Wrotham based Motorbase Performance were rewarded for their efforts in the latest round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, which saw them win the final race of the weekend.

A defensive masterclass from Mat Jackson in the final race of the weekend saw the Duo-backed driver claim an unrivaled fourth win of the season, with an earlier Independent win in the #7 Focus ST helping to propel the Kent-based squad to an incredible 95 point lead at the top of the Independent Teams’ standings.

The weekend was a slow burner for the Motorbase outfit with a driveshaft issue firing Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek-liveried Focus into the barriers during Saturday’s early free practice session. A swift repair by the Motorbase crew saw the Red Bull athlete back out on track for the afternoon sessions and the 26-year-old managed to post 6^th fastest in qualifying – just 0.297 seconds off pole.

Starting on the soft tyre compound with 21kg on-board, Jordan managed to move past Turkington’s works-backed Subaru on the opening lap to take 5^th. The #77 Focus couldn’t hold position however on the rear wheel drive suited track and the pair traded places on lap 8, with Jordan eventually crossing the line in 6^th. Starting from 15^th with 39kg of ballast, Jackson did well to avoid the mid-pack carnage managing to push the #7 Focus ST forward to take 12^th at the chequered flag.

Race two was a frenetic affair with the first safety car deployed on the opening lap. A good start from the Motorbase duo saw Jordan in 5^th and Jackson up into 9^th by lap 7, before heavy contact to #77 Focus faltered Jordan’s progress and the Red Bull athlete battled hard to hold on to 8^th. With the soft tyre coming into play, Jackson expertly worked his way through the field in the battered and bruised #7 Focus to claim a P6 finish and his 8^th Independent win of the season.

A turn of luck saw Jackson on pole for race 3 thanks to the reversed grid draw by fellow Motorbase GT-squad driver Jonny Adam. With 33kg on board and a gaggle of rear-wheel cars on his tail, Jackson stated his intent from the start. An absolute class-act from Jackson wowed the crowds with the Duo-backed driver delivering a stunning lights to flag victory. Holding on to the race lead for a nail-biting 27 laps – Jackson fended off relentless challenges from the chasing pack of manufacturer-backed BMWs, Subarus and Hondas to claim a fifth outright win of the season for Motorbase Performance by just 0.236 seconds.

Jordan endured a tough final race with the Pirtek-backed Focus caught up in on-track battles during the early stages of the race. With the resulting damage putting pay to his best efforts to move forward on the notoriously tricky track, the Red Bull athlete had to settle with a P9 finish in the #77 Focus.

The weekends’ results have extended the Motorbase Performance squad’s lead to an incredible 95 point lead at the top of the Independent Teams’ standings and still in a strong third in the Overall Teams’ championship behind two manufacturer outfits. Jordan still sits atop the Independent Drivers’ standings with Jackson close behind in 2^nd. Jackson has also leap-frogged his way to 5^th in the Overall Driver’s championship whilst Jordan currently sits in 8^th.

Speaking after the weekend’s racing , Jackson said: “Qualifying didn’t go well for us. It was very close. Another half tenth would have moved us up a lot of places, so that got us off to a difficult start. Starting from 15th you have to be mindful to not get caught up in other people’s accidents and it was really just important that we aimed for two solid races behind and then go for the win in the 3^rd.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now has a short two-week break before heading to Rockingham in Northamptonshire for rounds 22, 23 & 24 on August 27/28.

Images courtesy of www.psp-images.co.uk