see more Racing on :
https://rebrand.ly/SpeedWorld
https://rebrand.ly/SpeedWorld
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00From the hills of Scotland to the flatlands of the Norfolk Broads, the next rounds were on the airfield circuit of Snetterton.
00:06Now the weather took a turn just before the start, so the tyre choice was a bit of a gamble, and Phil Bennett didn't even make the start due to gearbox problems.
00:14Jason Plato's still in pole, but all by himself. That's just what he'll be wanting.
00:18Red light, lights are green. Plato away. So is Thompson pretty cleanly on the right.
00:22Ivan Muller up the middle. Look at Tommy Erdos. Erdos and the Lexus just jumps up straight past both of those Peugeots,
00:28which are running slicks, of course, on the front, making their life difficult.
00:31Up into Richter's first time. Erdos on the inside. Muller just holds him off.
00:36Erdos up into third. That's Plato back into fourth. Now who's in the lead? Well, Muller on the right, Thompson on the left.
00:42Coming into Sears. Now can he hang on to it? James Thompson runs deep. James runs straight on.
00:47Just can't get the grip. Runs wide. Still running, though. That's really what Muller wanted.
00:52So Muller is now out in front. Big lead over James Thompson.
00:55In the meantime, the production boys, as you can see, in the smaller screen, have started.
01:00So Erdos on the right. Muller on the left. Thompson behind.
01:03Now there's Jason Plato darting down the left-hand side of the screen.
01:05What can he do? Just get... Yes! Through. Past Tommy Erdos.
01:12Now we're on board with James Thompson. Muller's run a little bit wide as he's regathered it up again.
01:17Well, talk about leaving the door open. That was the whole barn door.
01:19He got it all wrong, indeed. And Thompson all set to take advantage, but couldn't quite.
01:28There he is Graves. Then Hal behind him.
01:31Then the Renault Clio of Collard. Then Kay behind him.
01:34Then Jackson.
01:36It's like he was carrying a little bit too much speed there.
01:38Precarious, but he's just held on to it.
01:40Fastest part of the track. Really honking down here.
01:43And you've got to watch some speed off for the left-hand.
01:45Hey, watch out, Tom!
01:46That was Ivan Muller having quite a focusing moment there.
01:50And then Muller has tagged Kramer.
01:52Kramer's off. No, he's on.
01:53No, he's off. No, he's on.
01:56Right him, cowboy!
01:59That is an official tank slapper.
02:01And Kramer having to recruit very, very sharply.
02:05What was that all about?
02:06Well, his arms must have been moving faster than a fiddler's elbow
02:09to keep that focus on track one way or another.
02:12Now, here's James Thompson's view.
02:14Look ahead through his windscreen.
02:16You can just see Muller there.
02:18That's what James can see.
02:20Kramer going off.
02:21And coming back on again.
02:23And going off again.
02:24Just ducking the pendulum.
02:25Swimming at that forward focus.
02:27And timing it to perfection.
02:29But here's somebody else timing it to perfection.
02:31Look!
02:31Jason Plater gets through.
02:33Picks up a place through all of that confusion.
02:35Well, I hope Kramer hasn't got a headache, as I sure have.
02:38That was dizzying indeed.
02:39Graves, Hal and Collard still your race leaders
02:42because they are in the production cars
02:44and they still hit the field.
02:46Ivan Muller there in P9
02:48working his way up in the touring car ranks,
02:50threading his way through the field.
02:52Now, we're on the last lap.
02:54And this is going to be a very close finish
02:56because Simon Graves, who is still leading production
02:58and leading outright,
02:59is being dramatically caught by this man here.
03:02Ivan Muller, you can see the headlights of Muller's car
03:04just boring holes in the back of that Honda.
03:07But it's close, only two corners to go.
03:10Coram, what can he do?
03:12There's Graves, there's Muller.
03:14Graves has cleared away from the rest of the production guys
03:16as Ivan Muller has cleared away from the rest of the touring cars.
03:22Through the Russell S's for the last time.
03:25Can he hang on to it?
03:26Graves puts the power down.
03:27Muller does.
03:28But a lot of squirt from the Honda.
03:30Vauxhall is not going to make it.
03:31It's going to be very, very close.
03:33Body language from the pit wall tells you all.
03:36Great stuff for Simon Graves.
03:38And nicely done.
03:40The gentleman takes the checkered flag for the field.
03:44Well, was that nail-biting or what?
03:46That was the closest finish yet
03:48between the production and the touring cars
03:50with Simon Graves in the production.
03:51Honda just seeing off.
03:53Ivan Muller with Jason Plato third,
03:55Gareth Howell fourth.
03:56Good drive from Rob Collard.
03:57Fifth outright and third in production.
03:59But it wasn't easy.
04:01It was very, very tricky conditions out there.
04:03Very, very slippery.
04:04And I could see the Tourers catching us on the...
04:07Well, the Class A cars catching us on the last lap.
04:09And it's just...
04:10The finish was like a horse race.
04:12It was just one by a nose, I think.
04:13Wow, tough conditions out there.
04:22And still, the long race to come.
04:24But before we get back to the racing,
04:26Dawn McDaniel joined Jason Plato for a day at the racetrack.
04:29I'm quite lucky because I can sleep anywhere.
04:43I can sleep standing up.
04:45In the very early days, we stopped in the back of a van.
04:47Let's just look in this bathroom.
04:49Nice Mulberry wash bag.
04:50These girls, they're draped all over the front of our cars.
04:54And the banter on the radio is very, very amusing.
04:57I can imagine.
04:57It is.
04:58Dr. Cabana.
04:59I don't like eating breakfast in hotels.
05:02There's five things on there.
05:04That's looking quite good, isn't it?
05:06This is Mr. Plato.
05:08Good morning.
05:08This is Linda, Jason's mum.
05:20Yes, I think they're very tense at the circuit.
05:22Try not to show it, though.
05:27We're now coming into the Vauxhall motorhome.
05:30As the van's demonstrating now,
05:32we can come in and put our feet up and hide.
05:37Do you enjoy me?
05:38Yeah, I do, actually.
05:39Yeah, I do.
05:40Look at the queue we've got.
05:41It's massive.
05:43I can remember doing this when I was a kid.
05:45Do you like Jason Plato?
05:47Yeah.
05:47I can remember the Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1976.
05:51Do you think he's a good driver?
05:53Yeah.
05:54And I can remember what I was like as a little lad.
05:56Do you want to be a driver?
05:58No, I want to be in the army.
06:03Vauxhall team-mate Jason Plato.
06:05But a feature race, round 16,
06:07we haven't seen that promise much and delivered much.
06:08We'll join John Watson and, first of all, Charlie Cox.
06:12Well, party time on the outside of the field,
06:14but here on the track, well,
06:15it's just about to get down to business.
06:17When you're hot, you're hot.
06:18And these are the two hot guys,
06:19Jason Plato and Ivan Muller.
06:21Ivan, of course, winner of race one.
06:23Jason, whole man for this race,
06:25as he was for the sprint race.
06:27Now, conditions are going to play a really big part here tonight
06:29because it's just stopped raining.
06:31It was raining a few moments ago.
06:32The track is wet.
06:33The drivers have got to work out what tyres to use
06:35because, remember, in this race,
06:37they can make pit stops and change.
06:38So maybe taking a pump on slicks
06:40might be the way forward halfway through.
06:42Either way, it's going to be difficult for them now.
06:44Dark, straight out of the pits here,
06:46into the darkness.
06:47Rolling start.
06:48The whole field starts together.
06:50Rather them than me.
06:51Well, this is the end of the warm-up lap,
06:54if you could call it that,
06:55with the track that greasy and wet.
06:58Mettleton-Thompson on the second row.
07:00Tommy Erdos, then Dan Eves alongside him.
07:04And Steve Sober behind.
07:06As you can see, the track just absolutely glistening.
07:09Piper and Hal on the second row of the grid there in production.
07:12Coming down through the Russell S's for the last time.
07:15The safety car will peel off.
07:18The field will back up and prepare for the start.
07:21Huge field of production, cars.
07:23And look at Simon Harrison and the lead Peugeot.
07:26I think deliberately holding those cars back
07:28to avoid any collision with the tourers ahead.
07:31Lights go to green.
07:32Will they?
07:32Yep, they've let the start go in any case.
07:34And the touring cars are off.
07:36Then an almost separate race behind for production.
07:39Blaze of lights.
07:41Jason Plato leads.
07:42And Ivan Muller is right behind him there.
07:43Phil Bennett could start there up into third.
07:46Thompson fourth.
07:47And Tommy Erdos and the Lexus brings up fifth.
07:50Dab under brakes.
07:51Dark, wet, uncomfortable.
07:53Feeding through Sear.
07:55Then the first of the production cars.
07:58Simon Harrison, I think, just backing everybody up.
08:00That's Roger Moen running a little bit wide there on the infield.
08:03You could just make them out as they go down the back straight.
08:06Just look at that view.
08:08It's like close encounters.
08:09The cars just streaking down the back straight in the darkness, in the rain.
08:14Headlights ablaze.
08:15That's Plato with the blue light in his windscreen.
08:17Muller behind with the red light.
08:19Then the green light is Bennett.
08:20And the yellow light there, James Thompson.
08:22That's how we're trying to work it out.
08:24That's how their pit crews will work it out as they feed around for the first time.
08:28And Phil Bennett looking very racy indeed going into the ball.
08:31Yeah, Harrison looking pretty racy as well.
08:33But managing to hang on to that lead that he's backed the field up for.
08:36Very big sideways move there by Ivan Muller.
08:39He keeps using that very wide line, Ron Coram.
08:41I don't know why.
08:42I'm going to need feedback on tyres from now on.
08:45Just when you think about it, James, OK?
08:47Ivan Muller can give you feedback.
08:48There's no grip at all as we just saw him sliding.
08:51But that was Plato's pit crew.
08:53Desperate for information on when they want to change.
08:55As we've watched Gavin Piper monstering and then pushing out of the way.
08:59Simon Harrison muscling his way up to take the lead in production.
09:02Strong pass.
09:03Strong pass, but I think Harrison aided it.
09:05He was a little bit tentative in the exit of Russell's.
09:07Well, he's got some problems now because he's got a Honda all over him as well.
09:11We've got Harrison, Howell, and then Graves coming up into Rich's.
09:16Graves taking the wide line around the outside.
09:18Simon Harrison hanging onto it.
09:19Gareth Howell tucking into the right-hand side.
09:21And then James Cave trying to make something out of that posse as well.
09:25Now, Ivan Muller, meantime, is now coming at us.
09:27Some very big pressure from Phil Bennett.
09:29Bennett on a charge, big time.
09:33Round three, Coram.
09:34Tommy Erdos.
09:35Then Soper, then Eves.
09:37Here's what they can't see.
09:39On board with Gavin.
09:40That's Gavin Piper.
09:41He was leading production.
09:42He's off.
09:43Ah, one step forward, two steps back.
09:46I think Gavin Piper must be saying, please, somebody, beam me back onto the racetrack.
09:51Well, he sucked his way back up into second place.
09:53It's only cost him a place.
09:54Graves now in front of him in production.
09:58Not uncommon for Gavin to be spectacular on the track and leave it.
10:03That being another example of that.
10:04Still very much in touch and no real harm done.
10:06Lucky for him, Howell wasn't close enough to take advantage.
10:09But he is giving Graves pressure.
10:12Plato, Muller.
10:14And Bennett.
10:15Up across the start-finish line again into the darkness.
10:20Muller very, very close.
10:22No one pitting yet.
10:24No, but also over Phil Bennett.
10:26Running his car lighter than the two voxels ahead of him.
10:28He hasn't got the weight penalty that they're carrying.
10:31Oh, and Ivan Muller there had a look down the inside of Jason Plato.
10:33Don't know if there was any contact there.
10:35But it's better chance now.
10:37Low weight.
10:38Good drive off the corner.
10:39Muller, watch out.
10:41Yeah, may have really cost himself some momentum there
10:43as we watch Danny's end of the pits.
10:45This is going to be a full four-wheel change.
10:47Off of the wet.
10:48On with the slicks.
10:49Remember, only four people allowed to work on the car at any time.
10:53One per corner.
10:54This is going to take longer than the normal six or eight seconds we've seen.
10:58Danny sits in the pits.
10:59Now, the wheels are on on the left-hand side.
11:00We can't see on the right-hand side.
11:02Well, there must be a problem on the right-hand side
11:04because this pit stop lasting much longer.
11:06In the meantime, a free service.
11:08Get the wheels screen clean.
11:09And eventually, Danny's won 25.6 seconds.
11:12Well, he's going to feel very disappointed indeed with that.
11:15Yeah, it's really, really tricky reading the road from where I am.
11:19OK, there's a Persia out there with slicks on.
11:21We'll tell you.
11:23Phil Bennett.
11:24Phil Bennett through on the inside of Ivan Muller.
11:26Very strong pass in there through the bomb hole.
11:30He's absolutely on a charge.
11:31Now, we were hearing while that was going on,
11:33Phil Bennett picking himself up into second place, of course.
11:36The discussion between James Thompson and his pit crew
11:38and they're using Dan Eves as an experiment about slick tyres.
11:41What they'll do is overlap Eves' wet times over his dry tyre times.
11:46And when the dry tyre times grow quicker,
11:48that's the point the voxels will all charge for the pits for their tyre changes.
11:53Well, Dan providing a valuable service there,
11:55being the first man to chance his arm.
11:57Now, talking about chancing your arm,
11:59look at Phil Bennett go.
12:00That's Jason Plato in the lead,
12:02but Bennett is right up his exhaust pipe.
12:04Now, he does to the left-hand side.
12:06Big high-speed right-hander coming up.
12:08Is he through? Yes, he is.
12:09Phil Bennett up into the lead.
12:11Hot stuff.
12:12Bennett on the outside.
12:13Well, I spoke too soon.
12:15Tagged him.
12:15That's Plato and Bennett,
12:17and Bennett has been shuffled into the infield,
12:19slithering across the grass.
12:20This is just going on and on and on.
12:22Now, Plato and Muller are going to be coming around here somewhere.
12:25There through, he's back on,
12:26just missing the marshals post in the process.
12:29Now, clearly, Bennett's taken the position from Plato,
12:31but because he was on the inside, he runs wide in the exit.
12:34Plato runs up the inside,
12:36tags him on the right rear,
12:38and then just simply forces the voxel sideways
12:41with the nose of his car.
12:43Now, that is out of order, Jason.
12:45You should know that.
12:46Well, obviously, all the Thompson team eavesdropping
12:48has paid off because James is in to change those tyres.
12:51It's a pretty early stop.
12:52I mean, I'm not quite sure whether the team believe
12:54they've got the advantage by changing the slicks so early,
12:57but James Thompson feels he can get away with it.
13:00He's going to have to be very, very careful, indeed,
13:02because the track is still wet.
13:04Even the racing line is still damp.
13:07Vauxhall stop.
13:09Oh, it's not as quick as I thought it would have been.
13:1023, 23.4 seconds.
13:13Barely any quicker than Dan Eaves.
13:15Well, we'll soon see whether it's quicker on the track,
13:17although James wasn't doing anything on those other tyres.
13:19Meantime, here's Phil Bennett,
13:21limping back to the pits.
13:22He's wounded.
13:22I reckon he's so mad he could carry that car in.
13:46Into the pits now, threading his way back up.
13:49I need to check the steering because he just wouldn't turn left.
13:55Well, that's the reason his steering isn't working.
13:57That's the damage on the splitter.
13:58Got it?
14:00Seed, porcelain, outland.
14:03Well, that's the problem.
14:05Okay, we'll do spaying out.
14:06The bodywork's worn the tyres.
14:08Just cut through the side of the tyre.
14:09I don't know whether we can do it.
14:11The bumper, just take the bumper off if we can.
14:13Just rip it off, okay?
14:14Change the tyres first and then rip the bumper off.
14:17Pit this lap, Jason, we're going for selects.
14:22Pit this lap, we're going for selects.
14:24Well, this will be interesting.
14:25Just heard Jason Plato being called into the pits
14:27while Phil Bennett is still there being ministered to by his pit crew.
14:32We heard the calming voice there of Ian Harrison, Bennett's team boss,
14:35just telling everybody step by step what to do.
14:38Well, I just hope that Phil Bennett has left the pits
14:40because if he hasn't, he'll drag Jason Plato out of his car
14:43with the seatbelt still attached.
14:44Well, out goes Phil.
14:46In comes Jason.
14:48And he'll be relieved to see that Phil Bennett has left the pits.
14:51So the Vauxhall guys go to work.
14:52It's a complete change.
14:54Wets are going to come off.
14:55Slicks go on.
14:56And the track is now getting to a stage
14:58where it is quicker to run on those slick tyres.
15:01But you're going to have to be very, very careful indeed.
15:03One little error or even in trying to overtake somebody
15:06off that dry line, you'll be in trouble.
15:0919.2 seconds.
15:10Better this time from the Vauxhall team.
15:12Yeah, Jason Plato will be well pleased with that.
15:14That's picking up quite a few track seconds
15:17over the Vauxhall of James Thompson
15:19and the Peugeot of Dan Eves.
15:22Blazing headlights there of Jason Plato's car
15:24re-entering the pack.
15:27Hooking a ride after the pit lane exit.
15:30Round Rich's corner and off into the darkness.
15:32And very easy to make an error just that first corner
15:35out of the pits.
15:37Cold slicks.
15:37You can be off the track before you know it.
15:39Well, there's Muller and Dan Eves in the Peugeot right behind him.
15:43Now Ivan Muller moves to the right-hand side of the track.
15:46He's into pit.
15:46So 19.2 seconds was the time for Jason Plato.
15:51He's running behind Mohan.
15:52Now they're all running on the speed limiter at 40 miles an hour.
15:54So there's no big disadvantage to Muller.
15:57But now bring the car up.
15:58Stop it right on the mark.
16:00Let the Vauxhall guys go to work.
16:02Car comes up.
16:03The rears are off.
16:04The slicks are going on.
16:06He's going to be watching the clock.
16:07He wants to be out quicker.
16:08He wants to get out ahead of Jason Plato.
16:11Big lick of fire there as well from those front discs.
16:1613.3 seconds.
16:17Muller is going to be very happy indeed.
16:19And he should be taking the lead comfortably as he leaves the pit lane.
16:22Well, we've talked before about braking technique.
16:25The fact that Ivan Muller is a left foot breaker.
16:27And that's proof in the footing as he weaves all over the track.
16:31Getting no grip at all.
16:32Look, those brakes are still red hot.
16:34He could have toasted marshmallows on the brake fire he had when he pitted.
16:37Certainly you could see the lick of flame.
16:38But also, he just got the car offline onto the weapon of track.
16:42No grip at all.
16:45Now, that bloke's bang on line.
16:47Jason Plato using every bit of the track before the rough stuff.
16:50And he needs to be bang on as well because this bloke is ahead of him.
16:53Ivan Muller in the Vauxhall after the pit stops is shaken through.
16:56Muller still in the lead.
16:57But slipping and sliding and going to the infield.
16:59He's off.
17:00Now, there's Plato right behind him.
17:02Muller run wide.
17:03Plato's through.
17:04Well, all that good work in the pits.
17:05Muller has lasted every corner on this outlap.
17:08He's been in trouble.
17:09The car's been all over the racetrack.
17:11And look at it still through the bomb hole.
17:13Yeah, it's not driving.
17:14It's crisis management.
17:16Now, let's look back at the S's.
17:17Muller, he's the master of driving in snow and ice in Chamblee in the wintertime.
17:22This is only wet at Snetterton.
17:23And he gets it wrong yet again.
17:25Now, look.
17:26Runs wide on the exit of the S's.
17:27And Jason Plato has made up the deficit that resulted during the pit stops.
17:33Well, he might be struggling for grip, Muller.
17:35But it still is the Plato and Muller show.
17:37They are very, very clear ahead of James Thompson in third position.
17:42Now, on board, both fourth-placeman and production leader Graves.
17:48Where's that track, Simon?
17:49It's out there somewhere.
17:51Gareth Howell just slipping down the inside of the focus.
17:54Graves switches back.
17:55Gareth Howell runs a little bit wide.
17:58Running on to the back straight.
17:59Made it stick, though.
18:00He did it all to the Honda.
18:02Normally very quick in a straight line.
18:04It's getting dropped by the Ford Focus.
18:06Now, this is the revet straight.
18:08Let's watch the performance difference.
18:15Nothing in it as they drive under the bridge.
18:17Then back into the glare of lights.
18:19And that was Steve Soper.
18:20Hi, Steve.
18:21Bye, Steve.
18:22Well, Steve obviously didn't realise there's a corner coming up
18:25where he just simply misjudged it.
18:26Locks up, goes on the grass and drives back on the track again.
18:29Yet, luckily, he made himself a clean re-entry just ahead of Gareth Howell again.
18:34Could have been very sticky.
18:35Jetting across the infield like that on the slippery grass.
18:37Let's talk about slippery grass.
18:39Dan Eve says, if you can spin, so can I.
18:42Copies his teammate, Steve Soper, who went off too deep.
18:45Exactly the same place a lap ago.
18:47On board with Dan.
18:48As Dan Eve's coming into the S's.
18:50All of it clumsy and under braking.
18:52Locks up.
18:53All of a sudden, round and round we go.
18:56And there is another parachute just to add to the Igman Lee.
18:59Well, lucky pirouette there.
19:00Didn't tag the wall.
19:02Great news for Dan.
19:02Now, side by side.
19:04Here they go.
19:04There's Plato and Muller teammates.
19:05No one bothering with the track whatsoever.
19:09Banging over the mud.
19:12Now, Plato is one out of all of that.
19:14And, well, Muller's had a Phil Bennett custom job done to the front of his car.
19:18Amazing.
19:19Plato's car is undamaged.
19:21Muller's car gets the front spoiler pretty much ripped off it.
19:24Here you see them both coming to the S's.
19:26Both miss the corner altogether.
19:27Cut across the grass.
19:29And there you see, well, Graber's trying to get out of the way as quickly as possible
19:32as Muller cuts across the front of his car.
19:34And you can see the front spoiler torn to shreds.
19:37That's not going to help his race.
19:39Back up across the start-finish line with the remains of his Vauxhall.
19:44Ivan and Jason keep taking each other off, man.
19:47You're closing on them.
19:48Amazing speed.
19:49Heave it up.
19:51Well, there's the word from Ian Harrison and Vauxhall telling James Thompson,
19:54just hang in there.
19:55Oh, more contact.
19:56That's Phil Bennett around again.
19:58What an evening.
20:00When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.
20:02And Phil Bennett turned on the infill, but still running.
20:07Well, it's been an eventful evening for Bennett.
20:08Let's look again as they come into the S's.
20:10Now, that's just careless.
20:11The Honda on the left-hand side of the screen should have seen the quicker car coming down.
20:15Tags the back of the Vauxhall.
20:17Ryan Bennett goes.
20:18Nine minus a headlight as well.
20:21A car that could have won this race.
20:23Low weight.
20:24Basically, his race is over for the evening.
20:28Well, he just keeps on banging around there, slipping and sliding.
20:31Obviously, a real head of steam up there as well.
20:34Just think it was from this point a few laps earlier that Phil Bennett launched himself into the outright lead of the race.
20:39Tommy Erdos, much stronger showing in the Lexus, getting better race by race.
20:43And that's a car, I think, by the end of the season is going to be challenging the Vauxhels for outright victory.
20:49It's been a slow starter, but as the season progresses, it's getting impressive.
20:53Tommy's now moving up behind Simon Graves, the second-placed man in production in the Honda Accord.
20:58Erdos on the right, Graves on the left.
21:01Just look at the squirt in that Lexus.
21:02Plenty of horsepower.
21:03It certainly has.
21:05Remember also the Lexus rear-wheel drive, which I think in these conditions is an advantage.
21:10Tommy just sliding through there.
21:13There's Simon Harrison.
21:15Matt Jackson up behind him.
21:16You're the fastest car out there, Jimmy.
21:18You're the fastest car out there.
21:19Plato just sliding through.
21:21Word from the pit wall there to James Thompson.
21:23You're the fastest guy out there.
21:25Well, he's the widest car out there.
21:26Matt Jackson just slithering wide there.
21:28Good recovery.
21:29He did well to keep the car in control.
21:31Back on the track.
21:32Didn't really lose anything at all.
21:35Simon Harrison just getting right in the thick of it there with those two Vauxhels.
21:41This is very busy down the back straight.
21:42I think he got a little bit of a nudge there from Jason Plato.
21:45Plato, Muller through.
21:47Harrison on the right-hand side of your screen.
21:49Everyone ducking and weaving down the back straight.
21:52James Thompson's in the thick of it.
21:53And you can see he was the fastest man out there.
21:55Was he?
21:55What?
21:56Now Plato's run wide.
21:57And Muller's through this time.
21:58And Thompson is through as well.
22:00I can't keep up with this.
22:01It's all go.
22:02Well, we didn't really see what Plato did.
22:04He just seemed to get it all wrong.
22:05But here's our chance to look at it from James Thompson's point of view.
22:08But look at Muller.
22:09He got a real run on Thompson coming down into the Esses.
22:11Both cars squirming and they're breaking.
22:13But Plato gets it wrong.
22:15He overruns the corner.
22:16Muller cuts back.
22:17Thompson's got a grandstand view of it.
22:19Up into second place.
22:20And now pushing Muller.
22:21Well, it never rains, but it pours.
22:24There's the confirmation if you need it.
22:26Muller, Thompson, Plato, Soper and Erdos.
22:29And it's been shuffling as many times as you like.
22:32James Thompson, who was struggling before the last pit stop,
22:35is really putting these tyres to good use.
22:37Look at all of those brakes.
22:39Thompson obviously has the same sort of driving style.
22:42Glowing bright red in the dark.
22:44Both sets of fronts.
22:45And that's the effect of left foot braking.
22:47Left foot right on the brake pedal.
22:49The brakes stay red hot.
22:50Well, the left is on the brake pedal,
22:52but I'll tell you what, the right is flat on the floor
22:55as they drag each other down the back straight.
22:57And James Thompson is through.
22:59Thompson's out-dragged Muller.
23:00Just snicks it down the inside.
23:02And that's good motor racing.
23:04Muller recognised.
23:05He was outdone into the corner.
23:06He didn't bash into Thompson.
23:08He allowed her to take the lead.
23:09That's correct motor racing.
23:11Jimmy T's car looking very straight and clean and orderly, actually.
23:14Stayed out of trouble.
23:16Said before the race he was going to run a percentage game.
23:19Just see what he could do.
23:20And he's done it.
23:20He's paid off so far, at least.
23:22He's in the front.
23:23Now there's Tommy Erdos coming under some pressure from Dan Eves.
23:26Eves on a charge.
23:27Well, Eves has had a pretty miserable day so far.
23:30Maybe this is going to be a better ending for him.
23:32Now through Coram.
23:33Fast part of the circuit.
23:34And he's off.
23:35And he's off.
23:35That's Eves wide.
23:37Very big hit.
23:39Off backwards into the wall at Coram.
23:41Big spin around as we saw.
23:46Marshall's over there quickly.
23:47You can see him moving in the car.
23:48Should be fine.
23:49Yeah, I think so.
23:50But it was a very big impact.
23:51Me and my big mouth.
23:52I thought Dan Eves was going to see the evening out fairly comfortably.
23:55Well, that was far from comfortable.
23:56A big impact.
23:58Rear front car spreads the tires all over the place.
24:01At least he's walking away.
24:02Other than being bruised.
24:04Yeah, here's another look.
24:06I don't know why.
24:07He just comes around the corner.
24:08He's wide again in the middle part of the corner.
24:10Of course, it's wet there on slick tires.
24:12The grass is soaking wet.
24:14Car hits the barriers so hard.
24:16Throws it up in the air.
24:17Spins it round.
24:18Lands and keeps spinning.
24:20Really tops and tails the Peugeot.
24:21And there's not much of that car.
24:23It's going to be salvageable.
24:25And the worst thing is, that was a new car.
24:27Now on board with Dan.
24:29Let's watch what he was doing.
24:30Tommy Erdos ahead.
24:31Now the great part of the track's dry.
24:33The dark part's wet.
24:35Dan just gets those two nappies on the wet part.
24:38And there you see, it just goes ballistic.
24:41That was an explosive accident indeed.
24:44But we have seen the most important thing of all.
24:46And that was Dan walking away clean and unhurt.
24:49Very important indeed.
24:50Now James Thompson, Muller and then Jason Plato.
24:53That's your order in the top three.
24:55There is Jason Plato.
24:56The man on the screen.
24:56And there's another one off.
24:57That's Collard.
24:58Collard in the Renault.
25:00Boy, was that close.
25:01Well, I mean, it's just strange.
25:02Collard's gone off almost in the same way as he's went off.
25:05I wonder if there's something on the track we're not seeing.
25:08Well, I'll tell you what.
25:09Rob's eyes must have been on springs as he went past Dan Eves' car there.
25:13And there's the production leader, Gareth Howell.
25:14He's run too deep at the end of the remnant straight.
25:17But he's back on the track.
25:18It's still in the lead.
25:19That very lucky stuff.
25:20Yes, he was, but Simon Graves is right now almost at the back door of that Ford Focus.
25:26And Howell is going to have to really focus himself to keep the lead of his class.
25:30But also coming through Corum, we've seen two cars off on the outside of this corner.
25:34And that Peugeot and the Renault are in a really dangerous place.
25:37And I'm surprised we haven't seen the safety car right on track.
25:40Okay, Yvonne Muller and Jason Plato, it's back on again.
25:44The battle for second.
25:46You can just see the blue light of Plato right behind the red line in the windscreen of Muller's car.
25:50Muller's run wide, Plato's back through again.
25:52Oh, talk about a topsy-turvy race.
25:54Thompson's ahead of them, but that was a strong pass.
25:56It was, but it makes me wonder why they have a sport at all.
25:59Muller's is mangled, Plato's is perfect, and they're still running at the same speeds.
26:03Okay, well, there's a new aerodynamic discovery we've made this evening.
26:06There's James Thompson.
26:08That's the gap.
26:08He's the fellow with a clean car, got plenty of straight panels to rub.
26:12These two, not a straight bit left to bang into each other.
26:15Plato now, just in front of Yvonne Muller, but it is nose to tail.
26:19In as much as Yvonne's still got the nose to run him to the back of Plato's car.
26:24Now, here's the battle for third in production.
26:26Matt Jackson and Simon Harrison.
26:28Simon in the red Peugeot.
26:30Matt in the yellow focus.
26:31Through Corum, down into Russell.
26:34Steaming on the brakes.
26:35Jackson looks down the inside.
26:36And over the kerbs, and he's tagged the back of Harrison.
26:39Harrison's off.
26:41And that's the second time Harrison's been tagged in Russell this evening.
26:45And a rough and tumble.
26:47Day's racing assignment still circulating, but now in P4.
26:50These two are circulating as well, and this is the fight for P2 in the touring car ranks.
26:53Yvonne Muller, very, very rough and ready indeed.
26:57Using all the track and a little bit more there.
26:59Trying to stay in touch with Jason Plato.
27:01Feeding once again around Corum, and he's running wide.
27:04And there's Dan Eaves' car, and that is just too close.
27:07Oh, boy.
27:08And this is going on and on and on.
27:10Finally, pirouettes around on the grass.
27:12Back again.
27:14It ain't pretty, but there's plenty of colour and move.
27:17And there's a bit less on the front of that Vauxhall Astra.
27:20Let's look and see.
27:21Muller tries to go around the outside of the Honda.
27:23Gets on the web.
27:24But look how close it gets to Yves' Peugeot.
27:26And the car goes into a fit of the head staggered.
27:28Because every way possible, that it just lights it up.
27:32Heats the front tyres back up.
27:34And I think that's sheer frustration.
27:35Well, that's the second near miss past the stricken car of Dan Eaves.
27:39We saw Rob Collard only a couple of laps ago.
27:41Slide sideways, just missed the front of it in park.
27:44And now Muller.
27:46Well, Corum Corner is very marginal on line.
27:49If you get a wheel off, you're in trouble.
27:51And that Peugeot is a very dangerous position.
27:53It should be red flagged, or at least the safety car brought out.
27:57Well, there is Phil Bennett.
27:58And behind him, the race leader.
28:01Well, there is your red flag.
28:02Red flag, and a checkered flag as well.
28:04So, end of the race.
28:06Checkered flag that is confirming positions.
28:08And ending this race as well.
28:09Obviously, one spin too many past Dan Eaves' car.
28:13I think in these circumstances, too much at risk.
28:15Prudence pays the result.
28:17And there is the result.
28:18James Thompson, P1.
28:20Jason Plato and Ivan Muller, two and three respectively.
28:23After a ding-dong race-long clash.
28:26And look at that.
28:26Gareth Howell, seventh outright.
28:28His first production win.
28:29Very strange race.
28:30I mean, we were nowhere near the pace to start with.
28:33I don't know what the problem was.
28:34We just lost seven seconds to everybody very early on.
28:39And so I thought, well, the best base we're getting.
28:42It's not working for us on the wet, so we'll get in for some slicks.
28:45And I think we were first of anyone to stop the slicks.
28:47And I think that paid off in the end.
28:49But obviously, there's a bit of argy-bargy going on, I'm sure, at the front of the grid.
28:53But yeah, just sneak through and I'll take them as they come at the moment.
28:56When I received contact from Ivan, he punted me off.
29:01Well, he took me off.
29:01He gave me two large whacks.
29:05But the first time I managed to stay back in the lead, we both went off on the right-hander.
29:10On the left-hander at the essence.
29:11And the next time he just gave me a punt and that was in the boonies.
29:13There is two different shunts.
29:15A shunt where you don't lose a place is the one I give him.
29:19Or there is a shunt he gives me sometimes when I lose the place.
29:23That's the big difference between the both.
29:25What happened with Jason again?
29:27Yeah.
29:28I don't know.
29:29What happened?
29:29You tell me.
29:30One minute I'm in front and the next minute, you know, he's turned me around.
29:34I mean, I don't know.
29:36I haven't seen the video, I'm sure, by now.
29:40Everybody will have seen what's happened.
29:41And it's a bit silly, really.
29:44Phil just dived down the inside up here, lost it and started to come across the track towards me.
29:48So, you know, sorry, mate.
29:50I'm not going to lift off.
29:51I had to keep my foot hard in the throttle.
29:53Otherwise, had I lifted, I would have spun as well.
29:55He just bit off more than he could chew.
29:57And he's a bit upset because I turned him around.
29:59But, you know, in those situations, you've got to look after yourself.
30:02Well, he's obviously doing that.
30:03And it seems to be paying dividends because Jason Plato still leading the championship.
30:08Just four points ahead of his teammate Ivan Muller, James Thompson.
30:11Also in touch there.
30:13But Jason and Ivan, well, their team is leading the touring team's championship.
30:20I don't know what to say.
30:21I really don't want to say.
30:22I never dreamed I'd win a touring car race.
30:24You can't describe it when you've been working as I have for so long.
30:27And the money we've put into it since I was sort of eight years old, it's unbelievable.
30:33It's what I've always wanted to do, win a touring car race.
30:35Well done, Sunshine.
30:37Well, he might have had the stuffing knocked out of him.
30:39But Simon Harrison has actually got back on top in the driver's championship.
30:42James Kay, who was leading, just falling back into second position.
30:46And in the team's championship, well, Gareth Howe's team is moving on.