More podiums for Mat Jackson

Sun 20th September 2009 Warwickshire’s motorsport star Mat Jackson secured a record eighth consecutive podium position today [Sunday] when the HiQ British Touring Car Championship visited Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit.

The Racing Silverline driver took a third-place finish in race one and second in race two to add to his incredible string of success over the last nine races, which has included three wins in his RML-run Chevrolet Lacetti.

Mat started the first race from third on the grid and, despite losing out early on to the fast-starting rear-wheel drive BMWs around him, he regained the places and crossed the line in third place.

“The car is firing on all cylinders, the team are working wonders... and I think I’m doing a pretty decent job, too,” said Mat, who is based in Henley-In-Arden. “Rockingham is quite tough. Through the mid section there are an awful lot of tight twisty corners, so you’re always on it.”

The 28-year-old certainly was on it in race two, making a storming start to pass team-mate Jason Plato for second place. He held this until the half-way mark of the race when he used a restart after a safety car to take the lead. Jason – who still has a chance of winning the title – passed him for the race victory with a lap to go.

A fantastic start in the final race of the day saw Mat climb from eighth on the grid to sixth but he was pushed off the track by a rival and dropped to the back of the field. Incredibly, he recovered to cross the line in fifth place, giving him a total of 29 points for the day.

“It was disappointing not to win race two but at least I kept up my run of podiums and Jason maximised his points,” said Mat. “The final race of the day was something of a bun fight. Once I’d been pushed off the red mist fell and I fought back to fifth which was good, but I think I could have had another podium.”