Jackson and Smith argument rumbles on behind safety car

Motorbase Performance’s Mat Jackson and Team BMR’s Aron Smith were both involved in more controversy in race two behind the safety car, as Smith first passed Jackson behind the safety car, but was unable to restore the position with Jackson adamant the regulations need to be followed.

The two former team-mates had come together in the first race on lap three, with Smith running into Jackson’s car at Clearways, knocking Jackson down the order while Smith was able to go on to finish in seventh.

The incident was reviewed by the stewards, and Smith was handed a five-place grid penalty for race two, but this was retracted subject to an appeal raised by Motorbase Performance, who believed the penalty was not severe enough.

“There’s not much you can really do when someone blunders into the side of you,” said an upset Jackson to TouringCarTimes.

“They’re quicker in a straight line, but he’s punted us off. That’s not racing. He put us down into P15, he bent all the rear geometry on the car and that’s cost us the race, and ultimately the weekend. There’s not a lot of opportunity for overtaking here, we haven’t got the pace in a straight line to match the Swindon motors, they’re very quick (here).”

The team protested the result as they believed it didn’t meet the standards which were established in a drivers’ briefing yesterday. As a result, Smith was able to retake his position on the grid of seventh for race two.

“They gave him five places, then he still started in his normal position. To me it’s crazy, are we running to a rule book or not?,” added Jackson.

“We categorically got told in the drivers’ briefing yesterday, if you remove someone from the results and they go backwards down the field, then the result at the end will be amended so that you will finish behind the car you made contact with, that was categoric, they’re now saying that’s not what was said.”

Smith believed the move was fair and that Jackson turned in on his Volkswagen which caused the incident.

“There was a half a gap and if there’s a fraction of a gap, I’m going down that gap. There’s no point being here if you’re not going to do it, so I went down and he turned across,” said Smith to TouringCarTimes. “Yes it looks very dramatic if you’re watching from the outside as once a driver turns across someone who’s going down the inside, they’re going to turn around, and that’s what happened.

“The exact same move happened between Rob Collard and myself, and I left him the space and we both got through the corner. Sometimes I think it’s better to concede one place then end up in the gravel, and it’s race one of 30.”

The drama spilled into race two as the two drivers were running next to each other in the race with Jackson up ahead of Smith before the safety car at the end of lap one.

Smith passed Jackson coming out of Clearways just as the yellow flag came out, but was unable to hand back the position with the Motorbase team insistent that they’re not allowed to repass under the safety car. With both Smith and Jackson slowing to a crawl across the start-finish line, Smith’s team-mates Warren Scott and Jack Goff went around Jackson, knocking the Motorbase Ford driver further down the order.

“He passed under the yellow flag, which in my understanding of the MSA blue book is that’s not allowed,” said Jackson.

“You can’t undertake under a yellow flag, that’s written in black and white, and has been as long as the yellow flag’s existed. If I passed him, then I’d get a drive-through penalty which is what should happen to them.”

Smith felt his former team’s attitude was a bit severe, as he was doing everything he could to right a simple mistake.

“You race to the safety car board, and the first safety car is where you stop. We came out of Clearways and there was a yellow flag out. Everyone checked up at the yellow flag, but I’m still absolutely flat out, I come alongside Mat and I slam on the brakes – I went on the radio and said I’m pretty sure there was a yellow flag, but there was no safety car board, I’m backing off and letting him through, I backed off and he wouldn’t go through.

“I put my indicator on and pulled over in first gear at 10mph and he was an inch from my bumper, and the other two cars, Warren (Scott) and Jack (Goff) went by because they thought we both had broken down.”

“The only outcome that they wanted from that situation was to get me a drive-through penalty.”

The stewards have given Goff, Scott and Smith time penalties for passing Jackson under the safety car, but have refused Motorbase’s request to increase Smith’s grid penalty from five places from race one, which will now be applied to race three’s grid.