DAN Rowbottom made history in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Thruxton after securing a first-ever podium finish for Cataclean Plato Racing.
The Kidderminster driver finished third in race one to secure Plato Racing’s maiden podium in the BTCC and his first top-three finish in 2026.
Rowbottom then finished fourth in race two and 11th in race three as the Plato Racing driver made a strong return to the grid following the BTCC’s mid-season break.
The Kidderminster driver now sits 10th in the drivers’ standings on 109 points.
And Rowbottom believes his podium finish marks a significant leap forward for Plato Racing.
Rowbottom said: “We needed it. We wanted it all year but we really needed that [podium].
“If I’m honest, I didn’t do much apart from have a good first lap and hang on.
“We made a massive improvement with the car. There’s still loads of work to do.
“But it’s a massive leap forward. It’s fantastic and everybody at Cataclean Plato Racing deserves that.
“The car was moving around a bit [in the last four or five laps].
“I hope [this is a kickstart], we’ve got a lot of work to do and it’s never going to be easy but we just have to try and do our best.
“It’s a really nice atmosphere and I’m looking forward to the rest of 2026 now.”
Rowbottom made a fast start in race one as he benefitted from a scuffle between Dan Cammish and Tom Ingram to move up to third on the grid.
And Rowbottom held the position until the end of the race to become the first Plato Racing driver to finish on the podium.
The Kidderminster driver almost repeated the trick in race two as he showed podium pace once again but ultimately had to settle for fourth place.
And Rowbottom closed out the weekend with an 11th-place finish in race three following a frenetic battle for seventh place with four other drivers.
The BTCC season continues at Knockhill on the weekend of August 8 and 9.
