A ‘productive’ test ahead of this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship races at Croft has left Mat Jackson feeling positive about Motorbase Performance challenging for podiums this weekend.
The Kent-based team have yet to secure a podium in 2017, although Jackson took solid top ten finishes in two of the three races last time out at Oulton Park.
The team have since carried out additional testing and are hoping for improvements in qualifying, having only cracked the top ten on two occasions so far this season.
Jackson, who has been on the Croft podium five times before, believes that targeting top-three placings is possible despite the advantage the rear-wheel drive cars are likely to have in North Yorkshire.
“We’ve put a lot of work in since Oulton Park and have definitely taken a step forward with the car,” said Jackson, who is 13th overall in the drivers’ championship standings. “We had a really productive test last week, worked through a number of changes on the Focus and I feel that we’re in a good place going into this weekend.
“Obviously the real test will be how we compare against the others at Croft, which favours the rear wheel drive, but the plan is to get back onto the podium this weekend; that’s what we need.”
Team Manager Oly Collins believes that the recent testing carried out by the team will result in improved performances come race day.
“We’re all looking forward to Croft this weekend,” added Collins. “We saw an improved performance for the Focus last time out at Oulton Park.
“Qualifying in particular was a step forward which is proving more important than ever this year, so being able to get that one fast lap out of the tyres is key to us having a successful weekend.
“We’ve been out testing since Oulton Park and we’re confident that we’ve made further improvements to the Motorbase cars. Hopefully those improvements will translate into results on the track this weekend.
“Croft has historically suited rear wheel drive cars because of the nature of the circuit with increased tyre wear. That being said; we’ll be going there aiming to buck that trend and get some good results for our championship campaign.”