Crabbie’s Racing driver Jack Clarke is feeling focused ahead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to Knockhill in Scotland this weekend (23/24 August), a circuit that is notorious for seeing cars getting airborne over the high-speed kerbs!
 
Despite scoring his best qualifying result of the season last time out at Snetterton the 26-year-old ultimately endured a rather character building race day for a number of reasons. Now his action-packed BTCC graduation continues with another huge challenge ahead – the tight and twisty 1.27-mile circuit of Knockhill.
 
Not only is Clarke contending with his maiden foray into touring car racing admirably, but he also has to reacclimatise himself to a number of tracks around the UK. The Effingham-based racer has only driven at the Fife circuit once before and that was way back in 2006.
 
Facing the task head-on Clarke has already scored points in two of the six events so far – starring at both Donington Park and Croft in his striking green Crabbie’s-backed Ford Focus ­– and now he’s keen to add to his tally north of the border.
 
Knockhill shares a number of similarities with the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent, a venue Clarke has thrived at throughout his career. While the prospect of taking on 30 other flame-spitting cars around one of the tightest circuits in the country would be a daunting one for many, Clarke is excited by the prospect and buoyed by his performances so far in the UK’s biggest, best and toughest motor sport series.
 
There’s further reason to be hopeful in Clarke’s machinery too, as his Motorbase Performance-run Ford Focus seems to be edging its way towards the front.
 
Jack Clarke said: “I am really excited about the event at Knockhill and racing in front of such a passionate crowd. I believe the tight nature and characteristics of the track should suit my style too so I can’t wait to get stuck in.
 
“Snetterton didn’t quite go to plan for a number of reasons but we still produced our best qualifying of the season so far. We also scored points in the previous round at Croft, so we’ve been showing promising signs of moving towards the front.
 
“The car has been performing well in recent rounds. I was one of the fastest cars on-track at Croft, so that’s given everyone at the team a real boost and we’re confident for the remainder of the season.”