Cataclean Plato Racing will look to convert the front-running promise that was shown at last month’s season-opener into a strong haul of results this weekend (9-10 May) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship sets course for Brands Hatch.
The team - led by two-time champion Jason Plato - made an instant impact on their debut at Donington Park as Dan Rowbottom claimed a historic victory in the series’ first-ever Qualifying Race before Adam Morgan went on to tally a hat-trick of top-ten finishes.
Putting the rest of the grid on notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with as the campaign wears on, the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon squad are now looking to make their mark as the BTCC speeds into Kent.
Renowned for being one of Britain’s best-loved motor racing circuits, Brands Hatch has been a staple of the championship since its inception in 1958 - and down the years it was a firm favourite for Plato himself too, with 26 of his 97 career wins coming at the track.
Having had a couple of weeks to unpack the data gathered at Donington Park and the opportunity to unlock further performance from the two cars, both Rowbottom and Morgan head to the 1.210-mile circuit optimistic of challenging for front-running honours.
The multiple race winners will each hit the track for one solitary practice session on Saturday morning before heading into qualifying later that afternoon. They will then both contest the new Qualifying Race - titled the ‘Race for Pole’ - to decide the grid for race one the following day.
Cataclean Plato Racing will take centre stage on Sunday at Brands Hatch with race one scheduled to take place at 11:30, race two at 14:45 and race three at 17:30. All three contests will be broadcast live on ITV4 and ITVX.
Dan Rowbottom, #32 Cataclean Plato Racing: “Although some things went against us, I felt like we gave a good account of ourselves at Donington Park and since then the focus has been on raising our game even further to ensure we can come away with some big results.
“We’ve got the benefit of having tested there just a few weeks ago so that should enable us to hit the ground running on Saturday morning. We’ve left no stone unturned since the first round so I’m confident we can be in the mix across the Race To Pole and Sunday’s three races.”
Adam Morgan, #33 Cataclean Plato Racing: “Brands Hatch is a great circuit and one that I always enjoy going to. Although its a short lap, its packed with undulation and challenging corners which is great for both us drivers and those watching on the spectator banks.
“It’s easy to forget how new this whole project is but we’re all feeling confident heading into the weekend. We learnt a huge amount coming away from Donington Park and in addition to having tested at Brands Hatch recently, I’m confident we should have a strong front-running package.”
Jason Plato, Cataclean Plato Racing Team Owner: “I think its fair to say we’re all looking forward to the weekend. We’ve got that first event out of the way, so now it’s about knuckling down and making sure we start bringing home so really strong results on a consistent basis.
“We went well at Brands Hatch during pre-season testing and with Dan and Adam having a nice amount of TOCA Turbo Boost available to them, as well as the car having evolved, I’m confident that we can get in amongst it for wins and podiums.”