How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver

To be a professional racing driver you need to work out, eat like an athlete and play by the rules, right? Wrong.

Two-time championship-winning and record-breaking racing driver, Jason Plato is a living, breathing example of what you shouldn’t do if you want to become a professional racing driver-

DO NOT Almost kill Bernie Ecclestone Give Prince Charles the finger on the M42 Choose fags and booze over the gym Steal a JCB in Monaco and end up in prison there – twice Make enemies with a 6ft 6” rival who is a black belt in everything

He’s a rule breaker who has had more than his fair share of near-death experiences, drunken escapades and crazy stories.

But, despite his hedonistic tendencies, and since joining the Williams Touring Car team in 1997, he has had more race wins than Lewis Hamilton and Stirling Moss, competed in more races than Jenson Button and set the largest number of fastest laps ever.

There is nothing sensible, predictable or considered about Jason, but this is how he became a racing legend.

Author Biography

Jason Plato is one of the biggest characters in UK motor racing, and one of the most controversial. Since bursting onto the karting scene at the end of the 1970s he has gone on to either upstage or upset dozens of drivers, team owners and team managers – not to mention the odd policeman and nightclub owner. Despite that he is the British Touring Car Championship’s most successful driver ever having won an astonishing 96 races and two championships, with more race wins than Lewis Hamilton.

Since 2004, Jason has also co-presented the popular motoring magazine series Fifth Gear, which recently aired its 23rd series. Jason is also a weekly regular on James Martin’s hugely popular current show, Saturday Morning, on ITV.

How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver is his first book.