Motorbase look to close in on WSR at Rockingham

Motorbase Performance head to Rockingham with the aim of closing in on the Independents’ Title at the forefront of their plans.

The Rockingham weekend comes off the back of the squad’s first win of the 2014 season at Knockhill, thanks to Mat Jackson, continuing the strong form they displayed at Snetterton at the beginning of August.

“Knockhill was a great weekend for Airwaves Racing getting the win in race 2,” said team manager Oly Collins. “It was a great boost for everyone in the team and we’re hungry for more wins before the season is out.”

“We’re fired up off the back of our win at Knockhill and looking forward to getting back out there again this weekend,” added race winner Jackson. “We’ve had some great results this season, just consistently bagging the points and that has left us in a great place to challenge for the Independents’ titles as the championship heads into the closing stages. It’s all down to sheer determination and hard work, the Airwaves boys have done a mega job and the car’s been faultless all year. ”

The Kent-based team currently sit second in the Independents standings, 69 points behind West Surrey Racing, but Motorbase are confident their Ford Focus will have the advantage over its BMW rivals at ‘The Rock’.

“The fast corners at Rockingham should suit the Focus chassis well and I fully expect us to be at the front challenging for podiums and more wins,” said Jackson.

While Jackson enjoyed success at Rockingham, Fabrizio Giovanardi did not have such a pleasant weekend, his best result being ninth in the race Jackson ended on the top step.

“Knockhill was a tough weekend for me, particularly in the last race,” offered Giovanardi. “But to take the positives from there, we had good pace in the car and showed this in race 2 when I made up the places.

“I hope to get a good qualifying result at Rockingham this weekend and to find a little more luck! If we can start in the first two lines then that is 80% of the job done for the weekend and we can build from there.

“I’ve had some good wins at Rockingham in the past and I know that the Focus can be fast here so hopefully I can get some good results for the team and help Airwaves to close in on the teams’ championship.”

Finally, BTCC rookie Jack Clarke will make his debut at Rockingham, having made progress at Knockhill, knocking on the door of his first top ten finish.

“Knockhill marked an improvement and we are going in the right direction,” said Clarke. “We didn’t luck in to too many positions and our pace on the soft tyre was very competitive and encouraging.It was a positive and enjoyable weekend and to be racing literally right in the middle of the pack is great fun.

“I have never been to Rockingham before but the tracks I am unfamiliar with this year have not proved to be too much of a disadvantage in regards to pace or performance. I plan to make that little next step towards the cusp of the top ten and the shuffle for race three and there is no reason why we can’t achieve that goal next time out at Rockingham.”