MG will be a “rocket ship” at Donington, says Plato

Series leader Jason Plato has fired a warning to his championship rivals ahead of Donington Park after predicting his Triple Eight MG will be a “rocket ship” around the Leicestershire track.

Plato took two wins at the opening meeting at Brands Hatch and now heads to a circuit where he has already topped the timesheets this year, at the media day test in March.

Team-mate Sam Tordoff is also looking to build on a very strong opening weekend, taking a podium finish in the third race in his debut meeting for the team.

Plato said: “I am really looking forward to Donington Park. After a great start to the season with two wins, the opposition can expect more of the same this weekend.

“We were very quick in the official test day at the track in March and we used some unconventional set-ups that really worked for us. It has unlocked something else in the car and we have crunched the numbers back at base.

“It’s going to be a rocket ship there. I will be out for pole and wins.”

Tordoff said work carried out behind the scenes will reap rewards when the cars take to the track on Saturday morning.

He said: “I have spent some time with the team after Brands Hatch and we have reflected on the positives from the weekend, and also looked at the areas where I can improve my performance

“There is a lot to learn in the BTCC, and after scoring a podium at the opening meeting, I am going to push to get better and better.

“We’ve looked at the starts and how to get the most from them, and also how to extract the best performance from the new Dunlop soft tyres, which is a new feature for all of us this year. That has put me in a very positive frame of mind ahead of this weekend’s meeting.”

Team principal Ian Harrison said: “We really need to carry on where we left off at Brands Hatch. It is vital that both our drivers see the flag with a strong haul of points from Donington Park.

“Given the pace that is in our car, getting to the end means that they will be near the sharp end. Donington Park is a track that can easily catch drivers out so they need to show it respect and make sure that we are in the hunt all the way through.

“Scoring solid points on a consistent basis is what wins championships, and that’s the attitude we need to adopt. If they can both do that, we will be smiling on Sunday night.”