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 |
Previous article
Oulton Park BTCC: Jason Plato wins red-flagged first race
Next article
Oulton Park BTCC: Sam Tordoff gets first WSR victory in race three
BTCC: Croft Race 3 in 60 seconds
BTCC: Oulton Park Race 3 in 75 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 3 in 60 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 2 in 80 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 1 in 80 seconds
The increasingly varied CV behind a new BTCC title challenger
A driver with limited funds behind him, it’s been a tough road to the top of the British Touring Car Championship for Jake Hill. Now he’s a title contender, accomplished historic racer and in-demand coach. It’s a great life for this self-confessed motorsport junkie
The outright tin-top wins achieved by a forgotten tin-top great
Already established as a formidable force in the British Saloon Car Championship, the Triumph Dolomite became a legend in 1977 when Tony Dron's Broadspeed machine frequently embarrassed the mighty Capris
Five key plotlines to follow in the 2021 BTCC
It’s been a busy silly season in the BTCC since the chequered flag fell to end the 2020 campaign last November. While last year’s top two have stayed put, there’s plenty of talking points elsewhere, which should result in another fascinating year of tin-top action
The giantkilling 'dad and lad' operation taking on the BTCC's best
The Lancashire squad of Ciceley Motorsport has been a BTCC race winner for several years with Adam Morgan and Mercedes. But the switch to WSR-built BMWs and addition of Tom Chilton as a true barometer for Morgan should see the team step up into title contention
How a returning champion is feeling at home again in the BTCC
After topping the times at the end of British Touring Car Championship pre-season testing, it feels like Gordon Shedden has never been away. But after plenty of changes behind the scenes, the three-time champion is bedding himself in to pick up where he left off
Why a BTCC legend remains defiant at '97 not out'
After a year of enforced absence from the British Touring Car Championship grid, Jason Plato is back and hungrier than ever. Despite stellar opposition and some familiar challenges, the two-time champion still has his eyes focused on the biggest prizes
How Ingram's clean slate can end his BTCC title wait
After seven years together, Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport have amicably split and gone down separate paths for the 2021 BTCC season. With engineer Spencer Aldridge joining him at the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai squad, Ingram is confident he can challenge for titles from the off
How the unlikely Capri-slaying Dolomite triumphed against adversary
The Dolomite Sprint was a potent giantkilling weapon during the 1970s in the British Saloon Car Championship, now known as the BTCC. Tin-top legend Andy Rouse explains how it became such a force
