Round two to Plato:
From the
Brands Hatch website:
"Earlier in the week, Tom Chilton said he thought touring car racing was becoming a "bit too much" for SEAT driver Jason Plato. Now, ahead of the opening round of the 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend, Plato has retaliated against his younger rival in a supplement to this week's Auto Express.
"Tom will always have something to prove; he's that kind of character," said Plato. "He's tremendously quick, but I don't think he's a great racer. I personally don't rate him anywhere near as highly as I do Fabrizio (Giovanardi, Chilton's team-mate).
"Anyone with half a grain of talent can come in with 40kg less than everyone else and plonk their car on pole position - there's no skill in that," he continued. "This year will prove how well he races at the sharp end of the stick."
Plato also had plenty to say on his other rivals, highlighting reigning champion Matt Neal as a "force to be reckoned with again in 2006" and that Colin Turkington could "do a great job given the right car."
Bearing in mind Plato's reputation of coming together with his rivals on the track, the SEAT driver's comments on new team-mate James Thompson were interesting: "hopefully we'll not be driving into each other," he commented. On newcomer Fabrizio Giovanardi he said that the Italian "ain't an angel, but he knows what touring car racing is all about.""
Seconds out - Round 3