MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square enjoyed a positive start to the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship during the official Season Launch at a sun-drenched Silverstone circuit, with both Ollie Jackson and Jake Hill working their way through comprehensive testing programmes throughout the day.
After much anticipation, the curtain was lifted on the new season at the Home of British Motorsport as the 2021 BTCC grid was revealed in its entirety and MB Motorsport took to the track for the first official running with Jackson and Hill piloting the team’s pair of Ford Focus ST’s.
Once the grid had completed media tracking laps and official grid photos, the pit lane went live for the first of two three-hour sessions. Both with pre-planned formal programmes to work to, Jackson and Hill began their work prioritising longer race runs.
At the close of the morning session, a 57.726 was enough to earn Hill 11th on the timesheets, while a 57.928 placed Jackson in P19 at the halfway mark of the day. Most importantly, the MB Motorsport duo had racked up 99 laps between them, as they continued to gain valuable insight throughout the morning.
Following the lunch break, Jackson continued to rack up the laps and work his way through his scheduled programme lapping with excellent consistency.
After a strong afternoon, the 36-year-old found himself in P12 on the combined timesheets, having completed a mammoth 128 laps over the course of the day.
Unfortunately for Hill, his afternoon running was cut short by a technical issue, which saw the Kent-based driver restricted to a limited amount of running. Hill would end the day 18th on the combined results, having secured his fastest lap during the morning’s session.
“I’m really pleased with the work that we have gotten through,” said Jackson. “For us, [Season Launch] was about working through the programme we had planned, and we’ve learnt an awful lot – this can only put us in a good position heading into the opener in a couple of weeks. All in all, it’s been a really positive pre-season period – now I just can’t wait to get to Thruxton for the real fun to begin!”
“It was an up and down day for me admittedly,” reflected Hill. “We came into it with a clear picture of what we wanted to run and to achieve. We managed all of that in the morning perfectly, but the afternoon was a bit frustrating as there was nothing we could do about the issue which hampered our running time. Despite that, I’m loving the feel of this Ford Focus ST and am confident that we will be well in the fight come Thruxton.”
“After much anticipation, it was great to get the first official running of the season in the books today at Silverstone,” added the team’s Sporting Director, Mark Blundell. “On the whole, the pre-season has been a really positive one for both Ollie and Jake and we are all heading into the opening weekend in confident mood. It’s also been great to unveil our refreshed look with the new Focus’ - so a huge thank you as always to our partners for their support and to Motorbase Performance for their continued efforts.”
