Brands Hatch BTCC: Colin Turkington champion as Plato wins race one

Turkington took third place and recorded fastest lap, enough to give him a 44-point lead with two races to go.

With 44 points still available, Turkington would win the title on number of second places even if Plato were to win the final two rounds and the WSR BMW driver failed to finish.

Plato's start from pole was not a good one, Turkington's rear-wheel-drive BMW blasting by from fourth to challenge Sam Tordoff's Triple Eight MG for the lead into Paddock.

Tordoff held on, with Plato slipping back by Turkington for second as chaos broke out behind.

Third-placed qualifier Gordon Shedden's Honda Civic Tourer and the fast-starting Motorbase Ford Focus of Fabrizio Giovanardi clashed on the run to Paddock Hill Bend.

The Honda spun in front of the pack, causing a chain reaction that forced several cars out and delayed many others.

Among the victims were the Rob Austin Racing Audis of Austin and Hunter Abbott, and the Hondas of Shedden and Matt Neal. Jack Goff's BMR VW CC also made it little further.

After the ensuing safety car, Turkington defended robustly from the soft tyre-shod Ford of Mat Jackson and the rapid Ciceley Mercedes of Adam Morgan.

On lap eight, Tordoff allowed MG team-mate Plato into the lead on the run down Pilgrims Drop, but the safety car was about to appear again.

Warren Scott's BMR VW and the WSR BMW of Nick Foster made contact at the same place the lead had changed, firing the VW into the wall and delaying proceedings once more.

Plato held the lead from the second restart and duly recorded his sixth win of the season, while Tordoff defended from Turkington.

The BMW driver could not make it by, but his 19th podium of the year was enough to secure his second BTCC crown.

A fading Jackson held off Morgan for fifth, but both were being caught by Rob Collard as the flag fell.

The WSR BMW driver was one of the stars of the race, storming from 23rd on the grid after avoiding the early carnage.

Collard made it by Giovanardi for sixth with a move that started at Westfield and ended at Sheene shortly after the final restart, but ran out of time to make further progress.