Plato and Muller square up again

After Muller and Plato controversially collided on the final lap at Silverstone a fortnight ago, Plato was handed a 30-second penalty for his part in the incident. Plato is incensed by his punishment, however, and can be expected to give no quarter this weekend.

Muller, now just five points behind Plato thanks to the Englishman's penalty, is quick to point out that the Donington Park Grand Prix layout does not suit his left-foot braking driving style, however. Three heavy braking points in the Melbourne loop work the pads hard, and this will be the first weekend that Vauxhall have carried their permanent 30kg success ballast at the track. Brake problems were a real concern when the team had just 60kg of extra weight on their car, and 90kg will be a real nightmare, particularly for Muller.

"It's a hard braking circuit. I start to think too much about saving my brakes and, as a result, lose some performance," said Muller. "I'm going to need an especially good balanced set-up on my Astra Coupe to compensate."

Plato will, as ever, be keen to capitalise on Muller's weaknesses: "Yvan is harder on the brakes than I am, so I'm hoping that will work in my favour," he said. "I'll also be working on my qualifying, though. I didn't qualify that well last time and, although I raced well, it's an area I need to improve on."

Don't count out the Egg Sport Vauxhall Astra Coupes of James Thompson and Phil Bennett, though. Thompson won last time out here, while Bennett now has the worry of attempting to lose his BTCC 'virginity' behind him, following his Sprint race win at Silverstone. Both will be in the thick of the battle with their works Vauxhall rivals.

Vauxhall can also expect plenty of competition. Works Peugeot pair Steve Soper and Dan Eaves will be keen to exploit the last circuit of the year on which the long-wheelbase 406 Coupe should excel, while the works MG ZSs of Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes proved that they are near the pace of the front-running cars on their debut at Silverstone.

Privateer Lexus IS200 team Total Motorsport Racing should also be on the boil with driver Thomas Erdos, now that the logistical problems of moving base have been sorted, while the JS Motorsports Alfa Romeo 147s of Tim Harvey and Tom Ferrier have continued to improve throughout the year.

If that was not enough, there is plenty to play for in the Production class, too. HTML Peugeot 306 pair Simon Harrison and Roger Moen currently sandwich the Barwell Sport Honda Accord of James Kaye, with a narrow 18 point spread ensuring that all three still have a very realistic chance of the title.