Plenty to cheer about for Plato
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Jason Plato celebrated becoming a father during the week with a stunning one-two-three at Donington Park in the British Touring Car Championship.
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Race one provided a dramatic start to the weekend, when a waved flag had to begin the racing when the lights failed. And two major accidents during the race caused safety-car periods, which played into Plato's hands in the Seat Leon TDi.
The first incident saw John George and Rob Collard collide at the Old Hairpin. While their accident, in which both drivers saw wheels on their cars ripped off, did not directly affect the front-runners, it brought out the safety car and bunched up the field.
Shortly after that re-start, Plato forced his way past Gordon Shedden and nearer the front of the field and the Monaco-based racer moved into the lead not long after another safety-car period.
This time, it was Tom Chilton and Mat Jackson who came to blows. Jackson had started well down the order and was flying through the field when the pair collided down the Craners.
So the safety car was deployed and, as it pulled in, Plato made his move on race leader Tom Onslow-Cole, who briefly stuttered at McLeans, also allowing Matt Neal past in the process.
From there, Plato had a comfortable ride to the flag for victory, with Neal second and Onslow-Cole third.
Afterwards Plato said: "That was the business. This car's getting better and better all the time, the team have done a great job and I always felt like the win was there for the taking, with or without the safety car, although that obviously helped. All in all, it's not been a bad week."
Plato could not quite make it two from two in the second encounter and had to make do with the runners-up spot nearly three seconds behind championship rival Fabrizio Giovanardi.
The Italian enjoyed a superb run in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR and he stormed up from eighth on the grid for a deserved victory.
Plato was a comfortable second as Onslow-Cole took his second podium spot on the weekend. Neal had looked on course for third but crashed out on the final lap of the race.
For Giovanardi, it was a timely return to winning ways, and afterwards he said: "It's always good to be back winning and starting back on the grid and still winning shows the speed of this car. It's just great, fantastic in fact."
A mini-clash cost Giovanardi a chance to extend his championship lead in the final encounter of the afternoon but he still tops the standings on 91 points, with Plato on second with 75.
It proved another cracking race for Plato, who sealed his third podium of the afternoon in third spot.
However, the slightly rain-affected race belonged to Plato's team-mate, Darren Turner, who led from start to finish ahead of Onslow-Cole, who added a second to his earlier thirds.
Shedden had been on pole for the race but slid off in the opening straight and Turner, Onslow-Cole and Plato promptly took their positions for the remaining laps.
The championship resumes at Thruxton for three more races on 18 May.
Click here for race reports from Brands Hatch.
Click here for race reports from Rockingham.
