Team Shredded Wheat Racing is hoping that history repeats itself with a return to winning ways this coming weekend as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Leicestershire’s Donington Park circuit.

Donington Park’s sweeping corners and fast back section always produces great racing, and the Motorbase-run squad are hoping for a repeat of last season’s success on the historic track, where Mat Jackson claimed winning honours in the opening race of the weekend followed up with a 2nd placed podium finish in race 2.

“Donington Park is a fantastic venue and one which we’re looking forward to revisiting;” said Team Manager Oly Collins. “Historically Donington has been very good for Motorbase and hopefully will be again this weekend. The fast flowing nature of the circuit seems to suit our cars and we’ll be looking to qualify well in particular on Saturday as we know that our race pace is strong.”

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with DUO opened its points-scoring account on the short Brands Hatch Indy circuit during the championship’s season opener earlier this month. A spirited performance during the action-packed curtain raiser was rewarded with a respectable haul of points for Mat Jackson and Martin Depper. Luke Davenport also showed great potential and pace on his debut weekend, securing two, 2nd place Jack Sears Trophy finishes in his challenge for the rookie cup.

Heading into the second BTCC race meeting of the 2017 season, Team Shredded Wheat Racing with DUO currently lies eighth in the overall Teams’ and third in the Independents’ trophy standings. However, the Kent-based outfit is confident that a better run of luck can yield a stronger performance during the next BTCC instalment and elevate the team further up the championship standings.

“As usual, the team hasn’t stopped working behind the scenes between races and we’re heading to Donington with confidence;” added Collins. “We had good pace at Brands but were unlucky not to get results which reflected that pace. We’ve found a couple of areas for improvement in between the races which we’ve concentrated on, but that’s the nature of this series – it never stands still.”

This weekend’s action gets underway with rounds 4, 5 and 6 held at Donington Park Circuit on April 15/16. Live coverage of Sunday’s (April 16) events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub from 10:45 – 18:15; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s (April 15) qualifying session between 15:40 – 16:10.

Mat Jackson #3: “We’re heading into this weekend with a lot of confidence. We learnt a lot about the new tyre at Brands and we now also know which cars and drivers we’re chasing for the championship.

“I think that Donington Park will be a good circuit for us. It’s a local circuit for me, the car is in very good shape and we’ve gone very well there in past seasons. It would be great to get a repeat of last year’s win and that’s our aim, to get as many points as possible in the bag. We’re fired up, and I’m looking forward to the fight again this weekend.”

Martin Depper #30: “Brands Hatch was frustrating in some ways, especially with the DNF in race 2 after such a strong start but I’m keen to get some more seat time in the Focus and learn more about the car.

“Donington Park is my local track and it’s a great sweeping circuit to race on. I’ve had some good results there in the past and it always attracts a good crowd so I’m really looking forward to getting back out on track.”

Luke Davenport #300:  “Some of the uncertainty from the first round is gone now. I felt confident going into Brands Hatch and I’m taking the same self-belief that I had into this weekend with a calmer approach, which will hopefully translate into more pace in qualifying.

“Donington Park is one of my favourite tracks; I’m a huge fan of the history of motorsport so it’s great to be driving on the same bit of tarmac that so many legends have raced on over the years. We had a bit of a spin there on the media day, so it’ll be nice to put that to bed during the first practice session on Saturday.”