I had speed in reserve, says pole man Jason Plato

Pole position man Jason Plato is confident of Sunday success at Silverstone, after saying there was a “little bit left in the tank” after this afternoon’s qualifying session.

Plato edged out Triple Eight MG team-mate Sam Tordoff by just 0.009, but caught Lea Wood’s Vauxhall Vectra while on a lap he estimated was more than a tenth faster.

And with the forecast for tomorrow looking fine, the double champion believed his MG6 will be well suited to the super-fast Northamptonshire track.

He said: “When we do things right, in the dry the MG is quick. We just need to get through it without any problems, and then we can have a good performance.

“We have some good data for tomorrow. There is a little bit left in the tank – it wasn’t Lea Wood’s fault because he was on a lap, but I caught him on what would have been a quicker lap.

“It was not much – a tenth and a bit – so I think we are in good shape. Our race pace last year was good.

“It’s another one-two for the team in qualifying, but tomorrow’s a different day, and we have to convert this performance into race winning performances.

“We are not going to have any wet weather, so I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”