Airwaves Racing 'kick up a gear' with promising title challenge

Airwaves Racing’s 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title campaign got off to a promising start at their home circuit, Brands Hatch, with Mat Jackson securing two strong podiums and leaving the Kent track sitting pretty in second place overall in the Championship standings.

The Wrotham-based Motorbase run team showed that the switch over to the Mountune NGTC engined Focus was a prudent move and are pleased with the car’s performance over the weekend.

The Airwaves duo of Mat Jackson and Liam Griffin had mixed results from the three races, with Jackson managing fourth, third and second place finishes respectively. Jackson got off to a great start in race one which saw him move from sixth on the grid to benefit from an off by race leader Matt Neal before taking on Andrew Jordan at clearways to move up into fifth. Jackson then continued to move up the order passing the Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall to steal fourth and battled hard to the chequered flag.

Race two started well for Jackson who, after a brave move around the outside of James Nash at Paddock Hill Bend, progressed into second place before the safety car was deployed on lap two. Despite putting up a valiant defence for the majority of the race under constant pressure from Gordon Sheddon’s Honda, Jackson conceded a place to the Scotsman at Surtees, with the Airwaves Racing driver finishing a credible third, the first podium of 2011 for the team.

The final race of the day saw the reverse grid place Jackson fifth on the grid. After another blistering start, the Warwickshire-based driver collided with 888’s James Nash coming into Paddock Hill bend, coming off the better of the two cars. With Championship leader Jason Plato hot on his heels, Jackson eased his way past Paul O’Neill on lap five at Druids to move up into third place before benefiting from Andrew Jordan’s forced pit stop with a puncture, seeing him move through the ranks into second position. Jackson battled hard throughout, catching race leader Matt Neal and finishing a mere two-tenths of a second behind the Team Dynamics driver.

In contrast, his team-mate, Liam Griffin’s, Championship debut didn’t go quite according to plan after contact with WSR’s Rob Collard on the formation lap saw him having to retire from race one with damaged front suspension. After starting from the back of the grid in race two, Griffin raced hard to get up into 15th position before a puncture forced a visit to the pits and an 18th place finish. An uneventful race three showed that Griffin has the pace to challenge for points in the new Ford with his best lap time only six tenths away from that of his Airwaves Racing comrade, and served well to develop his BTCC race craft experience.