Grech looks OS for drivers: Muller and Plato sign
13/7/2000 17:54 (Jason Whittaker) - Australia’s most prestigious Motorsport event will have a distinct international flavour this year, after the Holden Racing Team announced European steerers Yvan Muller and Jason Plato will drive for the Factory outfit at Bathurst.
Team Manager Jeff Grech finally revealed the biggest secret in V8 Supercar racing last night, confirming the team had secured the services of the two talented BTCC Vauxhall Vectra drivers.
Grech also announced that he would pair his two Shell Series runners, Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes, together for both the Queensland 500 and FAI 1000 – all but ending Lowndes’ campaign for a fourth successive Championship crown.
“I think they’ll be an asset,” Grech said of his two newest recruits.
“Both Yvan and Jason are highly professional, tough and seasoned drivers, who are aware that their number one job is to assist the Team in winning the Championship,” he said.
Australia’s leading motorsport operation had been chasing Muller and Plato for many months, after HRT’s John Crennan held discussions with the Vauxhall Vectra team earlier in the year.
Both world-class drivers bring impressive driving resumes to the team, and are currently in good form in the British Touring Car Championship.
30-year-old Muller won the British Formula Two Championship, European Formula 3000 Championship, the French Touring Car title, and numerous Ice Racing trophies before joining the BTCC in 1998.
Jason Plato, 32, also cut his teeth in European open-wheeler racing, driving in Karts, Formula 3, Formula Renault and Formula Vauxhall/Lotus. Plato joined the BTCC circuit in ’97, and is the most recent winner in the British Championship this year.
While Muller will venture to the Mountain for the first time in November, Plato already has a Bathurst start under his belt, and still holds the 2 Litre lap record that he set in a Williams/Renault in the October Bathurst race in 1997.
“Yvan has had plenty of experience in rear wheel drive cars, while Jason has driven at Bathurst before and knows what to expect,” Grech said.
“The aim at this stage is to bring them both to Australia when their BTCC commitments with Vauxhall are completed in September for at least two – probably more – test days,” he said.
“That will make sure they go to Bathurst with as much knowledge as possible of the cars, the Team and their role in the race,” Grech concluded.
With both drivers unavailable for the Queensland 500 in September, Young Lion Todd Kelly and Nation’s Cup racer Mark Noske (he rejoins the HRT fold for the endurance campaign) will be promoted to the second HRT Commodore for the Queensland Raceway event. The Young Lion car will not run in Queensland.
Kelly and Noske will be back in the HRT Young Lion “sister” Commodore for Bathurst.
Muller and Plato join Alain Menu (Mitre 10 Racing) and Matt Neal (Big Kev Racing) as this year’s BTCC Bathurst starters.
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