Plato takes Knockhill race one
Jason Plato has taken a lights to flag victory in the first race at Knockhill for the BTCC, ahead of local hero Gordon Shedden and team mate Mat Jackson. Championship protagonists Colin Turkington & Fabrizio Giovanardi finished in 4th and 6th to keep their championship challenge on track.
At the start, Jonathan Adam failed to take advantage of being the best placed rear wheel drive BMW by getting bogged down at the start, which allowed Plato and Shedden to hold to their front row positions and for championship leader Colin Turkington to move up to third at the start.
The first half of the race continued quietly, with the Vauxhall’s slowly working their way up from their poor starting positions – and Rob Collard moving his Airwaves BMW up into third ahead of championship leader Colin Turkington in a successful manouvre.
On lap 14, all the action started- as Turkington attempted to repass Collard unsuccessfully and fell off the track (after a slight nudge from Rob’s BMW), rejoining behind championship contender Matt Neal in sixth, losing three places.
Mat Jackson then managed to sneak past Collard on the start-finish line at the beginning of lap 15 to put the second Racing Silverline Chevrolet into third.
Collard, now followed by his team mate Adam, made a mistake at the Carlube corner which rippled through the pack on his tail – causing Matt Neal to take avoiding action to miss Adam, but fell across the corner and speared straight into Collard taking both cars out of the race immediately and forcing a safety car.
When the race resumed, Turkington and Giovanardi were able to pass Adam and moved up into fourth and fifth respectively, as the leading trio of Plato, Shedden & Jackson managed to breakaway.
On the final lap, Giovanardi held on to the tail of the Team RAC BWW of Turkington, but lost momentum because of this in the last corner and allowed the Airwaves BMW of Jonathan Adam to reclaim fifth place in a race which looked like it had far more to offer the Kent based squad.
