Touring Car Star Plato is the Brands Hatch
Van Man
20 September 2004
British Touring Car Championship frontrunner Jason Plato is no stranger
to delivering the goods on the track - and at Brands Hatch next month
he will get the perfect opportunity to do so when he takes the wheel
of Volkswagen's van-tastic Caddy TDI racer.
Jason will be swapping his multiple BTCC race-winning SEAT Toledo
Cupra for the potent Caddy van to help celebrate the final rounds
of the
ultra-successful Volkswagen Racing Cup, which take place at the Kent
circuit on 3 October.
Powered by a 2.0-litre, 230 PS turbodiesel engine, the Caddy is a
very different machine to that which Plato is used to. He's relishing
the
challenge: 'I'm really looking forward to it and I'm hoping it
will be a lot of fun. It's certainly the first time I've ever been
asked
to race a van, and it will also be my first experience of racing
a diesel, so it will all be totally new. And who knows? It could
be a
toe in the water for a whole new career!'
Jason's Brands Hatch adventure will mark a return to the circuit
at which he won his sixth BTCC race of the season for the SEAT
Sport UK
team, but he harbours no illusions that he's in line for another
victory. 'I'm racing for the fun of it,' said Plato, 37, 'and
I've certainly
no intention of getting in the way of drivers going for championship
positions.'
The Caddy's usual pilot, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director
Peter Wyhinny, thinks Plato will do a superb job: 'I know that
the new Caddy
has the makings of a really rapid racer, and Jason is just
the guy to bring out the best in it. It's certainly going to be
great
fun
to watch. We are very grateful to SEAT Sport UK for allowing
him to come
and help us in this way.'
Sam Roach, Volkswagen Racing UK director, added: 'It's going
to be a fantastic end to the championship season to have
a driver of Jason's
calibre on the grid. The Volkswagen Racing Cup is the fastest
growing
and most successful club championship in the country and
this will help us end the season on a high note.'
The new Caddy racer was unveiled in June and has since entertained
spectators at Snetterton, Oulton Park and Thruxton on the
Volkswagen Racing Cup grid, alongside a diversity of Volkswagens
including
the four-wheel-drive Golf R32, a host of 2.8-litre Beetles,
Corrado VR6s
and Golfs of every vintage
The Caddy was converted for racing by Milton Keynes-based
Volkswagen Racing UK. At its heart is a 16-valve 1968cc
TDI powerplant
which, with assistance from the engine tuning wizards
at Superchips and a bespoke exhaust system from Milltek, delivers
230 PS
-
the most
powerful
Volkswagen diesel engine ever seen on a racetrack.
When he's not racing, Plato enjoys a successful screen career,
presenting the Fifth Gear motoring show on Channel 5, as
well as ITV's Speed
Sunday and the Channel 4 show Racing Rivals, which focuses
on the Holiday
Inn SEAT Cupra Championship.
A capacity grid of 30 cars is expected at Brands Hatch
for the Racing Cup curtain-closers.
See 2004 series calendar
for VW
Racing Cup
Related Story 30.08.2004 - Carvell
Claims VW Racing Cup Championship Victory
