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00:00Championship in association with Seat.
00:03Auto Emotion, Emotion.
00:11Hello, I'm Colin Turkington. Join us on Motors TV for BTCC Live.
00:16British Touring Car Championship in association with Seat.
00:35Welcome back to Thruxton.
00:37The sun is trying to poke its way through this rather overcast sky that we have here.
00:41The temperatures climbed a little bit, I'm glad to say.
00:43It was pretty chilly this morning and a good number of spectators are on the banks here at Thruxton.
00:48It's an airfield circuit. It can be a bit chilly when the wind is whipping across, but not too much wind today.
00:54So hopefully they're not freezing too much out there.
00:56And we've certainly been enjoying some good racing so far.
00:59We've already had one touring car race, of course.
01:01And let me just remind you what the result in that was.
01:03James Thompson took the victory from Matt Neil in second place with Ivan Muller taking third.
01:08And Anthony Reid taking fourth place ahead of Dan Eaves in the privateer Honda.
01:13And then the first of the Seats, that was Rob Huff in sixth position.
01:17Michael Bentwood was seventh and Jason Plato was eighth.
01:20Then we saw Sean Watson-Smith and Tom Chilton rounding out the top ten.
01:24And we know that those ten will be reversed on the grid for race two.
01:29Now we're not too far away from race two getting underway.
01:33We're just waiting for the cars to be prepared in the pit lane.
01:36And then coming out onto the circuit to make their way round to the grid.
01:39There you are. You can see it's an airfield circuit.
01:41There are the aeroplanes just to prove it.
01:43And there's the control tower.
01:45So there we are at Thruxton on just on the A303.
01:49We're not far away from Stonehenge just down the road.
01:51And in fact, Ivan Muller went down the other day to have a look at Stonehenge.
01:54Came back, wasn't too impressed for some reason.
01:56I can't imagine why.
01:57But anyway, we can now have a chance to look back at the highlights of the first race of the day.
02:03So let's look back at that and see what happened.
02:05That little bit of a tight end.
04:54So we could see the Seat as being very competitive this time.
04:58The normal maximum difference we saw last year just on the touring cars was 66 kilos.
05:03Yeah, so that is because, if we just explain that a little bit, as we're looking down the field as they're getting ready to come out onto the circuit, which is nice to see.
05:10I see Ivan Muller there ready to go.
05:12But just to explain that a little bit, it's because the Seat and the Alfa Romeo are built to the European touring car regulations, and their weights are different, aren't they, to the cars built for the British touring car regs?
05:23Yeah, the cars may look very similar, and to a large degree they are, but there are certain differences.
05:28The European cars don't have quite such powerful engines.
05:32There's one of the Alphas.
05:34That's the other contender from a European spec car.
05:36They don't have quite such advanced suspension and brakes.
05:40So in lieu of that, if you like, they're allowed a weight discrepancy.
05:43They're allowed to run lighter.
05:45So their starting weight was lighter, and now with the success balance taken off, they will be even lighter still.
05:51So expect to see some pretty good starts from the Seats.
05:54And remember, Plato will start third on the grid as he dropped back a bit in that first race just to get himself a slightly better starting position.
06:01There is the car of James Thompson, now with 42 kilos of lead weight added.
06:07There's a little box inside the cockpit that they put all the lead weight in, and it makes quite a difference.
06:11And the difference between him and a car that's lost its weight, if it's a standard British touring car, as you said, about 66 kilos.
06:18So that's the weight of a fairly light passenger.
06:21That makes quite a big difference on itself, let alone the difference you then got to the European spec cars.
06:25It's about the weight of you, Ben, and two of me.
06:28Of course, Tim.
06:29Well, I don't know if I...
06:32It'd be quite fun, actually, just to be strapped in as passenger for the race, instead of them having ballast.
06:35Maybe I could just sit alongside and do the commentary from there.
06:37I've often thought we should put the journalists who criticise us so much inside the cars while we're racing.
06:44That would sort them out.
06:44But it is a lot of weight, and it will make an effect both on lap times, tyre wear, and brake wear, all the way through this race.
06:52So Charlie Butler-Henderson you saw there, and Michael Bentwood.
06:55Now, Charlie Butler-Henderson lost out, I'm afraid, on that battle for 10th place, so it means that he'll actually start in 12th position.
07:03That's the difference.
07:04The guy he was dicing with through much of the race, Tom Chilton, starts from pole, and Charlie Butler-Henderson starts from 12th.
07:10But it was quite a good first outing for Charlie.
07:13It was a very good outing.
07:14He raced hard.
07:15He obviously enjoyed his racing.
07:16He wasn't frightened of anybody.
07:17He really did get stuck in.
07:19But the man who did finish 10th and had an equally frenetic race, Tom Chilton, we saw his car being pushed to the front of the grid with an engine problem.
07:26And I found out what that was.
07:27The plenum chamber, which is the carbon fibre airbox at the front of the engine, actually exploded when they fired the engine up.
07:34It had a backfire, and it blew the airbox to pieces.
07:37They very quickly fixed it with tape.
07:40The ubiquitous tank tape fixes everything.
07:42But, of course, it wasn't perfect.
07:44So he had air leaks and a lack of throttle response, which is what put him off the road.
07:48So he actually did very well to get 10.
07:50Well, well done to Tom Chilton.
07:51It's good to hear the story.
07:52And we saw Michael Bentwood a moment ago.
07:54He did a good job.
07:55First outing in the big class, 7th place.
07:58And there, if you just have a quick look there, unfortunately, he's got his back to it.
08:01That's John Button.
08:02Yeah, Jenson Button's father.
08:05They're not far away.
08:06Home is not far away for John.
08:07For him in Somerset, of course.
08:08So this is the local circuit.
08:10And it wasn't that long ago since Jenson Button was racing in British Formula 4 and British Formula 3.
08:15And now look what he's doing.
08:16Fantastic performances in the last two Grand Prix for BAR.
08:20And John, as keen as ever, just talking to a lot of people that he knows here at Thruxton.
08:25Absolutely.
08:26Jenson Button now living in Monaco.
08:28Obviously duplicating his heroes, Jason Plato and Robert Huff, who also list Monaco as their addresses.
08:34Very flashy if you can get it.
08:35They must be paid too much money if they can be tax exiles at such a young age.
08:40There's Tom Chilton's car then, starting from pole position this time.
08:44Hopefully they've solved that problem that you were just talking about.
08:46So his throttle response and engine running should all be back to normal this time.
08:50Well, Tom has an opportunity here to do a BTCC British Touring car first.
08:55He could be the youngest ever winner of a British Touring car race.
08:58That record is currently held by James Thompson.
09:01But Tom Chilton is 19 years old.
09:04If he wins here today, he'll break Tomo's record set in 85 when he was a winner at age 21.
09:10And it's interesting, isn't it, that it was here at Thruxton.
09:12So the mark has already been set in a way that Thruxton's a good place to have your first win.
09:17There's no doubt about it.
09:18As we look further down there, it's Carl Brees once again in that Alfa Romeo.
09:22That was a fairly short race, I'm afraid, for him.
09:24He got spun out at the start and wasn't really able to recover from that.
09:28Colin Turkington was another unlucky recipient of a BIF.
09:32We never really saw from whom in the scramble through the complex.
09:35Michael Bedford, the team, are blaming for that shove-off.
09:38Colin Turkington very fast in the remainder of the race.
09:41We didn't see much on Canberra.
09:42His lap times were very quick.
09:43So he's got some making up to do.
09:46But he blames Michael Bedford for the off on the complex of the first lap.
09:49It gets so tight through there, there's always some inevitable contact, I'm afraid.
09:53There's Charlie Butler Henderson's car, the number 22 machine.
09:56One of the three cars being run by GA Motorsport.
10:00And a teammate, of course, to Carl Brees and to Paul Wallace.
10:04Charlie enjoying his move up the order, I think, to British touring cars.
10:09A lot to learn, of course, and particularly at this circuit,
10:11which is the fastest in the country, the most daunting in many ways,
10:14on which to have your first touring car race.
10:16Well, it really is.
10:18For your first race and the first race of the season,
10:20to come to the fastest track that we visit really is quite a baptism of fire for some of these drivers.
10:25There's quite a lot of new drivers in the field.
10:28Green flag means the pit lane is open for them to go around and form up on the green.
10:32Yes, Tom Chilton leads them away.
10:35Will he become the youngest winner?
10:36I'll tell you what, he's in a great position to do it
10:38because that car is very, very competitive.
10:40They had the problem earlier on.
10:42They've sorted it out.
10:43He had his offs.
10:44But the net result is that he starts from pole and he's in a very fast car.
10:48And you have to say that with Sean Watson-Smith, Jason Plato, Michael Bentwood, Rob Huff, Dan Eves,
10:54as his nearest opposition, he should be away and gone.
10:57Realistically, he has some good blockers behind him.
11:00If he can make a good start and put in some good laps,
11:02he's really got a very, very good chance.
11:04And it will be fantastic to see him win his first race and a great start for the Honda programme.
11:09So let's take a look now then at how the grid lines up for this second race of the day.
11:14And the new system which puts the top ten in reverse order,
11:18it means that Tom Chilton starts from pole position with alongside him South African Sean Watson-Smith.
11:23It's a front row start.
11:24That's the first for a Proton Impian.
11:27Let's see what they can make of it.
11:28So then on to the second row of the grid, we've got Jason Plato on his return to the British Touring Car Series.
11:34He starts on the second row with Seat on their first outing.
11:37Michael Bentwood, the Vauxhall Junior team run by Tech Speed, going well.
11:41He starts from fourth position.
11:43Behind Michael Bentwood, we've got Rob Huff in the second of the Seat.
11:48And Dan Eves still getting used to the car,
11:50a very late entry in the second of the Computeach with Halfords Team Civic Cars.
11:55And he's had to switch from a Peugeot that he was driving last year to the Honda Civic.
11:59So he's got a bit to learn there.
12:00Behind them, watch out because Anthony Reid has got this MG going extremely well.
12:04He's got a little bit of ballast on board, but not very much this time.
12:08Alongside him is Ivan Muller, who we know he's had a few incidents with in the past.
12:12And Muller with some 18 kilos of ballast.
12:14I think he'll be fired up to work his way through to the front during this race.
12:18So they line up seventh and eighth.
12:20Ninth on the grid, Matt Neal, the man who was second in race one.
12:23And then in 10th place with a full 42 kilos of ballast.
12:28So he's got maximum ballast.
12:29He's been pushed back down to 10th place, all for winning race one.
12:33It's James Thompson.
12:34So he really has his work cut out in this second race.
12:37So then behind them, we then get back to the guys who finished 11th and 12th in race one.
12:41They were Rob Collard and Charlie Butler-Henderson.
12:44They're in very similar independently run Vauxhall Astra coupes.
12:47They both were running well in that first race.
12:49So I think that battle will be rejoined once again.
12:52Behind Charlie Butler-Henderson, we then got James Kaye in 13th place.
12:57And Colin Turkington.
12:58Now we heard he was quick in that first race.
13:00If he can get through the first lap cleanly, watch out for the youngster coming through in the MG there.
13:05They have no ballast on board, of course, having finished further down the order.
13:09John George next up in the LPG-powered Honda.
13:12And Jason Hughes, who sadly was a retirement in that first race.
13:16Again, 24 kilos taken out of the car from how it raced earlier on today.
13:20All ballast removed.
13:21And he starts in 16th position.
13:24Behind them, we've got Luke Hines, who sadly was a retirement.
13:27Again, he'll be fighting his way through in a full works-backed Vauxhall Astra coupe.
13:32He'll be very quick.
13:33And Farik Harriman in the second of the Proton Impians.
13:38And so towards the back of the grid, we've got Carl Breeze and Paul Wallace, the two teammates for GA Motorsport.
13:43Breeze in the Alfa Romeo and Wallace in the Vauxhall Astra coupe.
13:48Both were victims of first lap accidents, and therefore they start right at the back of the field for this one.
13:55So that's the line-up then.
13:56Tom Chilton already there, having come round on the formation lap to take his position in pole.
14:02Car up on jacks for a moment, drop back down again.
14:05Only the one that works, Honda, so far entered into the championship this year.
14:09But there are hopes that a second one will join in.
14:13So let's go down and join Vicky, who's now on the grid.
14:18Tom, how aware of you were you that you were in 10th place and therefore you could be on pole for race two?
14:25Oh, yeah, sure, I knew that because I look at my laps to go board, you know, on the pit wall, and I knew exactly where I was.
14:31That's why when I saw these two boys break in here, I wasn't going to try and blast past them.
14:35I held my position, and it's great being on pole for the second race with no ballast.
14:40No, terrific.
14:41And also, you did have a superb sort of off-roading experience in race one.
14:45Yeah, I had a little bit of an accident there, just slipped off the track.
14:50You know, you're right on the limit.
14:51And we had to take a bit of grip off the front end of the car to protect the tar, and maybe I took off too much.
14:59And I just had no front end grip.
15:00But now we've taken the weight out, put the front end grip back on, so we should be looking good for the race.
15:06Lovely.
15:06Best of luck.
15:07Enjoy it.
15:08Thanks, Tom.
15:09Right, we're going to go back now onto P3, where Jason Plato is.
15:15He's in a left-hand drive car, so we have to move around the other side.
15:21Jason, you were mincing around towards the end there.
15:24You had your indicator on.
15:25Were you trying to move up as far as you could onto the grid?
15:29Yeah, I mean, you know, there's a strategy to play here.
15:33We're certainly at this moment in time, because we're new to the championship and we've got a new car in the state of Toledo,
15:38we're not in a position to challenge the pole.
15:42So, you know, strategy-wise, it makes more sense for us to use the regulations to elevate our grip position,
15:48get some weight taken off, and hopefully get a good result in this race, which will then follow on for race two.
15:54So, yeah, it's a shame. I was trying to come tense, but so is everyone else.
15:58Exactly.
15:59Now, how's the car feeling, and how are you feeling about everything?
16:03Yeah, I mean, the team, everyone's done a fantastic job to get where we are.
16:06I mean, I think we've exceeded expectations, both from my point of view and also from my opinion,
16:11some people that are watching, but the car's going very well.
16:14It's nothing more than a test for us at the moment.
16:16We're learning all the time, and hopefully we're going to, who knows, we might surprise a few people this race.
16:23I certainly hope so.
16:24And is it lovely to be back?
16:25It is. I mean, I've had a fantastic response this morning of all the fans, and it's great to be back.
16:30It's a great championship, BTCC.
16:32It's lovely to see you.
16:33Right, over to Ben.
16:35Thanks very much, Vicky.
16:36Well, Jason Plato's starting in third place on the grid for this one,
16:39but it will be Tom Chilton who will start from pole as the Vauxhels battle their way through.
16:44We'll be right back with all the action.
16:45British Touring Car Championship in association with Seat.
16:53Out, I love you.
16:54British Touring Car Championship in association with Seat.
17:04Out, I love you.
17:19Welcome back to motors coverage from Thruxton.
17:39We're all ready for the cars to set off on their green flag lap.
17:42They've already cleared the grid just about, and Tom Chilton will lead them away.
17:46From pole position, the youngster looking for his first win in the British Touring Car Championship.
17:51He has the full responsibility now of the works Honda campaign on his shoulders.
17:57He has no teammate to help him because they're still working on getting a second car out for some of the other races.
18:03Now, starting from the pit lane for this green flag lap will be Paul Wallace.
18:07I think he'll be allowed to join onto the back as they head off on the green flag lap,
18:11and then he will join, start from the very back of the grid.
18:13But the team's been working hard to get it ready.
18:16Yes, he's had to change an engine, but it's actually a 2002 specification engine,
18:20so slightly down on power to the one he had before,
18:23but it was the only way they could get him out from this race.
18:25So where they go then, green flag is waves, and Tom Chilton leads them away.
18:29He will determine the pace of this lap.
18:31He goes away fairly quickly, and interestingly,
18:33Sean Watson-Smith and the Proton goes away a little slower, a little more slowly.
18:37Now, it's an interesting battle here because Sean Watson-Smith, who is on the front row,
18:40is a very, very experienced touring car driver,
18:43but he's not particularly experienced in the British Touring Car Championship,
18:47and with the circuit itself.
18:49Nonetheless, he knows the circuit well enough now.
18:51He's raced on it, so he'll be in good shape,
18:53and he'll try and keep a bit of pressure on Chilton at the start, I'm sure.
18:56Yes, I spoke to the team in the interval,
18:58and they were quite happy with his first race result,
19:01and they've got a better set of tyres to put on for the car this race.
19:04They knew there was a chance he'd be starting near the front,
19:06so they saved their best set of tyres for this race,
19:08so he needs to use those well.
19:11There we are on board with Jason Plato,
19:13and Plato starts in third position with almost all the ballast taken out.
19:20Not quite all the ballast taken out, but remember, as Tim was telling us,
19:23because this is built to the European regs, this car is extremely light,
19:27and where that will help him most is at the start of the race.
19:30If he doesn't get too much wheel spin, that is,
19:32if he can get a good start and get good traction,
19:35he could rock it off the line, couldn't he?
19:36He could. I mean, he's really going to have a good, strong charge.
19:39We saw him interviewed in car.
19:41He obviously knows this is his best chance to get a good result this weekend,
19:44out of the three races.
19:46Starting lightest against the Muller and Thompson Vauxhalls behind with more weight.
19:50This is his best chance, so let's see what he makes of it.
19:53We had an on-board view from Matt Neal's car.
19:56Matt Neal's got some work to do, though, of course.
19:58He starts in ninth place this time, having finished second in race number one.
20:02There's Jason Hughes, the car working okay this time,
20:05and towards the back of the field, Luke Hines in the third of the VX racing entries.
20:09Car number 57 there, the youngster who won the production class last year.
20:12Well, he's really got his work cut out in race two,
20:15but I would imagine that he could pick off the places as we go through this 16-lap race.
20:19Yeah, he retired because of the gearbox problem, which they've now replaced.
20:23He, of course, had a puncture before that.
20:24And missing from the back of the grid is the second proton of Fariq Haruman.
20:29He also was having an engine change, but hasn't made it out onto the grid.
20:32That's a great shame for the second proton,
20:34but at least they can all focus on what's going to happen to Watson Smith,
20:37starting from his front row position.
20:40Tom Chilton now has slowed the pace down and leads them into the chicane.
20:44In fact, no, he's a little ahead.
20:45Plato, it is, who's controlling the pace.
20:47I can tell you that Chilton's already back on the grid.
20:49The professionals are going to make him wait here, Tim.
20:52The seasoned pros have not rushed around.
20:54They're just going to let Tom sit and wait for a while.
20:56Yes, I should think his heartbeat is well over the 100 beats per minute at the moment.
21:01Or as we say in the trade, he's on the rev limiter.
21:03And it's going to feel like a long time here
21:05because they're only just moving into position around him.
21:08And, of course, he's still got all the other guys around at the back of the grid
21:11to make their way through the chicane.
21:13There they are.
21:13Last few cars just making their way through now
21:15with the safety cars behind.
21:18And the doctor's car ready on the first lap.
21:20They'll follow more part of the first lap.
21:22And we're now getting ready for race two here at Thruxton
21:26to get underway.
21:28Cars moving into position.
21:30And let's see what happens.
21:32Will Vauxhall maintain their 100% record here at Thruxton?
21:35They really will have their work cut out to try and achieve that
21:38with their starting positions as they are this time.
21:41It's a Honda and a Proton on row one.
21:44A Seat and a Vauxhall on row number two.
21:48A complete change around to what we might have expected.
21:51Another Seat and a Honda on row three.
21:53All cars are in position as we get the green flag from the back of the grid.
21:58We wait for the lights to come on.
21:59Will Tom Chilton make the start he needs from pole position?
22:03Away they go.
22:04Oh, it's a terrible start from Chilton.
22:06He's absolutely left it on the line.
22:09And look at them all go around him.
22:11And a great start from Plato,
22:13but not quite as good as Dan Eves, I think that is.
22:16Dan Eves is shot ahead there.
22:19And it's Dan Eves in the Honda
22:20who's made the start of his life.
22:22Got in front.
22:23Oh, and Watson Smith locks up, goes very wide,
22:26nearly takes Plato with him.
22:27Somehow they manage to miss him.
22:29Plato and Huff are both there in the Seat.
22:31As off goes Anthony Reid onto the grass.
22:34Reid joins once again.
22:35And it's the other MG this time that's in trouble.
22:38But it's Dan Eves that leaves.
22:40Amazingly, I think it's Huff in second place as Butler Henderson runs wide.
22:43Well, there we go, Tom Chilton.
22:45They made him wait on the grid.
22:47The clock was ticking.
22:49His nerves were building and he blew it on the start.
22:53What an opportunity now for Dan Eves,
22:55getting him ahead of the start.
22:56Great start by him.
22:58A lot of confusion at the complex.
22:59A lot of shuffling of positions with slower cars starting in front of the quick ones.
23:03It is Dan Eves who leads then with Rob Huff in second.
23:07Here comes Jason Plato, his teammate, closing up.
23:10But what about this?
23:11Seat running second and third in their first outing in British touring cars.
23:14I know the reverse grid makes a difference,
23:16but still, this is pretty impressive.
23:19So, Huff just ahead of Plato.
23:20Plato coming under pressure from Muller.
23:22What a start from Ivan Muller.
23:24Well, Muller, you could expect in all that carnage,
23:27Muller and Thompson to carve their way through.
23:29And Muller's certainly done that.
23:31Coming through in fourth place.
23:33Brilliant effort.
23:33He's got Bedford behind him.
23:35Thompson not quite such a good start in eighth place.
23:37Yeah, the other Vauxhall you can see with the blue flash there is Michael Bentwood.
23:40He's the Vauxhall junior team.
23:42There is Thompson.
23:43And he's battling with Matt Neal.
23:44Somebody ran wide.
23:45Plato's through into second place.
23:47He's got past his teammate.
23:48Dan Eves still in front, but Plato into second.
23:50Rob Huff down to third.
23:51Fourth place for Ivan Muller.
23:53And I think still Michael Bentwood in fifth
23:55as we ride on board with Plato.
23:57He's in second place.
23:59Well, he's only got one car between himself and the lead.
24:02Well, he really means business, doesn't he?
24:04Oh, that's Thompson.
24:06He's been off and he smashed the car.
24:07Big, big accident.
24:08That'll be a safety car for sure.
24:10That car won't move.
24:11It's jammed.
24:12Yeah, stuck in the middle of the road.
24:14Drive-through penalty for car number 22.
24:16That's Charlie Butler Henderson, but his race is already in trouble.
24:18But James Thompson out of the race.
24:21This safety car is standing by and surely the safety car will be out.
24:26Now, one of the Seats is in trouble.
24:28One of the Seats, we gather, could be in trouble as they're still racing.
24:32And that's Huff.
24:33Rob Huff is in trouble.
24:34You can see damage to the right front of Rob Huff's car.
24:37Jason Plato's still okay, but Rob Huff, I'm afraid, slowing right down.
24:41And off is Matt Neal.
24:42My goodness.
24:44Well, Neal and Thompson were running on the track together at the end of that last lap in 7th and 8th.
24:49The safety car is out.
24:53Well, there is James Thompson heading off.
24:56And Matt Neal also getting out.
24:58There is Matt Neal.
24:59There's the onboard picture.
25:00And, well, he's about to get out of his car.
25:04What a great shame.
25:05Well, this was only to be expected, I suppose.
25:08Well, there was a lot of side-by-side racing.
25:11They were absolutely pushing it.
25:13The faster cars trying to get through as quickly as possible.
25:16And we've got news from Vicky Butler-Henderson on her brother, Charlie.
25:20Yes, Charlie came in.
25:21He picked up a puncture.
25:22And as you know, Thruxton is very hard on punctures.
25:24And Charlie's been a victim of that.
25:26Right.
25:26Thanks, Vicky.
25:27It's a great shame.
25:28But what a lot of carnage we've seen here.
25:31The Matt Neal car off into the tyre barrier there.
25:34James Thompson's stricken car still on track.
25:37That's going to take a little while to get it out of the way.
25:38There you can see everybody making their way slowly around it.
25:42Danny's race leader with the safety car out.
25:44Each lap counts, remember, behind the safety car.
25:47Plato in second.
25:48Ivan Muller in third now because of Rob Huff being in trouble.
25:52So that's brought Muller to third place.
25:54Michael Bentwood in fourth.
25:55The proton of Sean Watson-Smith in fifth.
25:58And then Rob Collard running in sixth position.
26:03Well, I don't know if we'll get a chance to see what happened on that.
26:06But certainly a fair bit of damage to Thompson's car.
26:08I believe it actually started up at the complex.
26:10Because if we remember, Jason Plato slipped inside his teammate, Robert Huff.
26:14Huff up at the start of the complex.
26:16And that delayed Huff through the sequence of bends.
26:19And I think it was Thompson and Neal trying to take advantage of that on the run through Noble and into Goodwood where contact took place.
26:27Yeah.
26:28Well, end result was a very damaged car for Thompson.
26:32Now, of course, the major problem here, Tim, for the team, is can they get this car prepared for race number three?
26:37Well, Vauxhall and Triple Eight, they've worked hard over the winter to prepare for this very scenario.
26:42Knowing that there was a limited amount of time between three races, they've got everything ready.
26:47They've got engines ready, all dressed with the ancillaries.
26:50They've got bodywork that's all deckled up.
26:52They've got suspension uprights literally ready to bolt onto the car.
26:56So I've absolutely no doubt that they can get the car fixed.
26:59Well, the team will be getting ready.
27:01The worst bit for them is the wait.
27:02It's the wait to get the car back into their garage.
27:05Once they can get going, the adrenaline will keep them going.
27:07But this must be torture for them, waiting to get that car back.
27:10Well, they'll be looking at these pictures.
27:12They can see, obviously, front-right suspension damage and right-rear suspension damage.
27:16They'll probably already have the wishbones and the uprights ready.
27:19But, yes, as you say, they can't start work until they get the car back.
27:22So the Marshall's doing a fantastic job of trying to move.
27:25That's one of the most difficult situations when the car's been damaged like that one has.
27:29I don't know whether they're going to be able to get it towed back with that right-rear suspension damage.
27:33And if they need to give it a...
27:35Yeah, that looks like they might be able to drag it.
27:37But the question is, they won't drag it all the way back, I don't think.
27:40They're going to just get it out of the way.
27:41So the mechanics lose another sort of 20 minutes, half an hour, while the rest of the race takes place.
27:46Exactly. It could be a long time before they get that car back.
27:49The left-hand side all looking fine.
27:51There's Matt Neill from his own camera looking at him and explaining to the Marshalls exactly what happened.
27:57Yeah, well, we don't know exactly ourselves, I'm afraid.
27:59But, again, I don't think that car's as badly damaged.
28:02We don't see how heavily buried it is into the tyres, though.
28:05So it may have done a fair bit of damage to the front end.
28:07Good job to get the car out of the way, but the poor team do not get their chance to get their hands on it.
28:12And this is the field, then, trying to keep a bit of tyre temperature up.
28:15Now, you might be asking, what did happen to our pole sitter, Tom Chilton?
28:19He made that terrible start, if you remember.
28:21Well, he's down in eighth place now, eighth position.
28:24And it just was the poor man.
28:29Well, here we have a replay.
28:31And the car jumps initially, just bogs down.
28:32I thought he'd stalled it, but he must have just kept it going.
28:36Then lights the tyres up to make sure that the car moves.
28:39But, of course, he was absolutely swamped by the field.
28:41And, in fact, because of all the carnage, to end up eighth from where he is back there now,
28:45he's actually done quite well.
28:46But any chance of a victory is probably taken from him by his own mistake.
28:51Yeah, great shame that for Tom.
28:52I'm sure he'll have another chance, though.
28:54He is a very, very talented youngster.
28:56And the rest of the season's still to go, of course.
29:00A dramatic day for him so far.
29:01And it's proving to be fairly eventful.
29:04Let's go down to Vicky.
29:05She's got some more news for us.
29:06Well, I do have some news, but it's all a bit of a mystery.
29:09Because Vauxhall aren't too sure what happened to James Thompson.
29:11And Honda aren't really too sure what happened to Matt Neill.
29:15But both drivers are all right, basically.
29:18Good news.
29:18Let's just hope they can get those cars repaired for race number three here this afternoon.
29:23Up front, it's Dan Eves, then.
29:25And a bit of a surprise, this, to see Dan leading this race.
29:29It was a very late deal that they did.
29:30And now here he is leading race two.
29:32Dan made a very good start from fifth on the grid.
29:35But he didn't get away, interestingly, from Plato.
29:38And Plato looked very racy.
29:40He was only a few car lengths behind.
29:41And it'll be interesting to see if Plato can manage to get to the front.
29:45But, of course, he's got Ivan Muller sitting behind him,
29:47who's moved up from seventh place up to third.
29:51So an interesting situation here.
29:53Dan Eves keen to do well.
29:55Got more competitive machinery under him.
29:57Plato desperate to make the most of his grid position.
30:01Third on the grid in this second race.
30:03And Muller, the wily old campaigner, will know that Thompson's out.
30:07And he'll just be looking to score as many points as possible.
30:09Well, a little while longer for the green flag to get us back to racing again.
30:17There is Jason Plato running in second place then.
30:21And for the moment, he's just got to follow Dan Eves around.
30:25Try to keep a bit of tyre temperature up.
30:27And he's got Ivan Muller.
30:28That's a fun thing, of course.
30:29Jason Plato and Ivan Muller, they were teammates at Vauxhall a few years ago.
30:33So they didn't always see eye to eye, shall we say, over particular incidents.
30:38And now here they are, ready to race again.
30:40We've been waiting for this moment, haven't we, to get Plato and Muller on track side by side.
30:44And I don't think we're going to have to wait too much longer.
30:47But Muller, as I say, he's got nothing to gain at the moment.
30:50He knows Thompson, his main competition is out of this race.
30:55He can bide his time, I think.
30:56And he'll be quite happy to have moved up already to third place.
31:00Plato, by comparison, has got everything to gain and will really go for it, I think.
31:05Now, the race distance has been increased because of laps being run behind the safety car.
31:09Now we're up to a total race distance of 19 laps.
31:13That's the on-board view from Ivan Muller.
31:17And we're looking at Jason Plato in the silver and yellow Seat just ahead of us.
31:20Again, the weaving, remember, is just to maintain a bit of temperature in the tyres.
31:24It's not a very hot day here at Thruxton.
31:27So they're just trying to maintain that temperature as much as possible.
31:30The safety car still has its lights on, although I think they've just been turned off.
31:35So I think we're getting all set for a restart here.
31:38The green flag will be shown as they come across the line.
31:41No overtaking until they get past the man with the green flag.
31:44But they do accelerate up to racing speed as they come down here.
31:48And Plato already under attack from Ivan Muller.
31:51Michael Bentwood then chasing with Watson Smith in the proton immediately behind.
31:56Dan Eves making a very good restart there.
31:58Maintaining the edge as Tom Chilton goes around the outside.
32:01And now we get them very close into the complex.
32:04It's Eves chased by Jason Plato.
32:07And following him, we've got Ivan Muller right there.
32:10Oh, and a spinner.
32:11That's the proton of Watson Smith.
32:12He keeps it going.
32:13Keeps it lit.
32:15And doesn't lose too many places.
32:16Well, Sean Watson Smith showing he's learned how to save a front-wheel drive car by burying the throttle.
32:21No problem there.
32:22Very spectacular, but well saved.
32:24Rob Huff's car, the Seat, missing its whole front bumper section now.
32:28As he lost a bit of time earlier on.
32:30There must have been contact somewhere.
32:31But look at this battle that's going on for second place.
32:34Muller now trying to go with Jason Plato.
32:37Can't really go around the outside.
32:38This is the view from on board Muller's car.
32:41A little flash of the brake lights from Plato and through Church Corner at about 120 miles an hour.
32:46Now picking up speed to nearly 150 miles an hour up towards the braking point for the chicane.
32:53And it's Honda, Seat, Vauxhall.
32:56Vauxhall trying to go around the outside.
32:57But Plato's not going to let that happen.
32:59No, running on these weights, the cars very evenly matched down the straight and on the brakes.
33:05Dan Eves it is.
33:07Who's so far so good.
33:08Out in front, he's never won outright a round of the British Touring Car Championship.
33:13He's won in the independence class.
33:14He was the independence champion two years ago.
33:17But what an opportunity this is.
33:18Still a long way to go.
33:19Huff is off the race track.
33:21There's obviously damage.
33:22Plato going for the lead.
33:23Trying to get in front.
33:24And he's side by side.
33:25It's the second part.
33:26Jason Plato takes the lead of the race.
33:28Ivan Muller also trying to move up into second place.
33:31He goes around the outside of Eves.
33:33And it's Plato one.
33:35Second place for Muller.
33:36Eves down to third.
33:37And Michael Bentwood, the youngster in his first meeting as a Touring Car Driver, right up there as well.
33:43Fantastic move by Plato around the outside into the Campbell start of the sequence at Campbell Cobb Seagrave.
33:49Great move by him.
33:51And here we have it.
33:52Jason Plato in only his second race back in the Touring Car Championship.
33:55Leading for Seat with his arch nemesis Muller right behind him.
33:59You could not have scripted this any better as Plato now has his mirrors filled with the reigning champion, Ivan Muller.
34:07In 2001, Plato won the title.
34:10And these two didn't quite come to blows.
34:12But they certainly didn't see eye to eye.
34:13A few blows were traded in terms of body work.
34:16Bashes on the circuit.
34:17And now Muller locking the brakes.
34:19Plato controlling it beautifully at the moment.
34:21Remember the European Touring Car Speed machine of the Seat.
34:25Perhaps not as strong on the brakes.
34:27But he certainly didn't seem to give anything away to Muller there.
34:30No, he's defending the inside just as much as he needs to.
34:33That's Huff's car being pushed away into the garage.
34:36Just defending on the inside to stop Muller getting up the inside into the last chicane.
34:42And Plato driving beautifully actually.
34:44As quick as he can.
34:45As on-line as much as he can.
34:47And just defending as much as he needs to.
34:49But driving very, very well.
34:51I'll tell you what.
34:52If Muller has not got a major advantage, he may be able to attack.
34:56But that Seat is going very quickly indeed.
34:58A bit of a surprise to everybody to see just how fast this car is.
35:02Being run by a team that has won championships in the British Touring Cars before.
35:06RML, Ray Malek Limited.
35:07They've done a brilliant job on the preparation of this car.
35:10And there it is.
35:11Riding just in front of us as we ride with Ivan Muller.
35:15Still Dan Eves in third place.
35:17But these two former champions.
35:18Well, one reigning champion, one former champion.
35:21Scrapping up front.
35:22We've lost James Thompson from the equation, I'm afraid.
35:24After the accident earlier on in this race.
35:27But these two are putting on a pretty good demonstration.
35:29Michael Bentwood not far behind.
35:31And then it's Rob Collard running well.
35:33Luke Hines, by the way, has come up to sixth place in the other VX racing machine.
35:38And that's brilliant.
35:38Because he started right at the back of the field for the race.
35:41Top four come through the chicane safely.
35:46And Plato it is.
35:47Still with a very, very slight advantage over Ivan Muller in second.
35:52Dan Eves in third.
35:53And Michael Bentwood staying with them.
35:55Beautifully driven this from Bentwood in his first real experience at the top level of touring cars.
36:00Watson Smith's still in there in the Proton.
36:02He's running in eighth place.
36:03Off is John George in the LPG-powered Honda.
36:07Yeah, he's getting back going again.
36:09But this is great experience for Dan Eves and Michael Bentwood.
36:13The two young guns, if you like, in new cars this year.
36:15This is the perfect experience for them.
36:18Following Muller round right on the pace.
36:21They can watch and learn and they will pick up.
36:23Nobody learns quicker than in a race.
36:24It's the best, best way to test is actually getting out there racing.
36:29And they're immediately now picking up their pace.
36:31Learning off Muller.
36:33And it wouldn't be surprised to see them challenging later in the race.
36:36Two MGs running down in ninth and tenth places at the moment.
36:39So they're not going quite as well as they did in the free practice sessions yesterday.
36:43They were very fast in free practice.
36:45But it doesn't seem to have been converted into race pace as yet.
36:49Still some way to go in this race.
36:50Remember, it's been increased to 19 laps.
36:52And they're coming up to complete lap number nine this time.
36:56Tire wear will become a factor as we go through.
36:59Look at Tom Chilton, by the way.
37:00Chilton now attacking Luke Hines.
37:02Luke Hines and Chilton side by side through the chicane.
37:05Chilton loses out and he may lose that place to Watson Smith there.
37:08If he's not careful as the Proton tries to come back at him once more.
37:11And has the line in towards Allard.
37:13Yeah, Tom Chilton trying to get alongside into the complex, into the chicane.
37:18But put himself on the wrong side and really had no way back of defending that.
37:22A little bit of inexperience there.
37:24And Sean Watson Smith may not have raced at Thruxham very much.
37:26But he shows he knows how to race for positions.
37:28Yeah, he's got the experience.
37:30Behind you can see the two MGs.
37:32Anthony Reid and Colin Turkington.
37:34Those two rounding out the top ten.
37:36So, our race leader, still Jason Plato.
37:41He's holding on from Ivan Muller at the moment.
37:45And behind them, it's still the battle between Dan Eves and Michael Bentwood for third position.
37:49Remember, no reverse grids for the third race of the day.
37:53They'll line up as they finish this one.
37:54But they will have ballast added.
37:56So, that will still be a factor.
37:58But at the moment, it is Plato and Muller who are gradually easing away from the others.
38:03Muller, I think, has just decided to let a few laps go in this race and see how things develop.
38:09He tried very hard in the first couple of laps to get past Plato.
38:11Plato defended.
38:12So, Muller's left it a few laps to let things settle down.
38:15They've pulled a little bit of a gap on Dan Eves or Michael Bentwood.
38:18And sooner or later, Muller's going to put the pressure back on again.
38:21No sign here at the moment, Tim, of Jason being race rusty at all.
38:26He might not have been racing front line for the last year or so.
38:30But he's driving beautifully at the moment.
38:31He is.
38:32He may have been off racing ovals with Ascar and not doing a lot last year.
38:36But he really is driving beautifully.
38:37I'm very impressed.
38:38And the car looks good running at this weight.
38:41Jason's missed the apex a little bit there.
38:43Maybe that's the first sign of understeer creeping in.
38:46Maybe a bit of front tyre wear.
38:47And this could play into Muller's hands later in the race.
38:50But he gets a good exit at the last part, which is important.
38:53Still an impressive show.
38:54He's up against the most developed car under the current British touring car rules.
38:58That is the Vauxhall Astra.
38:59There we are.
39:00There is the concentration from Jason Plato.
39:02He is leading a British touring car race.
39:05A quick glance in the mirrors.
39:06Where is Muller?
39:07And then focus on the head.
39:08Look, fantastic view there as he just glances into the mirrors.
39:11Keeps an eye on where that red and white car is behind him.
39:14And Muller just positioning himself,
39:16knowing that he wants to take advantage of any little slip-up here.
39:20Yeah, you're on board there going through Church Corner at 130 miles an hour.
39:24And if any driver is going to concentrate anywhere on the circuit,
39:27it's going to be through that corner.
39:29And once again, Muller just starting a little bit of a run quicker through Church.
39:33And Plato's having to defend.
39:34But as long as he can keep up that good braking performance into the chicane,
39:38he'll always stay in front.
39:39But later in the race, brakes and tyres will be worn.
39:42And that could be Muller's chance.
39:44The Seat should have a slight advantage in a straight line.
39:47The cars built for European spec have a little bit more straight line speed.
39:51They don't have the same amount of wing and splitters that the British touring cars do.
39:56So you can see, and it certainly seems to work up that straight.
39:58The Seat doesn't lose anything despite Muller being in his slipstream.
40:02Muller still wasn't able to draw alongside.
40:05So amazingly evenly matched at the moment, though.
40:07Again, Plato a fraction wide there through the second part of the complex.
40:12They've got a back marker not too far ahead of them.
40:14That's John George in the LPG-powered car.
40:17And that could be a factor as we go through the latter stages.
40:21Muller very quick through that section, Noble and Goodwood.
40:24You can really see the car working very hard on the suspension.
40:28Just taking fractions of a second out of Plato everywhere around the track.
40:32But certainly Plato running wide through the complex is a sure sign that later in this race he's going to run into tyre travel.
40:39Through church on board, 130 miles an hour.
40:42Yeah.
40:43Drifting right to the very edge of the circuit, out to the curb, not quite onto it.
40:47And the two of them flat out up the hill once again, up to nearly 150 miles an hour.
40:52Again Muller moves to the outside.
40:53He knows Plato's not going to leave a big gap on the inside for him.
40:57But again Plato keeps it tidy, keeps it neat.
41:00Clips the curves just as he wants to.
41:02Look at this battle.
41:03Bentwood's got past Eves.
41:04Michael Bentwood up into third position now.
41:07He's got past Dan Eves but Eves comes back into the inside.
41:10Right behind them is Rob Collard, last year's independent champion.
41:13And he's right in the mix here.
41:15Bentwood just going a little wide but holds it nicely.
41:19And Luke Hines is not too far behind as well.
41:21Yeah, good strong racing there from Michael Bentwood.
41:24He drove the BMW last year and finished runner-up in the production class.
41:27And he's adapted very quickly to his front-wheel drive touring car.
41:31And right behind the independent champion from last year, Rob Collard, the silver and black car there.
41:35He made some challenges, he made some changes to his setup to try and avoid a little bit of understeer.
41:40Seems to be working.
41:41Here we go on board with Collard through Noble Corner.
41:45Yeah, very fast here into Goodwood Corner as well.
41:50The right-hander flicking through there.
41:53Very fast, over 110 miles an hour on the turn in there.
41:56And then down towards Church.
41:57Tom Gilden's race, well, it looks as though it may well be over.
42:00They're changing that left front.
42:02But obviously a pit stop now under the new rules.
42:05And basically you're out of contention.
42:07No pit stops as a standard part of the race anymore.
42:10As soon as you're in the pits, that's a great deal of time lost.
42:12Bentwood into a clear third place now, ahead of Dan Eves in fourth, Rob Collard in fifth place.
42:18And we still have some six slaps to go.
42:22As we're riding on board with Collard now.
42:24Looking at Eves right ahead.
42:25That was a little bit of a sideways moment from Eves.
42:27Yeah, Dan Eves going into the chicane on the brake.
42:30Struggling to get it in over the first kerb on the right.
42:33But got a good exit and he's still carrying good speed.
42:35You can see just how bumpy and how hard the cars are working from this close-up shot on board with Rob Collard.
42:41Into the corner known as Campbell.
42:43This is the first part of the right-left-right sequence of bends.
42:47And this Collard has a little look up the inside.
42:49No, he's not quite close enough.
42:51Has to give way to Eves once again.
42:53They've got to be careful.
42:54If they fight too much, they will really lose touch with the leaders.
42:57But for the moment, all Collard's worried about is trying to move up one more place.
43:01And that would give him fourth.
43:03Look at how Plato's pulled away from Muller on this last lap.
43:06Yeah.
43:07Muller must have made a big mistake up at the complex somewhere.
43:10Because he's dropped back quite a bit.
43:12And that would be absolutely brilliant for Plato.
43:15I mean, he'll be delighted to see that gap behind him.
43:18I don't know whether Muller has a problem or whether he just made a mistake.
43:21We'll have to see in the next lap or so whether he can catch up.
43:24Yeah, we'll keep an eye on his lap times.
43:25Luke Hines in another of the VX racing cars is closing in on Rob Collard here.
43:31Up the hill they come then.
43:32It's still Jason Plato who leads from Ivan Muller.
43:35The gap has opened up a little bit.
43:37It was 0.7 last time.
43:38Here comes Collard moving on the outside of Dan Eves.
43:42Can't get through there.
43:43So he starts to follow through on that one line through the chicane really.
43:47Trying to clip the curbs nice and closely.
43:50Across the line come the race leaders.
43:51The gap still 0.7 between Jason Plato.
43:54And Ivan Muller.
43:57Local track for Collard.
43:59He had such a disastrous race.
44:00Crashing just here on the first lap last year.
44:02He'll want to do well.
44:04He really loves this place.
44:05He loves the high-speed corners.
44:07And he'll be keen to get past Dan Eves who runs wide immediately.
44:09And it's always so close to contact there.
44:12So close.
44:13But he's got Heinz right behind him.
44:14So he really wants to not muck about anymore and get past Eves.
44:17Who's obviously struggling with understeer on the front end.
44:20Yes, Eves having to adapt his style perhaps to the Honda Civic.
44:23He's had very little running in this car.
44:25Switching across, of course, from a Peugeot 307 run by Vickley Racing last year.
44:30Sadly, they're not out in the touring car class this season.
44:34But Danny's switching across to Steve Neill's team.
44:38Team Dynamics.
44:39And now he's doing a fine job at the moment of fending off Rob Collard.
44:43Here we are on board with race leader Jason Plato.
44:47Still keeping an eye on her mirrors.
44:49And he knows he's still got a few laps to go.
44:51And Muller has closed that gap up once again.
44:52Yes, on that in car we saw Jason pumping the brake pedal with his left foot as he came up the straight.
44:58That's the first sign, obviously, of brake fade in the car.
45:01What happens is the brakes get hot.
45:03The fluid starts to boil.
45:05The brake pads are pushed away from the caliper.
45:09And the driver has to pump the pedal to get that firm pedal when he jumps on them.
45:12That's the first sign of problems.
45:14Last time the gap was 7 tenths of a second.
45:16It's only 4 tenths of a second now between Plato and Muller.
45:20Third place for Michael Bentwood.
45:21What a great run this is for Michael Bentwood, the 26-year-old from Cheshire who raced, as we said, in the BMW last year.
45:28Before that he was a bit of a single-seater ace.
45:29He raced in the Formula 3 championship.
45:31Has also raced some European and Italian Formula 3000.
45:35But Bentwood really putting on, there he is, a tremendous show with the blue flashes on the car.
45:41That's the way to spot him.
45:41It's not a works car, that.
45:43It's an independent car run by Techspeed Motorsport.
45:47But it's run under the Vauxhall Junior banner.
45:49Bit of smoke there from the MG, Tim.
45:51Yeah, he's caught up.
45:53I mean, that's Antti Reid.
45:54He's actually caught up that Eves-Collard-Hinds battle.
45:57So, unless that's a new problem, it could just be a bit of bodywork rubbing on the tyre.
46:02But he has been going very quickly.
46:05So, there is Turkington.
46:06He's chased by Watson Smith.
46:07The Proton, I'm afraid, couldn't maintain its front row starting pace.
46:11Here comes Muller.
46:11Look how close he is now to the back of Jason Plato's car.
46:15And this battle is once again fully rejoined as Plato leads them through.
46:21Into the chicane one more time.
46:23They'll come around to complete lap number 16 out of 19 this time around.
46:28So far, so good for Plato.
46:30The car's holding up well.
46:31But Muller's applying more and more pressure.
46:35Three laps to go.
46:36Whatever that problem was, Muller had a few laps to go.
46:38So, he's caught straight back up.
46:40And clearly, with three laps to go and no one close behind him,
46:43apart from his junior team-mate, Bentwood,
46:46he'll start to put the pressure on very hard indeed.
46:49Fastest lap in this race to Jason Plato.
46:52Interestingly enough, on just a second lap at a 1.18.324,
46:56pace a little slower than we saw earlier on today.
46:58And the higher temperatures perhaps getting to the tyres at these high, high speeds.
47:03But look at Muller now.
47:05Oh, he's almost touching Plato as they turn in to the right.
47:08Right-hander at Goodwood.
47:09You cannot get any closer than that, surely.
47:12But Plato holds his line.
47:15Yeah, that was...
47:16I've said Muller was very quick through Noble, that left-hander.
47:19And he obviously knew there would be a chance if he carried good speed there,
47:21to slide up the inside on the approach to Goodwood.
47:24But Plato was up to the challenge.
47:26He's been checking his mirrors.
47:28He knows just where to place the car at the moment
47:30to stop the fast of Muller getting through.
47:33So, which way will Muller go this time?
47:35Will all Plato leave the gap for him anyway?
47:37No way.
47:38He's too much of a seasoned professional to do that.
47:42Turns through the chicane.
47:44Concentrating on getting a clean exit.
47:45Getting the power down early.
47:47Front-wheel drive.
47:48Both of these cars, remember.
47:492.0-litre engines.
47:51And although they might be built to slightly different specifications,
47:54this first ever meeting where we've got the cars built to European rules
47:59up against cars built to British rules,
48:01well, you couldn't have made it much closer than this, I don't think.
48:04Seat were given a little bit of leeway earlier this week along with Alfa Romeo.
48:08They took a little bit more weight out of the car and it certainly has made them competitive.
48:12Well, Seat have played the game very well this weekend.
48:15I do so hope that Jason wins.
48:18It'd be absolutely fantastic for the championship.
48:21He's driven brilliantly with a lap and a half to go.
48:24But it would be perfect.
48:25It just shows the rules are working and these cars can race very equally amongst themselves.
48:31And it's great, great to see driving really well.
48:34Using all of the road on warm tyres and warm brakes, that's an achievement.
48:39And it may say number 11 on the side of the car,
48:41but I'm sure Jason says that's two number ones.
48:44Of course.
48:45Of course.
48:45Well, he was number one just a couple of years ago.
48:48The 2001 champion.
48:49And at the moment he's looking for his first 21 here at Buxton.
48:53When he was last here, when he was driving for Vauxhall on that occasion,
48:57can he take another win?
48:58And what he would do would be the first man to break the Vauxhall domination of races
49:03at Thruxton over the last four years.
49:06He comes around now to complete lap number 18.
49:10He's on to the final lap.
49:12Is Jason Plato going to take the first British touring car win for Seat on their debut?
49:18What a story this would be, but don't count Ivan Muller out of it yet.
49:22Well, it's all to go.
49:23I can imagine how Jason must feel now.
49:26Three quarters of a lap to go.
49:27He needs a good exit from this complex.
49:30And he's then going to be half a lap from the end.
49:33But Muller won't give up.
49:34He'll save it.
49:35His best chance is to get a good run through Noble,
49:38maybe through Goodwood,
49:39and then build his momentum up to the final hairpin.
49:42Final chicane.
49:42What a duel.
49:43What a confrontation between two champions of British touring cars.
49:47It's Jason Plato versus Ivan Muller for the final half lap through the Goodwood right-hander.
49:53The car is sliding in a four-wheel drift at over 110 miles an hour.
49:57Now they're picking up pace to 130, nearly 140 before they turn into Church Corner.
50:02Barely slowing down for this right-hander.
50:04Look at the speed Muller's carried through there.
50:06He's given it absolutely everything.
50:08Muller's on the attack.
50:10But it's his last chance up Woodham Hill for the final time.
50:13Can Muller take it?
50:14He's going to have to go around the outside
50:16because Plato won't give him a chance up the inside.
50:19He's on to the brakes.
50:20Plato's holding on.
50:21Plato's through into the chicane.
50:23He's kept it straight.
50:25He's kept it tidy.
50:26And Jason Plato is going to win for Seat.
50:30What a dramatic victory.
50:32And what a performance from Jason Plato.
50:35He beats Ivan Muller on Seat's first time in the British Touring Car Series
50:41and rewrites the history books as Voxel have beaten here at Thruxton
50:45for the first time in four years.
50:47What a fantastic race.
50:49Well, I'm convinced Alan Gow has come back to take the realms of touring cars.
50:53He's shaken everything up.
50:55A new race format.
50:56And did it ever produce a fantastic race?
50:59It's encouraged Seat and other ATC cars to enter
51:02and Jason has just proved they can beat the champion's Voxel.
51:07That is really quite remarkable.
51:09Ivan Muller, he tried everything he knew,
51:11but he had to settle for second.
51:13Intelligent in the end.
51:15There was no point in doing something silly.
51:17There's another race to go here today.
51:19And that matters.
51:20British Touring Car Championship in association with Seat.
51:29Auto-emotion.
51:50So there's another race.
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