THE Dunlop MSA British Touring Championship put on a blockbusting show at the weekend in front of one of the biggest crowds at Oulton Park in recent years.
Bathed in glorious sunshine, the Cheshire circuit welcomed 40,500 fans through its gates and attendees were treated to wall-to-wall action.
MG KX Momentum racer Jason Plato scored a flawless double victory on Sunday before a dramatic fire put him out of the final contest, handing his Honda Yuasa Racing rival Matt Neal the championship lead.
Two-time champion Plato is no stranger to winning at Oulton Park, having taken seven victories at the circuit prior to the weekend, and he duly added to his impressive tally.
He was in dominant form throughout the event – claiming pole position before securing two lights-to-flag wins in commanding fashion. But for the agony of race three, the Oxfordshire driver was still pleased with his weekend’s work.
“I’ve been on fire – literally,” he said in reference to both his fine form and later misfortune.
Plato’s young team-mate Sam Tordoff starred in race one by claiming second – the best result in his short BTCC career so far and the first ever one-two for MG KX Momentum Racing.
Reigning champion Gordon Shedden took third in the opener before going one better in race two in his Honda Civic, while 2009 champion Colin Turkington claimed third in his eBay Motors BMW 125i M Sport.
The dramatic final encounter was won by Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic after his team-mate Jeff Smith spun away the lead with just three laps remaining. Turkington scored another podium, rounding off an extremely encouraging weekend for the eBay Motors driver.
The championship will be back on track for rounds 13, 14 and 15 at Croft on June 22/23.
