^{Crabbie’s Racing driver Jack Clarke carried momentum from Knockhill to Rockingham with a double points finish as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship headed back into England for the latest action packed tin-top show-stopper. 
 
Last time out at Knockhill, Jack had his best weekend to date with three solid finishes, of which two were in the lucrative points paying positions. Last weekend (6/7 September) Rockingham welcomed the 31-car BTCC field to the Motor Speedway, which is a challenge for all of the drivers.  The circuit boasts several short straights, tricky braking zones, slow technical sections as well as a high speed turn one, which makes up a part of the iconic high-speed banking with speeds nudging 140mph.
 
Clarke had already scored points in three of the seven events so far in the striking green Crabbie’s-backed Ford Focus ST, so the challenge now was to continue his progress, score regular points and edge closer towards the top ten and the potential race three reverse grid draw.   
 
So attention turned to Rockingham for Clarke and the team - a circuit the tin-top debutant has never driven before, so preparation was key to be competitive at the youngest circuit on the BTCC calendar. 
 
The first free practice session of the weekend was a learning exercise for the 26-year-old as he performed the usual session set-up requirements as well as learning the 1.94 mile course. A foggy morning added to the challenge but with a mature head, Jack settled in gently as the mist cleared allowing him to chalk up a 25th on the time sheets. Come the second session the Surrey-based driver showed a turn of pace to climb up to a solid 19th.   
 
The sun tried to breakthrough the clouds in the all-important afternoon qualifying session. The sun wasn’t the only thing trying to breakthrough as the touring car rookie was hoping to edge into the top 20 and improve upon his best qualifying result of 21st, set at Snetterton earlier in the summer. And breakthrough he did. At a circuit Clarke has never visited he outshone more experienced rivals and left a previous BTCC race winner in his wake. The newcomers result would be 19th as the clock struck zero. 
 
Sunday, and the conditions changed dramatically. Glorious sunshine baked the Northamptonshire venue as thousands of BTCC fans packed the state of the art grandstands eagerly awaiting the day’s three touring car contests.  
 
The first race had plenty of drama for the Effingham based driver. On the first lap at Chapman Curve, Clarke was nudged wide by a fellow competitor which tipped the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus ST into a spin. Jack quickly managed to re-join the circuit but sadly some way off the back of the pack. On the soft tyre, which was the favoured compound for the weekend, Clarke got his head down and was on a mission to salvage a result. As the laps were ticked off the BTCC rookie made some fantastic passes, hunting his way through the field. His maturity and willingness netted him 18th just a handful of seconds behind three-time BTCC Champion Matt Neal. A few more laps and a points paying position could have been on the cards. 
 
Race two was to be a quiet affair for Jack who had to get used to the harder compound, which created a lot of understeer on the tight and tricky sections. Jack stayed calm and out of trouble as he avoided many big accidents in the middle of the pack. A fantastic move by Clarke to pass the highly rated Marc Hynes on the high speed banking elevated the Crabbie’s driver into the points in 15th.
 
It was yet to be another cruel bit of luck for the Surrey racer in the final race of the day. With a good grid position and a top ten in his sight, Jack had trouble getting the car off the line allowing the rest of the field to pass him as he tried to fire-up the Ford Focus. 
 
It was time to once again roll up his sleeves and put into practice what he has learnt so far in his short BTCC career. Jack certainly got involved in some close elbows-out battles and he cleverly made use of the pace in the latter part of the lap to pull off some cleverly planned moves to make his way back into the points. 
 
As the sun set on Rockingham Jack Clarke was happy with his pace and performance, despite some moments of bad luck: 
 
“It was a disappointing start to race day as unfortunately I was taken out on the first lap, which put me 40 metres off the back of the pack and it meant I had to come from 31st. I just had to drive my way forward and make the most of the soft tyre and we ended up in 18th, which was a good performance considering we had to come through the field. We struggled in race two on the hard tyre and had a lot of understeer but I got my head down to break into the points which was pleasing. Come the final race, the stall at the start was a mistake by me and I was kicking myself, but to come through to 14th from the back was very rewarding and I was happy to collect a few more points. 
 
“I am getting a kick out of improvements as the line on the graph keeps going up and in the right direction. The progress we are making, makes the team, sponsors and I really motivated as we press forward. We couldn’t quite get the results that our pace deserved - it was just one of those ‘what could have been’ weekends. We know internally that we have made a big step forward and for Silverstone, Motorbase Performance have a good record there. The Ford Focus ST goes well on the National circuit so we could be on for a big marked improvement.” 
 
The Northamptonshire double-header will conclude next time out at Silverstone for rounds 25, 26 and 27 on September 27/28.}

Crabbie’s Racing driver Jack Clarke is ready to pick up where he left off at Knockhill last time out when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Rockingham. This weekend’s event (6/7 September) is the first of a Northamptonshire double-header as Britain’s premier motor racing championship then heads to Silverstone before its climax at Brands Hatch next month. Last time out at Knockhill, Jack had his best weekend to date with three solid finishes, of which two were in the lucrative points paying positions.     
 
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. This weekend is completely different to previous rounds as the Effingham-based racer has never driven the Corby circuit before, and since Knockhill he has upped his workload and preparation for the Northamptonshire circuit, which opened at the turn of the Millennium.

From the hilly and undulating Knockhill circuit the BTCC circus heads south, back into England to the relatively flat Rockingham Motor Speedway. Clarke in the Focus, along with 30 other flame-spitting BTCC cars, will fly along the famous banking on the Rockingham oval before diving off into the tricky infield, which will see the drivers tackle several short straights, tricky braking zones and slow technical sections before re-joining the perimeter oval to go across the start/finish line. 
 
Facing a step into the unknown, Clarke has already scored points in three of the seven events so far in his striking green Crabbie’s-backed Ford Focus, and now he’s keen to edge forward towards the top ten and the potential race three reverse grid draw.
 
Jack Clarke said: 
 
“Knockhill marked an improvement and we are going in the right direction. We didn’t luck in to too many positions and our pace on the soft tyre was very competitive and encouraging.
 
“It was a positive and enjoyable weekend and to be racing literally right in the middle of the pack is great fun. Knockhill is a really cool track and I enjoyed the weekend and atmosphere immensely.
 
“I have never been to Rockingham before but the tracks I am unfamiliar with this year have not proved to be to much of a disadvantage in regards to pace or performance. I plan to make that little next step towards the cusp of the top ten and the shuffle for race three and there is no reason why we can’t achieve that goal next time out at Rockingham.”   

Jack Clarke and Crabbie’s Racing enjoyed a strong weekend in Scotland (23/24 August) for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill. Jack secured his best weekend to date with two points finishes and some fantastic racing in the middle of the pack around the tight and undulating Knockhill track.
 
Not only is Jack making his first foray into touring cars he is also having to reacclimatise himself to a number of tracks around the UK and Knockhill is no exception, as the Surrey-based driver has only driven the Fife circuit once before, back in 2006 in a Formula BMW single-seater.
 
The weekend got off to a good start for the Ford Focus driver as he felt at one with the car right from the off posting some positive times during the first session on Saturday morning. Overnight rain had made the circuit damp to begin with, but as the BTCC cars thundered around the 1.3 mile ribbon of tarmac the track dried quickly allowing Clarke to post one of his best Free Practice results of the season with a respectable 14th. The second session was an interrupted affair with two red flag periods and several rain showers.
 
Qualifying was held in dry conditions and Clarke and the team went into the 30-minute session in optimistic spirits. With 31 cars circulating it was difficult to find that elusive clean lap, and coupled with the fact that Jack struggled to get the tyres up to operating temperature quick enough he was disappointed with his 23rd grid position.
 
The first race of the day saw a slow start for Clarke as he dropped down the order with a spin early on but he showed his determination, clawing his way back from 29th to 18th.
 
In the second race of the day Jack had selected the softer Dunlop tyre compound. This was to be a well-calculated decision as an excellent launch off the line saw him leap forward into the points within the first handful of laps. The 26-year-old reveled in the door-to-door action on the cusp of the top ten as he held his own against his more experienced rivals. In the latter stages of the race Jack was involved in many a great battle with a wealth of former BTCC Champions including Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden, Alain Menu and series leader Colin Turkington. Despite being elbowed off the circuit whilst in 12th, Clarke made up places to eventually finish in 13th on the road.
 
The final race of the day was to be bathed in glorious sunshine as the cars rolled onto the grid and the Crabbie’s driver made an excellent start beating the two most recent BTCC champions Jordan and Shedden into the first corner. It was to be a strong race as Clarke got his head down, punching in consistent lap times as the tyres came on song towards the latter stages. As he crossed the line in 14th to collect another two points he was also the highest placed Motorbase driver in the final Scottish encounter of the year.
 
As the team left the Fife motor racing amphitheatre, Jack was pleased with his performance despite a troubled Saturday:
 
“Qualifying is still a struggle for us and the car and I can’t quite create time with new rubber right from the off, so high grip situations like qualifying are proving to be a bit tough.
 
“The weekend has been a marked improvement and we are going in the right direction. We didn’t luck in to too many positions and our pace on the soft tyre was very competitive and encouraging. We are always consistently quick at the end of a race, whereas tyre degradation seems to be high for a lot of other teams which means we can start to pick off other drivers in the final few laps.
 
“It was a positive and enjoyable weekend and to be racing literally right in the middle of the pack is great fun. Knockhill is a really cool track and I enjoyed the weekend and atmosphere immensely.”
 
Upon his Knockhill reflection Clarke looked ahead to the next round:
 
“I have never been to Rockingham before but the tracks I am unfamiliar with this year have not proved to be to much of a disadvantage in regards to pace or performance, so I plan to make that little next step towards the cusp of the top ten and the shuffle for race three and there is no reason why we can’t achieve that goal next time out at Rockingham”.   
 
The next stop on the BTCC calendar is Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire on September 6/7 where Jack Clarke and Crabbie’s Racing will once again look to continue their progress.   

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.”