CBT man Jordan back on BTCC podium / British Touring Cars

CBT-backed driver Andrew Jordan battled hard throughout a trio of action-packed Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races to claim a valuable haul of points, including a trip to the podium in the final race of the day at Leicestershire’s Donington Park.

The factory-supported MG squad looked set for a brace of points finishes across the three 16 lap sprints, with Jordan and his team-mate Jack Goff finishing in the top eight in the opening pair of races. However, the reverse grid race saw Goff crash out on lap 6 after tangling with Sam Tordoff, while Jordan used all of his car-control ability to prevent a double DNF for the team, keeping his MG on the tarmac after a series of challenges from Matt Neal’s Honda Civic.

Both MGs went into qualifying for Triple Eight’s 500th BTCC race start looking for a place in the top-ten, with Jordan looking like he would be able to take the challenge to the Volkswagen’s of Colin Turkington and Jason Plato for pole-position on the 1.98 mile Donington National Circuit. The decisive factor in qualifying was a red flag brought out to remove the sidelined BMW of Andy Priaulx. This stopped the war of attrition at the front and few drivers actually were able to improve once the session restarted some ten minutes later.

Neither Jordan nor Goff bettered their times, and the MG duo had to settle for fifth and thirteenth respectively. Pirtek-backed Jordan’s 1:10.029 lap was just 0.008s off Adam Morgan’s Mercedes in fourth, and half a second off eventual pole-man Turkington.

Overnight changes were made to both MGs to bring them closer to the front of the pack, and it proved to be a worthwhile investment in time. Both drivers sprinted off the line during Sunday’s opening race, which marked the 500th race start for the Greatworth based squad in the BTCC.

After both drivers made up ground in the opening laps at a chilly Donington Park, Jordan began to settle into fourth place, convincingly despatching Morgan, while ahead of him the Volkswagens of Turkington and Plato swapped paint with Gordon Shedden’s Honda. That’s how it stayed until the flag, with Jordan delivering fourth in a controlled showing.

The second race of the weekend followed in a similar vein, albeit with soft tyres being used by both MG drivers. Starting fifth but with added ballast for his earlier result, Jordan snatched third on the opening lap from Morgan. Following a short safety car period to mop up the clash between Warren Scott & Alex Martin at the Old Hairpin on lap two, the race resumed and Jordan got the jump on Gordon Shedden’s Honda.

While Turkington led unchallenged, behind him it was all going on. Seizing upon a failed move by Morgan on Neal, Jordan briefly got into second place. However, triple BTCC champ Neal replied instantly to grab the position back into Redgate before pulling away to close the gap to the Volkswagen. That left Jordan in third, defending from a resurgent Morgan. The Mercedes dished out further contact on the MG at the Craner Curves in the dying moments, with Jordan saving a lurid sideways slide to secure fourth, much to the appreciation of spectators.

As expected, the reverse grid created plenty of thrills and spills as drivers found themselves out of position, Jordan lining up fourth alongside Plato, and Goff in eighth. Embroiled in a big scrap for third, Jordan had to contend with lots of contact, and after dispatching with Plato on lap five for third, Neal cynically tapped the Red Bull athlete into a moment, dropping him down to sixth.

A mid-race safety car period was required for four laps on lap six, after Goff ended up in the gravel at the final chicane courtesy of contact from Tordoff and Morgan’s Mercedes. On the restart there was further contact as Cook and Aron Smith exchanged paint through the ultra fast Craner Curves on lap 14, which promoted Jordan to third once more, just behind Collard and old-foe Neal.

Further contact between Neal and Jordan occurred at the Old Hairpin, with the MG again receiving the brunt of the Honda’s aggression in what Jordan described as a ‘cheeky’ move. Up front race leader Collard was dethroned in a similar manner by the Honda man and this time Jordan profited, sneaking past the BMW for second.

A late yellow flag period at the final chicane restricted Jordan’s ability to pass Neal on the penultimate lap and the pair finished first and second respectively, separated by a tenth of a second at the line, with Shedden completing the podium. Post-race, stewards at the meeting determined Neal was in the wrong for his part in the contact with Jordan, handing out a verbal warning to that effect. MG Triple Eight have appealed the decision, which will be reviewed in three weeks, on Saturday morning at Thruxton.

Leaving Donington the MG Triple Eight Racing team remain third in the Team championship, but now have both drivers in the top-six of the driver’s standings, with Jordan fourth and Goff sixth.

Andrew Jordan, Driver #77 MG Triple Eight Racing: “It was a bit of a cheeky move. I wouldn’t mind if there was a gap and he nibbled his way down, but it was contact in the rear bumper and I’d be very surprised if they didn’t switch the result if I’m honest, I really would. It was a cracking touring car race, there were cars everywhere, and you thought something was going to go wrong, but it didn’t really, it just happened around me, rather than involving me too much. With regards to the results, two fourths and a second, hopefully a win, is really good and we’ve made big progress with the car, which is even more pleasing than the results. We’re now going to Thruxton, which is probably my favourite circuit and I’m feeling positive. We want to get wins, but how the season is panning out with the penalties and weight, consistency is key this year.”