Rockingham has been shrouded in fog today as the practice sessions have been taking place for this weekend’s BTCC races. MG team mates Tordoff and Plato have shared the fastest times so far.
Sam Tordoff was fastest in the first session but only by 1 thousandth of a second from Andrew Jordan with Adam Morgan only 7 hundredths off in third. Colin Turkington took fourth and will be happy to be setting quick times at a track which has not favoured the Ebay Motors BMW in the past. Gordon Shedden was fifth staying in touch at juust over four tenths off pole. Sixth was Tom Ingram, impressing as always with his pace considering his lack of experience. Fabrizio Gionvanardi was seventh ahead of Matt Neal in eighth slightly off his team mate’s pace again but ahead of Jason Plato in ninth in his MG with Mat Jackson in tenth and unusually for this season, not the fastest Airwaves Focus. Rob Austin, who is usually quick round here could only manage twelfth ahead of Alain Menu, the fastest of the BMR Restart racing VW CC’s in eleventh. Menu’s team mate (and team boss) Warren Scott had an off into the tyre wall early in the session. He recovered to the pits but the car needed repairs and couldn’t continue. Martin Depper got stuck in the Tarzan Hairpin gravel trap and brought out a red flag. A second red flag brought the session to a close when the fog got too thick to continue.
Full session one times are on TSL here;
The fog had cleared considerably by the time the second session got underway but we did have another red flag quite early in the session when Jack Goff got stuck in the gravel in his BMR Restart Chrome edition VW CC. Apart from that it was clear running. This time it was Jason Plato who was fastest, setting himself up nicely for qualifying. Unfortunately for Plato, the stewards have reviewed the incident between him and Rob Austin and have ruled it was Plato’s fault. This gives him his third penalty of the season meaning he’ll start the race from the back wherever he qualifies. There is a glimmer of hope as the team have appealed. It’ll be heard before qualifying so Plato will know if he has a chance or will be starting last before he goes out.
Pirtek’s Andrew Jordan was again second but this time he was just over four tenths back. Tordoff continued his strong weekend so far with third ahead of Tom Ingram once again on the front running pace in 
fourth. Fifth was Aron Smith, doing a lot better than he had in the first session. Colin Turkington put his Ebay Motors BMW into sixth this time well ahead of team mates Collard and Foster in 21st and 22nd. Marc Hynes was seventh and with all the MG’s well in the top half of the field it suggests this is definitely a circuit that suits their car. Eighth was Gordon Shedden making the top ten in his Civic tourer unlike team mate Neal who just missed out in eleventh. Adam Morgan was ninth this time, lower than he was hoping but still looking competitive. Mat Jackson completed the top ten and was back to being the quickest of the Airwaves cars with team mate Giovanardi back in twelfth. Surprisingly Rob Austin was down in fourteenth on a circuit that usually suits the Audi A4, he was beaten by his team mate, Hunter Abbott who took thirteenth.
Full times are on TSL here; By Marc Waller
STOP PRESS: After appealing, Jason Plato’s penalty has now been overturned by the stewards
