Cataclean Plato Racing's Adam Morgan claimed his first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position since 2018 after winning today's (8 August) Qualifying Race at Knockhill.
Mercedes man Morgan showed the upturn in pace for the rookie outfit with his second overall career pole in Britain's elite motorsport championship, whilst teammate Dan Rowbottom confirmed the squad's speed with third at the finish.
There was local joy too as Gordon Shedden's Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota was sandwiched between the two 'Silver Arrows' at the conclusion of the 20-lap race.
It was almost a one-two for Cataclean Plato Racing with Rowbottom running side-by-side with Shedden across the start/finish line for the penultimate time, but the three time champion used his quality and experience to hold off his rival.
There was drama on the opening tour when Aiden Moffat (LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing) and Josh Cook (Speedworks Corolla Racing) were both fired off track in separate incidents, the latter involving a heavy hit into the barrier for his Toyota at the chicane.
The top three positions remained settled following the restart but there was a quick change behind as Chris Smiley (Restart Racing) scythed by Charles Rainford's WSR BMW for fourth at the final hairpin.
The WSR pairing of Rainford and Daryl De Leon eventually had to settle for fifth and sixth, as the 330i M Sports showed good consistency rather than race-winning pace, whilst the fight for seventh kicked off behind.
It was Mikey Doble that won that particular battle as he got the draft out of the final hairpin on the last lap. The #88 Audi A3 Saloon ran side-by-side with Ricky Collard's Team VERTU Hyundai across the line and incredibly took the place by just 0.006s, whilst reigning champion Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) looked on from behind.
Dan Cammish resisted the pressure from NAPA Racing UK teammate Ash Sutton to take a top ten finish, with the Ford Focus Titanium duo separated by less than half a second.
Full credit, however, went to Morgan as he not only claimed his first qualifying success for eight years, but he also secured the second 'Race to Pole' triumph for Cataclean Plato Racing. The Cheshire driver had finished either sixth or seventh in the previous Qualifying Races so far this season so today's performance represented a huge turnaround for the multiple race winner.
Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Knockhill tomorrow with the action getting underway in the UK on ITV4 from 11:15. The races will also be beamed around the world on Racer TV (North America) and the BTCC YouTube Channel (Rest of the World).
Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing, said: "It's mega. The car is in a lovely spot here. It's allowing you to use the kerbs, it's got really good traction and I've just been able to really get on top of it. My first pole position was back at Rockingham in 2018, so we've had to wait a while, but we've finally done it. It's a great start to the weekend for Dan (Rowbottom) and I and we can hopefully keep moving forward. I think we're in a good place. We're back!"
Knockhill - Qualifying Race - Classification:
| P/ | No/ | Name/ | Entry/ | Laps/ | Time/ | Gap/ | Best/ | On/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | Cataclean Plato Racing | 20 | 19:41.216 | 51.202 | 8 | |
| 2 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 20 | 19:44.184 | 2.968 | 51.377 | 9 |
| 3 | 32 | Daniel ROWBOTTOM | Cataclean Plato Racing | 20 | 19:44.664 | 3.448 | 51.355 | 9 |
| 4 | 22 | Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | 20 | 19:45.244 | 4.028 | 51.327 | 9 |
| 5 | 99 | Charles RAINFORD | WSR | 20 | 19:46.653 | 5.437 | 51.599 | 9 |
| 6 | 2 | Daryl DE LEON | WSR | 20 | 19:48.216 | 7.000 | 51.819 | 9 |
| 7 | 88 | Mikey DOBLE | LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing | 20 | 19:53.159 | 11.943 | 52.021 | 15 |
| 8 | 11 | Ricky COLLARD | Team VERTU | 20 | 19:53.165 | 11.949 | 52.057 | 9 |
| 9 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | Team VERTU | 20 | 19:53.338 | 12.122 | 51.978 | 17 |
| 10 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | 20 | 19:55.133 | 13.917 | 51.987 | 8 |
| 11 | 116 | Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | 20 | 19:55.607 | 14.391 | 52.042 | 8 |
| 12 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | Team VERTU | 20 | 19:58.103 | 16.887 | 51.935 | 8 |
| 13 | 17 | Dexter PATTERSON | Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing | 20 | 19:58.759 | 17.543 | 52.293 | 16 |
| 14 | 50 | Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 20 | 20:01.074 | 19.858 | 52.441 | 8 |
| 15 | 132 | James DORLIN | Restart Racing | 20 | 20:01.378 | 20.162 | 52.241 | 8 |
| 16 | 29 | Lewis GILBERT | WSR | 20 | 20:01.563 | 20.347 | 52.518 | 10 |
| 17 | 15 | Lewis SELBY | NAPA Racing UK | 20 | 20:04.896 | 23.680 | 52.415 | 10 |
| 18 | 77 | Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | 20 | 20:06.153 | 24.937 | 52.521 | 9 |
| 19 | 7 | Ryan BENSLEY | Speedworks Corolla Racing | 20 | 20:06.162 | 24.946 | 52.214 | 14 |
| 20 | 28 | Nicolas HAMILTON | Team VERTU | 20 | 20:08.221 | 27.005 | 52.133 | 8 |
| 21 | 55 | Nick HALSTEAD | Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing | 20 | 20:18.202 | 36.986 | 52.842 | 9 |
| NC | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing | 17 | 20:19.756 | 3 Laps | 51.740 | 16 |
| DNF | 66 | Josh COOK | Speedworks Corolla Racing | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
Penalties:
Qualifying Race
Josh Cook and Speedworks Corolla Racing were investigated in the Qualifying Race at Knockhill, for adjusting the car while under Parc Fermé conditions. The Clerk determined that there had been a contravention of the regulations, but no further action was taken, due only to the fact that the normal penalty would have no actual effect - Click here for the penalty report.
Thruxton
Adam Morgan, Josh Cook, Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble were investigated for an incident in Round 15 of the championship; the Clerk deemed that no one driver was predominantly responsible for the collision. The Clerk determined it to be a racing incident - Click here for the penalty report.
Dexter Patterson received a verbal warning in Round 15 of the championship, for an incident involving Chris Smiley and Charles Rainford - Click here for the penalty report.
Ryan Bensley and Speedworks Corolla Racing were investigated in Round 15 of the championship for releasing the car in an unsafe condition. The Team Principal fully accepted the team’s failure and the Clerk accepted the Team Principal’s apology and explanation - Click here for the penalty report.
