MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save driver Jason Plato is adamant that his 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship challenge is far from over as he goes into the second half of the season looking to overhaul a 49-point deficit to the standings summit.
Plato has stood on the podium six times from the first 15 races but has only made the top step once in the opening encounter at Donington Park. “It’s been a wee bit frustrating this year,” said Plato. “We’ve just got to forget the past few events, what’s done is done. Our performances have been okay and I think it’s fair to say the car wasn’t where we wanted it to be at Croft. At Oulton we were the quickest front-wheel drive car and had good race pace, that’s where we need to be from here on in.”
The manufacturer-backed MG squad was the fastest package around Snetterton last year, as Plato’s team-mate Sam Tordoff just edged out his experienced stable-mate to take his first pole position and victory in race one. Plato then suffered a mechanical retirement whilst leading in the second contest and whilst fighting from the back of the grid in race three hit the barrier sending him into a dramatic barrel roll.
“We should’ve won two races last year,” continued Jason. “We had good pace all weekend and, well, the rest is history.”
On the accident last year, he added, “It was much bigger than we first thought. It doesn’t feel that quick at that point of the circuit, but it’s a great reminder of what doesn’t feel quick, often is. We’re definitely hoping for better luck this year.”
Plato will rejoin the BTCC field following the season’s summer break, and is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. He concluded, “Typically I come back from the summer break energised and full of beans with my tail up. It’s pretty simple; we have to be absolutely bang-on from here on in. We must be challenging for pole-position, taking wins and scoring maximum points. If we do that, then we’re in with a shout.
“This championship is nowhere near over yet, we’ve got plenty of races left to play with. While Colin [Turkington] is a bit up the road, all it takes is one bad weekend, and he hasn’t had one yet, and it can all turn on a sixpence.“
