Cataclean Plato Racing made an instant impact on the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this past weekend (18-19 April) as the team claimed a historic victory in the series’ first-ever Qualifying Race, before then showcasing podium potential on race day.

Lifting the curtain on the 2026 campaign in action-packed fashion at the Leicestershire venue, the team’s eagerly-anticipated debut in the championship saw drivers Daniel Rowbottom and Adam Morgan both underline themselves as credible contenders.

That statement was reinforced by the fact that the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon duo were left wanting more from the weekend in terms of results; such are the high standards that everyone that is in involved has set since the squad’s inception just six months ago.

Having rightly been the talk of the town in the lead up to the season, the championship’s newest entry wasted no time in making history on Saturday as Rowbottom took victory in the first-ever BTCC Qualifying Race.

With both drivers honing their cars during the morning’s only practice session, Rowbottom and Morgan underlined their competitiveness in qualifying as they each secured a spot inside the top ten for the 13-lap contest.

As the lights went out, Rowbottom immediately joined the battle for first and when it became clear that race leader Tom Ingram would have to serve a time penalty, he produced a wheel-perfect performance to shadow him all the way to the chequered flag and to victory.

Rowbottom’s historic triumph also meant that he would start the first of Sunday’s three races from pole position. Further back, Morgan showcased his overtaking prowess as he enjoyed a number of sublime battles, getting the better of several drivers to progress up to seventh place.

The opening round of the season however would be somewhat challenging for both drivers. After losing the lead at start, Rowbottom battled valiantly to remain within the podiums positions and crossed the line in third, only to be handed a late time penalty for exceeding track limits.

That demoted the multiple race winner down to 11th but in-turn bumped Morgan up the order after he enjoyed a relatively trouble-free race. Sadly though, a technical issue outside of the team’s control meant that he too had to serve a time penalty, dropping him from fourth to tenth.

Morgan would fly the flag for the team in race two as he found himself in the thick of the midfield action. With varying levels of TOCA Turbo Boost available and battling understeer, the Lancashire racer dug deep to secure a solid haul of points inside the top ten.

For Rowbottom, his race would sadly come to a premature end as he was forced to return to the garage after a handful of laps with an engine issue.

Following a herculean effort to remove and replace Rowbottom’s engine in a matter of hours, both cars closing out proceedings in the reverse grid finale as they finished line astern in and around the top ten.