Jason Plato is the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion after winning the second of today’s final three title-deciding races at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.

Just as in race one, Chevrolet driver Plato led all the way from pole position – and this time it was enough for him to secure a second title having previously won the championship back in 2001.

It was also the 60th race win of Plato’s BTCC career and he has now equalled Andy Rouse’s all-time record of 60 victories in the series.

Matt Neal finished the race in second and is virtually guaranteed to finish as championship runner-up. Third was Robert Collard who set a new lap record in his BMW and also his second independent victory of the day.

Oxford’s Plato said: “The BTCC is one of the very best championships in the world so to win it is a very magical feeling. Everyone in my team, Chevrolet and RML who prepare the car, are the best in the business and also a great family of people so it’s a very joyous experience winning it for them.”

On matching Rouse’s wins record, Plato added: “Sixty wins… it sounds nice, doesn’t it? But not as nice as 61! The pressure’s off now so I can go and have some fun in race three…”

Neal was left in a clear second when Collard, who’d been pressurising him, lost ground with a brief off at Paddock Hill Bend, but there was nothing he could do to close down Plato. The Worcestershire driver, champion in 2005 and 2006, commented: “Hats off to Jason. He’s won it fair and square with the wins and being very cunning on track. But I still believe our Honda team have punched above our weight – Gordon (Shedden) and I have won a third of all the races this season. We’ll be back next year to give Jason an even harder time.”

Finishing the race a fighting fourth was Paul O’Neill in his Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Honda Integra while Tom Chilton’s Team Aon Ford Focus was fifth ahead of Airwaves BMW in sixth.

Chilton’s and Kane’s results could be crucial for they have now closed to within two and six points of Independent Drivers Championship leader Tom Onslow-Cole who suffered his second retirement of the day in the race. All three will therefore go into race three with a chance of finishing the season as the top privateer.

Seventh, just fending off Kane’s team-mate Jackson across the line, was Andrew Jordan in his Pirtek Vauxhall Vectra and he will start race three’s reversed grid from pole position. Furthermore, having lost his tenth place in the outright championship to Plato’s team-mate Alex MacDowall in race one, he has now regained it by two points. And with MacDowall starting race three from 20th on the grid following a retirement in race two, Jordan knows he has a great opportunity to make the place his own.

MacDowall’s retirement followed two pieces of contact. Having got up into second place behind Plato at the start he was rudely knocked off the track at Druids Hairpin in a clash with the challenging Neal. Later, fighting his way back through the order, he went off again in a collision at Paddock Hill Bend with Lea Wood’s Central Group Racing Honda before crawling back to the pit lane with damage to his Chevrolet.

Another driver in the wars was Gordon Shedden who, instead of starting from second on the grid, pitted on the green flag with a broken driveshaft on his Honda. His mechanics fixed it and, although he rejoined the race several laps down, was not classified as a finisher.

There were two more retirements, James Kaye and Martin Depper after their WRC/Barwell Honda Integra and Forster Motorsport BMW barged into one another and ran into a gravel trap on the opening lap.

Race 2/P/ No/ CL/ Driver/ Car/ Laps/ Gap/ Best/ 1 2  Jason Plato Chevrolet Cruze 26 -- 49.029s 2 4  Matt Neal Honda Civic 26 +0.887s 48.988s 3 6 I Robert Collard BMW 320si E90 26 +4.783s 48.898s 4 29 I Paul O'Neill Honda Integra 26 +5.671s 49.104s 5 23 I Tom Chilton Ford Focus ST 26 +8.314s 49.235s 6 11 I Steven Kane BMW 320si E90 26 +9.485s 49.158s 7 77 I Andrew Jordan Vauxhall Vectra 26 +16.022s 49.457s 8 5 I Mat Jackson BMW 320si E90 26 +16.333s 49.451s 9 14 I James Nash Vauxhall Vectra 26 +16.848s 49.342s 10 44 I Andy Neate BMW 320si E90 26 +20.094s 49.408s 11 16 I Sam Tordoff Vauxhall Vectra 26 +20.760s 49.566s 12 12 I Ben Collins BMW 320si E90 26 +21.876s 49.382s 13 22 I Tom Boardman SEAT Leon 26 +22.842s 49.444s 14 28 I John George Honda Integra 26 +36.110s 49.659s 15 43 I Lea Wood Honda Integra 26 +37.391s 49.920s 16 37 I Arthur Forster BMW 320si E90 26 +42.761s 50.067s 17 99 I Shaun Hollamby VW Golf MK5 26 +43.973s 50.202s 18 21  Gordon Shedden Honda Civic 13 +4 Laps 49.174s

Not Classified - 21 I Tom Onslow-Cole Ford Focus ST 13 +13 Laps 49.090s - 20  Alex MacDowall Chevrolet Cruze 9 +17 Laps 49.283s - 30 I Martin Depper BMW 320si E90 5 +21 Laps 50.600s - 46 I James Kaye Honda Integra 0 +26 Laps 

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