31 Mar Zircotec Announces Technical Partnership with PLATO Racing in BTCC
MIA Member Zircotec has shared the following press release.
Zircotec Announces Technical Partnership with PLATO Racing in BTCC
Abingdon, Oxfordshire – 31 March 2026 – Zircotec, the UK-based specialist in thermal management and heat shielding technologies, is pleased to announce a new technical partnership with PLATO Racing for the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season.
Under the partnership, Zircotec is supplying a range of advanced thermal management solutions to support the team’s BTCC programme, helping to control heat in critical areas of the car and improve reliability, safety, durability and driver comfort in one of the UK’s most competitive motorsport championships.
PLATO Racing has selected Zircotec’s products and expertise to support heat management across key systems on its race cars. The package supplied includes ZircoFlex® HT thermal barrier and fire protection material, a range of ZircoFlex® thermal insulation materials, and ZircoFlex® SHIELD, Zircotec’s patented heat shield technology, for use on exhaust manifolds, exhaust systems and turbochargers.
Commenting on the partnership, Jason Plato, Team Owner of PLATO Racing, said:
“I wanted the best in heat management for the team. As well as offering the best heat management products on the market, the team at Zircotec understand heat and are able to advise on how best to manage it on a race car. I relied on Zircotec during my driving days and wanted to secure their involvement for PLATO Racing.”
Richard Carter, Head of Motorsport and Chief Commercial Officer at Zircotec, added:
“We are delighted to be working with PLATO Racing as part of their BTCC programme. In touring car racing, heat management is a key engineering consideration. Managed well, it can have a meaningful impact on performance, reliability, durability, safety and driver comfort.
We have already supplied the team with ZircoFlex® HT, a range of ZircoFlex® thermal insulation materials, and our patented ZircoFlex® SHIELD products for critical high-temperature areas including exhaust manifolds, exhaust systems and turbos.
BTCC provides a demanding real-world environment in which to support our customers and demonstrate the performance of our technologies. It also gives us an excellent platform for ongoing product development, including the testing of new solutions not yet available to the wider market.”
The British Touring Car Championship provides one of the toughest proving grounds in motorsport. Intense competition, tight packaging, high exhaust temperatures and sustained operating demands place significant pressure on teams to manage heat effectively across the vehicle. Zircotec’s technologies are designed to help teams reduce the transfer of unwanted heat, protect surrounding components, and improve thermal control in performance-critical areas.
The partnership with PLATO Racing further strengthens Zircotec’s presence in UK motorsport and reflects the continued confidence placed in its products by leading race teams competing at the highest levels.
To find out more about Zircotec click here.