How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver by Jason Plato

Author:Jason Plato
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241404171
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2019-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

LESSON NINE

I’m a JCB – Drive Me!

Despite being regretful about some of the more unfortunate aspects of my sport, such as what I’d experienced the previous season, I still felt privileged to be a part of it, and my two years at Triple Eight Vauxhall had, on the whole, actually been quite positive, in spite of the final outcome. Yes, I know it’s difficult to believe after what you’ve just read, but it’s the truth. Everyone worked really hard, and, as I pointed out to Roland about a minute before he sacked me, we’d just finished first and second in the championship and had left all the other teams standing.

Also, as with Alain, I’d had to play catch-up more than once with Yvan, and that had done me the power of good. The 2001 season in particular, or at least the early part of it, had been especially beneficial, and I’d spent a lot of time with Derek trying to put things right. He’s a fantastic mentor and he played a big part in me turning things around and coming back at Yvan. It’s difficult to put a price on things like that, so, as horrible as the latter half of the 2001 season undoubtedly was in terms of politics and bad feeling, it forced me to remember the positives and, at some of my lower points just after the season ended, cling on to them for dear life.

I was about to say that at some point after the season had ended I decided to look into giving NASCAR a go, but it was actually decided for me, really, as I didn’t have a drive for 2002. That felt bloody weird. I was the best in my particular field and at the height of my powers, yet I was unemployed.

After putting out a few feelers I ended up doing a three-year deal with Rockingham racetrack in Corby, who were launching a new championship called ASCAR. It was basically the same as NASCAR except not quite as quick so it sounded like it could be a good way in. The races took place at either Rockingham or the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany, and the idea was that, providing the series did well, I’d help to launch it in the States, and in return they’d help to catapult me into NASCAR. On paper it sounded great, so by the start of the ASCAR season, which began in early May, so about a month after the BTCC, I was back to my old ebullient self. You can’t keep a good man down!

At the press day, one of the first things I saw when I arrived at Rockingham was one of the posters they’d produced to promote the series, and they looked terrific. My name and ugly mug were emblazoned across it, and that added to my excitement.

My team was called Xcel Sport, and the man behind the team was the former BTCC driver John Bintcliffe. Once the press had arrived, it was suggested

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