DUNLOP MSA BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

OXFORD’S Jason Plato lost ground in the title race after an eventful round five at Croft included him being penalised ten places for a crash.

Plato finished third in race one after qualifying in second place, but that was as good as it got for the MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save driver and two-time former champion.

In race two, he received a ten-place grid penalty and was deducted three points following contact with Alain Menu’s VW CC.

The Swiss star looked to have overtaken Plato on the inside at Clervaux, but as the Oxford man turned in to take his line, he made contact with the VW alongside him.

Menu was fired out of the race, with Plato finishing sixth, but the grid penalty meant he could only come tenth in the final race.

Plato tweeted: “To put the record straight, I apologised to @AlainMenu_ and told the stewards that I misjudged the undercut. My mistake, hands up.”

Championship leader Colin Turkington (ebay Motors), who won twice at Croft, now leads fourth-placed Plato by 49 points, with round six to follow at Snetterton on August 2 and 3.

STANDINGS

1 C Turkington 228pts, 2 G Shedden 221, 3 A Jordan 200, 4 J Plato 179, 5 R Collard 170.

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