Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff are looking for another strong weekend at Croft, venue for the fifth round of the 2013 British Touring Car Championship, after their strong showing at Oulton Park.
“This is as close as it gets to racing at home for me, and that is a special feeling,” explains Plato. “What is also special is the track itself; Croft has a little bit of everything – there are really technical bits and there are some very fast sweeps out the back that require a huge amount of bravery.”
Plato led home the first MG 1-2 finish since their return to the Championship during the opening race of the day at Oulton Park before doubling up in the second race of the day.
The 2001 and 2011 Champion believes that the tweaks which were made to the car before the Oulton Park races will be of benefit at Croft as well, due to the characteristics of the 2.25 mile circuit.
“We showed at the last rounds at Oulton Park that the tweaks we have made to the chassis are paying off,” said Plato. “We had a great handling car on a very demanding circuit and those are the strengths we are going to need at Croft as well. We need to keep the momentum going that we have built up.”
Tordoff heads into his home race weekend on the back of a career best finish in the British Touring Car Championship. Having finished second to team-mate Plato in the opening race at Oulton Park, the Leeds based racer is chasing his maiden win during the remaining 18 races of the season.
“I don’t think that wins are out of the question given how we performed at Oulton Park,” explained the KX Akademy driver.”What is great is that we have got on top of how to use the Dunlop tyres and get the most from them, which will be vital at Croft.
“We are confident enough to think that both Jason and I can fend off the threats from any team at Croft, and that means you go into the meeting with your sights set high.”
Arriving at Croft fifth in the Championship standings having scored in all but one of the 12 races held in 2013, Tordoff is aiming to maintain or improve his Championship position before the mid season summer break.
“Although it is my first year at this level, I am not asking for any special treatment,” Tordoff added. “I am out there to win as much as the next man, I have a great platform in the MG KX Momentum MG and I plan to use it as best as I can.”