22-10-2012, 06:59 PM
The rain came down at Brands Hatch as the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) drew to a close, with the weather dampening Jason Plato and the MG KX Momentum Racing team's championship charge. To win the championship in the team's first season back in the premier 4-wheeled motorsport series was always going to be a tough challenge and the team put in a huge effort to take the fight all the way to the wire.
Race one of the day saw the drizzle fall over the Brands Hatch circuit, as the BTCC field formed up for the first of the final three races of the 2012 season. The three championship contenders were line a-stern on the grid in 3rd, 5th and 7th with Jason sandwiched between his two Honda rivals. The race got underway and through the first few hectic laps it became apparent that the MG6 was lacking some pace in the wet conditions and was suffering with understeer. Jason battled away valiantly and brought the car home in 8th position. Andy Neate drove a solid race from the back of the grid to come home in 13th to add to his championship tally.
Despite predictions for clearer skies in the afternoon, the weather had worsened if anything for race two. The Triple Eight team had worked hard to improve the handling of the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 though and Jason gave it his all from eighth on the grid and moved forwards to chase the Honda's down, despite moving through to 5th it wasn't to be for JP as Gordon Shedden finished 2nd in the race to gain sufficient points to secure his maiden BTCC title for Honda. Andy came home in 12th position to score more points, having been involved in a number of close battles.
Race Three of the day continued in a similar vein to the rest of the day both on-track and with the weather; more heavy rain. The reverse grid of race three put Jason in P3 on the grid, however the car continued to struggle in the damp conditions and Jason battled hard to come home in 8th and secure 3rd place in the championship; a remarkable achievement for MG's first season back in the BTCC. Andy's season ended on a low as technical issues forced him into the pits on the first lap of the race, which the team were unable to fix.
Jason Plato (#99), BTCC Standings 3rd - 376 points:
"Naturally I'm disappointed, I came here to win the championship and it hasn't happened. But we gave it a good go this year and ran the Honda's close, which is an incredible achievement considering the late start we had to the season with this project. I'm very proud of every pole, podium and win we have had this season and we couldn't have done it without the fantastic support of all of our partners and the superb Triple Eight team."
Andy Neate (#44), BTCC Standings: 16th - 79 points:
"A tough end to a tough season, it has been character building. I managed to score some points in the first two races and the car was improving throughout the day and so to not get to fight it out in the final race of the season is a little disappointing, but that is motor racing."
Ian Harrison, Team Principal, BTCC Standings:
Teams - 5th - 446 points, Manufacturers - 2nd 722 - points:
"As I sit here now I'm very disappointed. But looking back we've won six races and had five poles so a great season, we've just come up a little short at the very end. All the guys in the team have worked so hard in this first year of the MG KX Momentum team to give us a shout of winning the championship today, it hasn't quite happened but I'm very proud of what we have achieved and look forward to rectifying the situation in 2013."
Race one of the day saw the drizzle fall over the Brands Hatch circuit, as the BTCC field formed up for the first of the final three races of the 2012 season. The three championship contenders were line a-stern on the grid in 3rd, 5th and 7th with Jason sandwiched between his two Honda rivals. The race got underway and through the first few hectic laps it became apparent that the MG6 was lacking some pace in the wet conditions and was suffering with understeer. Jason battled away valiantly and brought the car home in 8th position. Andy Neate drove a solid race from the back of the grid to come home in 13th to add to his championship tally.
Despite predictions for clearer skies in the afternoon, the weather had worsened if anything for race two. The Triple Eight team had worked hard to improve the handling of the MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 though and Jason gave it his all from eighth on the grid and moved forwards to chase the Honda's down, despite moving through to 5th it wasn't to be for JP as Gordon Shedden finished 2nd in the race to gain sufficient points to secure his maiden BTCC title for Honda. Andy came home in 12th position to score more points, having been involved in a number of close battles.
Race Three of the day continued in a similar vein to the rest of the day both on-track and with the weather; more heavy rain. The reverse grid of race three put Jason in P3 on the grid, however the car continued to struggle in the damp conditions and Jason battled hard to come home in 8th and secure 3rd place in the championship; a remarkable achievement for MG's first season back in the BTCC. Andy's season ended on a low as technical issues forced him into the pits on the first lap of the race, which the team were unable to fix.
Jason Plato (#99), BTCC Standings 3rd - 376 points:
"Naturally I'm disappointed, I came here to win the championship and it hasn't happened. But we gave it a good go this year and ran the Honda's close, which is an incredible achievement considering the late start we had to the season with this project. I'm very proud of every pole, podium and win we have had this season and we couldn't have done it without the fantastic support of all of our partners and the superb Triple Eight team."
Andy Neate (#44), BTCC Standings: 16th - 79 points:
"A tough end to a tough season, it has been character building. I managed to score some points in the first two races and the car was improving throughout the day and so to not get to fight it out in the final race of the season is a little disappointing, but that is motor racing."
Ian Harrison, Team Principal, BTCC Standings:
Teams - 5th - 446 points, Manufacturers - 2nd 722 - points:
"As I sit here now I'm very disappointed. But looking back we've won six races and had five poles so a great season, we've just come up a little short at the very end. All the guys in the team have worked so hard in this first year of the MG KX Momentum team to give us a shout of winning the championship today, it hasn't quite happened but I'm very proud of what we have achieved and look forward to rectifying the situation in 2013."