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Jason Plato

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Career BTCC Results Jason Plato News Articles

Above: Jason Plato celebrating a Thruxton podium in 2007		Nationality: English Date of birth: 14 October 1967 Place of birth: Oxford, England Status: Married, one daughter Website: www.seatsportuk.co.uk BTCC Debut: Donington Park, 31 March 1997, Renault Laguna BTCC Races: 276* BTCC Wins: 46* BTCC Podiums: 119* BTCC Points: 2144* BTCC Seasons: 10* * after Round 30 2008
Jason Plato is one of the BTCC's most successful racers, having won 46 times in the series (31/12/08) and is also one of the sport's most poular characters, thanks to his extensive work in motoring-related TV programmes. The 41 year old, from Oxford, started his racing career in Karts at the age of 12 and lifted his first championship title in 1982 for winning the British Karting Championships. From here on Plato would go on to win titles in the Formula Renault Euroseries, the Renault Sport Spider Cup and the coveted British Touring Car Championship.
Plato made his BTCC debut in 1997 driving a Williams-prepared Renault Laguna team alongside Alain Menu, and he immediately impressed. Plato bagged two pole positions for his very first two races, starting the season on a strong note, before eventually going on to win twice and take third in the championship - an impressive achievement for a debut season by anyone's standards! The following season was a bit more difficult as the other teams caught up with the pace of the Renault, and Plato only scored one win and finishing fifth in the championship.		Above: Jason Plato racing for Renault at Snetterton in his debut BTCC year in 1997
At the end of 1999 Renault and Williams quit the BTCC, and after another season yielding only one win and another fifth placed finish in the championship, Plato moved from Renault to Vauxhall for 2000. Although the Vectra of 2000, the last of the super touring era, was not as competitive as Plato may have liked (he finished fifth in the championship yet again, although this time with three wins) it was to be 2001 and the new era of the BTCC in which Plato was to flourish.		Above: Plato racing his Renault Laguna around Brands Hatch in 1999, Renault's final year to date in the BTCC.
The 2001 season saw Jason battling with fellow Vauxhall team mate Yvan Muller for the championship, and as the season went on the battle became ever more heated and controversial. Eventually the on track rivalry culminated in a clash in one of the closing meetings of the year at Silverstone, but this would not harm Plato's title chances. Plato took the title at the final meeting of the year when Muller's car failed with 8 wins, 7 pole positions and 17 podiums. Despite taking the title for the first time, 2002 saw Plato leave the series, taking part in ASCAR races instead. I wasn't until 2004 that he returned to race for the new Seat team. In the debut season for Seat Sport UK in the BTCC, Plato proved highly influential in the development of the car and team. Plato once again showed his skill by taking the most wins of any driver all season with 7 victories. However, the equivalency formula set by the BTCC (Seat were running a ETCC class car compared to the BTC class cars run by most of the field) meant that on several occasions the extra weight carried on the Toledo's held back the team's title challenge. Seat used every trick in the book to have as best a debut season as they possible could, and used the BTCC's reverse grid rule to maximum effect, with Plato frequently slowing towards the end of races to ensure he got the coveted 10th position to allow him to start the next race from pole position. After the final race of the year Plato had earned himself third position in the championship.
Above: Plato taking part in a World Touring Car Championship race at Silverstone in 2005		2005 was a busy year of Plato. A tougher year in the BTCC than 2004, with only three wins all year and fourth place in the championship. The team once again attempted to maximise on the reverse grid formula, but a tougher equivalency formula stopped the team from matching the performance of its debut season in 2004. Plato also took part in selected rounds of the world touring Car Championship, again driving for Seat and he managed to help the team to a second place finish as his best result.
Being clear team-leader again 2006, Plato took the championship fight to the wire but lost out again to Matt Neal and the Team Dynamics squad. However second place in the championship with the new Seat Leon was promising and Plato went into the 2007 season as one the title favourites, if not the title favourite, with Team Dynamics having to build a new car to the S2000 rules - something Plato's Seat team were very familiar with.		Above: Plato's Seat Leon from 2006
The season became known for a spectacular battle with seasoned tin-top racer Fabrizio Giovanardi including several on-track nudges. However before the final meeting of the year Plato suffered burns to his face and hands and eventually lost the title to Giovanardi by a mere 3 points in the final race of the year. Jason Plato has also had a highly succesful television career, starting out by co-presenting Channel 4's Driven, then moving on to the Seat-backed Racing Rivals series which followed the first year of the Seat Cupra Cup. He has since moved on to present Channel 5's Fifth Gear along with Tiff Needell and Vicky Butler-Henderson. Plato has to fit in his television work around his hectic racing calendar.

News Articles about Jason Plato

Career Rundown

2008:	British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Leon
2007:	British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Leon 2nd overall, 6 wins
2006:	British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Leon 2nd overall, 8 wins
2005:	British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Toledo (S2000) 4th overall, 3 wins
2004:	British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Toledo 3rd overall, 7 wins
2003:	Driver Mentor, UK Seat Cupra Championship
2002:	UK ASCAR, RML Ltd 3rd overall
2001:	British Touring Car Championship, Vauxhall Motorsport, Vauxhall Astra Coupe Champion, 8 wins
2000:	British Touring Car Championship, Vauxhall Motorsport, Vauxhall Vectra 5th overall, 3 wins
1999:	British Touring Car Championship, Nescafe Blend 37 Williams Renault, Renault Laguna 5th overall, 1 win
1998:	British Touring Car Championship, Nescafe Blend 37 Williams Renault, Renault Laguna 5th overall, 1 win
1997:	British Touring Car Championship, Williams Renault 3rd overall, 2 wins (Qualified on pole for first 3 races)
1996:	Elf Renault Sport Spider UK Cup, Mardi Gras Motorsport Champion, 11 wins
1995:	British Formula Renault, Manor Motorsport, Van Diemen Selected Races
1994:	British Touring Car Championship Test Driver, Janspeed Nissan Racing, Nissan Primera
1993:	British Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship, Martin Donnelly Racing 5th overall
1992:	British Formula 3, Lotus Junior Team, Van Diemen Selected races
1991:	British Formula Renault, Manor Motorsport, Van Diemen 3rd overall Formula Renault Euroseries, Manor Motorsport, Van Diemen Champion
1990:	British Formula Renault, Cuda Motorsport / Manor Motorsport, Van Diemen 5th overall, 1 win
1989:	Elf Renault Winfield School, Magny Cours 2nd overall
1987:	Formula K 135cc European Karts Championship
1986:	Senior National UK Commercial Kart Series
1985:	Senior National UK Commercial Kart Series 5th overall Senior World Grand Prix Kart Championships 5th overall
1983:	Junior World Grand Prix Karts Champion
1981:	Started Karting at the age of 12

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