Mat Jackson takes race one win at Donington Park

Motorbase Performance’s Mat Jackson has taken the win in a safety car free race at Donington Park.

West Surrey Racing’s Rob Collard got a great start to race one, powering past the front runners to lead the field into the first corner after starting in fifth. Mat Jackson also made up position a number of positions to cross the line in third at the end of lap one after starting in sixth. The Motorbase Performance driver immediately began to put pressure on Triple Eight race Engineering’s Jason Plato in second.

This allowed Collard to build up a margin, but by lap four Plato had caught back up to the leader with Jackson closely behind. Plato made his move on Collard on the fifth lap, overtaking the WSR driver at Goddards. Jackson took advantage of the opportunity to not only overtake Collard but Plato as well. Jackson was not the only driver who took advantage of the opportunity though with the NGTC Honda Yuasa Racing Civics of Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal also overtaking Plato for second and third respectively.

Plato was not the only driver who lost ground with the initial race leader Rob Collard also falling back through the field. At the front of the field Mat Jackson began to build a leading margin, though this came under threat in the dying laps as Gordon Shedden closed in on the leader. While Shedden was challenging his team mate was defending with Plato trying hard to overtake the defending BTCC Champion. Plato found a way past at the Craner Curves on the final lap but Matt Neal was able to retake the place.

Mat Jackson took the chequered flag at the end of the 16-lap race ahead of team mates Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal in second and third respectively. Jason Plato finished fourth ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole. Andrew Jordan had caught Onslow-Cole and challenged him right up until the line, crossing it only narrowly behind him in sixth.