All eyes are on CPRL as they head to Donington Park to embark on their first British Touring Car Championship weekend without Jason Plato.
By the end of Sunday at Knockhill, Cataclean Plato Racing had secured their first victory in the BTCC. By the following Tuesday, they were in administration and continuing under a different name.
Such is the pace at which funding issues can derail an individual or team in tin-top racing; we saw it with James Dorlin leaving Restart Racing and the season-long concern over Ricky Collard’s seat.
Objectively, the BTCC does not appear to be in a good place financially. But, that is a discussion for elsewhere.
The dominant story is with CPRL. Not quite as inspiringly named, and sporting a new all-black look to rid themselves of Plato-associated purple.
The situation leaves the paddock missing one of its biggest presences, and that is not just Jason.
From the team trucks to the new Cataclean-adorned hospitality, there are a lot of changes. Mechanics are now wearing black, stripping the remaining Plato bonnets to prepare for the weekend, and the team seems to be operating with a focus on silence across their media platforms.
Will CPRL still be up there at Donington Park despite their struggles?
Prior to all this, the second weekend at Donington Park had promised to be one of the better outings for the squad. Certainly, even, expected to be a more favourable circuit for the squad than Knockhill.
After all, the Mercedes A35 Saloon enjoyed victory on its first appearance at Donington Park’s Race to Pole in April – benefitting from a Tom Ingram penalty. It could not capitalise and claim a Sunday victory, but the pace was clearly there.
Results, and consistency, had eluded the squad between its debut and Thruxton one month ago, but some tweaks unlocked the team’s first podium courtesy of Dan Rowbottom.
Then, some damper tweaks propelled the team to a dominant victory at Knockhill – a track where they were expected to struggle.
Adam Morgan sprinted to pole in the Qualifying Race, before storming away from the pack in Race 1. Supported by Rowbottom in P2, the pair fended off the threat of a late Safety Car to earn a 1-2.
Two more podiums would follow, ‘Rowbo’ in Race 2 and a strong climbing drive from Morgan in the reverse-grid Race 3.
As a result, plenty were expecting Plato Racing to be competitive at Donington Park’s GP layout. But, can CPRL enjoy the same fruits despite the upheaval of the last week?
Quite possibly. There will be no one in the paddock more determined to succeed, more brought together, than those in the CPRL garages.
CPRL retains their proven driver lineup in Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan, with the pair riding high following their performances at Knockhill.
For Morgan, it was a first pole in eight years and a first victory in four. As for Rowbottom, it was the fifth time he scored two podiums in a weekend in his BTCC career.
For all, it was the coming-of-age moment for a team that had enjoyed a fairytale debut, gone through struggle, and finally claimed the emotional victory.
Predicting a victory at Donington Park could be fantastical. But, the sporting scriptwriters often have a way of conjuring these moments.
Even if the squad are not on pace for Saturday and Sunday’s Race 1, the tyre disadvantage handed to the top 3 ahead of Race 2 could open the door to a queue of challengers – including the CPRL duo.
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