Jason Plato leads MG 1-2 in damp first Donington race

Jason Plato led home Sam Tordoff for a Triple Eight MG one-two in a damp first race at Donington Park, after an action-packed encounter where several drivers made spectacular forward progress.

Plato made a perfect start from pole to lead from Tordoff, who took second from the fast-starting West Surrey Racing BMW 125i of Colin Turkington down the Craner Curves on the first lap.

The pair then set about gapping the field, with all the action taking place behind them.

Championship leader Andrew Jordan had a fine run to third from seventh on the grid, after passing Aron Smith, Gordon Shedden and Turkington at Redgate in the space of four laps.

A charging Rob Collard was fourth from 13th on the grid in the second of the West Surrey Racing BMWs, passing nine cars in the first eight laps, with Turkington just holding off Shedden for fifth behind him.

Fabrizio Giovanardi, Matt Neal, Smith and Tom Ingram completed the top 10, heading home a furious race-long midfield dice involving a long train of cars.

Alain Menu was 13th in the Team BMR Volkswagen CC after a bad start from sixth on the grid, just behind the AmD Tuning Ford Focus of Dave Newsham.

It was a race which could have delivered an even better result for Newsham, who dropped to the tail of the field after contact with Adam Morgan’s Mercedes A-Class at the bottom of the Craner Curves on lap one. He had a further clash with Morgan at the final chicane on his way back to 12th, running at the leaders’ pace for much of the race.

United Autosports’ Glynn Geddie had also looked good for a maiden top 10 finish after battling through from 21st on the grid, but he fell to 17th in his Toyota Avensis in the final stages.

Only two of the 31-car field failed to finish, with Hunter Abbott’s Audi A4 and Warren Scott’s Vauxhall Insignia making contact at the Old Hairpin on lap one, and ending their races in the gravel.

Abbott’s team-mate Rob Austin set the fastest lap, albeit a lap down, after an early pitstop for slick tyres.