Jakob Ebrey
OULTON PARK PREVIEW LOOKING AHEAD TO ROUNDS 10, 11 & 12
Heading to one of the most popular circuits on the calendar for both drivers and fans alike, Jason Plato remains the man to beat in the championship standings having bounced back from his high-speed accident in qualifying at Thruxton last time out to take a brace of top four finishes. Despite the lack of testing prior to the season starting, Plato has finished inside the top four in eight of the nine races run so far to emerge as the early points leader and will hope to win at Oulton Park for the third successive Inside BTCC 18
Dzenis/PSP
After a spring break that seems to have gone on for longer than it actually has, the BTCC bursts back into life this weekend with the fourth round of the season at Oulton Park and – if the three previous rounds this year are anything to go by – action and excitement should be guaranteed during the annual trip to Cheshire.
season. In fact, Oulton Park has been a happy hunting ground for the double champion who has won at the circuit seven times in the past; second only to current Chevrolet WTCC star Alain Menu. Plato goes to Oulton Park buoyed by a strong test session for the MG KX Momentum Racing team at Rockingham recently, with the team hoping that Plato’s team-mate Andy Neate will be able to find some kind of
form after a difficult start to the year, where the former Team Aon man has run into more than his fair share of bad luck. Plato’s most recent win at Oulton Park came in dramatic fashion in race two last season, when he was the beneficiary of a last corner clash between Honda teammates Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal. That is something the pair will be keen to avoid this
weekend as they seek to knock Plato off the top of the standings, with the Honda duo currently his closest rivals in the title race. Both have a decent record at Oulton Park with four wins apiece, while Shedden also clinched pole position twelve months ago. The Scot is the form man going into the weekend having won four of the last five races; a run of form that has brought him right back into contention after his difficult start to the year at Brands Hatch. Shedden therefore starts the weekend just four points down on Plato, although his preparations for the event weren’t helped by a troublesome test session at the Pembrey circuit in Wales. Neal meanwhile is hoping for just his second win of the season, with his more consistent campaign thus far meaning his is just ten points behind his team-mate. Mat Jackson, winner of race www.insidebtcc.com