Mat Jackson delighted with front row slot

Mat Jackson revealed his delight at securing a front-row start for the eighth round of the BTCC season after the Motorbase Performance man was able to master tricky conditions on track at Rockingham.

Jackson, who has more wins than anyone else this season, was the closest challenger to Gordon Shedden on the time sheets in challenging wet conditions at the Northamptonshire circuit.

It leaves him in a good position for race day as the 35-year-old looks to close the gap to the drivers ahead to maintain his title bid with nine races of the season still to run.

“It was a difficult session with the weather but it was also a mega one,” he said. “We got the car really hooked up and working from the start and were rewarded with a good result in qualifying.

“Conditions on track were awful and if I’m being honest, I can’t recall a day where the weather has been like that – although I’ll certainly remember today.

“Having spent a lot of time working at Rockingham as an instructor, I think that my experience worked in my favour as you need to know where to find the grip, particularly on the oval.”

With the likes of Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard both struggling in qualifying, Jackson will now hope to make up points on race day, and he admitted that three strong results were key.

“We certainly have a chance to make up some ground, and the important thing is to make sure we are in the mix when we get to Brands Hatch for Finals Day,” he said. “If we can pick up three top five finishes then we’ll keep ourselves firmly in the mix, although we need to be wary how easy it is to make a mistake and throw points away.”