Team Shredded Wheat Racing with DUO climbed back to the top of the Independent Teams’ Championship standings at Rockingham this weekend with a celebratory return to the rostrum during rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
A third podium and sixth Independent win of the season for Mat Jackson in race two helped the Wrotham-based squad to the top of the tables and the Motorbase-run outfit leaves Northamptonshire with a narrow, but all-important 9 point lead ahead of the championship’s penultimate meeting in three weeks’ time.

Heading into Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session off the back of a strong FP2 performance, Jackson’s pace – less than half a second off pole – earned the #3 Ford Focus ST an 11^th place spot for the start of Sunday’s opening race, with team-mates Rory Butcher and Martin Depper in P21 and P29 respectively.

A blistering start from Jackson in race one propelled the #3 Focus up into 8^th place by turn 1, and the 36-year-old had made his way up into P7 before the grid completed its first tour of the circuit. Unfortunately the gap to the lead pack proved too great to close in on and Jackson crossed the line in 7^th. Both Butcher and Depper struggled with the hard compound tyre in the opening race. With their pace suffering as a result, and with both collecting damage from robust competitor moves, the #6 and #30 machines recorded P25 and P22 finishes.

A brave attack from Jackson around the outside at turn one at the start of race two was rewarded with a move straight up into P4.  A further clean pass past Sutton saw him steal into third before a reckless lunge from Cook forced Jackson off the circuit, with the Warwickshire-man having to take evasive action to avoid a dramatic, race-ending accident. Having dropped down into 4^th as a direct result of the incident, Cook then collided with Neal’s Honda on the following lap, with the resulting crash ending the race for both. Regaining a P2 spot, Jackson went on to deliver a defensive master-class as he held off the faster BMW of two-time BTCC champion Turkington for the closing laps – eventually taking 2^nd just 0.292 seconds ahead of the BMW – securing his 6^th Indy race win and third overall podium of the season.

Butcher’s steep learning curve into the BTCC continued with the Scotsman on the receiving end of some forceful moves in the mid-pack. Battling through from 25^th, the 30-year-old managed to avoid the various on-track incidents to bring the #6 Focus home in P19. Unfortunately Depper’s early progress was short-lived when he was hit and forced into a spin by Whorlton-Eales; dropping the #30 Focus back down into P30. An excellent fight-back from the Midlands-based driver saw him find his way from the back of the grid to eventually take the flag just behind his team-mate in P20.

Starting from 6^th following the reverse grid draw, the combination of running on the hard compound tyre whilst carrying 66kg of success ballast left Jackson struggling for pace in race 3. Coming under fire from the lighter charging pack, it became a case of damage limitation for the #3 Focus with Jackson fighting hard to stay within the points scoring zone and he had to settle with a P15 finish.

Butcher fared better in the final race. In-spite of being caught up in an opening lap melee between two competitors, the Fife-based racer piloted the #6 Focus forward into the points as the laps unfolded, taking P14 at the flag. Regrettably Depper’s luck gave out once again in race three. After a strong start in the #30 Focus, heavy contact from behind from Whorlton-Eales resulted in damaged bodywork and a right-rear puncture – forcing Depper to pit and effectively ending the third Focus STs race run.

The weekend’s results mean that Team Shredded Wheat Racing with DUO reclaims its lead at the top of the Independent Teams’ standings, with a nine point lead ahead of its nearest challenger. Mat Jackson currently lies third in the Independent Drivers’ Championship and eighth overall. The Motorbase-run squad now has a short three-week break before the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to the home of British Motorsport, Silverstone, for rounds 25, 26 and 27 on September 16/17.

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