When Jason Plato officially retired from BTCC racing at the end of 2022, after 23 seasons, over 600 races and 97 victories, most assumed the curtain had finally come down on one of British motorsport's most compelling stories. They were wrong. Plato is back, and not behind the wheel, but arguably in an even more powerful seat.
Welcome to Plato Racing. The team that has the paddock talking before a single competitive lap has been turned.
The Man Behind the Name
To understand why Plato Racing's arrival carries so much weight, you first need to appreciate just what Jason Plato means to this championship. The Oxford-born racer didn't just compete in the BTCC, he defined an era of it.
His debut came in 1997, handed the second seat in the legendary Williams-Renault BTCC outfit alongside Alain Menu. He announced himself in emphatic fashion, taking pole position for each of his first three races and finishing third in the championship as a rookie - a result that signalled a talent the sport would spend the next two decades wrestling with.
The titles came in 2001 with Vauxhall and again in 2010 with Chevrolet, that second crown, coming nearly a decade after his first, a remarkable testament to his adaptability and determination. In between and beyond those championships, he was rarely out of contention, finishing in the top three of the standings a staggering thirteen times. He also holds the all-time record for BTCC race victories, with 97 wins accumulated across more than 230 podium finishes - achievements that are unlikely to be surpassed any time soon.
Off the circuit, Plato built a second career as a television presenter on Channel 5's Fifth Gear, his natural charisma translating effortlessly to the screen. It is that same charisma that makes the paddock sit up and take notice when his name is attached to anything.
Building Something Special
When Plato revealed plans for his own BTCC operation, the question wasn't whether people would pay attention, it was whether the project could match the ambition of the man fronting it. Everything so far suggests it absolutely can.
The team spent an intensive research and development phase evaluating five different car platforms before settling on the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon which is a decision Plato credits to the car's aerodynamic profile, which he believes provides the strongest foundation for a championship winning package. It is a choice that carries personal resonance too, given that Mercedes is the marque Plato himself drove to some of his finest performances across his career.
Crucially, the cars are being designed and built by RML Group, the renowned Wellingborough based engineering outfit whose credentials in touring car racing are beyond reproach. This is, notably, the same organisation that worked alongside Plato when he claimed his 2010 championship title. The reunion carries an obvious significance, and with RML's expertise underpinning the technical programme, Plato Racing is no vanity project.
The Driver Line-Up
Plato has recruited with the same conviction he once raced with, assembling a driver pairing that blends front-running ambition with proven championship-level experience.
Daniel Rowbottom arrives as the lead driver and a genuine title challenger in his own right. The 36-year-old Worcestershire racer has been quietly building one of the most impressive CVs on the grid since his BTCC debut in 2019, and his 2025 season with three victories and five further podiums on the way to fifth in the Drivers' Championship was the best of his career. What makes Rowbottom's presence even more compelling is the context: he achieved all of that having undergone major heart surgery just over a year prior. The fact that he returned to the grid at all was remarkable. The fact that he then delivered his finest season speaks volumes about the character of the man.
Rowbottom is not merely driving for Plato Racing, he is a partner in the team, invested in its long-term success, with long-term backers Cataclean alongside him. His ambitions make no secret of the target: "I want to be BTCC Champion one day," he said at the time of his announcement.
Alongside him is Adam Morgan, a man entering his 15th consecutive season in the BTCC and the most experienced performer on the grid in terms of sheer institutional knowledge. The Blackburn-born racer brings 11 victories to the table with eight of them achieved in a Mercedes, making his pairing with the A35 feel almost predestined. His 2025 campaign with Team VERTU was the most successful of his career, finishing sixth in the championship, and he joins a team mate he has shared a garage with before, having raced alongside Rowbottom back in 2019. Morgan's enthusiasm for the project was clear at the announcement: "JP knows how to win championships and get the best not just out of the car but also out of the team... There's going to be drama, of course, Jason Plato is involved."
He may well be right about that.
Croft: The First Chapter
The two silver Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloons rolled out at Croft Circuit for the BTCC's official two-day pre-season test on March 24th and 25th, completing an extended shakedown across both days as fans descended on the North Yorkshire venue. For many in the crowd, catching a first glimpse of Plato Racing's machinery in the flesh was reason enough to make the trip.
Both Rowbottom and Morgan worked methodically through their programmes, building mileage and developing their understanding of the new car. On the combined two-day classification, Rowbottom ended up ninth with a best time of 1:21.281s, with Morgan 15th at 1:22.035s - respectable figures for a brand-new team at the very start of its journey, and times that suggest there is plenty more pace to come as the car is dialled in ahead of the season opener.
There were glimpses of what the package could do in the wet on Monday afternoon, when Rowbottom ran inside the top ten during the rain-affected running, demonstrating the promise already beginning to emerge from the A35 in variable conditions.
What Comes Next
With the Croft shakedown now complete, attention turns to Brands Hatch on 8 April, where Plato Racing will take part in the final pre-season test ahead of the season-opening round at Donington Park on April 18th and 19th.
The BTCC has always thrived on personalities as much as pure performance, and in Jason Plato it has gained one of its most compelling storylines in years, a record-breaking champion returning not to add to his own legend but to build something new. Whether Plato Racing can challenge for wins and titles in their debut season remains to be seen, but if the ambition behind this project is anything to go by, the team that bears his name is built to do exactly that.
The Silver Arrows are on the Grid...The countdown to Donington Park is on... One more Launch event 1st though and Pitlane News will be there....
Article Sponsored by
Sponsors4Racing
