4 – Jason Plato
The MG team leader was always going to be a tip fo the title, and he very nearly gave the new champion the biggest scare of all thanks to a tenacious fightback towards the end of the season.
Plato started the year in fine style, romping to two victories at Brands Hatch to lead the championship after the first two meetings. The year was going to plan, until a race three puncture robbed him of victory at Thruxton – in similar style to Andrew Jordan in the day’s opening race that weekend.
Plato also offered good support for his rookie team-mate Sam Tordoff throughout the year, but soon asserted his number one status in the squad come the season’s conslusion.
Plato led the way in terms of pole positions with four to his name, climbing his win tally up to 82 BTCC victories in his career thanks to an also season-best total of eight visits to the podium’s top step.
Many of those came from the front following Saturday afternoon qualifying dominance late in the season, which culminated towards an amazing fightback after entering the final three meetings seemingly already out of contention for the championship having slipped to almost 60 points adrift of his rivals in a mid-season slump for MG.
But the double champion doesn’t go down without a fight, and two wins at both Silverstone and Brands Hatch brought him back into the title fight with one race too go, eventually coming up short as he ended the year lying third in the championship table.
