The Motorbase Performance Ford team opened its 2016 British Touring Car Championship winning account when Matt Jackson triumphed in a dramatic round four of the series at Donington Park.
Jackson was in the lead when the first 17-lap race was ended early with two laps remaining due to both a two-car crash at Coppice Corner and James Cole’s Subaru bursting into flame on the startline straight.
Jackson’s Focus had led from the start, timing his getaway perfectly to dive between the front-row Triple Eight Racing MG6 entries of pole sitter Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook. The Focus then simply stretched its advantage over Cook, while Sutton slipped back to fourth.
A fight-back by the rookie MG pilot saw him recover third from the West Surrey Racing BMW 1 Series of Jack Goff, only to then lose out to Tom Ingram’s Speedworks Toyota Avensis, the round one winner claiming the final podium spot. Sutton was then challenged again by Goff and his BMW team-mate Rob Collard, the fastest car running the soft-compound tyre mandatory for one of the races at each meeting.
Both BMWs were sandwiching the MG and Collard looking to go past when the red flags came out. The Honda of Matt Simpson and Proton of Andy Welch had collided heavily at Coppice, just as James Cole’s Subaru blew its engine on the start straight and erupted into flame, Cole escaping unhurt as marshals doused the blaze.
Series leader Matt Neal struggled in the race, running both the soft tyre and ballast  ...