SEAT Sport UK Makes its BTCC Debut at Thruxton

05 April 2004

SEAT Sport UK will make its Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) debut at Thruxton on Sunday 11th April, and the new team is aiming to get both its Toledo Cupras to the finish of all three races.
 
It’s an ambitious target, as time limitations has seen SEAT Sport UK’s European Touring Car Championship (ETCC)-spec Toledo Cupra complete just one private test in Albacete in Spain.  Thruxton will be the first time the car has raced on Dunlop BTCC control tyres and against BTCC opposition – so the first race meeting will be treated as a continuation of its development programme.
 
In typical SEAT style, the team’s BTCC debut will be nonetheless colourful and flamboyant, not least because the pair of immaculately-prepared normally-aspirated 260bhp Toledo Cupras will be driven by Jason Plato and Rob Huff.  It will be Jason’s first BTCC race since he clinched the 2001 title at that season’s October finale at Brands Hatch, while Rob will be making his BTCC race debut, having won his place in SEAT Sport UK’s touring car team by winning the 2003 Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship title.
 
The Toledo Cupras have been built by SEAT Sport in Barcelona and will be run during the 2004 BTCC season by SEAT Sport UK. The three day test in Albacete, plus the media day at Donington (after which a brief test session was held) have indicated that the Toledo Cupra is an extremely reliable racing saloon, with Jason and Rob covering over 1,000 miles in total without experiencing a single technical problem. It’s with this strong reliability that SEAT Sport UK aims to collect as much race data at Thruxton as possible by getting both cars to the finish of all three races. 
 
Jason Plato said: "Thruxton will be the most difficult circuit in the 2004 BTCC calendar for us.  SEAT Sport UK is a new team and it’s the first race of the season, so having not raced in the BTCC before we obviously don’t know how we’ll compare against the opposition – so Thruxton will be a big adventure into the unknown. What’s more, it’s the fastest circuit in the UK and I doubt we’ll be the fastest through any of the speed traps, which at Thruxton in particularly will be a disadvantage.  Like everyone in the team I’m really up for it.  All we can do is the best we can, and I’m making no predictions."
 
Rob Huff said: “Thruxton is my favourite circuit and I’ve got a lot of happy memories there, so for me it’s the ideal venue to make my BTCC debut.  I know the track really well, I’m confident I can do what the team requires me to do and bring the car home in one piece. It’s a huge opportunity for me this year, and I’ve been looking forward to making my BTCC debut since I won the SEAT Cupra Championship at Thruxton almost eight months ago.”
 
Mark Busfield, Project Manager, said: "Both Jason and Rob covered a lot of miles, particularly at the test in Albacete, and the Toledo Cupra ran faultlessly. We have certainly maximised what limited pre-season track time we have available and we have a pretty good starting point for Thruxton.  There will be no heroics at the first race meeting – we’re all concentrating on getting everything right.  The aim is to get both cars to the finish of all three races and collect as much race data as we can.  The BTCC is a thirty round series and you can score points in all races, so there is a long championship ahead."
 
Scott Dennis, SEAT UK Motorsport Manager, said: "Thruxton is a continuation of our learning process with the Toledo Cupra, and with just one proper test in Albacete under our belts, getting both cars to the finish of all three races will be a huge bonus."
 
A 30 minute qualifying session (beginning at 14.35) at Thruxton on Saturday 10th April will determine the grid for the first of three 16 lap BTCC races, all of which take place on Sunday 11th April.  Race 1 will start at 11.00, and the result of that race will determine the grid positions for Race 2, with the top 10 finishers starting in reverse order.  Race 2 starts at 13.15, and the results of that race will determine the grid positions for Race 3, which begins at 15.35.
 
It happened to us at Thruxton
 
Having graduated from karts, Jason Plato contested his first car race at Thruxton in 1990, driving a Reynard Formula Renault.
 
Rob Huff clinched the 2003 Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship title with a race win on the penultimate round of the series at Thruxton last August – turning a 15 year old dream of becoming a professional racing driver into reality.
 
Jason Plato led a British Formula 3 Championship race at Thruxton in 1992, driving a Team Lotus Van Diemen.
 
The final round of the 2003 Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship at Thruxton was the first ever outside broadcast to be televised live on ITV2.
 
On Jeremy Clarkson’s video ‘Clarkson’s Head to Head’ Jason Plato (in a Porsche 911) races Niall McKenzie (on a Yamaha R1 Superbike) around Thruxton.  Having taken Church Corner at 135mph and being overtaken on the following straight "like I was standing still", Plato eventually won the race by half a second!
 
Thruxton is Rob Huff’s favourite circuit and he’s always performed well there.
 
Having finished 1st and 2nd in the opening two races of the 2000 BTCC, Jason Plato came to Thruxton leading the series. With just two laps between him and another race victory, Jason received a radio message telling him to let his team-mate overtake and win.  Not too overjoyed with this, Jason obeyed team orders - by stopping on the final start / finish straight, within sight of the chequered flag!  "As a professional driver sometimes you have to obey orders you don’t agree with," reflects Jason. "Strange things happen in motorsport!"

See series calendar for British Touring Car Championship 2004

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