as local champion Matt Neal passes 500 race milestone

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship arrives in the East Midlands this weekend (20/21 April) with the UKs top race series making its annual visit to the picturesque Donington Park circuit.The historic venue recently marked 20 years since the late Ayrton Senna produced one of the most memorable performances in Grand Prix racing when winning the European GP at the venue in 1993. The BTCC also raced at Donington on that famous weekend and now its time for Britains latest crop of tin-top stars to do battle in what are sure to be three fiercely fought showdowns in front of the live ITV cameras.And battle they shall as a huge gridincluding four championswill take to the 1.96-mile circuit on Sunday afternoon in front of a bumper crowd, as fans from nearby Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and beyond descend on Donington Park.Season so far: Jason Plato leads after season openerThe man they are all chasing this weekend is MGs Jason Plato who enjoyed a stellar opening event of the season at Brands Hatch last month. The double BTCC champion won the opening two races despite being pushed all the way by the Honda Civic of 23-year-old Andrew Jordan. In fact, the pair had a lively clash on the final lap of the opening contest as a closing Jordan made one final attempt to claim victory. The rather optimistic move ended in contact and high drama with both cars sliding off the track, but incredibly both scrabbled their way back onto the circuit and Plato hung on to win.The champion Honda Yuasa Racing squad then claimed a fantastic one-two in race three to end its own challenging weekend on a high. It was Matt Neal that secured the victory by just 0.083swith team-mate and reigning BTCC Champion Gordon Shedden having charged through the field from the back of the grid to claim second. Sam Tordoff rounded off an impressive day by scoring his maiden BTCC podium for the MG KX Momentum team, which along with Platos substantial points haul means the squad leads the current Manufacturers standings.Plato also leads the Drivers standings and has his own milestone to celebrate this weekend as he contests his 400th BTCC race. Plato has an incredible affiliation with the Leicestershire circuit having made his BTCC debut at Donington back in 1997. He took an eye-catching pole position back then and has since gone on to claim an unrivalled 76 race victories.Jordan and Tordoff are second and third respectively in the current 2013 standings, ahead of Jordans Pirtek Racing team-mate Jeff Smith. Neal rounds out the top five in the championship.The return of 2009 champion Colin Turkington arguably created the biggest interest of pre-seasonmaking it four champions on the 2013 grid alongside Shedden, Neal and Platoand the introduction of eBay Motors' new BMW 125i M Sport added even more excitement. The car showed great promise on its debut weekend at Brands, but now Turkington and his stable mates Rob Collard and Nick Foster will expect to be running at the sharp end this weekend.Fans attending Donington Park will be treated to one of the most diverse and talented grids in motor sport with some 11 marques and 13 models represented in Britains biggest and best motor sport series.Talking point: Matt Neal to reach 500 race milestone Three-time champion Matt Neal will be celebrating a huge milestone this weekend. Already the most experienced BTCC driver of all-time, Neal will be contesting his 500th race in the series this weekend.The Honda Yuasa Racing driver is also just one victory away from a half century of BTCC wins with Donington Park the scene of his first back in 1999. That victory secured Neal an unprecedented 250,000 in prize money, as it was the first win from a Privateer team in the modern BTCC era, and was arguably the launch pad for the hugely successful career that followed. Neal claimed his 49th BTCC win last time out at Brands Hatch.Its my home circuit and its where I got my first win so Im looking forward to it, said Neal. I stopped counting the number of races Id competed in a while ago! Hearing that itll be my 500th race at Donington means its going to be a special moment for me and I hope we can get some good results.Local heroes: Drivers and teams target home wins The record breaking Matt Neal from Droitwich Spa is just one of many local drivers gunning for home success at Donington Park on Sundayother notables include Staffordshires Andrew Jordan (Honda Civic), Warwickshires Mat Jackson (Ford Focus) and Worcestershires Rob Austin (Audi A4).Lichfield driver Jordan is considered a serious title contender in 2013 and kicked off his season in fine style with pole position plus two second places and a top six finish at Brands Hatch.Pershores Austin and Henley-in-Ardens Jackson will also be gunning for glory this weekend. Jackson won at Donington last year and hell be hoping his Airwaves Focus is back on the pace after a tough opening event of 2013, whilst Austin is fortunate just to be making the grid. A fantastic podium in race one at Brands Hatch was followed by a huge shunt in the final contest, and his WIX Racing team has worked tirelessly ever since in order to repair the car in time for Donington Park.This weekend is also a home event for three Toyota teams, Ciceley Racing, Dynojet and Speedworks Motorsportall are racing Toyota Avensis models, which began their lives just 10-miles away at Toyotas manufacturing plant in Burnaston.Ciceley Racing were among the pacesetters in pre-season testing at Donington and driver Adam Morgan scored a career-best fourth place at Brands.Frank Wrathall also showed why he could be a contender in his Dynojet Avensis after two drives through the field to finish sixth and eighth in the opening and final races respectively. Speedworks will be hoping for a better weekend, however, after a frustrating time in Kent.Timetable and TicketsThree BTCC races will take place on Sunday, with the entire race day being broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 from 10:45.In addition to the BTCC, therell be a further 12 races on the support bill. The Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britainthe series that launched the careers of a host of top drivers including Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button, represents single-seater racing. Sportscar racing fans will get their fix with races from the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Ginetta Junior Championship. The Renault UK Clio Cupoften seen as a stepping-stone to reaching the BTCCwill also be on the huge bill of British racing.Advance bookings are available until Wednesday 17 April at 5pm. Adult tickets are priced at 10 (Saturday ONLY), 25 (Sunday ONLY) or 30 (Full Weekend). Children 13 and under go free if accompanied by a paying adult. Those aged 14 and over and in full time education must show either senior school ID or NUS card to get a 10 Saturday ticket or 15 Sunday ticket on the day. Concession tickets will be applicable on Sunday only, 5 off the on the day race day prices. All admission includes access to Sundays lunchtime autograph session with the BTCC drivers in the pit lane as well as free parking. See donington-park.co.uk for full details.