Dan Rowbottom: “We’ve made a little bit of history”

Dan Rowbottom has shared his delight after claiming a historic first British Touring Car Championship Qualifying Race win on the debut weekend for Plato Racing.

Having secured a second row start in his Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon during qualifying, Rowbottom was wheel-perfect to secure maiden win for the team and pole position for the first of Sunday’s three races.

The multiple race winner finished second on the road however a time penalty for on-the-road winner Tom Ingram ensured that Rowbottom capped off a day to remember for the series’ newest team.

“We’ve made a little bit of history,” he said. “We’ve put the car on pole for tomorrow for Cataclean Plato Racing and it obviously feels fantastic. We still have to do a lot of work, but we made the best of it.

“We didn’t have the pace of [Tom] Ingram if I’m honest, but he had that five second penalty, so all I had to do was manage the gap.

“It’s been a long winter but this is an incredible moment for Cataclean Plato Racing… let’s try and make it happen tomorrow.”