Motorbase confident ahead of Knockhill challenge

Following a successful outing at Snetterton, Motorbase Performance will be aiming for more of the same as they head north for the British Touring Car Championship’s annual trip north of the border.

A second place finish and three top ten results capped off a good weekend in Norfolk for the Motorbase team, and Mat Jackson will be hoping that he can close the gap on the top five at Knockhill as he currently sits sixth in the standings.

“We had a great weekend at Snetterton and came so close to getting that win, but it just wasn’t to be,” said Jackson. “We’ve been under the radar a little this season, quietly plugging away and getting the results – a bit of a dark horse if you like – which means that we’re now sitting in a very good position as the second half of the season unfolds.

“The Focus is in a great place at the minute, bang on the pace and I’m going all out this weekend to make sure that we close that gap on the championship leaders.”

Team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi has not had the best of seasons so far, but the double BTCC champion believes that some small changes to the setup will bring him some fortune at Knockhill, a circuit that brought him his first success in his BTCC debut season.

“Knockhill was my best result in my first year ever in the BTCC back in 2006, after a really tough season,” he said. “From that moment on, my history in the BTCC was a success and now I wish to restart that again with my new challenge in the BTCC with Motorbase. I’m expecting to have a good result this weekend after our testing at Snetterton. We planned some small changes that helped us find an interesting setup for my style so I think we’ve made another jump forward.”

Meanwhile, Jack Clarke had a weekend to forget at Snetterton, with damage to his Ford Focus ruining his weekend, running comfortably running in the mid-pack before the incident and showing strong pace in each of the races.

“Snetterton was tough and a bit painful because we made another step forward in pace and after practice and qualifying I was confident and driving well,” explained Clarke. “I was actually pretty unfortunate with the races and was put out of the last two races by contact from other cars. It was a shame because I had the pace to move to the front! We still produced our best qualifying of the season so far though and we also scored points in the previous round at Croft, so we’ve been showing promising signs of moving towards the front.

“I am really excited about the event at Knockhill and racing in front of such a passionate crowd. I raced there in Formula BMW and enjoyed the track. I believe the tight nature and characteristics of the track should suit my style too and I’m looking forward to driving it in the NGTC.”