Jason Plato - Plato Racing - BTCC Launch Day - Brands Hatch - 08 April 2026

Jason Plato - Plato Racing - BTCC Launch Day - Brands Hatch - 08 April 2026

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Well Jason, it's really good to say first of all for a launch day. We've stood in the sunshine at Brandt's house. That's that's a bit of a novelty, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Oh, it's delicious, isn't it? I mean interesting, you know, just I said said to um you know Adam and and Dan said, mate, you you guys are gonna be working hard today in the sun. They'll be worn out by lunchtime. Well, we'll find out how how how how much effort they put into their fitness overwinter, won't we? But no, it's it's great to be here. Yeah, yes. What what what turnout? I don't think Brian, I don't think Media Day's ever been like this before, has it?

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Mr. Gow is telling me something like 10,000 uh applications for tickets.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

I hear more than that, yeah, which is amazing.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

More importantly though, I wonder why I wonder why you think you might be a factor in that. You've got it over the line, Jason. You've got the car, the two cars here on Media Day, Plato Racing is on the calendar. Um it's it's been a journey uh of a lifetime in five months, hasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Yeah, that's an understatement. Yeah, it's been brilliant, you know. I I'm very fortunate that I've got uh a brilliant team of people around me that have made it happen, and you know, it's been it's been traditional graft, yeah. Um you know, brilliant partners. Um and also, you know, brilliant that we've got a cataclean on as a title sponsor. You know, this wouldn't have been possible without their their financial support and their their their guidance and their help. But yeah, it's it's it's it's a really lovely feeling to, and and you know, I can feel the stress starting to leave me a little bit. It's been very stressful. Um because we spent just an extraordinary amount of money. But you know, I think I think you can see where the where that investment has gone. It's gone in the cars, it's gone in the way we look, it's gone in the design. I mean, you know, you won't be able to see under the car under our chassis yet, because we're not allowing anyone to, but if you were fortunate enough to see, you'd go, oh right, I get this. Yeah, but everything has been thought about and designed. And the simple fact is we've done it in just over five months is extraordinary. Because it no, I mean we didn't have a bank account until mid-August.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

I mean, Dan Robottom was saying to me, because I said, Look, the cars look nice, but sort of what they look like is any part of the part of the deal, it's what goes on under the bonnet and how the chassis put together and how the cars are built. He was saying that it's built as it should be. The attention to detail uh inside the chassis, the powertrain, everything is just incredible.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yeah, I mean it's it's it's the finest BTCT car that's ever been built. I mean, even if you think about super touring car days, this is being built to a better standard than those. Um what's been the biggest challenge then, Jason? Getting the money together. You know, we're we're in we're in very difficult times as a as a as a as a species, as a human race, and there's problems all around the world, and um you know the first thing which uh first thing which gets cut or which people are reluctant to spend is on marketing spend. And of course, this you know going motor racing doesn't sit at the top of that that marketing mix with companies. So, you know, we're still having great conversations with people, but people are just very nervous about spending big chunks of my money at the moment. So we've got to, you know, we're working, we're pressing on ahead. Um you know, we're we're not we we need to find some more funding, but you know, we're here. Uh I think our cars are gonna be quick. Uh in fact, I know our cars are going to be quick because they've been designed correctly. So, you know, all of the money so far has gone in creating and designing, building, setting the team up. Um you know, it's very lumpy at the front end because we had nothing. You know, in August we had an empty workshop. No nothing, no tools, no tapes, no pipes, no clips, no nuts and bolts. I mean nothing. And it's uh it takes a lot to build that up very quickly. Um and I'm really proud of what everybody's done. I mean, you know, it's amazing, it's absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Last year at uh Silverstone we chatted when you were being open and honest about some of the struggles that you'd had, and I remember asking you the question when you said, Look, I'm I'm coming back with something uh my team, and I remember asking you the question: if motor racing and all that caused you some of those problems, why come back in? And and and your answer was you needed to get back in, you needed to do it. I mean, uh given the five months of stress that you had, is being on track now in the sunshine at Brands Hatch looking ahead to the start of the season, has it been worth it? Without a doubt, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

I mean, uh honestly, you know, this project saved me from killing myself. Um and I tried twice. Terrible to admit that. But I'm not ashamed about it, it's just the way it was, you know, the perfect storm hit me, and um and you know, there were three things, four things which hit at the same time. But one of the things I didn't really appreciate is you know, I'd been operating as a professional racing driver for all of my adult life, very lucky to to have done that, and you've known me for a long time, the intensity which is with you 24 hours a day. Well, well, that's nonsense, isn't it? Because you sleep, but there's still intensity when you sleep in, but every waking hour there's an intensity, and when that stops and the competitive arena which you operate in disappears, even though you thought about it, when it happens, it's quite something. Um so you know, I'm now back in in you know, I've got lots of people up and down the paddock. I know we've got some good friends here, but I'm in somewhere where I understand, and I I love the intensity which I've got back again, and you know the intensity's different now than it was when I'm in the car, but I'm I'm kind of feeling I'm in the car with with my guys, that and that sounds a bit deep, but for the first time ever, I want I want another driver to win. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Yeah. Um so what do you what do you want the fans to think of and say about you and the team? Well, because there's a there's been a lot of uh stuff on social media about about you coming back into the BTCC in in this new sort of new role. So, what do you want the fans to say about you? What's your what's your tagline to them?

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Well, I don't don't really have a tack tagline for them. You know, uh A, I've I've been very fortunate in my career that probably the way I am and my driving stuff, yeah, that that I did I had lots of fans and I really appreciate their support. But I guess the bigger message is do you know what? Wait when you know when I started to tell people how how ill I became mentally, everyone just was shocked. They went, no, that can't be. Well, guess what? It can be, and it and and and it's and and now I've realized you know it's okay to be a bit messed up, it's okay not to be okay. It happens to everybody, but what isn't okay, which simply isn't okay, it's not okay not to do something about it. And one of the best things I my my great pal Ross Braun really helped me out, and and you know, was talking about it with a few people, and I guess that would be my advice to to you know, you know, if if if if my story can help other people, uh and life's bloody tough at the minute for everybody, really very, very tough. Arguably it's gonna get tougher. Like I said, it's okay to be wonky, just talk to people about it. And and and do you know what? Uh I've come back from being in a terrible place, and here we are at Brands in the Sunshine. I've got two racetracks, two race cars, you know, it took five and a half months of of effort with a great bunch of people around me, and look what you can do. You know, look what you can do. So I you know, I I guess I want I want I want everybody in the paddock, everyone that's looking at us, to maybe get a bit of inspiration from that.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Just finally, a prediction: how long till the first podium? How many races in to the first podium? I think it would come in on the first event.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

I really genuinely do. And that's not me being me normal where I'll you know pot stuff up. I I do genuinely believe it. I think we've got an amazing race car. I'd love to show show you around it, but I'm not going to because there's some really special things in there. Um yeah, I genuinely think, not just because what the what what we what we've designed and built, but also the feeling amongst everybody in the team. Everybody's super motivated, they're loving it. They love being involved in this project, and they're all putting in an amazing amount of work. And do you know what? It's not rocket science. You just gotta do your prep, spend the money in uh in the right areas, get the right people around you, plug in great drivers, and let's have a great time. And the winds will come, I'm sure they will. Good to see you about Jason. Have a great season. Thanks very much, Lee.