SEAT touring car driver and Fifth Gear presenter Jason Plato has been injured while driving a Caparo T1 supercar for the Channel Five show.
Plato was testing the 200mph Caparo at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire when it burst into flames at an estimated 150mph.
He managed to bring the car to a stop but received burns to both hands, his face and the back of his neck, and was rushed to the near-by accident and emergency facility at the Market Harborough and District Hospital. After initial treatment he was transferred by ambulance to Kettering General Hospital before being transferred by ambulance to the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he received treatment in the specialist burns unit. He was released later the same evening and spent the night resting at his home in Oxfordshire. But despite the injuries, Plato has vowed to race his SEAT Leon at this weekend's final BTCC race at Thruxton in Hampshire. He goes into the final three racers of the season nine points clear.
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.
"We found the nearest hospital on our sat nav and Phil Bennett [former BTCC racing driver who was at the test] took me to the local A&E. I would very much like to thank Phil, all the staff at Market Harborough and District Hospital, Kettering General Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital for all the excellent care and treatment they so quickly administered.
"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. It's been a hard-fought season and I've led the Drivers' Championship almost unbroken since winning the opening round, so this isn't going to stop me winning the title on Sunday."
http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/car_news_article.aspx?cp-documentid=6379623
