Ollie Jackson: “That’s the best feeling there is”

Ollie Jackson admitted that it had been a dream come true to secure his maiden BTCC victory in a dramatic final race of the weekend at Silverstone.

The Motorbase driver had been drawn on the front row of the grid for the final race of the weekend and managed to get ahead of pole sitter Tom Oliphant at the start – holding the lead until a huge shunt for team-mate Rory Butcher saw the red flags come out.

On the restart, Jackson maintained his lead but was put under huge pressure throughout from both Oliphant and a charging Ash Sutton before securing a stunning race win.

It meant a first win in what was his 224th start in the series, having taken two podium finishes previously in his career.

“It’s amazing and I can’t believe I’ve finally done it,” he said. “It’s a special result in what was a very strange race and to be honest, I thought I’d blown it on the second start as I lit up the tyres when the lights went out. My starts had been really good all day and had probably saved me a bit, but that was the worst of the lot!

“There was no time to relax as Tom was right with me, and he briefly made a move to get ahead and I thought it had slipped from my grasp. I managed to sneak back up the inside and got ahead to reclaim the lead and I wasn’t going to lose it again.

“To hold on and get the win means everything to me. That is why we do this and it has been my dream to be a touring car driver, and my dream as a touring car driver has been to win a race. It’s the best feeling there is.”