BTCC - Where is Plato?

Matt Sayle

Matt Sayle

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NOt heard much about him and he is my favourite driver in the BTCC so wondered if anyone knew where he was going?

THanks
MAtt
 
Not got a drive as far as I'm aware. BTCC doesn't hugely interest me so I don't follow the news around it that closely. Hopefully he'll go and drive some GT's or something, get himself in a proper racing car :)
 
RichardC27 said:
Not got a drive as far as I'm aware. BTCC doesn't hugely interest me so I don't follow the news around it that closely. Hopefully he'll go and drive some GT's or something, get himself in a proper racing car :)
Click to expand...

Oh :(

Christ, him in GT's. That sounds expensive :lol:
 
:lol: yeah it probably would be for somebody! He is a talented driver though. Maybe he's decided to rest on his pile of cash and just thrash some supercars on 5th Gear
 
Here's something to keep you going until he surfaces again :lol:

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I'll resist the temptation (mainly because I don't have it handy) to post the pic of him I have troughing his way through a burger at Knockhill last year :lol:
 
Rumour has it that Alan Morrison has the 2nd Team Aon Focus drive.
 
From what I heard in December after talking to his media manager, there was no plan at that point for him to join another team in the BTCC.
 
cant say im too bothered about platos current lack of a drive in btcc, never been much of a fan of him and i often thought he took the tintop panel bashing a little too far.
 
:plusone:
Would love to see him up against Andy Rouse,Frank Sytner and John Clelland.
Now that would be a race.
 
I heard he was driving the Chevy this year
 
Jason Plato in a privately-entered RML Chevrolet Lacetti is a dramatic late entry for Sunday's (5 April) opening round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

Oxford-based Plato, one of the BTCC's star attractions and who has become an arch rival to Vauxhall's reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi in recent years, had looked likely to sit out 2009 after his SEAT team withdrew at the end of last season.

But this morning Plato and the Wellingborough-based RML squad - which runs Chevrolet's World Touring Car programme - have struck a late deal to appear at Brands Hatch this weekend.

And Plato's appearance is sure to add to the huge excitement that always surrounds the start of a new BTCC season as he once again prepares to go doorhandle-to-doorhandle with the likes of fellow top-line touring car names such as Giovanardi, Matt Neal, Colin Turkington and Tom Chilton.

Both Plato and the RML squad have enjoyed huge success in the BTCC, the UK's premier motor racing championship. Plato won the Drivers' crown in 2001 while RML achieved a total of seven Drivers', Teams' and Manufacturers' titles when it ran Vauxhall's and then Nissan's factory BTCC programmes in the Nineties.

However, its participation at Brands Hatch this weekend with one of its 2008-spec Lacettis is very much independent to its WTCC role with Chevrolet.

Plato, aged 41, said he was ecstatic about being able to race at Brands Hatch - he previously raced with RML when it ran SEAT's factory cars for a season in 2004's BTCC - but he also urged caution about the challenges ahead.

He commented: "This was too good an opportunity to miss. The BTCC has played such an important role in my life so being at Brands Hatch is hugely important to me personally. Whether my being there makes Fabrizio look over his shoulder I don't know - all I know is that my job is not to make it easy for him, or indeed for any other driver on the grid.

"At the moment, we don't know how long we'll be around. We're trying tremendously hard behind the scenes to put together a full programme for 2009. Right now, I'm just very excited to be teaming back up with some good friends and respected colleagues at RML.

"We are so going into this as the underdogs, without a shadow of a doubt. But I've got great confidence in RML's abilities to engineer a racing car and I've got to draw upon all my experience because I'm probably going to be a bit rusty. If we can get within 20 per cent of what Brawn GP did in Melbourne then we'll be doing well. We're certainly not there to make up the numbers.

"We'll be going into this with no running, except for a shakedown. All the BTCC cars run on Dunlop tyres and fine-tuning the Chevrolet so it gets the most out of them in the limited time we will have available is going to be a considerable hurdle. We just don't know how it's going to react so let's just see what develops. If there's anyone who can get to the bottom of any problems we find quickly, then it's RML."

RML Chief Executive Ray Mallock said: "I echo Jason's sentiments exactly - it was too good an opportunity to miss! There's a convenient gap in the WTCC calendar, meaning some of our personnel were available for Brands and we have some 2008 kit still lying around so it would have been a shame not to put it to good use at Brands Hatch. Plus, Jason is very well known at RML - it's a perfect combination and we're all delighted even if it is a last minute entry that we can be on the BTCC grid together again."
 
until the team cant afford to repair it anymore. One thing for sure he made so many enemies of the back markers in recent years if he cant find some pace in the car he might be in for a rough ride.
 
I saw it, great save. Cracking bit of driving holding off Neil for so long too.
 
am just wondering how long RML will be helping the team as even harry was running alot better than he usually did last season (personally dont like plato as his attitude to fans stinks) just hope they can stay up near the front as will mean 4-5 teams pushing for race wins each weekend.
 
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