6 JASON PLATO
CHAMPION: 2001, 2010
After a long and successful karting career, Plato arrived on the circuit racing scene full time in 1991, taking part in the Formula Renault UK Championship with the Van Diemen team. He claimed the European title, but missed out on the British crown after a fierce fight with Bobby Verdon-roe. Fierce fights with rivals were something that would come to epitomise Plato’s career.
He made it to F3, but the budget ran dry. It was time for a reset. He set his sights on the British Touring Car Championship, and his single-minded determination would get him there.
A season in the new-for-1996 Renault Spider Championship, which was on the BTCC support bill and right under the noses of the tin-top team bosses, was a platform, and an end-of-season test in the Williams-run Renault Laguna was the chance he needed.
He hounded Williams until it gave him a chance at a race deal, and that was the launch pad for what would becoming a long and decorated career in the BTCC. He has taken part in all but two seasons since 1997 and has collected a record number of race wins and two titles.
But Plato’s influence on the BTCC goes way beyond the statistics alone. He has been at the forefront of several manufacturer programmes. He has led the line for Vauxhall, SEAT, Chevrolet, MG and Subaru. He has also dovetailed his racing with a television career, which has made him a well-known personality among the general public, which has made him a huge draw for spectators at the race tracks.