In Race 1 at Snetterton

Jason Plato won the first of today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk.

Plato led every lap for his fifth win of the season but only after his Chevrolet Cruze and arch rival Matt Neal's Honda Civic had controversially collided at the first corner.

Neal’s car was sent into a wild spin and he finished outside of the points. As a result, Plato has taken 18 points out of championship leader Neal – although he’s still back in fourth in the table he’s now only 22 behind.

Plato, who also set the race’s fastest lap, said: “I think Matt was probably being a bit too brave. He was out on the grass trying to get back on the track but, I’m sorry, that’s my bit of track. It means I’ll start from pole position for race two but of course the car will take on maximum ballast so let’s see…”

Neal retorted: “I’d had a great start and I don’t know if Jason knew just how quickly I was coming up around the outside of him. It was pretty scary – we’re doing 120mph there and going backwards down the straight with cars coming at you… maybe it was a bit of a cheeky move on Jason’s part. I’d like to hear his take on it but he hasn’t been round here yet…”

Finishing second and third were Plato’s team-mate Alex MacDowall – his result cementing a dream 1-2 result for the Silverline Chevrolet team – and Honda’s Gordon Shedden.

But the biggest cheer in the pit lane came from the Dynojet team as it celebrated by far its best result to date, driver Frank Wrathall crossing the line in fourth in his Toyota Avensis – the first top-ten finish for a car built to the BTCC’s latest Next Generation Touring Car regulations. Wrathall was also the first independent runner home.

"It's been an incredible journey since we first rolled the car out at Brands Hatch back at the start of April," said Preston racer Wrathall. "It’s impossible to get over to people just how much work has been put in. I feel a bit dizzy to be honest."

James Nash (888/Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra) and Mat Jackson (Airwaves Ford Focus), up from 13th on the grid, completed the top six. Jackson, second in the standings, just held off Paul O’Neill’s GoMobileUK.com with tech-speed Chevrolet – as a result he has moved to within four points of Neal at the top of table. Shedden remains third, a further six adrift.

Meanwhile Neal was not the only title protagonist to suffer a setback in the race – Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Vectra) finished 12th and outside of the points after running off the track on the opening lap. Another of the fancied runners, Robert Collard, was way back in 23rd after pitting on the opening lap for repairs to his damaged WSR BMW…

Tom Onslow-Cole took eighth but only after Aon team-mate Tom Chilton’s Ford Focus slumped from fifth to ninth on the last lap with an electrical problem. Dave Newsham took tenth but there was disappointment for team-mate Tom Boardman – starting from the back row of the grid he’d been hoping to fight through the order but his SEAT Leon slowed and stopped early on.

On their BTCC debuts, Martin Byford and Daniel Welch finished 14th and 22nd. Byford’s best lap in the AmD Milltek Racing.com VW Golf was quicker than several of those ahead of him. Welch had run as high as 15th in Welch Motorsport’s new Proton Gen-2 until the car cruelly slowed with a lap to go and fell down the order…

Nash's team-mate Tony Gilham retired from the race with suspension damage on his Vectra. Lea Wood never even made the start, his Central Group Racing Honda Integra having lost a wheel on the way to the grid.

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