Mat Jackson delighted with trio of top results

Motorbase Performance’s Mat Jackson says a strong qualifying result was key to a trio of great results at Thruxton, where his Ford Focus ST was close to the front-running pace throughout.

Jackson’s best result of the weekend was second in the final race, but equally strong were his runs to fourth and fifth in the first two encounters – the first of which also saw him challenge Andrew Jordan for the lead.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Jackson said: “P4 in qualifying was the start of it. The race pace was good and we felt that we probably had a little bit more.

“To come away with the results we have – a second, fourth and a fifth – is fantastic. Overall, I’m very very happy.

“We have improved lots of little things on the car. The pace has been there all season. We were P9 at Brands and only two tenths off pole, and circumstances out of our control cost us, and we weren’t able to show our true potential.

“This weekend, we qualified a bit higher up, with the guys where you get a bit more respect.”

There was a question mark over Jackson’s second place in the final race, after Team BMR’s Jack Goff said he passed him under yellow flags.

The stewards investigated and took no action against Jackson.

He said: “For me it was categorically under a green flag. He tried a move on Fabrizio [Giovanardi] on the way into Church, backed out of it and lost momentum.”