Jason Plato dominates first Snetterton race
Triple Eight’s Jason Plato led from lights to flag in an action-packed first race at Snetterton, comfortably holding off championship leader Colin Turkington to take his second win of the season.
In a race full of battles, Plato’s fears about the start proved unfounded, as he comfortably outdragged West Surrey Racing’s Turkington off the line, and gradually pulled away.
Although the gap had shrunk to under two seconds at the flag, thanks in part to an errant Dave Newsham appearing unwilling to be lapped, the former double champion never looked in trouble.
Plato was more than 14 seconds clear of Honda Racing’s Matt Neal, who took the final spot on the podium after holding off the impressive Adam Morgan, taking the best result yet for the new Ciceley Racing Mercedes A-Class.
Alain Menu equalled his best result of the year in fifth, leading home Team BMR team-mate Aron Smith, with Gordon Shedden finishing seventh from 12th on the grid, Mat Jackson eighth, Rob Collard ninth from 19th on the grid, and Jack Goff rounding out the top 10.
After starting from the pitlane to avoid the inevitable melee at the start, Eurotech Racing’s Andrew Jordan fell just short of the points, finishing 16th behind Rotek Racing’s Robb Holland.
The start saw Menu jump to third, and Tom Ingram rise to fourth, while Plato’s team-mate Sam Tordoff ran wide at Riches, and Nick Foster and Newsham clashed mid-pack. All three pitted, with Tordoff retiring, and both Foster and Newsham eventually rejoining.
Marc Hynes had a huge spin at Nelson, possibly after contact from Goff, before Neal divebombed Ingram at Montreal on lap two to take fourth.
A big queue was forming behind Menu, which helped Smith pass Ingram at Nelson on lap four, before Morgan followed him by on the exit.
Later round the lap, Neal passed Menu at Murrays, before the Swiss clashed with team-mate Smith along the pit straight. This allowed Morgan to close, and he passed both in a wonderful opportunist move at Montreal.
Further down the pack, United Autosports’ Glynn Geddie spun after contact with Rob Austin on lap seven, while fighting over 11th. And the drama continued to the very last lap when Ingram, who was still well inside the top 10, lost a wheel and retired.
The wheel departed the car at some speed, but fortunately failed to make it over the crash barrier.
Fabrizio Giovanardi was the biggest mover, coming from the back of the grid to 13th on soft tyres in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus. He was just behind Team BMR’s Warren Scott, who took a career-best 12th in the Volkswagen CC.
