WINS FOR PLATO & NEAL AT SNETTERTON
Jason Plato and Matt Neal shared the victories in today's
(Sunday) three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship
rounds at the high-speed Snetterton circuit. Reigning champion
Neal leaves the Norfolk venue having extended his championship
lead to 27 points over nearest challenger Colin Turkington,
but overall Plato has emerged the biggest winner - victories
in races one and two have moved him back up to third in the
title race which now moves to the Knockhill circuit in Fife,
Scotland on Sunday 3 September.
Despite his lead, Team Halfords driver Neal remained cautious
about his chances of becoming the first driver in 20 years
to achieve back-to-back BTCC titles. Indeed, he was reminded
of how quickly fortunes change in race two when his Honda
Integra span at the final bend in a controversial collision
with Plato's SEAT Leon. Neal's race three win, therefore,
was vital in him re-asserting himself at the top of the table.
Neal, aged 39 from Droitwich, said: "It's not quite
gone to plan today, but I've still come out clear of Colin
and with a slightly bigger lead. But 27 points is not a lot
- there are still 140 points to be won in the final nine rounds.
I had a similar lead this time last year, but the pressure
is definitely on.
"Looking ahead, Knockhill will be tough. Last year there
it rained and we had a great weekend, but I'm not relying
on that this year. Plus, my car will have maximum ballast
on it so lugging that lot up the hills is going to be very
hard work."
Team RAC MG driver Turkington, who retired from today's first
race before salvaging third and fifth place finishes, believes
Knockhill will be crucial to his title hopes. The 24-year-old
from Portadown, aiming to become the BTCC's youngest ever
champion, added: "Considering I had one non-finish today,
I'm not that disappointed - I only lost five points to Matt
and he appears to be fairly unsteady at the moment and quite
rattled.
"The MG has always been well suited to Knockhill and
I see it as a good opportunity to take some big points off
of Matt. I'm not going to lie down - I'm going to take the
fight all the way. Jason will still be trying to win it as
well. I know he's ruled himself out of the championship, but
today he's taken a load of points out of me and Matt so can
never be discounted. It's always going to be a three-way fight."
In addition to Plato's pair of wins, three second place finishes
for team-mate James Thompson has enabled SEAT to increase
its lead over Vauxhall in the Manufacturers' championship.
SEAT Sport UK has also dramatically closed on Team Halfords
in the Teams' standings. Neal and Team Halfords continue to
lead the Independent Drivers' and Teams' tables respectively.
Round 19, 18 laps (35.136 miles)
Weather/Track: Overcast/Drying
Plato wins dramatic race one
Plato led all the way from pole position to take his fourth
win of the season in a race that was full of high drama. Thompson
followed in second to give SEAT a dream 1-2 result.
He took the position when Vauxhall's Gavin Smith damaged
his Astra while lapping a backmarker. Smith, with a bonus
point for setting the race's fastest lap, continued in his
crabbing car but eventually fell to fourth behind team-mate
Fabrizio Giovanardi and at the line only just held off Mike
Jordan's fast-closing Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest
Honda in fifth.
Giovanardi had held second for much of the race but span
his Astra in a tangle with Thompson's Leon at the chicane.
In the title race, Neal survived collisions with two drivers
- including arch rival Turkington - to bring his battered
Team Halfords Honda home in sixth. The result extended his
series lead to 27 points over Turkington who retired his MG
with mechanical problems while he was in front of Neal.
Meanwhile, Gordon Shedden lost third in the standings to
Plato when his Halfords Honda and Tom Chilton's Vauxhall collided
and span out of sight together into a crop field.
Result:
1. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, 23m48.514s
2. James Thompson (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.383s
3. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing/Vauxhall Astra Sport
Hatch, +17.392s
Fastest Lap: Gavin Smith (IRL), VX Racing/Vauxhall Astra Sport
Hatch, 1m17.568s
Round 20, 21 laps (40.992 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
Plato takes controversial win
The outcome ultimately came down to one final moment of controversy
when race-long leader Plato and Neal collided at the final
corner. The pair had already tangled half way around the last
lap and at the chicane their cars rubbed panels again, Neal,
who had made up four seconds on Plato before launching a late
bid for victory, spinning down to an eventual eighth.
Plato escaped for his second win of the day and once more
was followed across the line by team-mate Thompson who this
time had needed to make up places after running off the track
in a brush with Giovanardi.
Turkington came home in third after a great drive through
the field from the back of the grid that also netted him a
bonus point for setting the fastest lap. The result enabled
him to close to within 19 points of Neal while Plato, having
arrived at Snetterton 54 points adrift of the series leader,
was now just 29 behind.
Jordan followed up his strong race one result with an even
better fourth. Next up, having also started from lowly grid
positions, were Team RAC's Robert Collard and Shedden. Tenth
and earning a point was Eoin Murray - a fine reward for his
Quest Racing team which had worked hard to get his Alfa Romeo
ready on time after it was damaged in race one.
Result:
1. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, 28m22.073s
2. James Thompson (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +1.650s
3. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC/MG ZS, +3.406s
Fastest lap: Turkington, 1m13.252s
Round 21, 18 laps (35.136 miles)
Weather/Track: Sunny/Dry
Neal fights back with victory
Neal put the disappointment of his race two result behind
him with a trouble-free victory. Team-mate Gareth Howell had
been drawn on pole position and Neal second, but it was Chilton,
spectacularly squeezing his car between them at the start,
who led into the first corner from third on the grid.
Neal, though, was quick to home in on Chilton and once past
quickly built up a lead. In the closing stages, Thompson,
having made up positions from eighth on the grid, started
to close in but Neal was too far ahead.
Chilton followed in third ahead of Turkington and Shedden,
who after numerous attempts finally slipped past Plato to
grab fifth.
Result:
1. Matt Neal (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra
2. James Thompson (GBR), SEAT Sport UK/SEAT Leon, +0.657s
3. Tom Chilton (GBR), VX Racing/Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch,
+4.681s
Fastest lap: Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords/Honda Integra,
1m12.679s
Leading BTCC points after Snetterton (provisional):
Drivers:
1. Matt NEAL 207pts
2. Colin TURKINGTON 180pts
3. Jason PLATO 167pts
4. James THOMPSON 150pts
5. Gordon SHEDDEN 142pts
6. Tom CHILTON 101pts
7. Gavin SMITH 95pts
8. Fabrizio GIOVANARDI 93pts
9. Mike JORDAN 76pts
10. Robert Collard 67pts
Manufacturers:
1. SEAT 448pts
2. Vauxhall 349pts
Teams:
1. Team Halfords 334pts
2. SEAT Sport UK 325pts
3. VX Racing 250pts
4. Team RAC 240pts
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