Sports Hatch 17.27,770

9. Tom Pedersen K-motorsport Honda Civic Type-R 17.28,225

10. Mike Legarth Connection Racing BMW 320i E46 17.30,446

Fastest lap: Martin Jensen, 1.12,773 / 113,778 km/t.

Championship positions - drivers:

1. Henrik Lundgaard Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 94 p.

2. Jens Edman Toyota Castrol Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 73 p.

Martin Jensen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 73 p.

4. Michel Nykjær Seat Racing Team Seat Toledo 64 p.

5. Casper Elgaard Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 58 p.

6. John Nielsen Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 50 p.

7. Mike Legarth Connection Racing BMW 320i E46 49 p.

8. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 47 p.

9. Jason Watt Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 45 p.

10. Pontus Mörth Volvo Motorsport Danmark Volvo S60 39 p.

Kurt Thiim Renault Sport Renault Megane Sports Hatch 39 p.

12. Tom Pedersen K-motorsport Honda Civic Type-R 28 p.

13. Jens Møller Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 25 p.

Jesper Sylvest Sylvest Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 18 p.

15. Michael Schröter Team Volkswagen Castrol Volkswagen Golf GTI 14 p.

16. Jan Magnussen Peugeot Statoil Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 13 p.

17. Carsten Leveau Team Sturup Raceway BMW 320i E46 10 p.

Gunnar Kristensen Team Sturup Raceway BMW 320i E46 10 p.

19. Philip Andersen K-motorsport Honda Civic Type-R 8 p.

20. Jørgen Weinreich Team Zulu Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 4 p.

John Hansen JHI ATS Motorsport Alfa Romeo 156 4 p.

Martin Pedersen Team Peugeot DTC Køge Peugeot 406 Coupé 4 p.

Championship positions - privateers:

1. Mike Legarth Connection Racing BMW 320i E46 112 p.

2. Michael Carlsen Carlsen BP Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 101 p.

3. Jens Møller Team Essex Invest BMW 320i E46 70 p.

4. Jesper Sylvest Sylvest Motorsport Peugeot 307 GTI 65 p.

5. Michael Schröter Team Volkswagen Castrol Volkswagen Golf GTI 45 p.

6. Gunnar Kristensen Team Sturup Raceway BMW 320i E46 43 p.

7. Carsten Leveau Team Sturup Raceway BMW 320i E46 35 p.

8. Martin Pedersen Team Peugeot DTC Køge Peugeot 406 Coupé 33 p.

9. Jørgen Weinrecih Team Zulu Racing Toyota Corolla T-Sport 25 p.

10. John Hansen JHI ATS Motorsport Alfa Romeo 156 23 p.

Championship positions - teams:

1. Toyota Castrol Racing 167 p.

2. Peugeot Statoil Motorsport 109 p.

3. Team Essex Invest 108 p.

4. Seat Racing Team 64 p.

5. Connection Racing 49 p.

6. Carlsen BP Motorsport 47 p.

7. Volvo Motorsport Danmark 39 p.

Renault Sport 39 p.

9. K-motorsport 36 p.

10. Team Sturup Raceway 20 p.

11. Sylvest Motorsport 18 p.

12. Team Volkswagen/Castrol 14 p.

13. Team Zulu Racing 4 p.

JHI ATS Motorsport 4 p.

Team Peugeot DTC Køge 4 p.

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