Jason Plato penalised for Colin Turkington clash

Jason Plato will start the final race of the BTCC season from the back of the grid, after he was penalised for the incident which put Colin Turkington out of race two.

Triple Eight’s Plato was challenging West Surrey Racing’s Turkington for the lead on lap five when the two made contact at Paddock Hill, causing Turkington to be beached in the gravel.

The stewards gave Plato a 10-place grid penalty for the incident, but as it is his third strike of the season, he has been sent to the back of the grid.

WSR have contested the penalty, meaning a fresh stewards’ hearing will now take place.

Giving his take on the incident to TouringCarTimes, Plato said: “I got a good run on him, and blended out of the throttle before the braking area, not to lunge, but to allow myself to get down the inside.

“He then tightened the line and closed the door late. I went to the right a bit more, and I caught my right front wheel on the grass. I hit a pothole and that skipped the car, and I couldn’t check it up.

“Ultimately, it’s that which caused me to go into Colin. Had that been smooth grass I could have stopped the car. There was an opportunity to pass, and I got caught out by the infamous Jonathan Palmer grass…”

Turkington said: “I think Jason probably will know himself that the move wasn’t on. There wasn’t a gap on the inside. The team have appealed it so we’re waiting to go and hear that now.”

Plato’s penalty now means Motorbase Performance’s Jack Clarke will start the final race of the season on pole.