Jason Plato: “We couldn’t have done much more”

Jason Plato said he and Triple Eight “couldn’t have done much more” after an outstanding Silverstone weekend, which saw him net two wins and a fourth place.

Plato will once again head into the final weekend at Brands Hatch with a mathematical chance of taking the championship, although he trails West Surrey Racing’s Colin Turkington by 50 points.

The gap is one point greater than Plato’s deficit to Andrew Jordan heading into the final weekend of last season, where a double victory for the MG6 driver kept him in contention until the final race.

Assessing his Silverstone performance, Plato told TouringCarTimes: “It has been a really great weekend. I don’t think we could have done much more, to be honest. I’d have liked to have done three in one go in race three, but I didn’t quite have the overlap on Colin.

“I’ve not calculated the points, but I think second is secure. It’s a big shame for Sam, because we’ve lost a few points in the manufacturers’ where we could have put ourselves in the prime seat.

“There’s still all to play for, and that’s what the target is.

“I’m not interested in the championship – the most important thing for me at Brands is to win some races. I want to win two races, and I hope it lashes down with rain, because that will suit us.

“I don’t necessarily think that will suit the BMW, but the championship matrix is not in my mind. I’m just there to win races.”

Plato has secured both of his BTCC titles at the fabled Kent track, and says he is looking forward to the challenge which it poses.

He said: “I think any driver loves Brands Hatch. The Grand Prix circuit is an old-style circuit, and you get a fantastic impression of speed when you’re going past the armcos and trees.

“There’s undulations, and it’s very challenging from a driver’s perspective. It’s got some very quick corners which require commitment, and it’s got a good mix of slow and medium-speed corners which require a delicate touch.

“It’s a brilliant track and a big challenge, not only for the drivers but also the engineers, because everything’s a compromise. To get it working around every corner is impossible.”

The final word from Plato on the weekend’s action addressed TouringCarTimes’ suggestion that he always manages to put bums on seats at the final round, by keeping the championship fight going until the end.

“It might be nice with those sentiments if you could advise me where I could send an invoice! If I can put £100,000 on the gate at Brands Hatch, then maybe I should speak to Alan Gow and Jonathan Palmer for a little slice of that,” he said.