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Plato wins first race at Silverstone

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Jason Plato took another ten important points on championship rival Fabrizio Giovanardi thanks to the win in the first British Touring Car Championship race at Silverstone today.
“I’m pleased with that. It was a shame the Safety Car came out as I had pushed hard on the opening laps and built up a decent lead. Mat was a bit quick towards the end but I was driving carefully and always just about in control. I’ve now got to keep taking points out of Fabrizio in the next two races,” said Plato to BTCC.net.

Mat Jackson took a strong second place, only half a second behind Plato. Rain started to fall just ahead of the race, making the decisions hard for the teams. Jackson made most of the tricky conditions and charged through the field from 14th on the grid.

“It’s a fantastic result! After qualifying so far back, we were praying for rain. The car was awesome in the conditions and sometimes things just fall your way. I’d like to have won but the most important thing for me is to keep finishing in front of Colin,” said Jackson.

Plato’s team mate Darren Turner took the third and final podium finish, taking the 100th BTCC podium finish since their entry in 2004.

Colin Turkington finished fourth ahead of championship leader Fabrizio Giovanardi who rounded off top five.