It’s always nice to see a prominent driver from another part of the Motorsport universe venture over to the GT/Sportscar side of things, and seeing Mat Jackson give British GT a go while Motorbase’s BTCC commitments are put on hiatus is very much a welcome addition to the first British GT round of the season. DSC sat down with the tin-top vet to see what he makes of the change of scenery.
‘It’s a relaxed atmosphere here in the British GT paddock, which is nice. And I’m here competing against fresh faces and some guys I haven’t shared a circuit with since my karting days,’ Jackson said grinning. It was clear he’s pleasantly surprised seeing this side of the sport.
Having spent the entirety of his successful career since the year 2000 after karting in either the Clio Cup, Seat Cupra GB or British Touring Car Championship, it’s quite a wake-up call to suddenly jump into a GT car and compete at a high level. The nature of the machinery, and style of racing is completely different – it takes quite a driver to be able to make the transition without any real hiccups.
‘Touring Cars is an area I want to conquer, that’s myself and the Motorbase team. To pull away from it, I’m not going to lie, is frustrating for all of us. But, coming into this has a fresh feel to it. The cars are different, the driving is too. It’s going to take a while for me to really get to where I want to be and adapt,’ admits Jackson.
‘The traffic isn’t as much of a factor as I thought so far really, it’s the aerodynamics. The driver aids are also different, having traction control and ABS which you don’t have in a touring car. It’s hard to understand what the car is doing and how far you can push it after such a short amount of time.’
Luckily the calendar in the British GT features many of the same circuits as the BTCC, so driving at Oulton Park wasn’t too much of an issue in terms of circuit knowledge for the Hendley-in-Arden native. It’s not completely straight forward however.
‘Being at Oulton means I can adapt pretty quickly. I only managed 15 or so laps before Qualifying though, so it’s still really new to me. Going straight into qualifying pretty much means it’s going to hard to really deliver off the bat.
‘Touring Cars are selfish, this isn’t. Touring Cars are sprint races, it’s all about you. Whereas this, it’s completely different. Just setting up the car is different, because you’ve got to take your teammate into consideration. You want your teammate to go as fast as possible because having a good driver pairing is key in this.’
The BTCC circus is also a different experience for Mat, there’s rarely as many fans at a British GT event, but there’s no shortage of passion. Within the paddock too, it’s got a different feel, as Jackson was able to easily see and describe.
‘It’s very different, the guys here are just so relaxed, which is nice. Touring Cars gets very intense, with a lot of pressure commercially as well. The British GT championship seems very friendly, the rest of the grid and the fans are very passionate, almost in a different way. It’s a different level to the BTCC.’
Getting stuck in with his teammate for the weekend Phil Dryburgh, who’s had plenty of experience in the series has really helped Jackson get up to speed, even if it does come with its challenges.
‘Working with Phil has been great,’ expressed Jackson. ‘It’s the little things like learning how to get the pitstops correct, and looking after the brakes and tyres for someone else. It’s all about the team game, and already that’s been eye-opening at times.’
So what’s the plan then for Mat Jackson? Touring Cars still remain in his heart and soul, and returning to the BTCC this year is very much on his wishlist, but like so many drivers these days, he may well keep coming back.
‘It’s a different discipline, but I’m looking forward to exploring it it certainly has appeal. The cars are spectacular, so if there is an option I’ll explore it. For now though, I’m going to focus on doing this race weekend at Oulton and I’ll see what happens as we hope to be back on the grid for the second half of the BTCC season.
‘Don’t get me wrong though, this is somewhere I want to be.’
Stephen Kilbey
