Triple Eight Racing looking to turn Knockhill fortunes around

Triple Eight Racing will be looking to improve their record at Knockhill as the BTCC makes its annual trip north of the border for the seventh meeting of the year.

Knockhill is the only circuit that an MG6 hasn’t won on since its debut in 2012, with the tight and twisty track favouring the rear-wheel-drive cars, such as the BMWs of West Surrey Racing and Rob Austin Racing’s Audis.

While the modern MG can only boast a second place as its best finish, Triple Eight Racing has taken victory at the Scottish circuit no fewer than seven times since it joined the championship in 1997.

Momentum is with Triple Eight at the moment as the team comes off a hugely popular first win for Jack Goff in race three at Snetterton, which also marked the first victory for an MG in 2015.

“It’s great to now be heading into a race weekend as a BTCC winner and the messages of support since Snetterton has been unbelievable,” said Goff. “I’ve always had the belief in both myself and the team that we could get the job done. I’m over the moon we did it.”

Looking ahead to Knockhill, despite the team’s past record at the track, Goff is confident he can still come away from Scotland with a decent points haul.

“The car in the past has never really been suited there,” he continued. “But with that being said the team have changed a lot of things over the winter with the pace increasing. I’m quite hopeful that we can go there and be on the pace from FP1 straight away, but we’ve got to nail that lap in qualifying. If I got three top five’s or six’s then I would be very happy given how it won’t be one of our strongest circuits. If we set a quick lap time for race two or even luck in on the reverse grid and we’re near the front, I won’t be giving a position up for anybody.”

Andrew Jordan may not have taken a win in 2015 yet, but his consistency sees him sit fifth in the standings heading to Knockhill. While the MG has not been too strong at Knockhill, Jordan has enjoyed success in the past and will be aiming to use his past experience to get as many points for his title charge as possible from the weekend.

“The guys in the team have been saying that this has never been the MG’s best circuit but I love the place,” said Jordan. “Hopefully we can get the car somewhere near the front and hustle it around what is a cracking little circuit. It’s tough to guess how much progression has been made since the team last visited; if I’m honest I’m not too sure what the car is going to be like around there but if we can qualify within the top four then I’ll be very happy.

“The aim is to bank some solid points and if we are in with a shout of a win or a podium then we have to take it. I said at the start of the season that this championship will be as much about how well you score points on your bad days as opposed to the good ones and I stand by that. We are still in the championship hunt and until it is mathematically impossible then I won’t give up.”