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MB Motorsport celebrates another podium finish in what proved to be a tough weekend for the Focuses at Snetterton
MB Motorsport claimed its fourth podium finish of the season after a fantastic drive from Ollie Jackson in race two at Snetterton. A double top-ten in race one and a charge through the pack from Jake Hill in race three earned further points for the team as they leave round two in third place in the BTCC teams’ championship.
Going into the first race as championship leader, Jake Hill was carrying the maximum ballast of 75kg. Jake dropped to eighth place on the opening lap, while Ollie Jackson was able to battle his way up to fourth place. Surrounded by soft-tyre runners, the pair performed admirably in defending their positions, only dropping one place each, and recording the team’s second double top-ten finish of the season.
At the height of the day, temperatures climbed as race two fast approached. Both cars opted to run the soft tyre, with Jake aiming to make further progress without the maximum success ballast. Ollie got off to an excellent start, jumping from P5 to P2 and able to challenge the Hyundai of Tom Ingram for the lead of the race heading into the Wilson hairpin. Jake also started well, gaining on his starting position of P9 to P8.
Locked in a tight battle with Ingram, Ollie was at the mercy of eventual winner Ash Sutton, who passed the pair with ease in hot pursuit of Turkington up ahead. Sterling defensive work from Ollie meant he was able to hold on to third place, momentarily losing the position before a fantastic move claimed the podium spot back once again and opening his podium account for the season.
Jake had also looked set for another strong top-ten result but contact from Aiden Moffat sent him wide. Coupled with a lack of grip from his tyres, Jake, slipped down the order to 24th at the chequered flag.
Heading into race three, Ollie lined up in fifth with Jake back in 24th but with both drivers looking forward. Ollie’s race began in fine form, rising to P4 on the first lap and remaining firmly in the battle for the lead throughout and into lap two. He was then the unfortunate victim of Tom Oliphant’s drama ahead, being forced to slam on the brakes and take avoiding action of the spinning BMW. As a result, he dropped to P6 before being forced to retire on lap four with a front left issue, after contact with another car.
An excellent opening lap from Jake saw him climb eight places to 16th. He continued to make progress through the field, picking his rivals off one by one to arrive in the pointspaying positions. A valiant comeback effort rewarded him with 12th at the finish, ending the day as the race’s big mover - gaining 12 places from his starting position.
The team’s sporting director Mark Blundell said, “I’m very proud of how hard the team battled. Ollie’s podium performance was excellent and deserved – I’m delighted for him to get his first one of the season, as I’m sure there’s many more to come. Jake did the very best he could with a brilliant performance in race one before an unfortunate race two. His fight through the field in the final race of the day showed his class and what might’ve been. Once again, our thanks to the Motorbase Performance squad for all their efforts.”