BMW Dealer Team UK driver Mat Jackson drove one of his hardest races of the season today as he narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the third race of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park, Cheshire.
The 27-year-old driver, who started from fifth on the grid, put in a valiant, hard fought attempt for third place honours in his Accident Exchange-backed BMW320si and demonstrated a blistering pace as he set the fastest lap with a time of 1:29.831s on lap seven. Initially Jackson was running in third place but was demoted to fourth when Adam Jones passed him on lap eight. Undeterred Jackson fought back reeling off a series of thrilling laps in front of the record-breaking crowd at the sun-soaked parkland venue. Jackson closed down on Jones as was within a tenth of a second for several laps, showing all the signs of claiming another podium finish. However, on the penultimate lap the order changed and Jackson found himself with a new adversary: Andrew Jordan who had been running in second. Jackson launched one final attack but was met with a strong defence, which ultimately denied him a well-deserved third place finish.
In race two Jackson started from 12th on the grid and three laps later he occupied ninth place, closely behind Gordon Shedden. The Scot went wide on the approach to the Chicane on lap six as the drivers vied for places, as a result Jackson gained two. A lap later the BMW driver momentarily took to the grass at the parkland circuit as Steven Jelly pushed him wide but the 27-year-old held firm and retained his position. Once within striking distance Jackson set about closing the gap between himself and Adam Jones. A lap later Jones finally succumbed to the mounting pressure and Jackson went ahead at the chicane and, coupled with the retirement of Jason Plato, moved up to fifth place. He now charged ahead of Jones setting a new PB lap record with a time of 1:28.687 around the 2.2-mile track, ultimately finishing an impressive 7.1s ahead of Jones in fifth place.
Earlier in the day, Jackson started race one from 11th on the grid and despite carrying 18kilos of success ballast executed his trademark strong start and tucked into eight place by the first turn, a position he was to hold until the eighth lap when, after receiving a tap from behind he went straight on at Hislop's chicane and as a result lost six places. He rejoined the pack behind Andrew Jordan who he passed three laps later on the approach to Druids. The Henley-in-Arden-based driver then set about hunting down Steven Jelley. The pair battled for 11th place and Jackson looked set to go ahead as they charged across the start-finish straight with a mere four hundredths of a second separating the two BMW drivers, however despite Jackson looking as though he had the place within his grasp Jelly held onto his position and Jackson returned home in 12th.
Jackson commented: "Race three was a tough race, I struggled to get through a bit of the traffic, the car had the pace but it was very tight out there and there was no where to go. Oulton Park is a circuit where you have to force the issue but I was also conscious of Matt Neal breathing down my neck and I didn't want to make a mistake and lose a place. The guys also defended well so I was happy with the fourth place, despite missing out on the podium."
Team Principal Tony Jackson commented, "As ever the team worked hard and well. Admittedly we didn't get the best from race one, while the race two result put us in a strong position for a good finish in the third, but the leading drivers didn't put a foot wrong to allow us to do so. We are now all looking ahead to Knockhill in three weeks' time."
Race One Result 1. J Plato (SEAT) 2. T Chilton (Honda) 3. F Giovanardi (Vauxhall) 4. C Turkington (BMW) 5. T Onslow Cole (Vauxhall) 6. D Turner (SEAT) 7. G Shedden (Honda) 8. A Jones (SEAT) 9. S Kane (BMW) 10. R Collard (BMW) 12.M Jackson (BMW)
Race Two Result 1. C Turkington (BMW) 2. F Giovanardi (Vauxhall) 3. T Onslow-Cole (Vauxhall) 4. S Kane (BMW) 5. M Jackson (BMW) 6. A Jones (SEAT) 7. M Neal (Vauxhall) 8. G Shedden (Honda) 9. A Jordan (Honda) 10. S Jelley (BMW)
Race Three Result 1. G Shedden (Honda) 2. A Jones (SEAT) 3. A Jordan (Honda) 4. M Jackson (BMW) 5. M Neal (Vauxhall) 6. F Giovanardi (Vauxhall) 7. C Turkington (BMW) 8. R Collard (BMW) 9. J Plato (SEAT) 10. J Hughes (MG ZX)
Championship Standings - Top Ten 1. F Giovanardi 198 2. J Plato 154 3. C Turkington 150 4. M Neal 147 5. M Jackson 136 6. T Onslow-Cole 124 7. G Shedden 118 8. D Turner 97 9. A Taylor 90 10. T Chilton 75
