Although Jason Plato was happy to salvage tenth꧋ during today's qualifying at Silverstone, the Team BMR driver was left to rue a small engine issue, which could potentially thwart the double British Touring Car champion's quest for a third title.

The Volkswagen CC driver spent most of the 30 minute session mired in thick of the midfield runners but a last minute flyer pulled Plato back into the top-ten as his chief championship rival Gordon Shedden qualif💦ied onto the front row.

To compound Plato's woes, the 93-time race winner said his best lap was then compromised when Rob Austin made a slight error in front but didn't hold it against the Audi 🥀driver.

"Yeah a b🥀it of a save," Plato told mahbx.com "I lost a tenth on my best lap with Rob Austin, which wasn't his fault. He made a mistake going into Luffield and didn't realise I was on the inside so he then cut across and I had to back out of it.

🌊"What would a tenth do? Put me fౠurther up the road maybe but we've got an engine problem. The car at Rockingham wasn't quick in a straight line and it's not quick in a straight line here."

Plat﷽o says the issue is isolated to his side🦋 of the garage and admits he and his BMR squad are still yet to determine what the underlying cause for the loss of power is.

"We've seen a big devi🅺ation between my speeds down the straights compared to Colin [Turkington] and Aron [Smith]. It's just on my side," Plato continued.

"Also with the weight delta, Colin and I should be closer together while Aron should be up the road. I'm a further 🐽away from Colin down the straight, than he is to Aron.

"We get to the straights and they keep accelerating but I start slowing up. That's not just weight, that's something else and we saw that at Rockingham. Normally, with no weight ﷽on, the VW's - apart from the Ford's - are the quickest in the straight line. At Rockingham with no weig🍬ht I was mid grid.

"Here [Silverstone] I think we'll be at the bottom of the speed traps in clean air, even with 🐭the tow it will be difficult. My best lap I did was in the tow. I think the balance is OK but we're just struggling with a little engine problem.

"We're not quite sure what is but the boys are going to pull it apart and 🐽have a look."