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Mat Jackson says he’s “frustrated but certainly not downhearted” at having missed out on a chance to move past Fabrizio Giovanardi into the lead of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham yesterday.
BMW Dealer Team UK driver Jackson had been in second in race three with Giovanardi back in seventh and therefore on course to become the new championship leader. But a brush with race leader Colin Turkington left Jackson’s BMW 320si stranded in a gravel trap and out of the race. Giovanardi went on to finish fifth and increase his advantage to seven points.
Jackson told BTCC.net: “I feel great frustration at what happened. I actually wasn’t even making an attempt to pass Colin. He braked very early and I didn’t want to run into the back of him so moved left and came up alongside him slightly. He moved over, contact was made and I was on the grass and in the gravel.
“Had there not been any contact I certainly wouldn’t have gone off the track. It was annoying at the time to get caught in a wrong place, wrong time situation. I think it was avoidable…
“But I’m not downhearted about it. We had a lot to come away happy about. We won race two and we seem to be at about the same pace as the Vauxhall with similar levels of success ballast. Also, the BMW was probably stronger than I thought it would be in wet conditions. It was tricky with rear-wheel-drive in those conditions, but it was controllable.”
Warwickshire-based Jackson, who won twice as a rookie last season, has suddenly found himself under the spotlight as Giovanardi’s greatest challenger and he says he enjoys the challenge of competing against a driver many believe to be the finest touring car driver in the world.
The 26-year-old added: “To take on Fabrizio in race two, pass him and beat him gives you a lift. You know you’ve beaten one of the very best there is. I really like racing against Fabrizio. He’s clean, very professional and you know where you stand with him.
“Fortunately he didn’t go and win that third race yesterday. OK, he’s gone from being one to seven points in front but he’s very much in sight and it’s still very early days.”
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