Plato, Favourite for Silverstone.

[RIKB]

As the 2000 Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship heads to its mid-season point, one man is smiling all the way to Silverstone, the venue for rounds 11 and 12 this weekend (June 11). Vauxhall's Jason Plato has proved to be the BTCC master of the Northamptonshire track in recent years - scoring victory there in 1999 and holding the lap records for qualifying and racing.

The Oxford-based Vectra ace, who considers Silverstone his home track, is officially the quickest man in this year's series, after setting four fastest laps in the first ten races. He always goes well at the home of the British Grand Prix, but that, he says, brings its own unique problems.

"In many ways, always doing well at one particular circuit puts extra pressure on," he says. "Every time I go to Silverstone I expect a good result and if I come away without one it is bitterly disappointing.

"But I am looking forward to it this year because I'm driving better than ever; you've only got to look at my race pace to see that."

Plato, joint third in the championship, is 21 points behind early leader Alain Menu. But the Vauxhall man believes Silverstone is the place he can make up ground on Ford Team Mondeo's Swiss star.