Mat Jackson says ending the season as the top BMW driver is an additional driving force behind his wanting to beat Colin Turkington to third overall and the Independents crown in this year's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship.

BMW Dealer Team UK ace Jackson is just five points behind third-placed Turkington in the outright standings and 18 adrift of the Team RAC driver at the top of the Independents table (with a maximum of 90 still available from this Sunday's rounds at Silverstone and Brands Hatch's season finale on 21 September).

Jackson told BTCC.net: "Of course wanting to be the top BMW driver comes into it. Colin's in a rival BMW and with a rival BMW team. BMW is like a big family and includes all the privateer customer teams so you want to be its best team in the championship you're contesting."

He added: "Personally, I want to end up in the top three in the outright championship. It makes it harder fighting for two championships but we've got to be mindful of the Independents. I've not set myself any specific goals for Silverstone - at this stage of the season, it's a case of seeing where we are race by race from here on in, not meeting by meeting.

"I'm certainly not nervous at all. I'm probably more relaxed now than at any stage of the season. The plan is to just go for it - we've got it to win and Colin's got it to lose. He'll be watching us more than we are watching him."

Jackson, however, is wary that it is not just a simple case of beating Turkington on the track - he knows that an increasingly number of competitive independent rivals could also play a role in the title outcome.

The 27-year-old from Henley-in-Arden said: "Adam Jones, Steven Kane, Robert Collard, the Jordans... they are always around us so they are sure to mix it up a bit. In an ideal world I'll keep in front of them all and they'll take a few points away from Colin, but it's probably unrealistic to expect that every time!

"Silverstone might be tricky because the S2000-spec cars like the BMWs haven't raced there before, whereas the Jordans' Hondas have. Adam has dropped back a bit in the Independents standings but you still can't rule him out. He's a very aggressive driver, mathematically it's still possible for him - look how it swung in Colin's favour in last year's season finale at Thruxton - and he's been a pretty consistent finisher in the Independent ranks.

"The other factor to take into consideration is that we are entering the final stages of the season... people might be that bit more desperate to score points and there could be the odd tap here and there and a few scores being settled.

"Just so long as I keep up the pressure on Colin going to Brands Hatch... we had a very strong car there in March and I'd expect us to be very strong there again next month."