SEAT 1-2 at Brands Qualifying

Jason Plato has taken pole position – and with it a valuable point – for the first of tomorrow’s (Sunday) three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. His team mate Darren Turner starts second.

On his final flying lap, Oxford-based Plato set pole position in a time of 49.368 in his SEAT Leon to pip team-mate Darren Turner by 0.007s. It is Plato’s third pole in a row and also the third successive 1-2 in qualifying for the SEAT team.

Qualifying third fastest was Team Halfords Honda driver Matt Neal who tomorrow could become crowned champion for the second successive year.

Colin Turkington, second in the standings to Neal, was fifth fastest in his Team RAC MG.

Turkington trails Neal by 53 points with Plato just two further behind thanks to his point for pole. If Neal maintains that gap in tomorrow’s three races then he will provisionally be champion as a maximum of only 52 points will be available from the season finale at Silverstone on 15 October.