Jason Plato
A dominant and outspoken force in British Touring Cars, he holds the record for most race wins and two championship titles across three decades.
Born 1967 (age 59)·British racing driver·Birthday: October 14·Generation X
Biography
Jason Plato didn't just compete in the British Touring Car Championship; he became one of its most recognizable and successful characters. With a combative driving style and a gift for the media soundbite, Plato was a mainstay of the series for over two decades, his career arc tracing the evolution of the cars from Super Touring to today's NGTC machines. His 97 race wins are a testament to a relentless will to win and a deep understanding of front-wheel-drive touring car dynamics. Beyond the cockpit, he built a parallel career as a television presenter on 'Fifth Gear,' translating his racing expertise into accessible automotive entertainment. Plato's legacy is that of a pure racer who loved the crunching door-handle combat of the BTCC and consistently delivered the results to back up his confidence.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jason was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jason Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Jason's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Holds the all-time record for most race wins in the British Touring Car Championship (97).
- Won the BTCC Drivers' Championship twice, in 2001 and 2010.
- Finished on the overall championship podium 13 times throughout his career.
- Served as a lead presenter on the motoring television series 'Fifth Gear' for many years.
Did You Know?
Before his BTCC career, he won the 1997 Renault Spider Eurocup championship.
He drove for the factory teams of Renault, Vauxhall, SEAT, Chevrolet, and MG during his BTCC career.
He is the father of racing driver Patrick Plato.
He set up his own team, Plato Racing, in partnership with RML for the 2022 BTCC season.
“I'm not here to make up the numbers. I'm here to win.”
