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Plato Racing to compete at Donington Park as CPRL without Jason Plato

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Plato Racing will race in the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this weekend, albeit under a new name and without the involvement of two-time champion Jason Plato.

In the wake of administrators being appointed to oversee the sale of the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon squad, a statement from Cataclean has confirmed that both Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan will be entered as CPRL.

Furthermore, a statement by the Championship has confirmed that the programme will operate through a new entity, without the further involvement of Jason Plato in its management or ownership.

“Following successful discussions with the Joint Administrators, the team will compete at Donington Park for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) this weekend (August 22-23),” said a spokesperson at Cataclean.

“Cataclean will provide interim funding for CPRL to continue while the future of the team is confirmed.

“While the team has continued to perform on track, several factors have necessitated changes to provide the team with the best possible opportunity to continue operating.

“Cataclean’s priority remains to support the very best outcome for the team. This includes keeping the team operational and safeguarding jobs and creditors.

“The BTCC returns the best value for money in professional British motorsport. Since 2017, the TOCA paddock and the championship have provided a valuable environment for our brand-building activity, supported by strong trackside attendances, live television coverage, broadcast audiences and digital reach.

“The BTCC remains an important part of the company’s wider commercial and brand strategy, offering significant value for the business.

“Cataclean is committed to working with the relevant parties to help support the team through this period and provide the stability required for it to remain in the Championship going forward.”

The RML Group, which has constructed the Mercedes-AMG A35 touring cars for the team, will continue to provide CPRL with technical support.

“Having designed and engineered the team’s Mercedes-AMG A35 touring cars from the ground up, we are proud to have helped bring the programme to the grid and will continue to work closely with all parties involved to navigate a positive route forward. We also wish Jason Plato well in his future endeavours,” said Paul Dickinson, CEO of RML Group.

“We remain committed to motorsport through technical support of the team, as well as the continued supply of key TOCA components to the whole BTCC grid.

“Racing is part of our growth strategy across our four divisions: power, engineering, motorsport, and bespoke. As a group, we remain committed to delivering total solutions and groundbreaking programmes that drive motorsport and automotive success globally.”