Plato Racing brings Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon to BTCC grid

Plato Racing has announced that it will run a pair of Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloons to campaign the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season.

The new team – which is headed up by former two-time champion Jason Plato – has commissioned RML to carry out the build of the cars and the expectation is that the first should be ready to begin private testing in February.

Both cars will then be ready to hit the track for the first of two official pre-season tests at Croft on March 24-25.

Since announcing his intentions to enter the UK’s premier motorsport series last September, heavy speculation has surrounded what car Plato’s new outfit would field; with lengthy research going into the selection process.

In the end, the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon ticked a number of boxes including size, wheel base dimensions and aerodynamic efficiency. It will mark the first time since 2020 that the Mercedes brand has featured on the BTCC grid.

While the identity of the car has now been confirmed for the two-car programme, Plato Racing is yet to reveal what engine they will be using or who will be driving.