More bad luck for Bidford-based Power Maxed Racing while Southam's Laser Tools Racing celebrate a hat-trick of Croft podiums

TEAM principal Adam Weaver believes Power Maxed Racing’s luck in the British Touring Car Championship has turn around at some point after the team endured more bad fortunes at Croft at the weekend.

Having shown brilliant pace in the early stages of qualifying, two red flags would mean the Bidford team’s strategy wouldn’t give Jason Plato and Dan Lloyd the chance to capitalise on performance and post more laps.

In the end, Plato would start race one in tenth, with his team-mate just over 0.1s behind in 14th.

Lloyd would quickly find his feet in the first race of the weekend and claimed a decent points haul with a ninth-placed finish. Plato would have less luck, with contact early in the lap resulting in steering issues.

He eventually crossed the line 17th.

Race two would see both drivers head out on the option soft compound tyre, giving them a good shot at making up places.

Bad luck would strike again, though, as Lloyd was collected on lap one which caused damage that would hamper him for the rest of the race.

He came home in a disappointing 18th and out of the points.

As for Plato, he managed to eke his way up the grid, taking the chequered flag in 12th which put him in prime position for a reverse grid pole position.

That was not to be, though, as Plato would be forced to start 12th and that was just the beginning of the bad luck for PMR.

Lloyd’s race was over before it even begun when he spun into the gravel at turn one while Plato avoided a 135mph crash on lap four which resulted in a pit-stop to change four flat-spotted tyres.

Plato took to the track along and posted one of the fastest laps of the session as he came home a lap down.

A disappointed Weaver said afterwards: “I really do feel we’re due some good luck soon.

“The team all work incredibly hard so that we can go racing, and to have what was shaping up to be a strong weekend spoiled thanks to needless contact is something that keeps happening.

“Both Dan and Jason drove well this weekend, with both drivers managing to make up ground despite damage affecting them in almost every race.”

Meanwhile, there were better fortunes for Southam-based Laser Tools Racing, who continue to lead the drivers’ and team’ standings.

The opening race of the weekend saw Aiden Moffat claim victory after leading from start to finish while championship leader Ash Sutton climbed up a few places en route to sixth.

Meanwhile, Carl Boardley came home in 15th to claim the last points-paying position.

Moffat would once again claim a podium place in race two, coming home second, while reigning champion Sutton picked up more valuable points in his bid to retain the drivers’ title with a fifth-placed finish.

Boardley crossed the line in a lowly 23rd.

Laser Tools would round off the weekend with another place on the rostrum in race three, with Sutton taking the chequered flag in third place.

Moffat would bring his Infiniti Q50 home in sixth while Boardley pick up another solitary point for his 15th-placed finish.

With three rounds to go, Sutton leads the drivers’ standings with 247 points, 29 clear of Jake Hill.

Meanwhile, Laser Tools (413) are 15 points clear of BTC Racing in the teams’ championship, while PMR are in seventh on 212 points.

The next round of the BTCC heads to Silverstone this weekend.