A full crowd together with a full grid for Rounds 3 and 4 of the www.theAA.com MSA British Touring Car Championship set the scene for a spectacular days racing at Thruxton circuit.

SPRINT RACE - ROUND 3

The new look Sprint Race thrilled spectators with an action packed 15 laps in which the faster Touring cars were forced to play catch up from lap 1 of the race. The question on everybody’s mind was "will they catch up?". They had their answer at the end of lap 13 when Plato overtook Production leader Simon Harrison to take the lead with two laps to go. Team-mate Yvan Muller followed, with the remaining Vauxhalls also overtaking Harrison on the penultimate lap.

The start of the race witnessed Muller beat team-mate Plato off the line to get in front at Allard. The rear wheel drive Lexus IS200 of Kurt Luby also had a good start, catapulting him in front of the two Alfa Romeos. But the optimism was short lived for Luby when fate took a turn for the worse on lap 5 and a minor electrical fault forced him into retirement.

The Alfa Romeos regained position but further problems arose for JS Motorsport when newcomer Tom Ferrier had to retire on the second lap with engine problems, a problem that would not be fixed in time for the start of the Feature Race later in the afternoon. The Vauxhall Astra Coupé of Phil Bennett made an unusually bad start, letting the two Peugeots through but more action was to follow when Production drivers Peter Cate and Roger Moen made contact through the Chicane, forcing Cate up onto two wheels and across the line of oncoming traffic.

A major collision was narrowly avoided and Cate rejoined the race - albeit at the back of the pack. Team B&Q driver and birthday boy Nick Beaumont took second place in the Production race and held the position to the finish.

Plato commented: "It was incredibly exciting. I wasn’t sure who was leading the Production field but I knew that I had to push hard to catch them. I caught them slighter earlier than I predicted so the calculations may need tweaking a little in order that the battle for first place happens on the last lap but overall, I really enjoyed it, as did the spectators. It’s good to be more on a level playing field with these guys."

Production winner Harrison said: "I think it’s a shame that they (BTC Tourers) caught us. It’s difficult to work out the laps but I’m sure they’ll get it closer in the next few rounds so it will be down to the last lap to see who wins. It was really exciting though and good fun but I just couldn’t hold them off at the end of the day. I still won the Production Race and I’m pleased to get the points".

FEATURE RACE - ROUND 4

The longer Feature Race also took on a new format. The race distance was reduced from 32 laps to 30, with the BTC Touring Cars having to make two pit stops throughout the race. An incident packed 30 laps saw a starting grid of 25 cars reduced to 15 as a combination of blown tyres and mechanical problems forced many to retire. Team Egg Sport’s James Thompson was on pole but Jason Plato made a better rolling start and overtook the Yorkshireman at Allard. Plato’s team-mate Muller also got the better of Thompson through the braking zone to take second position. A fast and furious battle developed between the two Vauxhalls on the ensuing twelve laps and Muller eventually took the lead when Plato pulled in for his first pit stop. A lap later, Muller was also in the Pits but a quicker stop put the Frenchman ahead of his team-mate – a lead he would hang on to for the duration of the race.

A jubilant Muller said afterwards: "I really enjoyed the first twelve laps, it was a good fight between me and Jason. We decided before the race that Jason would pit first and I just had to concentrate on pushing as hard as I could on the in lap in the hope that I could get out in front. The team did a brilliant pit stop and the combination of both things meant I was able to get out ahead."

Plato added: "I was fighting with oversteer and I just couldn’t attack. I tried to hold Yvan for as long as possible but the car was twitching and it was inevitable that the pit stops would sort us out."

Plato retains his lead in the BTC Touring Drivers Championship (55 points) with Muller only six points behind (49 points).

In the Production race, HTML and Production class leader Simon Harrison made an impressive start but engine problems forced the Peugeot 306 out of the race on lap 4. Team-mate Roger Moen went ahead and was looking comfortable until a similar problem forced him in retirement on lap 12.

Barwell motorsport’s James Kaye took the lead and the Production chequered flag to pick up his second Feature Race of the Championship. He commented: "It was exciting racing, especially at the start. Once we had a clear break we had to go for it. I don’t think Simon Harrison had the pace in the Feature Race and then he went out but at the end of the day, a win’s a win!"

Kaye now leads the Production class with 44 points, 7 points clear of HTML’s Simon Harrison (37 points). GR Motorsports Matt Jackson claims third with 33 points.