16/10/2006 - Mat Celebrates £100,000 Title With Race Victory
Henley-in-Arden's Mat Jackson yesterday ended his amazing title-winning Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship season with another race victory before being presented with his Champion's cheque for £100,000 on top of the podium at Silverstone in front of an enormous race day crowd of 33,000 people. Live on television across Europe and watched by what Silverstone confirmed to be its biggest race day crowd for five years after the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, Whale Tankers-sponsored Mat, who had already sealed the title three weeks ago at Brands Hatch, was in a class of his own.
In the first of two races, he rose from third on the grid to move into the lead. He rapidly established a two-second advantage over his rivals only for his Jacksons Motorsport-run Cupra to then retire in the pit lane after suffering a rare mechanical problem that affected its engine performance. But in race two Mat signed off in true Champion's style with a high-speed overtaking manoeuvre that took him past Carl Breeze and into a lead that this time he held to the finish. "I sold Breeze a dummy down the inside line into Copse corner and he took the bait. That made him defend and I jinked back to the outside to take the normal racing line. He was then on too tight a line and going too quickly he spun and I was through. I was very pleased with that move," says Mat. At the same corner on the opening lap, Mat had driven around the outside of second-placed Jonathan Adam who ultimately he held off to record his 11th victory from 18 rounds.
In addition to spraying the victory champagne, Mat was then asked back onto the final podium of the year where he received his Champion's cheque for £100,000 - the biggest cash prize in British motor sport - from SEAT UK Motorsport Manager Scott Dennis. Mat's prize for winning the SEAT series will also include a test drive with SEAT Sport UK's British Touring Car Championship team that yesterday, with drivers Jason Plato, James Thompson and Darren Turner at the wheel of its three Leons, won the BTCC's coveted Manufacturers' crown. Mat adds: "The BTCC is obviously where I'm aiming to be next season and given the right car and support I strongly believe I could put together a very strong championship programme. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to driving the BTCC Leon. It has been the class of the field in the BTCC. "But what a great way to end the season...
The SEAT personnel have all worked hard all year to make the championship the best there is. My own team has worked tirelessly all season on preparing the car. To be asked up back to take that cheque from Scott at the end of the day - what a way to thank everyone for their efforts." The date and venue for Mat's test with SEAT UK's BTCC squad has yet to be confirmed.
Henley-in-Arden's Mat Jackson yesterday ended his amazing title-winning Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship season with another race victory before being presented with his Champion's cheque for £100,000 on top of the podium at Silverstone in front of an enormous race day crowd of 33,000 people. Live on television across Europe and watched by what Silverstone confirmed to be its biggest race day crowd for five years after the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, Whale Tankers-sponsored Mat, who had already sealed the title three weeks ago at Brands Hatch, was in a class of his own. 
