Jason Plato

Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1974 in Oxford, Oxfordshire) is a British racing driver currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for Team BMR. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the Championship 12 times and holds the record for the most overall race wins in the BTCC. He was a presenter on the motoring television series Fifth Gear from 2004 through 2014.

Career history

After success in karting, Plato raced in Formula Three and Formula Renault. In 1996 he entered the Renault Spider championship, making a dominant title win.

BTCC (1997-2001)

In 1997 he gained the second drive in the Williams-Renault BTCC team, after Frank Williams organised a test between him, Gianni Morbidelli and Jean-Christophe Boullion with the fastest getting the contract offer.

Plato took pole for his first three races, and ultimately won 2 races as a rookie, taking 3rd in the championship which was won by his team-mate Alain Menu. He was 5th in the series in each of the next two years.

Plato

Plato (/ˈpleɪtoʊ/;Greek: ΠλάτωνPlátōn pronounced [plá.tɔːn] in Classical Attic; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition. Unlike nearly all of his philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire œuvre is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years.

Along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle, Plato laid the very foundations of Western philosophy and science.Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." In addition to being a foundational figure for Western science, philosophy, and mathematics, Plato has also often been cited as one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality, particularly Christianity, which Friedrich Nietzsche, amongst other scholars, called "Platonism for the people." Plato's influence on Christian thought is often thought to be mediated by his major influence on Saint Augustine of Hippo, one of the most important philosophers and theologians in the history of Christianity.

Jason

Jason (/ˈdʒeɪsən/; Greek: Ἰάσων Iásōn) was an ancient Greek mythological hero who was famous for his role as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. Because he belongs to mythology, he may have existed before the Greek Dark Ages (1100–800 BC.) The people who wrote about Jason lived around 300 BC.

Jason appeared in various literary works in the classical world of Greece and Rome, including the epic poem Argonautica and the tragedy Medea. In the modern world, Jason has emerged as a character in various adaptations of his myths, such as the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts and the 2000 TV miniseries of the same name. Jason is also the main character in the British TV series Atlantis.

Jason has connections outside the classical world, being the mythical founder of the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.

Early years

Family

Jason's father is invariably Aeson, but there is great variation as to his mother's name. According to various authors, she could be:

Fifth Gear

Fifth Gear is a British motoring television magazine series. Originally shown on Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011. Since 2012 the show has only been available on limited distribution platforms such as Discovery from 2012 to 2014 and History since 2015 alongside ITV4 meaning the show is returning to freeview for the first time in four years after it ended on Channel 5 in 2011. The show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Jonny Smith. Fifth Gear's rival shows are BBC Two's Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May's 2016 Untitled Amazon motoring show for Amazon Video.

Fifth Gear was first broadcast on 8 April 2002 as 5th Gear, and as a continuation of the original incarnation of the BBC show Top Gear, which was cancelled in 2001. Top Gear was relaunched later that year; Channel 5 originally wanted to carry on using the Top Gear name, but the BBC refused. Several of Top Gear's ex-presenters, including Quentin Willson, Tiff Needell, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, were hired by Channel 5 to present the series. The show's name was restyled as Fifth Gear in 2005.