Adam Morgan ended an eight-year wait for a Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position by taking victory in the Qualifying Race at Knockhill, giving Cataclean Plato Racing a major boost ahead of Sunday’s three races.
The Mercedes driver produced a controlled performance across the 20 lap contest to secure his second career pole in the BTCC, having last achieved the feat at Rockingham in 2018. His victory also marked Cataclean Plato Racing’s second ‘Race to Pole’ success of the season.
Morgan led home a strong result for the rookie outfit, with teammate Dan Rowbottom narrowly missing out on a one two. Gordon Shedden’s Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota split the two Mercedes to finish second, with Rowbottom completing the podium.
The battle for second went down to the closing stages, with Rowbottom running alongside Shedden across the start finish line for the penultimate time. The three time champion held his nerve to keep the Mercedes behind and secure a crucial second place at his home circuit.
The race was disrupted early on when Aiden Moffat and Josh Cook were both involved in separate incidents. Moffat’s LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing Audi was forced off track, while Cook’s Speedworks Corolla Racing Toyota suffered a heavier impact at the chicane.
Following the restart, Morgan, Shedden and Rowbottom quickly established themselves at the front, with the order remaining unchanged for the remainder of the race.
Behind them, Chris Smiley produced one of the standout drives of the contest, moving past WSR’s Charles Rainford at the final hairpin to take fourth. Rainford eventually finished fifth, ahead of WSR teammate Daryl De Leon, as the BMW 330i M Sports showed strong consistency around the tight and technical Scottish circuit.
Chris Smiley - Restart Racing (Left) & Daryl De Leon - WSR (Right) | Images by Dan Knight Automotive Media
The battle for seventh went right down to the final lap. Mikey Doble used the slipstream out of the final hairpin to draw alongside Ricky Collard’s Team VERTU Hyundai on the run to the chequered flag.
The LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing Audi crossed the line just 0.006 seconds ahead of Collard to snatch seventh, with reigning champion Tom Ingram following behind in eighth.
Dan Cammish completed the top ten after successfully defending from NAPA Racing UK teammate and championship leader Ash Sutton, with the pair separated by less than half a second at the finish.
For Morgan, the result represented a significant turnaround after a run of sixth and seventh place finishes in the previous Qualifying Races. The experienced driver has now secured the prime starting position for Sunday’s opening race and will be hoping to convert his impressive pace into a first main race victory of the 2026 campaign.
Speaking after the race, Morgan praised the balance and traction of his Mercedes, describing the result as a “mega” start to the weekend.
With Morgan and Rowbottom both showing strong pace, Cataclean Plato Racing will head into Sunday’s action with genuine hopes of challenging for more silverware as Rounds 16, 17 and 18 get underway at Knockhill.
