Mat Jackson will race Andy Priaulx's 2007 World Touring Car title-winning BMW in the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship.
It's the second year in a row that the Henley-in-Arden based Jacksons MSport team have secured a Priaulx BMW - for their debut BTCC season in 2007 they raced Priaulx's world title-winning car from 2006.
It was an inspired move as Mat and the team took the fight to the established 'grandee teams' at their first attempt with two outright race wins, four more podium results, a fastest race lap, seventh overall in the final drivers' championship, fifth in the outright teams' table (as the highest-placed single-car entrant) and narrowly missing out on both the Independent drivers and teams trophies.
26-year-old Mat says: "These are very exciting times for Jacksons MSport. We've had a great first season in the BTCC and with everything we've learnt we feel ready to take the next step. We are aiming higher in 2008, the independents title was within our grasp and we intend to pull out all the stops to achieve the very best results we can. "We have a group of very enthusiastic and determined sponsors behind us who are just as hungry for success. I'd once more like to thank them and all the fans who've got behind us in the past 12 months. We look forward to seeing them all again during the 2008 BTCC season."
In the two months that have passed since this year's BTCC finale - when Mat memorably ended the season on a high with a second race victory - he has still been in the limelight. Last weekend (December 1st/2nd) Mat was at BMW's competition headquarters in Munich, Germany for the company's annual motorsport awards, winning 15,000 Euros for finishing sixth in their Sports Trophy. The trophy is like a league using BMW's own points-scoring system which ranks the top 25 drivers using their cars in saloon car competition around the world! Some 100 drivers registered for the award initially.
A fortnight before on the weekend of November 17th/18th Mat was interviewed on stage by ITV's Louise Goodman at the star-studded BTCC Night of Champion's on London's Park Lane. In front of 500 guests BTCC Series Director Alan Gow also used Mat's stunning results from 2007 to highlight just what is possible for an emerging team with the right approach. On the Sunday night Mat featured on BBC2 hit motoring show Top Gear, taking part in a motorhome race with presenters James May and Richard Hammond in front of some 8 million viewers.
Mat features also strongly in the official seven-hour BTCC season DVD as well that is now available on the shelves to buy from all major high street stockists priced £19.99.
