BTCC Brands Hatch: Mat Jackson takes third straight pole position
Mat Jackson will start Sunday's opening British Touring Car Championship race at Brands Hatch from pole position in his Motorbase Performance Ford Focus after setting a record-breaking pace in qualifying
The 34-year-old set three laps that would have been good enough for pole, and his 1m30.685s lap was 0.6s faster than last season's benchmark to seal his third pole in a row.
"We have had a great season half of the year," said Jackson, who rejoined the category from Snetterton in early August.
"We are lucky that we haven't got any success ballast, but the car has simply been amazing. It is a credit to the team."
He topped Aron Smith's Team BMR VW CC by 0.126s and Adam Morgan's Ciceley Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
Championship leader Gordon Shedden missed out on the point for pole, but his fourth place start makes him the highest placed of those who are chasing the title.
Shedden's Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R set a late lap to eclipse Colin Turkington's Team BMR VW CC and Jason Plato's sister machine.
Matt Neal will line up in eighth place in the Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R, just behind Tom Ingram's Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis.
The only other man with a chance of the crown, Andrew Jordan, will start from 13th place in the Triple Eight Racing MG6.
RACE ONE GRID
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mat Jackson | Motorbase | Ford | 1m30.685s |
| 2 | Aron Taylor-Smith | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 0.126s |
| 3 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Racing | Mercedes | 0.213s |
| 4 | Gordon Shedden | Honda | Honda | 0.216s |
| 5 | Colin Turkington | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 0.260s |
| 6 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 0.348s |
| 7 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks Motorsport | Toyota | 0.356s |
| 8 | Matt Neal | Honda | Honda | 0.403s |
| 9 | Andy Priaulx | WSR | BMW | 0.421s |
| 10 | Josh Cook | Power Maxed | Chevrolet | 0.460s |
| 11 | Jack Goff | MG | MG | 0.474s |
| 12 | Dave Newsham | Power Maxed | Chevrolet | 0.509s |
| 13 | Andrew Jordan | MG | MG | 0.559s |
| 14 | Sam Tordoff | WSR | BMW | 0.781s |
| 15 | Alain Menu | Team BMR | Volkswagen | 0.893s |
| 16 | James Cole | Motorbase | Ford | 0.961s |
| 17 | Jeff Smith | Eurotech | Honda | 0.992s |
| 18 | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | 1.086s |
| 19 | Martin Depper | Eurotech | Honda | 1.200s |
| 20 | Mike Bushell | AmD | Ford | 1.224s |
| 21 | Hunter Abbott | Rob Austin Racing | Audi | 1.265s |
| 22 | Aiden Moffat | Aiden Moffat Racing | Mercedes | 1.269s |
| 23 | Jake Hill | AmD | Audi | 1.353s |
| 24 | Alex Martin | Team Parker | Ford | 1.644s |
| 25 | Rob Austin | Rob Austin Racing | Audi | 2.245s |
| 26 | Tony Gilham | Team Hard | Toyota | 2.475s |
| 27 | Derek Palmer Jr. | Infiniti | Infiniti | 2.718s |
| 28 | Simon Belcher | Handy Motorsport | Toyota | 3.118s |
| 29 | Stewart Lines | Houseman Racing | Toyota | 3.377s |
| 30 | Daniel Welch | Welch Motorsport | Proton | 3.477s |
Previous article
Brands Hatch BTCC: Reigning champion Turkington tops practice two
Next article
BTCC Brands Hatch: Jackson wins race one, rivals close on Shedden
BTCC: Oulton Park Race 3 in 75 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 3 in 60 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 2 in 80 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 1 in 80 seconds
BTCC: Thruxton Race 3 in 90 seconds
The increasingly varied CV behind a new BTCC title challenger
A driver with limited funds behind him, it’s been a tough road to the top of the British Touring Car Championship for Jake Hill. Now he’s a title contender, accomplished historic racer and in-demand coach. It’s a great life for this self-confessed motorsport junkie
The outright tin-top wins achieved by a forgotten tin-top great
Already established as a formidable force in the British Saloon Car Championship, the Triumph Dolomite became a legend in 1977 when Tony Dron's Broadspeed machine frequently embarrassed the mighty Capris
Five key plotlines to follow in the 2021 BTCC
It’s been a busy silly season in the BTCC since the chequered flag fell to end the 2020 campaign last November. While last year’s top two have stayed put, there’s plenty of talking points elsewhere, which should result in another fascinating year of tin-top action
The giantkilling 'dad and lad' operation taking on the BTCC's best
The Lancashire squad of Ciceley Motorsport has been a BTCC race winner for several years with Adam Morgan and Mercedes. But the switch to WSR-built BMWs and addition of Tom Chilton as a true barometer for Morgan should see the team step up into title contention
How a returning champion is feeling at home again in the BTCC
After topping the times at the end of British Touring Car Championship pre-season testing, it feels like Gordon Shedden has never been away. But after plenty of changes behind the scenes, the three-time champion is bedding himself in to pick up where he left off
Why a BTCC legend remains defiant at '97 not out'
After a year of enforced absence from the British Touring Car Championship grid, Jason Plato is back and hungrier than ever. Despite stellar opposition and some familiar challenges, the two-time champion still has his eyes focused on the biggest prizes
How Ingram's clean slate can end his BTCC title wait
After seven years together, Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport have amicably split and gone down separate paths for the 2021 BTCC season. With engineer Spencer Aldridge joining him at the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai squad, Ingram is confident he can challenge for titles from the off
How the unlikely Capri-slaying Dolomite triumphed against adversary
The Dolomite Sprint was a potent giantkilling weapon during the 1970s in the British Saloon Car Championship, now known as the BTCC. Tin-top legend Andy Rouse explains how it became such a force
