10/04/2006 - Mat Dominates Cupra Field At Brands Hatch
Henley in Arden's Mat Jackson got his 2006 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship season off to a dream start at Brands Hatch yesterday with victories in both the opening rounds. Mat qualified on pole position for the season's opening round and led every lap to secure victory number one. Later in the day, he shot through from third position on the grid to lead half-way round the first lap. Again, he was never headed and for the second time in a day the Whale Tankers/Tin Top Tuesday-backed driver stood on the top step of the winners' podium. "I actually had a dream in the week that I won both races at Brands... and I have!" says 24-year-old Mat. "It's the perfect start and we've got a good points advantage as no other driver had a consistent weekend. It's all so far from the start of the 2005 season when we had a disastrous opening couple of rounds.
It will now be very important to keep the momentum going for the rest of the season." At the start of race one, Mat's Jacksons Motorsport-run SEAT Cupra R fell behind the similar car of rival Ben Winrow. But by the second corner, Mat had dived through under braking and back into the lead. Winrow chased him hard, but Mat kept cool to win. In race two, Mat was up to second by the first bend and, half-way round the opening lap, early leader Jonathan Fildes slid wide and Mat was again through into a lead he wouldn't relinquish. Fildes gradually closed up to Mat, but the Henley driver had everything under control. Mat adds: "Seeing Winrow and Fildes both crack when I put the pressure on in the early stages and then standing up to them both when they came back at me was very good for the confidence.
Our car didn't have the legs of some of the others today. It was like being a top football team that's not on top form, but is still able to carve out a result. So to lead every lap and win twice when we're not on top of our game yet is very satisfying for the whole team." After yesterday's two races, Mat leads the championship on 37 points - that's ten points more than nearest challenger Fulvio Mussi on 27. The eventual Champion will win a top prize of £100,000. There is now a sizeable five-week gap before Mat's next two Cupra races at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. Last year there, he took victory with the biggest winning margin in Cupra Championship history.
