Photo: PSP Images

Jason Plato takes pole position at Snetterton

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Jason Plato has taken pole position for Round 16 of the 2011 British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton, qualifying in his Chevrolet Cruze 0.025 seconds ahead of Honda’s Gordon Shedden.

Jason Plato’s pole securing lap came just three minutes from the end of the 30 minute session, with the Hondas of Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal unable to respond.

Shedden had held provisional pole throughout most of the session after his first flying lap of 1:58.716. Championship leader Neal will start fourth, behind the second Chevrolet Cruze of Alex MacDowall.

MacDowall had shown great pace, but a fuel leak in the pits caused a fire which saw the 20-year-old miss the last half of the session.

Frank Wrathall secured the best qualifying position of the year for a Next Generation Touring Car, qualifying in seventh place in the Toyota Avensis. Wrathall’s time matched that exactly of Tom Chilton’s Ford Focus, though Chilton will start ahead of Wrathall on account of having set the time first. The gap was just 0.393s down on Plato’s pole position lap.

Tom Boardman’s STR SEAT León stopped on the Bentley Straight at the beginning of the session before he was able to set a time, and so will start 26th for the first race.

Dan Welch qualified in 20th place in the new Proton Gen-2, with the car so far showing to be reliable and consistent, just over two-seconds down on the pole time.

The top qualifying independent driver is Triple Eight’s James Nash in fifth place, with independents’ points leader Mat Jackson down in 13th in the 36kg ballasted Ford Focus ST.

Round 16 of the championship takes place tomorrow at 12:10 BST.