Jason Plato Q&A
Works Vauxhall BTCC driver Jason Plato talks to Nick Phillips about new race formats, the new BTCT cars and his future after claiming pole position for Monday's sprint race at Thruxton

"Yeah. I think it will be excellent. It's a good format, I think it will be a lot of fun. I just hope they've got the numbers right. I mean I don't think any of us will be that bothered to be honest if we don't win outright, because we've got our own race going on and what's important is to win that. But, of course we're going to be trying to win, so, if they've got it right, the last two laps should be pretty exciting. And, I think to be on pole for that is going to help."
"Oh, I think it's a skill thing. Definitely. If I look ahead and say see a car at Goodwood, it's going to be to my advantage to ease off a little bit, so that I don't actually catch them in the corner, so there's going to be a bit of tactical play going on. It's going to help being at the front and if I play the traffic right I can use that to my advantage and that's obviously what I'm going to try to do.
"Yeah. At the end of the day we have to appreciate that motorsport in the year 2001 is a spectacle and we need to accommodate the spectators. The sprint format race at Brands Hatch, if I'm completely honest, I thought probably would have been boring to watch so we needed to address that. The other thing is that why when we've got the production class here, can't we race with them? I don't think that ultimately they are meddling with the final results, they're not making it into a circus and it certainly makes our job more interesting and perhaps a bit more difficult."
"Yeah to be honest I'm surprised at quite how good they are at Thruxton, considering we've got no downforce. The cars are seeing something in the region of 212kph [131mph] minimum speed in Church, which is quite impressive, that's probably only down 9kph on a super touring car. They're pretty good and they move about more, so for that reason they're perhaps a bit more enjoyable to drive. And to have this performance for so little budget has got to be good for the longevity of the championship."
"The race at Brands was excellent. Certainly with the old super tourers you couldn't really get close because you'd lose downforce, if cars were equal, though with a better engine you could. Now we haven't got any downforce it's easier. We went nearly a whole lap side by side at Brands and you would never have seen that in the old days."
"Relatively it is longer. I'm kind of braking at the same point that I did, but we're going slower. It is also easier to make a mistake. At a corner like Club here you are relying very much on the diff' technology and that's no longer so sophisticated, so it's very easy to make a small mistake which then turns into a big one pretty quickly, whereas the old cars were so clever they would mask a small mistake and cover it up."
"It's always a place where you see action, but I think we will really see quite a bit over the two races on Monday."
"Much as I would love to, I don't think I am. There are some pretty handy guys in the team and it would be foolish of me to say I'm much better than these guys, because it simply isn't the case - they are world class drivers. It's going to be hard as we've seen in qualifying today - there were only a couple of tenths between all four of us [Vauxhall drivers]. I'm aiming to win the championship, but it's going to be a real close thing between me Jimmy [Thompson] and Yvan [Muller]."
"I don't know. It all depends on desire. If Vauxhall want me, then certainly I'd love to talk to them [Plato's Vauxhall contract runs to the end of this year]. My long-term goals are: A to win the BTCC and B I am desperate to get to NASCAR. If my association with General Motors can help that, then I'd like to pursue that, but I'm not ruling out a return to the BTCC that's for sure."

Qualifying: Pole apiece for Plato and Thompson
Sprint race: Plato beats Muller in Vauxhall scrap

Latest news
Ranking Lewis Hamilton's 10 F1 seasons with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton’s decade at Mercedes has been one of remarkable success not seen before in Formula 1.
Dennis singles out Jaguar as Porsche's biggest Formula E threat
Jake Dennis says Porsche cannot let off its development of its Gen3 Formula E powertrain, and singled out Jaguar as a threat to the German manufacturer in the coming rounds.
Verstappen buoyed by new handling characteristics of 2023 F1 tyres
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is hopeful the new Pirelli tyres will help further dial out the inherent understeer of the current generation of cars.
Pastrana adds NASCAR Truck Series race to Daytona programme
Travis Pastrana has added the season-opening NASCAR Truck Series race to his appearance at Daytona International Speedway this month.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.