Continuing the form that saw SEAT take five wins from six starts at
Brands Hatch last season,
Jason Plato claimed victory in the opening race of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season.
Plato made the best start when the lights went green to get the jump on pole-sitter
Colin Turkington and controlled the race from the front, surviving two Safety Car periods to come home just over a second clear of the Team RAC man on his first race with the
BMW E90.
Mat Jackson took a fine third place finish, although it remains to be seen whether the SEAT Cupra champion will keep the place, with the Whale Tankers backed car having been shown the black and orange flag in the closing stages due to a smoking tyre.
With 25 cars taking the start – Eoin Murray having been forced out of action by a qualifying accident – action was expected from the start, and the field didn’t disappoint. Going into Paddock Hill bend, Darren Turner made contact with the Vectra of Fabrizio Giovanardi to put the Italian sideways with Jackson making a stunning start to go round the outside of the duelling duo into third behind Plato and Turkington. Turner would soon be hit by a Vectra himself however, as he was pushed wide by Tom Chilton on Graham Hill Bend.
By then however, the Safety Car was already heading out onto the track for the first time, with both Kartworld MGs forced into retirement. With Gareth Howell slow away from the grid, Fiona Leggate, on her debut with the team, found that three into one wouldn’t go as the field streamed past the Motorbase Toledo, with Ekrut in the Arkas Racing Astra forcing her towards the grass before she spun into the wall. Team-mate Jason Hughes didn’t fare much better as he went straight on at Druids and parked his ZS in the gravel.
