Jason Plato has been hurt during filming for the Channel 5 Fifth Gear programme.
Plato was testing a road-going Caparo T1 supercar at Bruntingthorpe when it burst into flames at an
estimated 150mph. He received burns to both hands, face and the back of the neck.
Plato was taken from the Proving Ground near Lutterworth in Leicestershire the A&E department at Market the
Harborough and District Hospital before being transferred to Kettering General Hospital.
The British Touring Car Championship driver was transferred by ambulance to the Stoke Mandeville Hospital,
where he received treatment in the specialist burns unit and was released later the same evening.
Ball of flame
Jason said: “We were testing the Caparo T1 for Fifth Gear, and we took it to Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground,
a private testing facility, which is common practice. There was a slight loss of power, I looked in the mirror and
saw some smoke, there was a slight smell of oil and then suddenly there was this intense heat.
'The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame and I was sat in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes,
brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out.
“The back of my neck is burnt and so are my face and hands. I obviously couldn’t take my hands off the
steering wheel whilst braking and my right hand is more badly burnt than my left. I’ll have to dig deep, but I’m still
looking forward to the BTCC finale this weekend.
Plato has vowed to race at this weekend’s final BTCC race meeting at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on Sunday
14th October, which is also his 40th birthday.
View the Caparo T1 road test video.