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British Touring Car Championship
Brands Hatch (Indy) - Race 1 Report - 31/3/13

By MJP Media | 31 March 2013

Jason Plato takes the first win of the 2013 BTCC season ahead of Andrew Jordan and Rob Austin.

Jason Plato celebrates winning the first race of the 2013 season

It was another bitterly cold morning at Brands Hatch that greeted the teams, drivers and fans for the first race day of the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Following the winter break, everyone was keen to see how the cars would perform in race trim and how the new soft tyre regulations would affect the racing.

On Saturday it was Honda Civics who took the qualifying honours with Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordon claiming pole position for the first race of the day and defending BTCC champion Gordon Shedden taking 2nd for Honda Yuasa Racing. Jason Plato qualified his MG6 in 3rd place for MG KX Momentum Racing with Matt Neal 4th in the other Honda Yuasa Racing Civic.

Rob Austin takes his first podium since Croft last year

At the start it was Andrew Jordan who took an early lead however it was Rob Austin in the WIX Racing Audi A4 with the new Dunlop 'soft' tyres who led at the end of the first lap with Jason Plato 2nd and Andrew Jordan 3rd. After a brief safety car period caused by a minor coming together between Dave Newsham's Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis and Jason Plato's MG6, Austin held the lead whilst under pressure from Jason Plato until lap 14 when Plato took the lead.

Behind the leaders, Andrew Jordan was running consistently in 3rd place with a healthy lead over Sam Tordoff in the 2nd MG6. Jordan soon set about closing down Rob Austin and on lap 19 managed to pass when the Audi's soft tyres started to lose their advantage.

Sam Tordoff finished an impressive 4th on his BTCC debut

Elsewhere, drama surrounded the Honda Yuasa Racing team when Matt Neal closed the door on defending BTCC champion and team-mate Gordon Shedden on lap 15 requiring them both to pit whilst running in 6th and 5th respectively, Neal with accident damage and Shedden with grass in the Civic's radiator causing it's engine to over-heat.

The top three drivers maintained their positions, with Jason Plato taking the first victory of the 2013 season ahead of Andrew Jordan in 2nd and Rob Austin 3rd. Sam Tordoff finished an impressive 4th in his first BTCC race with Jeff Smith 5th for Pirtek Racing and Frank Wrathall 6th in the Dynojet Toyota Avensis.

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