Knockhill: Plato edges it

Jason Plato has qualified on pole position for the first of tomorrow’s (Sunday) three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Knockhill circuit in Scotland.

On his final lap on a drying track, Plato moved to the front of the grid with a pole position time of 57.467s in his SEAT Leon. It is Plato’s third pole of 2006 and earns him a bonus point.

Joining him on the front row of the grid tomorrow will be SEAT team-mate Darren Turner who set a time of 57.607s with his last lap of the session.

Vauxhall’s Fabrizio Giovanardi and Team Halfords Honda driver Gordon Shedden – the home hero in Scotland – were third and fourth.

Team Halfords’ Matt Neal and Team RAC MG driver Colin Turkington, the two championship leaders, will start alongside each other from fifth and sixth positions.

Drivers to hit problems in the session included Adam Jones whose Xero Competition Lexus stopped at the side of the side of the circuit on its out lap, and Richard Marsh who failed to participate following engine problems with his Team Farecla Peugeot.

Mike Jordan recovered to twelfth in the final four minutes having had all his times disallowed for failing to restart his Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest Honda as it left a mandatory weigh bridge check.