Jason Plato will be focused on closing the gap to defending champion Fabrizio Giovanardi as the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Thruxton for the fourth round of the year.
Plato has scored points in each of the nine races run so far this season at the wheel of his new SEAT Leon TDi and took a first victory of the campaign last time out at Donington Park.
With two further podium finishes at the East Midlands circuit, the 2001 champion jumped up to second in the championship standings – 16 points behind 2007 title rival Giovanardi.
Although he won on his debut at Thruxton for the SEAT team back in 2004, the quickest circuit on the calendar hasn't been one well suited to the petrol powered Leon in recent seasons due to its aerodynamic deficiencies, but with the diesel car having extra power, Plato said he was now looking forward to returning to the Hampshire circuit.
"I love Thruxton, it's a mega track," he said. "It can be a frustrating circuit without a strong engine because the straights are so long, but for the first time in ages I'm really looking forward to going back there.
"For me, Thruxton will be all about taking more points out of Fabrizio's [Giovanardi] lead and closing the gap in the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships. It would be nice to score another win, and I think that is possible. We had a good race weekend at
Donington, followed by a good day's testing there. We've found the direction we want to go with the Leon TDi, we're discovering the set-ups which makes the car tick and we're down to the detail in terms of smoothing out the rough edges and making the car a little quicker and a little easier to drive.
"We've taken some big gambles on set-up during the first three race meetings of 2008, and Thruxton will be the first circuit we'll come to with a clear idea of what we need to do. I'm really confident about our prospects at
Thruxton."
