31/07/2006 - Mat Makes It A Victory Double At Donington
Henley-in-Arden's Mat Jackson stamped his authority on the Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship at his home track of Donington Park yesterday to begin edging nearer the eventual Champion's prize of £100,000. In front of watching British Touring Car team bosses and guests from sponsor Whale Tankers, plus a live television audience across Europe on the Motors TV channel, Mat made it seven wins from ten races at the Leicestershire track to achieve the maximum score possible on a race weekend of 37 points. He also scored a bonus point by shattering the lap record en route to the first of his two wins. He is now 34 points clear of his nearest rival in the title race.
Yesterday was the second time in five race meetings that Mat has achieved the double, having started off the season with victories in both opening rounds at Brands Hatch. A mark of his consistency was that he won both races yesterday in almost identical times. "It's been the perfect weekend, for me, my team and Whale Tankers," says Mat. "The level of competition made it very important to get the set-up of the car absolutely perfect and we came through and got the results we were after. I'm very proud to have won these two races." Mat's race one victory was achieved by him producing arguably the comeback drive of the season and one that underlined his will to win. From second on the grid he dived past rival Alan Blencowe on lap one to take the race lead. He held the position until the closing stages when, entering the fast McLeans corner, his SEAT was sent into a sideways slide off the track by the attacking Blencowe.
The incident dropped Mat to second, but almost immediately he had charged back up to Blencowe and driven straight past again to secure a dramatic win. "I don't think he deliberately crashed into me so I don't have a problem with it," adds Mat. "It was a huge moment and even if I say so myself I was fortunate to prevent the car from spinning, but it was a big hit - it takes a lot to spin one of these SEATs. I was momentarily off the track and heading for the crash barriers, but when I rejoined I was still within a second of Blencowe so just got my head down and charged. I wasn't going to be beaten like that. "I don't know if I saw red mist but I'd caught him up again within a lap and a half. He seemed really slow out of the Old Hairpin and I was able to pass him going up into McLeans.
I was really pleased with that - it was a classic touring car move and it was done cleanly." In race two, Mat led all the way from pole position, absorbing pressure in the closing laps from the desperate Blencowe. "He could try all he liked - he wasn't coming through," says Mat. "I was half pacing myself and keeping it neat and tidy and half keeping an eye on my mirrors in case he tried anything silly like before, but I was comfortable with the situation and was able to control things to the flag." Mat's next two races, rounds 11 and 12 of the Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship, are at the high-speed Snetterton circuit in Norfolk on 12-13 August.
