Triple Eight drivers aiming to celebrate 500th race with victory

Triple Eight Racing will be hoping to build on its Brands Hatch performance at Donington Park as it prepares to celebrate 500 BTCC race starts.

The team was formed during the off season between 1996 and 1997 by Derek Warwick, Roland Dane and Ian Harrison. In its near-twenty year career the team has enjoyed a wealth of success in the BTCC, as well as expanding in to V8 Supercars, rallying and sportscar racing.

Its BTCC record is one that any team would be envious of, having scored 393 podiums, a highly impressive 79% success rate of podium results, 130 wins and 113 fastest laps. All of these figures add up to a mighty 23 championship victories, most recently the 2014 Manufacturers/Constructors title.

“I have a huge amount of respect for H and what he has achieved in the sport, and I am very proud to be part of his team and to represent 888 in its 500th race,” explained 2013 champion and new Triple Eight driver, Andrew Jordan. “I would love to get a win for him in race one, even if I did I can’t imagine him being too emotional; he doesn’t strike me as the soppy type!

“Realistically [at Donington Park this weekend] I want 3 top 5/6 finishes, obviously I want wins and podiums but throwing the reverse grid race in there I think 3 top 6 finishes would be a good points haul across the day, that said I think a win would be possible and that is what I will go there aiming for. I have won there in the past and love racing at my home event, it’s a real old school circuit which for me really gets me going.”

Jordan sits in eleventh in the standings after a tough opening weekend, leaving him seventeen points off the top spot after the first three races. Meanwhile, a strong showing from Jack Goff at Brands Hatch means he takes his MG6 to the East Midlands circuit tied at the top of the table with three-time champion Matt Neal of Honda.

“The first weekend as a whole was pretty good, it was nice to get the first podium out of the way and ticked off the list,” said Goff. “I didn’t expect to be leading the championship though, had you said to me coming into the weekend that I would be leaving at the top of the points I would of snapped your hands off for it.

“The MG should suit Donington, however I think we will be up against it, certainly in the first two races due to the ballast we are taking into the weekend. Qualifying in the top ten has to be the main objective and race one will be a matter of dragging a result out of the car. Then from race two onwards I’ll be aiming to get that top step on the podium.”