You are here : Cars Homepage > News and Reviews Hub > Auto Talk: Jason Plato
Auto Talk: Jason Plato
19 September 2007 How does he feel about the upcoming final races which will decide his fate? Alex Eckford visited him at his Oxfordshire home to find out. It's no use. I'm lost. Jason Plato's house is extremely tricky to find. I have to make the call. “Right, after about half a mile you’ll see a set of traffic lights," says Jason over a crackling phone line. "About fifty yards before them, take the first left. Pull in there, go into the shop, get me twenty Marlboro Lights, and come to my house.” It's a perfect illustration of Plato's cheeky demeanour, the loveable rogue who's risen from childhood karting prodigy to BTCC champion and TV star. When I arrive at the house it's clear Jason has done very well for himself, since the time in 1996 when he used his initiative to impress team boss Frank Williams (as detailed in our last interview with Jason). It's an amazing home, with landscaped gardens and lots of space. And it's about to get better. "We've got to move out for six weeks," says Jason. "The whole place is being fitted with an entertainment system. It's brilliant. We'll be able to control everything from these touch screens on the walls - lighting, music, video - the lot. I'm really looking forward to it." Another significant event rearing its head is the climax of the British Touring Car Championship at Thurxton on the 13th and 14th October (Jason's 40th birthday), as the driver battles with his rival Fabrizio Giovanardi for the BTCC crown. "I'm nine points clear," says Jason. "But I'd rather be in that position. It's been an amazing season – I've really enjoyed it. There have been some ups and downs - Donnington in the wet and having my lead wiped out at Snetterton were a bit tricky, but it's been one of the most competitive seasons for years." Jason started his racing career at an early age, with help from his mother and father. "We were team Plato," says Jason. "My dad was a motor trader, and got given a kart as part of a bad debt. The dining room of our house was full of engine parts, and the whole house smelt of petrol. "My mum and dad remortgaged the house to help me race in British Championship karting, which I won in 1982. I learnt a lot in those races - how to win, and how to lose. I also learnt about sacrifice - it was a totally full on thing - I never had any school holidays." Having taken the BTCC title in 2001, Jason went on to forge a successful career in TV, presenting Driven with Auto Trader TV show presenter Mike Brewer and Penny Mallory, and joined the team at Channel 5's Fifth Gear. “TV was just a bit of fun to start with,” says Jason. “But it became very interesting. Racing is obviously my primary focus, but the TV work is another feather in my cap. The two careers dovetail together really nicely. Jason also co-hosts Mission Implausible on Sky One, a show where he gets to perform some death-defying stunts. “When I got into TV I never thought I’d get to experience things like that,” says Jason. “Trying to free myself from handcuffs before I got crushed by a monster truck, or swimming under sheets of ice – it’s all amazing stuff I’d never get to do otherwise.” He may have been a karting star in his mid-teens, but Jason’s attempts to get a driving licence didn’t run as smoothly. “I passed third time,” says Jason. “I failed the first one on my seventeenth birthday. I was too cocky, and thought the examiner was joking when he said I’d failed. I thought my dad had paid him money to say it. “The second time I was exactly the opposite - too timid - but the third time I got it right.” Jason currently owns a Porsche 911 Turbo (“it’s beautiful”), a Seat Leon Cupra and a Volkswagen Touareg. As garages go it’s pretty impressive, but there’s one addition he’s like to make. "My ultimate car would be a McLaren F1,” says Jason. “It’s the finest car which has ever been made. My dream was always a drive an F1 with two naked women in the back! But now I’m married those dreams and desires have gone.” So is Jason confident about claiming the BTCC title? As Jason makes a round of coffee I glance into his fridge. It's full of Champagne. Auto Trader links The great Colin McRae MBE: 1968 - 2007 Our previous interview with Jason Interviews with other racers:
|
Page 1
