Plato walks away from high-speed crash

British Touring Car champion and presenter of Channel Five motoring show Fifth Gear, Jason Plato walked away unscathed from a dramatic and scary-looking crash this afternoon at Donington Park.

     Plato, driving a Chevrolet Cruize was clipped by the Airwaves Ford of Liam Griffin just moments into the start of the second of the day's three race meetings.  The most successful driver in BTCC history was powerless to prevent his car careering into the gravel trap, before submerging a grass bank at the high-speed Craner Curves.  Although he hit the bank at an acute angle, his car flipped into a serious of dramatic barrel-rolls, before coming to rest in the pit.

     The defending champion, who was trying to salvage something from a disappointing meeting, having had his first race ruined by a puncture, unbuckled himself from the wreckage of his Chevrolet and walked away uninjured, to the relief of his wife, family and team.  The car was completely destroyed however.

     However, less than four hours later, the mechanics did an amazing repair job to get their man out for the final event of the day and Plato charged through to a stunning sixth place finish.

     Who said motor racing drivers had no brains?  After this, there is one thing that Jason Plato has and that's plenty of courage after walking away from one of the most dramatic crashes in the history of the British Touring Car Championship.