Jason Plato admitted that the points scored at
Brands Hatch could be crucial in his bid to secure a second HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship title after his first outing in SEAT's new Leon TDi.
The 2001 title winner went into the weekend having completed only limited mileage in the car ahead of the new season but qualified on the second row of the grid for the first race of the campaign.
A solid run to the podium in race one was repeated in race two as the early promise of the diesel car was made clear by the team, and while he had to settle for fifth in race three, the results left Plato third in the early season standings – just eleven points behind defending champion Fabrizio Giovanardi.
"I'm really pleased," he told
Crash.net. "Prior to this weekend we had done 120 miles in the car and we read all the crap in the press about SEAT sandbagging and we weren't. That was where we were and it was frustrating because the guys are working really hard here.
"We made a lot of progress in a short space of time but today was encouraging because we still haven't found he sweet spot with the car. There is an underlying chassis characteristic that we need to get rid of and we haven't found it yet, so to get the results we have done with a car I don't really like at the moment and isn't doing what I want it do to is good. With more hard work and more testing, we'll unlock the secret gems underneath."
Plato added that the 26 points on the board three races into the 30 race campaign could be crucial as the season draws to a close later in the year, with the team expecting to take steps forward in the upcoming meetings.
"How many points was the title decided by last year?" he said. "This little brace of points could be so important for us as time goes on. I predict we will be more competitive relative to everyone else towards the end of the year so if we can get two thirds and fifth now, what can we do leading up to the closure of the championship.
