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BTCC 2012 Index

Plato on pole amidst controversial Neal clash

BTCC News | Sat 17th September 2011

Jason Plato claimed pole position at Rockingham this afternoon, but it was his clash with Matt Neal – both on and off-track – that was the biggest talking point of the session, with both drivers being handed penalties by the stewards.

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By Matt Lamprell

This morning’s two free practice session were both topped by NGTC drivers, with Frank Wrathall and then Rob Austin setting the early pace. The NGTC runners topped the practice times despite carrying an extra 20kg of ballast and running with boost reduced by 0.05 bar this weekend.

A rain shower ahead of qualifying meant there was variation in tyre strategies as the session got underway, but it soon became clear that slicks all round was the way to go.

Matt Neal was the first driver to set a quick time, but was soon toppled by Tom Onslow-Cole and then Gordon Shedden. Frank Wrathall was next to go top, before Plato’s first competitive lap put him onto provisional pole.

There was still plenty of time for further changes late in the session, with Shedden and Paul O’Neill both hitting the top of the times as the track continued to get quicker.

Jason Plato went back to the top with his time of 1:23.745, just before the red flags came out when Liam Griffin went off after the Tarzan hairpin.

That left three and a half minutes of the session to run, which in turn led to a scramble to get out of the pitlane when the session restarted. It was this last-minute dash to set a quick time that triggered the clash between Neal and Plato. The pair were together on track, with Plato just ahead. Their cars touched as they jostled for track position – with Neal returning to the pits with front-end damage without completing another lap.

There were no further improvements at the top of the times and the session appeared to have fizzled out, until Plato pitted and found Neal waiting for him. The Honda driver confronted Plato as he exited his Chevrolet and the pair had to be separated by team members.

The ruckus was captured by ITV’s cameras, which were broadcasting live in ITV.com at the time. Plato and Neal were both summoned to the stewards to explain what had happened both on and off the track. They were subsequently penalised with £1000 fines and three points on each of their racing licences, as well as a six-place grid penalty, suspended for the rest of the season.

Plato starts Sunday’s first race from pole position, with an impressive performance from GoMobileUK.com with Tech-Speed driver putting him second and making it an all-Chevrolet front row. Rob Austin starts third, in the first of the NGTC-spec machines, with Neal fourth and James Nash fifth. Shedden starts sixth, ahead of Wrathall, Jordan, Jackson and Byford.

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