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BTCC Action >> Drivers >> Jason Plato

Jason Plato


Above: Jason Plato in his 2009 overalls.
Nationality: English
Date of birth: 14 October 1967
Place of birth: Oxford, England
Status: Married, one daughter
Website:
BTCC Debut: Donington Park, 31 March 1997, Renault Laguna
BTCC Races: 291*
BTCC Wins: 47*
BTCC Podiums: 122*
BTCC Points: 2257*
BTCC Seasons: 11*
* after Round 15 2009
Jason Plato is one of the BTCC's most successful racers, having won 47 times in the series (15/07/09) 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 2007 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.

For 2008 SEAT decided to switch to diesel power, as they had already done so in the World Championship. However late delivery of the cars from SEAT in Spain meant that the team took some time in the first half of the season to get the most out of them and overcome reliability problems. Despite taking more wins than anyone else, Plato was again beaten to the championship by Giovanardi and eventually finished third. After coming so close, Plato was dealt yet another blow when SEAT announced it was to pull out of the BTCC ahead of schedule at the end of the year, leaving Plato without a drive for 2009. It was only days before the start of the 2009 season that he announced a late deal to race an RML Chevrolet Lacetti for the season.

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



2009: British Touring Car Championship, Racing Silverline (RML), Chevrolet Lacetti
2008: British Touring Car Championship, Seat Sport UK, Seat Leon
3rd overall, 8 wins
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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2009 Calendar




DateVenue
5 AprilBrands Hatch
26 AprilThruxton
17 MayDonington Park
31 MayOulton Park
14 JuneCroft
2 AugustSnetterton
16 AugustKnockhill
30 AugustSilverstone
20 SeptRockingham
4 OctoberBrands Hatch

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2009 Standings



Pos.   DriverPts
1.Colin Turkington249
2.F Giovanardi236
3.Jason Plato221
4.Mat Jackson165
5.Matt Neal153
6.Stephen Jelley132
6.Robert Collard132
8.J Thompson114
9.Andrew Jordan106
10.Jonathan Adam103
11.Adam Jones62
12.Paul O'Neill54
13.Gordon Shedden30
14.Tom Chilton25
15.James Nash24
16.Harry Vaulkhard22
17.Dan Eaves10
18.David Pinkney8
19.Johnny Herbert8
20.Martyn Bell2
20.Alan Morrison2
20.Martin Johnson2
20.T Onslow-Cole2
24.Nick Leason0
24.Liam McMillan0
24.Jason Hughes0
24.John George0

Teams Championship



Pos. TeamPts
1.VX Racing429
2.Team RAC371
3.Racing Silverline322
4.Airwaves BMW226
5.Team Dynamics147
6.Cartridge World93
7.RML66
8.Sunshine.co.uk63
9.Team Aon33
10.Tempus Sport19
11.bamboo engineering5
12.Boulevard4
13.Club SEAT3
13.TH Motorsport1

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