Jack Clarke enjoying the challenge of the BTCC

Halfway through his maiden year in the series, Jack Clarke says he hopes he will be able to show his true ability over the remaining weekends of the BTCC season, after a tough but enjoyable opening half year.

The 26-year-old single seater convert had his most productive meeting of the season at Croft, battling hard in the upper reaches of the midfield on his way to a best finish of 12th.

And Clarke is hoping the second half of the year will yield even better results in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus, running under the distinctive Crabbie’s Racing banner.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes at Croft, Clarke said: “The racing has been really good fun, and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. But my competitive side has made me a little bit frustrated at times.

“The core thing about the BTCC is it’s very competitive, and it’s no coincidence that it’s the nation’s top racing series. It’s a learning process and I’m on that journey at the moment.

“It’s about being a little bit patient with myself, I suppose. I’d like to be right up in the thick of things and it is taking a bit more time than I expected. But I’m really enjoying it – it’s been fantastic so far.”

Fans would be hard pressed to miss the bright green Focus ST on the track, and Clarke says the visibility of the car and the brand is working from a commercial point of view.

He said: “That’s part of the appeal. We as drivers rely on it being commercially viable, and it absolutely is. The crowds and the TV really does set the bar high.

“Crabbie’s have come in and it’s a new world for them. It’s exciting to have a new sponsor in motorsport. Being where we are in terms of our performance at the moment, it doesn’t necessarily put Crabbie’s on the front page of every racing magazine.

“But we are pushing the sales behind the scenes and making sure the brand is working on a grass roots level. We’re all learning the rules.”

Looking ahead to the final five meetings of the year, Clarke is hoping to replicate the front-running form he showed in other formulae.

He said: “I’ve driven heavy stuff in the past, and stuff with a roof over my head, and I’ve never really had a problem being near the front.

“So the challenge turns my world upside down – I’m having to unlearn a lot of things, which is hard to do. It is quite counter-intuitive for me at the moment, and in some ways I’m waiting for my brain to catch up.

“But we’re getting a lot closer and I am getting more and more confident in myself. All these things need to come together, and maybe one weekend this year we will show what I can do.

“In the past I’ve always managed to run at the front of any grid I’ve raced on, so I’m hoping I can transform my prace in a front-wheel drive touring car.

“A long-term future in the BTCC requires me to get my head around it, and that’s what I’m targeting.”