It's all about repeating at Thruxton this weekend for Airwaves Racing – repeating the result from the third race of the previous round at Donington Park and the final race at Thruxton last year.
In race three a fortnight ago Mat Jackson took his first win of 2011, rounding off an opening pair of weekends that have confirmed his a title challenger and left him fourth in the championship points. In the same race teammate and BTCC newcomer Liam Griffin scored his first overall points after a difficult start to the season, including some high profile collisions at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park.
Jackson assesses; “obviously we're going to Thruxton off the back of a great win at Donington Park, so we're confident in the potential of the Ford Focus and have shown that it's capable of winning races. Thruxton will come down to tyre wear as it always does, but we know we have a good chassis that's kinder on the tyres and a great Mountune engine so we'll be looking for a strong result to push our Championship challenge further.”
“The fact that neither I or the car have run at the circuit this year makes it interesting to say the least and there are varying opinions about how the car will perform,” said Griffin. “That said, if any team can get the best out of this Focus it is the Airwaves Racing crew so with them behind us and a few bravery pills around the fastest circuit in the country we could do alright!”
A year earlier – running BMWs – the Motorbase Performance run team scored a 1-2 finish in the final race of the Thruxton weekend – then the season opener.
“Thruxton is a circuit that we always look forward to as a team,” said team principal David Bartrum. “It offers up a unique set of challenges that no other track does and a weekend at Thruxton never fails to be interesting, even more so this year with all the recent changes that have taken place within the BTCC. For Airwaves Racing, this weekend is all about scoring those vital points and keeping the team on the right track for the Championship.”
