Adam Morgan - Plato Racing - Brands Hatch Media Day 7th April 2026

Adam Morgan - Plato Racing - Brands Hatch Media Day 7th April 2026

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Adam, believe it or not, we're nearly at the start of the season. Can you can you imagine? It's come around quickly, hasn't it? What have you been doing uh in the off season apart from joining the newly formed Plato Racing?

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Yeah, it's been uh it has been quite a busy, busy off season. Um as we all know, you know, I've I've I've made the switch, jumped teams to Play-Though Racing. So that that sort of came about uh that was sort of a done deal towards the end of November. Uh and then from then just been I've enjoyed Christmas, uh put on a bit of weight. So I spent the last couple of months trying to remove it. It's always difficult more difficult to get in getting rid of it. So I spent a few months trying to get rid of it than uh but I'm nearly at race weight, so that's good. But yeah, it's it's it's um it's very exciting for for me to join a new team, and you personally and commercially, you know, back in the Mercedes-Benz for us is uh is a is a huge benefit and plus. So looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

That's something going full circle for you, isn't it? That's really interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Yeah, pretty much. I mean, we we built the A-Class, I think, in 2014, I think it was. So we've been through that whole procedure of what you have to do to build a car, and it's no easy feat at all. It is a mammoth operation. And at that point, we already had we had trucks, we had we had staff, we had equipment. You know, these guys have had to start from nothing and uh you know, and build a race, uh build two race cars in essentially what three months, maybe long, maybe a little bit longer, but but yeah, to be back in a Mercedes is fantastic, and um yeah, like I said, personally I'm very excited, but also commercially for our title sponsor Sicily com Sicily commercials, um it just goes hand in hand.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Absolutely. So um you've been pleased with the car out of the box, I'm hearing.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yeah, it's been it's been pretty good. We've had uh four four days testing. Uh unfortunately I've probably only had realistically a day and a half, two days of where you know the weather, uh small issues with the car. But we finished the day at Snetterton last week and Dan and I were in a very happy place. Um it's still very early days. I think we've barely scratched the surface in terms of what we can do with the car in terms of setup and what we've tried. So there's a lot of potential I think we can still unlock, but even still, it seems like a good a good foundation to build from, and I think uh there's no reason why we can't be uh at the sharp end.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

You and I spoke uh at length last season because you had a cracking season, arguably, uh I might suggest one of your one of your best. And uh we talked about how it felt last year like you arrived in the Tory car championship after how many years is it?

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Oh, it's a long time now, nearly as long as Tom Chilton.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Uh but I mean I and I think we we'd agreed on that, didn't we, when we were talking. So so what therefore is is in your head now? Do you come to the the championship this year revitalised and with a with a you know a new plan?

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Yeah, 100%. I think last year was was a great year. You know, I I really enjoyed my time at Accelerate working with um with all my teammates, Tom and Tarman and Senna, and it was a good year, you know, P6 in the championship, my best one yet. I still think there's more, 100%. I am convinced that I am at least a top three uh contender to be, you know, towards the end of the season. And you know, when we went down to go and look at Play Toy Racing and we saw the developments of what they were doing to the car, all the CAD, all the CFD. We we knew this was an opportunity too good to miss. Um just I've never seen, you know, I've driven for championship winning teams, but I've never seen this level of development and design before. So joining this team has given, you know, I mean, end of last year I was already you know on a high, you know, with my performance in the front wheel drive car uh and now in a in and back in a front wheel drive car again, but a brand new car which has been uh developed to the yenf degree. Uh I think we can go out there and and really turn some heads.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

I and I I guess there's also with the changes that are coming in uh the qualifying race, yeah. I talking to your former teammate Tom Chiltern, we sort of came to the conclusion that wise heads uh are going to be the ones to benefit from uh from this.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Well, everyone knows in this championship to to to win it you you have to score points. You have to just sometimes settle for fourth rather than go for a podium and finish third. It's taking every single point you can get out of it, and if there's points up for grabs on Saturday, it's gonna help those people who are maybe not so hot-headed and and going for a race win on Saturday, but just think actually it's more important to finish a race, get those points, um you know, and just and just accumulate points throughout the season. On the flip side, for a brand new team like ourselves, the change in format has probably made things slightly more difficult. Whereas last year we had two 35-minute practice sessions, we have now only got one 40-minute session. There's a lot of homework to do in that session with all your tire scrubbing and systems checks and uh you know going to the token way bridge. So the the amount of time we've got on track before you go into qualifying has now been essentially halved before you have to go out there with a car that one qualifies but then has to do a race distance. So it's gonna be tricky, you know. It is gonna be a difficult um learning curve, I think, for everybody to how to manage this qualifying performance and then the race distance as well.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

I we say it's every year, but you know, we look forward to it being the best season in in the British Drawing Car Championship, and sometimes that's right. Yeah, and to be fair, sometimes it isn't. There seems to be huge anticipation uh on the the social media channels from the fans for for this year. Um and a chunk of that, to be honest, is about the chat about you and and Dan Robottam at Plato Racing. Are you sensing any of that sort of fan pressure?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

It's uh yeah, I mean my social media I've never three followers. I've gone from three to nine, which is substantial. Um, no, I've I've never known anything, you know. The anticipation, you know, and any anything Jason puts out just seems to go crazy on social media. So it is it's huge, and but it's something I'm not really used to. But on the other side, it's fantastic for the championship, it's fantastic for British touring cars, it's fantastic for Toker, you know, having that publicity, having Jason Plato back in the championship. Um, you know, we've got a brand new car, we've got another new car in the Audi. The the Ford has gone for a saloon car, so there's a lot of changes going on, and I think everything just it is just building the audience, um and you know, and hopefully widening the audience as well to uh to get more people interested and uh and loving loving this sport.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Maybe it is going to be the best season. Who knows? I'd I yeah, touch wood, touch wood. I agree with you. Um uh behind the scenes though, how's how's family? Because you've you've grown your family, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 7:24

It's grown, it has. It's um they are March is a busy month, March is crazy. My eldest turn six, the twins turn four, all within a week. Um, so we've all been on uh rice since then, just because it's been very expensive. Um but yeah, no, they're really good, thank you. We were up in the late district for bank holiday, uh, although I did have to abandon the wife and kids up there so I could drive a truck down to Plato Racing on Bank Holiday Monday. So, as you can imagine, that went down well when I told her the news. Um but yeah, no, they're all fine, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

They're all you're still driving a truck behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Behind the scenes, every now and then I put on my uh put my vest on and get a Yorkie bar out.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

And uh You don't have to put up the hospitality though anymore, do you? No, no, no, no, no, no. We've done with that.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Um yeah, that's that's yeah, I've delegated. Fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Adam, really good uh to see you. And uh obviously it's gonna be very exciting for you with a new team, and uh let's hope it is one of the best seasons ever. As you know, uh Media Day, I like to just round off with a couple of um sort of odder sideball questions. There we go. Uh this year they're from the highway code. Right, okay. Okay. You're looking pensive. Yeah. Uh so you need to choose uh numbers one, two, or three. You've got to answer two questions, choose one, two, or three. Down the middle, two. What shape is a stop sign? Triangle. No, it's a hexagon. Damn. Choose one or three. Three. This is an interesting one. Oh god. When leaving uh an emergency area on a road, so you've stopped in an emergency area, before rejoining the carriageway, yeah. What must you do? Switch on your hazards, switch on your headlights, use the emergency phone, or wave your arm slowly out of the window.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

I'm going to say switch on your hazards.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

It's catching everybody out, this one. Before you rejoin the carriageway, you must use the emergency phone. Um, because the operator may decide they need to close part of the carriageway for you to rejoin it safely.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Wow, well, I never knew that. It's catching everybody out that one. Well, if anyone gets that, they're a nerd. You heard it. You heard it. If anybody knows the answer to that question. If anybody does get it, I'll just go. It will be someone like Daryl, because he only passed his driving test about two years ago, so he should probably know it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Absolutely. Really good to see you, Adam. Have a great season. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much.