Jason Plato has called on bitter Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rival Yvan Muller to work with him to topple team-mates Matt Neal and Dan Eaves at Croft this weekend.
Briton Plato believes Muller is 'obsessed' with beating him to the detriment of the Frenchman's own championship hopes.
Currently, SEAT driver Plato is fourth in the standings and Muller third for Vauxhall. Neal and Eaves have won eight of the first 12 races to lead the standings in their Team Halfords Hondas.
Plato knows that Croft's three races this Sunday could prove crucial to his title hopes. He won twice there in 2004.
"I'd like to think Yvan and I could work together to catch Matt and Dan," said Plato, who was team-mate to Muller in 2001. "Yvan should be open-minded enough to realise I'm not enemy number one – it's the two Hondas – but I don't think he thinks like that.
"Yes, we both want to win as much as each other. I'm hard but fair on the track, but I ain't no thug, whereas Yvan will try stuffing me at any given opportunity."
Plato went off the track in a collision with Muller in the previous round at Oulton Park and before that there had been two controversial incidents between them at Thruxton.
Their rivalry dates back to 2001 when they fell out as Vauxhall team-mates fighting for the title – a fight that Plato ultimately won.
Plato added: "I'm told there was a huge roar of laughter and clapping in the Vauxhall pit when I went off at Oulton and that's just wrong. I've clearly got under their skin.
"Yvan and Vauxhall seem to have an obsession with beating me and they need to stop it or they're going to look silly in front of everyone."
plato (seat) & muller (vauxhall) vs honda's
