General News

MG buoyed by Tordoff arrival

MG goes into 2013 with high hopes for the championship after retaining the services of two-time BTCC champion Jason Plato and adding young talent Sam Tordoff to its driver line-up.

Plato proved that the MG6 had race-winning pace during its debut campaign, and he believes that Tordoff has the credentials to push him and the car to the maximum this season. “It’s great to have Sam on board,” he said. “I remember his debut for Triple Eight in 2010 and he did a fantastic job. I think he’s going to be quick and a real pain in the backside for me! That’s a good thing of course, as it will also make me dig that little deeper to raise my game even further.”

A buoyant Plato believes that with further development of the car and with Tordoff’s addition, MG is in good shape to take on the force of Honda and its other rivals. “Sam and I will be looking to work well together,” Plato noted. “Honda has proved over the last few years that it’s important to have two drivers at the same sort of speed, fighting and helping each other to win the big prize. It’s not impossible to do it on your own of course – I did it in 2010 – but it’s a lot easier to win championships when you have two guys pulling in the right direction and delivering on the track. What Sam has demonstrated over the last few years is that he’s certainly going to be able to do that and I am really excited by the line-up.”

Plato isn’t the only key figure from Triple Eight who is confident that Tordoff will give the team the required strength in depth; team boss Ian Harrison is equally fired up by the prospect. “Jason did a great job last year, as he always does, and this year we have a young up and coming guy in the other car,” commented Harrison. “Sam drove for us once before back at Brands Hatch in 2010 and he put the car on the fourth row. It was his first time driving a BTCC car and he went on to finish in the top ten, which was pretty impressive. We’re delighted to have him in the team and I think having the experience of Jason alongside him will be a huge benefit.”

While relatively inexperienced in a BTCC car, Leeds racer Tordoff is no stranger to the podium, taking four wins last season in the fiercely competitive Porsche Carrera Cup GB. Harrison, who has lead the Triple Eight Engineering squad to no less than six drivers and six manufacturers championship titles, has every confidence in their new recruit: “Sam is a proven race winner in the Carrera Cup and you don’t win races in that without having some talent. We have a really strong line-up – we have experience and we have youth – together we hope to take it to the next stage and hopefully challenge for the championship in 2013.”