The Beavis Morgan sponsored team looked forward to a positive opening race of the day, as Jake Hill and Ollie Jackson aimed to progress through the field from P13 & P15 on the grid respectively.
Race 1:
A good start from both cars saw Jake maintain his P13 starting slot whilst Ollie jumped to P12 on the opening lap
A feisty Ollie soon began to harass the Ciceley Motorsport BMW of Adam Morgan, making an excellent move through Old Hairpin to take P11
Sensing an opportunity, Jake aimed to capitalise on the battle ahead to also make his way past the BMW
Unfortunately, Jake and Morgan made contact on the exit of Old Hairpin, with both cars heading toward the gravel trap
Jake was able to recover back on track and was cleared to continue following a brief trip to the pitlane to check for any damage
Following a safety car to recover the stricken BMW, Ollie was quick to attack as he broke into the top ten
Similarly fired up and keen to recover, Jake began to charge through the field as well
At the chequered flag, Ollie took an excellent P10 result to open his account for the day whilst Jake recovered well to P17
Race 2:
Looking to make further advances in race two, both drivers were fired up once again
Another strong start from Ollie pushed him into P8 by the end of the first lap
By lap three, Jake had climbed three places to enter the points-paying positions in P14
An excellent move from Ollie on the following lap propelled him ahead of title leader Ash Sutton
As the race progressed, Ollie continued to hold strong in P7 whilst a flurry of fastest laps from Jake saw him fly through the order to P11
Defined by Donington’s notoriously close margins, the pack soon concertinaed together as both cars became embroiled in a six-car scrap
Caught on the wrong end of the battle, Ollie unfortunately dropped to P14
In the melee, Jake was able to sneak into the top ten to record a P9 finish
Race 3:
As a result of the reverse-grid draw, Jake lined up P3 on the grid for the final race of the day with Ollie looking ahead to another charge through the field from P14
As Turkington began to pull away in the lead, Jake hounded Dan Rowbottom for P2 and wasted little time in placing a move on the Honda
Ollie also seized the initiative as he began his charge through the order
A nerve-wracking race unfolded but both cars held firm
Ending the weekend on a high, Jake claimed his ninth podium finish of the season with P2 with Ollie rounding out a trio of points finish with P11
Quotes
Jake Hill – #24 MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square:
“Things didn’t go entirely our way on race day but we kept the faith and pushed hard to recover what we could. Based on that, to end the day with a podium was brilliant and just what we needed to keep the title alive heading to Brands Hatch. Thanks to everyone for all their hard work in getting the car back in shape after race one and for the efforts in getting to the podium. All eyes are on the finale now and I can’t wait to get back to my home circuit and give it my all.”
Ollie Jackson – #48 MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square:
“I’m quite happy with how our weekend panned out. Three points finishes from three races is really good and I had some great battles out there on track. The racing was incredibly close and although that didn’t work out for us in the second race, I always enjoy fighting through and today was no exception. I’m quite confident as we head to Brands Hatch for the final time, I’m sure it’ll be a fitting way to end the year.”
Mark Blundell – Sporting Director, MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square:
“Well done to all of the team for turning a difficult start into a very positive end. Ollie had a very good day with three battling drives to the points and a number of impressive overtakes. Jake had a less than ideal start to the day but kept his head up and recovered excellently to the podium. The Motorbase Performance squad deserve great credit for that given the work required to the car after race one. It’s hard to believe we’ve only got one round to go but I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch – it’s set to be a great decider and we all cannot wait.”
Next stop, Brands Hatch GP on 23/24 October for rounds 28, 29 & 30. Find out more here: https://www.btcc.net/calendar/brands-hatch-gp/