Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff shared a win apiece with a pair of one-two finishes for the MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save BTCC Team during last weekend’s second British Touring Car Championship round of the season at Donington Park, Plato now moving into a joint championship lead.
Following a qualifying record-lowering lap on Saturday afternoon, Plato converted pole position into his first victory of 2014, leading home team-mate Tordoff in an MG one-two for his 83rd BTCC triumph.
A second and a sixth in the remaining two races were enough to move Plato into a joint series lead with reigning champion Andrew Jordan heading to Thruxton for the third round of the season, the two-time champion taking huge positives from the weekend held in mixed conditions all Sunday.
Plato said: “It’s been a mega weekend for the team. It’s so pleasing we’ve got a car working in the wet and now we’re confident in all conditions.
“The first race showed we understand the MG in the wet, and it was a nice win.In the second race I got a good start initially but then I just hit the speed limiter button by accident – It was a small mistake and there were some small opportunities to have a go during the race, but at this point in the year there’s no need to take risks.
“The target is we’ve got to score a minimum of 40 points every weekend, and if we do that, we will win. I think we’re in a great position this year, and whoever wins it this year will probably be the champion of champions.”
Plato’s race one triumph was quickly followed by another one-two for MG in the second encounter, but this time it was team-mate Tordoff who got the jump heading into turn one as he picked up only his second BTCC victory to add to the Snetterton spoils from last year.
Tordoff added to his Snetterton 2013 win (Photo: Kingsley Newman)
Tordoff summed up his weekend to The Checkered Flag, saying: “Overall very, very good. We got back up to the front where we needed to be and had a second and a first which are strong results.”
Similarly to team-mate Plato, Tordoff fell rapidly down the order in the final race of the day, and was left bewildered by his drop to 16th by the flag having started sixth on the grid.
“Just a bit disappointed with how race three turned out. It remains to be seen why; very, very strange circumstances as we seemed to struggle right from the start.
“It wasn’t tyre wear as of such, I just never had the car working in the first place. But overall, very good, and we got back in the hunt I think for the championship after dropping more points than we should at Brands Hatch. Whilst I’d have liked to have scored in race three, the points haul we’ve got this weekend is a good haul.”
The Leeds racer turned his attentions to Thruxton on 3/4 May, Tordoff heading to the Hampshire circuit seventh in the championship and 32 behind his team-mate’s points lead, adding: “It’s a bit on-edge and a fast circuit, and last year the Hondas were the cars to beat so, even though the Tourers are a bit of an unknown quantity, I expect them to be right up the sharp end.”
