BTC Touring Drivers’ Championship leader Jason Plato further increased his lead by snatching double pole and two points in the qualifying session for Rounds 23 and 24 of the www.theAA.com MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Donington Park today. In the Production Class, HTML’s Simon Harrison also extended his lead over Team Kaliber Sport with Barwell’s James Kaye, by taking pole position from Kaye’s team-mate Simon Graves on the last lap.

TOURING CLASS

On one of the most exhilarating circuits of the calendar, Plato immediately set the pace and the fastest time in the first qualifying sector. Team-mate Muller threatened the leader of the pack all the way but only managed to secure third place in the Sprint Race and second place in the Feature Race. The qualifying result promises to deliver bumper to bumper action, as the Vauxhall Motorsport pairing will begin the Feature Race side by side on the rolling start.

Team Egg Sport’s Phil Bennett continued his current good form by qualifying in second position in the Sprint Race and third in the Feature Race, whilst his Yorkshire team-mate, James Thompson, gained a solid fourth position in both races.

Plato said:-

“I am delighted! Last time here at Donington, we just didn’t have the car right. We sat down with the engineer and worked out what would work second time around. Obviously my enthusiasm and determination to take pole helped but it was difficult to get the lap just right. I now have two more points in the Drivers’ Championship, which is a bonus.”

Team Peugeot Sport was highly encouraged by BTCC veteran Steve Soper’s performance as he chased the tails of the Vauxhalls to qualify in a respectable fifth place for both races. The Midlands based team will be hoping to entertain the Derbyshire crowd at the circuit, which is hard on the cars and on brakes.

Soper commented:-

“It’s a fairly average finish for me. Track conditions weren’t 100 % for me today but the car felt smooth. The set-up will be right for tomorrow if the track stays dry. Starting on the inside line will hopefully give me a positive advantage.”

Newcomers MG Sport and Racing were again on the pace on what was only their second BTCC outing. Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes finished in sixth and seventh place respectively, swapping their positions for the Feature Race. It is an encouraging start for Dick Bennett’s racing squad in cars, which are already setting the cat amongst the pigeons mid grid!

JSMotorsport’s Tom Ferrier was just over 1.6 seconds behind P1 in his Alfa Romeo 147 and the team were deservedly delighted with the recent progress made on the car.

PRODUCTION CLASS

HTML’s Simon Harrison spectacularly clenched double pole on the very last lap, with a time of 1:46.939, only 15 hundredths of a second faster than Team Kaliber Sport with Barwell’s Simon Graves. Both drivers successfully beat the current lap record in their fight to get the fastest flying lap.

Harrison has secured himself two valuable points in his Peugeot 306 in the BTC Production Drivers’ Championship and has now extended his lead to 204 points, 19 points ahead of second placed Team Kaliber Sport with Barwell’s James Kaye.

A jubilant Harrison commented:-

“Mission accomplished! We had a plan and it succeeded. We now have to turn our heads to tomorrow and concentrate on winning both races outright.”

The battle for pole position was intense from the off, the main protagonists being Harrison, Graves and team-mate James Kaye. Graves had the advantage with no success ballast, unlike Harrison and Kaye who were carrying 60 kgs but was pipped to the post just as the chequered flag was waved.

With one point in it, Kaye was eager to earn the two vital qualifying points and to widen the gap between himself and HTML’s third placed Roger Moen in the Drivers’ Championship. His mission was not accomplished but he finished a respectable sixth, just in front of his rival who had not been able to get the best out of his tyres on the dry track.

The defensive and daring driving style of Tom Boardman was also on show as he set the pace from the start in his pink Peugeot 306. However, he crossed the line third fastest at the end of the session, a mere 0.3 seconds behind the leading two.

GR Motorsport’s Mat Jackson’s hopes were also set on pole in order to set the team up for a possible Teams’ Championship win this weekend. Unfortunately, the dark horse on the grid managed to reach third fastest half way through qualifying only to slip back to fifth just behind GA Janspeed’s Gavin Pyper.

Unfortunately, the Renault Clio of Rob Collard suffered an engine failure and he has been forced to make an early retirement from the race meeting tomorrow, whilst John B&Q will be starting from the back of the grid, as he was unable to qualify due to a much needed engine change.