JASON Plato’s hopes of securing his third Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title went up in tyre smoke when a puncture wrecked his chances.
The 2010 champion had arrived at Silverstone as one of five drivers in with a chance of taking the crown on Sunday afternoon, but was always going to be the underdog on the fast Northants power circuit compared to his turbocharged rivals.
With the Honda Racing Team Civics of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden on good form during qualifying, the Tyneside-educated Silverline Chevrolet driver had all but written off his chances as he lined up seventh on the grid for Sunday morning’s first race.
With sunny skies and a dry track, the weather had played perfectly into the hands of the Honda pair as they headed off at the front at the green light, while Plato faced a steep climb up to the front.
On lap 11 it all went wrong as his Chevrolet Cruze picked up a puncture, forcing him to retire from the race and leaving him languishing way down towards the back of the grid in 25th spot for race two.
At this point he still had the smallest mathematical chance of taking the title, but he knew it was going to be almost impossible with both Hondas starting from the front.
As the race got underway two hours later, the fans’ favourite produced one of the best drives of his career, searing through pack and climbing a staggering 18 places to finally cross the line seventh.
However, it was not enough. With Shedden leading Neal to the flag in another Honda one-two, Plato’s hopes evaporated and he was forced to admit defeat.
Ironically for the 2001 and 2010 champ, he saved his best for last and finished second in the final race of the day, but by then it was too late.
Plato said: “We had bad luck, but that is racing, and we always knew Silverstone would be difficult as it is impossible to overtake the turbocharged cars on fast circuits.
“We know we have a great car and Silverline Chevrolet/RML are the best team in the business.
“We gave it our best and we took it to the final meeting – a lot of people were not expecting that.”
Neal, meanwhile, was delighted to land his third BTCC Championship, making him the first driver since Andy Rouse in early 1980s to walk away with the title three times.
ZOE BURN
