Oulton Park BTCC: Jason Plato pips Gordon Shedden to second win
Jason Plato became the first British Touring Car Championship driver to win twice in one day this season as he just beat Gordon Shedden in race two at Oulton Park
The Team BMR driver's victory, his 92nd in the series, was also the first for a driver carrying the maximum 75kgs of ballast introduced for this season.
As in the opening race Plato led from pole, with Shedden tucking in behind and following him closely for the duration.
The Civic Type-R, laden with just 33kgs of ballast, looked stronger on the brakes than the heavier Volkswagen CC, but Shedden rarely looked like being able to force his way through.
On the final lap though Plato had a slight twitch at Knickerbrook, which allowed Shedden to get a good run through Druids and attack into Lodge.
Plato defended and held the middle of the road on the run up Deer Leep as Shedden switch to the outside, but the two-time champion held on by just 0.093s for his fourth win of the season.
Andrew Jordan was a comfortable third in his MG. The Triple Eight man withstood mid-race pressure from the fast-starting Rob Collard before pulling clear in the closing stages.
As Collard dropped back he came under attack from WSR BMW team-mate Andy Priaulx, who had a poor start from fourth on the grid.
The three-time world champion came to the fore on soft tyres late on though, easing away from the Honda of Matt Neal and closing onto Collard's bumper heading on to the final lap.
A misjudgement from Priaulx under braking for the hairpin caused him to hit the left-rear wheel of his team-mate, breaking the toe-link on Collard's 125i M Sport and forcing him into retirement.
Priaulx continued but his BMW was also crippled, and he dropped to 15th.
With his team-mates hobbled Sam Tordoff came through to finish fifth after a strong drive from ninth on the soft tyres, while Adam Morgan followed him in sixth.
Aron Smith held off recovering Team BMR team-mate Colin Turkington to claim seventh, with MG's Jack Goff and Jeff Smith (Eurotech Honda Civic) completing the top 10.
Morgan has drawn the reverse grid pole position for the final race of the day, which will put Plato back in sixth.
RESULTS - 15 LAPS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 21m55.812s |
| 2 | Gordon Shedden | Honda | Honda | 0.093s |
| 3 | Andrew Jordan | MG | MG | 1.520s |
| 4 | Matt Neal | Honda | Honda | 7.403s |
| 5 | Sam Tordoff | WSR | BMW | 8.369s |
| 6 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Racing | Mercedes | 9.822s |
| 7 | Aron Taylor-Smith | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 11.536s |
| 8 | Colin Turkington | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 11.787s |
| 9 | Jack Goff | MG | MG | 12.276s |
| 10 | Jeff Smith | Eurotech | Honda | 15.654s |
| 11 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks Motorsport | Toyota | 16.116s |
| 12 | Aiden Moffat | Aiden Moffat Racing | Mercedes | 23.715s |
| 13 | Rob Austin | Rob Austin Racing | Audi | 23.809s |
| 14 | Martin Depper | Eurotech | Honda | 23.865s |
| 15 | Andy Priaulx | WSR | BMW | 26.437s |
| 16 | Warren Scott | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 29.363s |
| 17 | Daniel Welch | Welch Motorsport | Proton | 31.528s |
| 18 | Alex Martin | Team Parker | Ford | 32.011s |
| 19 | Stewart Lines | Houseman Racing | Toyota | 34.507s |
| 20 | Derek Palmer Jr. | Infiniti | Infiniti | 36.549s |
| 21 | Simon Belcher | Handy Motorsport | Toyota | 40.226s |
| 22 | Mike Bushell | AmD | Ford | 40.785s |
| 23 | Hunter Abbott | Rob Austin Racing | Audi | 40.902s |
| 24 | Andy Wilmot | Welch Motorsport | Proton | 51.121s |
| 25 | Kieran Gallagher | Team Hard | Toyota | 1 Lap |
| 26 | Josh Cook | Power Maxed | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| - | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | Retirement |
| - | Dave Newsham | Power Maxed | Chevrolet | Retirement |
Oulton Park BTCC: Jason Plato wins red-flagged first race
Oulton Park BTCC: Sam Tordoff gets first WSR victory in race three
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Dixon: Ganassi found two "big things" to improve IndyCar form
Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon says Chip Ganassi Racing has focused on improving its road course form after inconsistencies last season, and believes there has been breakthroughs for 2023.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.