Jason Plato has said he'll need to drive "balls out" at Donington Park on Sunday (30 July) if he's to continue closing down Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship points leader Matt Neal as the series enters its second half of the season.
Plato is third in the standings - some 40 points adrift of reigning champion Neal. SEAT driver Plato took five points out of Team Halfords rival Neal in the latest rounds at Croft, but the gap between them is still almost the equivalent of three race wins.
But Plato, who's now just three points away from nabbing second spot in the standings from Team RAC MG driver Colin Turkington, believes his Super 2000-spec SEAT Leon could give him an edge over Neal's BTC-spec Honda around Donington's high-speed swoops.
Plato, champion in 2001, said: "I have many happy racing memories of Donington and I think it will be a good track for us this year again because even though it's fast - and our Leon is down on top straight-line speed - all the corners are pretty fast and flowing.
"We can maximise our good chassis by keeping our foot in around the corners and hopefully the BTC-spec cars won't be able to catch up down the straights. It's going to take some balls-out driving, but it's just the way I like it."
Plato knows that if he's to win the title for the second time in his career he needs to take on average at least eight points from Neal in each of the BTCC's remaining five meetings. Currently, even if they were to tie on points at season's end, Neal would still be crowned champion as he has more wins, five to Plato's three.
Plato added: "If we achieve what we did at Croft for the remaining races this year, it's going to be a fantastic fight to the finish. I've had three non-finishes this year and between them the two guys ahead of me, Matt and Colin, have had one. You have to applaud them for that, but even with my three non-scores I'm right up there.
"If they have a retirement and I score well the points situation will dramatically change. We gained five points on the leader at Croft and the aim is to gain even more at Donington.
"If we can put Matt and Colin under pressure, mistakes can happen. It's wide open. We're going on a full-out attack and it will be very exciting to watch.
"The second half of the season is about to get under way and I think we could be in for a very exciting finish. There is nothing I'd like better than the three of us to go into the final race of the year on equal points and the winner takes all. It would be a fantastic way to win the title."
Tickets to watch Plato versus Neal, Turkington and the rest of the grid in the BTCC's three rounds at Donington this coming Sunday are available at discounted prices on the circuit's website www.donington-park.co.uk or by calling the ticket hotline 01332 810048. Adults can still get race day tickets for just £20.00 (offer ends 28 July), while admission for children aged 15 and under is FREE.
