Fresh from his successful trip to the Isle of Man TT races where he was acclaimed one of the best all round riders in the world, it was back to domestic action for the Woodhall spa rider who was determined to take a win at the Norfolk venue.

Qualifying saw him head the times but a late challenge from Billy McConnell, Dan Linfoot and Tom Grant saw him bumped back to fourth place, although the times were very close with less than a second covering the top 12 riders.

Following a heavy crash, Linfoot withdrew from the race leaving Plater to benefit and move into third place for the start of the 20-lap affair.

“Having led for most of the first qualifying session I ended up in third place,” said the Lincolnshire star. “Final qualifying was damp because of an earlier shower but it almost dried out towards the end so I went out to see what the conditions were like. I was the fastest out there but no way could I post a faster time as there were still a couple of damp patches that could easily catch you out.

“I am happy enough with a front row start as its all about getting off the line quickly and sticking with the front pack. It will be a close race for sure.”

True to his word, Plater got away to a good start and settled into fourth place for the duration of the first two laps. He then made his move up into third and then on lap seven moved further forward past James Westmoreland into second place.

A couple of laps later he hit the front and began to pull clear, looking to have the race in the bag. He didn’t have long to wait as the red flag halted proceedings on lap 13 and a result declared at two-thirds distance.

This gave the multi-talented Lincolnshire rider the victory and also the championship lead, a top result for both Plater and his HM Plant Honda team.

“That was a perfect result for me,” said the ever smiling Steve Plater. “I got my head down and made a much better first lap and then cracked on and managed to get past Westmoreland on the Triumph and settle down to reel in Billy McConnell who was unfortunate to eventually retire with a clutch problem.

“Its mega for me to not just win but to get a maximum haul of points so that I am now leading the championship.”

After five rounds of the championship in which he has scored two second places, an eleventh and two wins, Plater heads the rider standings with a 23 point advantage over McConnell.

The next round is at Knockhill in Scotland, a venue that has seen many wins from the County ace over the years, he will be anxious to add a further win to his tally on July 6 when the series reaches its half way stage.


Pic credit – Helen Pask