Jason Plato ready for supporting role

Jason Plato says he is ready to take on a supporting role on Finals Day to aid team-mate Ash Sutton in his quest to secure the BTCC title.

Sutton takes a ten point lead into the season finale in his battle with WSR’s Colin Turkington, with Plato in the unusual position of being out of contention for the crown following a difficult campaign that has seen him struggle for results in his BMR-run Subaru Levorg.

Despite that, Plato could still secure a top ten championship finish if results go his way this weekend but he insisted that his aim was to help team-mate Sutton to wrap up what would be a first title for driver, team and manufacturer.

“I know I’ve had a crap year and the reasons for it, and now I just want Ash to do well,” he said in the team’s Adrian Flux blog. “If he does pull it off it’s going to be brilliant for us all. We will do the maximum to get Ash a good position in qualifying to make sure he’s at the sharp end on the grid.

“We’ve all got to work together to give him a tow. I think I’m probably going to be a bit quicker round there because of the weight, so the plan would be for him to sit three car lengths behind me so I can cut his air resistance – it could be worth maybe three tenths of a second.

“During the races, depending on how it’s unfolding, if I find myself behind Ash, let’s say he was third and I was fourth, I would back the other cars away from him to give him clean air. I’ll take the heat from behind and protect him.”