Plato and Neal punished for fracas at the track

Jason Plato and Matt Neal have both been punished by the stewards after a heated altercation at Rockingham in today’s qualifying session.

After the red flag period near the end of qualifying, Jason Plato overtook Matt Neal’s Honda Civic on the track in order to gain track position for the first flying lap. On that lap, Plato then slowed, reportedly to gain track position for a second flying lap as he was closing in on Tony Gilham’s BMW.

With Plato unexpectedly slowing at the first corner, Matt Neal made contact with the rear of Plato’s Chevrolet Cruze, subsequently pitting at the end of the lap whilst Plato, already with pole position before the red flag, continued on for another flyer but was unable to improve his lap time.

After the session, the two almost came to blows in the pit lane, with the two gesturing to one another, with their team members holding them back.

After a long deliberation, the stewards have decided to hand both drivers a £1,000 fine as well as a three point endorsement on their competition licences for the incident, placing the blame at both drivers. The stewards have further recommended that both drivers be served with a six-place drop on the grid, suspended for the remaining rounds of the 2011 season.