Race report: BTCC Rounds 1,2,3

04th April 2011

The 2011 Dunlop British Touring Car Championship finally got the green light on April 2nd - with racing at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent.

And after a spectacular weekend’s racing, it was long-time rivals Jason Plato and Matt Neal who shared wins.

It will be a weekend to remember for Plato in particular, who won two races in his Chevrolet Cruze and smashed Andy Rouse’s record of 60 BTCC wins.

The 43-year-old promptly took advantage of Neal’s spin in race one to take victory, surpassing Rouse’s achievement in the process.

Youngster James Nash took a best-ever second place in his Vauxhall Vectra, and AON’s Tom Chilton came third in the Ford Focus.

Plato then went one better and won race two despite a maximum ballast of 45kg. Neal’s Honda team-mate Gordon Shedden finished in second place, ahead of Mat Jackson in the Airwaves Ford Focus.

Neal took advantage of pole qualification in race three to register a first win for the newly turbocharged Honda Civic. Jackson this time managed an impressive second, with Paul O’Neill finishing behind him in his independent Cruze.

The result leaves Plato eight points clear of his competitors in the Drivers Championship, while Jackson and Nash occupy second and third spots respectively.