The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) heads north of the border this weekend for the series’ annual trip to Knockhill. It will be the first chance for Scottish racing fans to see the new MG KX Momentum Racing team in action around the tight and twisty Fife circuit.
Jason Plato enjoyed a strong weekend at Snetterton last time out, delivering on his pre-summer break promise; to come out fighting with the aim of closing the gap to the Honda’s at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. Standing on the podium after all three races at Snetterton, including a brilliant win in Race One, ensured a strong points haul and with Honda Racing suffering a difficult weekend, Jason closed the gap at the top of the series down from 29 points, to just 10.
A poor qualifying session, where set-up issues hampered his progress, meant that Andy Neate faced an uphill battle come race day at Snetterton. He battled away, but being at the wrong end of the grid saw him involved in too many scrapes and incidents with other cars. He did however score points in all three races to add to his championship total.
The MG KX Momentum Racing team are hoping that the tight and twisty nature of the 1.3-mile Knockhill circuit, will suit the MG 6GT well. The undulating nature of the circuit most closely resembles the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit or Oulton Park; tracks at which Jason Plato has already gone well this season. Having secured a race win at Brands and pole position at Oulton, the omens look good for another strong weekend.
Jason Plato (#99), BTCC Standings 3rd – 245 points:
“Off the back of a strong weekend at Snetterton, we must go to Knockhill full of confidence. We are starting to build up the momentum needed to mount a championship challenge. The tight and twisty Scottish circuit has given me many strong memories over the years, some good, some not so. It’s a circuit I really enjoy and one which I think will really suit our MG 6GT. We are certainly going north of the border looking to add to the win tally.”
Andy Neate (#44), BTCC Standings: 17th – 52 points:
“Snetterton was a tough weekend for me, I didn’t get on-top of my car set-up in Free Practice and that put me on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. I want to ensure I hit the ground running at the start of the weekend at Knockhill. I’m hope that a change in country brings a change in fortune for me!“
Ian Harrison, Team Principal, BTCC Standings: Teams – 4th – 292 points, Manufacturers -2nd – 458 points:
“Snetterton was a strong weekend for us and a good points haul has really given Jason a chance to put some pressure on the Honda’s in front. We need to continue to push hard and hope that they can take points off of each other. There is still a long way to go, but we’re in contention, which in our first season is a huge testament to work done back at Triple Eight.”
Source: MG KX Momentum Racing