After losing further ground in the title chase during the previous meeting of the 2013 British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill, Jason Plato has his eyes set only victories at Rockingham this weekend.
After a meeting already banished to the history books last time out at Knockhill for the MG KX Momentum Racing team at which a fourth place was the best result from a somewhat off the pace weekend, Plato now lies 54 points off the championship lead with just nine races from three rounds remaining.
The double champion and his Triple Eight outfit now return to a circuit at which they were rapid at in the dry conditions last year, Plato claiming an emphatic pole and race one victory at a Rockingham venue he feels his MG6 should shine around this weekend.
“We were very fast at Rockingham last year and that should carry over to 2013 as well”, said Plato, a five-time winner around the Corby Speedway.
“It is an interesting track with lots of technical bits, but everybody loves the banked Turn One, which is taken flat out. It is a ballsy corner and one which requires total commitment – it’s right up my alley.”
With his championship prospect teetering on the brink of extinction, Plato says that there is now no option but to go flat-out for the top step of the rostrum at Rockingham, adding that he feels less pressure on his shoulders in regards to his situation.
“I will be Harry Flatters”, he commented. “It is quite liberating because all I need to do now is concentrate on race wins and I don’t have to play any strategic games just to bank points.
“Whatever else happens will happen in terms of the bigger picture but nothing but victories will do for me now. That means I will be on maximum attack at Rockingham and for the rest of the season.”
Team principal Ian Harrison said that his squad had been working hard behind the scenes to ensure his drivers enjoy a more competitive weekend, saying: “We have worked hard and gone through all the data since the last round – we have left no stone unturned.
“I am quietly confident going into this meeting because it is a track that we were strong at last season and we have refined our car even further since then. We are in a very positive frame of mind.”
