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Motorbase targeting Teams’ title defence at Brands

Motorbase Performance are hoping to claw back lost ground in the Independent Teams’ standings in the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend, as they seek to defend their crown.

The Kent-based team had been leading the Independent Team’s points standings prior to the last round at Silverstone, but outright victory and a podium for Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram, and only one top ten finish for any of Motorbase’s trio of drivers, cost them dearly.

The team’s lead driver, Mat Jackson, believes that the title is Speedworks’ to lose, rather than Motorbase’s to gain, with a 20-point deficit being a tricky proposition to overturn.

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“We had great pace at Silverstone, but unfortunately we didn’t really get the chance to put it to good use,” said Jackson, who has won three of the last six races on the Brands GP loop. “Hopefully we can carry that pace into this weekend, stay out of trouble and convert it into points and wins.

“We have an excellent winning record on the GP circuit, and nothing to lose so it’s all out about hunting down as many wins as possible on Sunday.

“The pressure is on the other guys for really; we have a bit of a mountain to climb being 20 points behind Speedworks. The title is theirs to lose, but the final round always throws up some drama so it should be great end to the season for the fans.”

Newcomer Rory Butcher has quickly emerged as the team’s number two driver, and he is looking to carry momentum into the weekend’s races to enjoy a strong finish to the season.

“There’s no margin for error at Brands, so I think the racing will be much cleaner this weekend,” said Butcher. “I’m really excited to see how the car goes on the high speed sections out the back of the circuit after seeing the pace we had at Silverstone.

“I was thrown in at the deep-end midway through this season and it’s been quite a baptism of fire. Each time I go out I’m learning more about the car, finding extra pace and I feel like it’s starting to come together now just as the season is ending, which is a shame.”

Team Manager Oly Collins added that as soon as the team are finished this weekend, they will be able to focus fully on their plans for 2018, which are already well underway.

“We’re coming into Brands confident of our pace,” said Collins. “We’ve shown the car is quick during second half of the season but we’ve not quite got the results we feel we deserve.

“Mat has a great record on the GP loop and we have a title to defend so it’s time to end the season on a high. There isn’t any pressure on the drivers or the team heading into the weekend, we’ll just be going out there to win races.”

“Brands is our local track so there is always great support for us and it’s a fantastic circuit to close the season on. We’ve already started on our plans for next season so once the flag drops on Sunday we don’t stop, its straight in to our development plans for 2018.”

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