Ollie joins Tom Chilton at Motorbase for 2019 BTCC campaign
Bartrum and Jackson: ‘We’ve got unfinished business’
February 1, 2019Ollie Jackson eager to repeat past success with Motorbase move
Ollie Jackson says he hopes to add to his previous successes with the Motorbase team after confirming a switch to the Ford squad for the 2019 British Touring Car Championship season.
The 34-year-old makes the move from AmD Tuning to re-join David Bartrum’s squad having previously raced with the team during his time in the Porsche Carrera Cup, which included successfully clinching the Pro-Am title in 2010.
With a full season in the Focus RS under his belt and a significant winter testing programme planned, Chilton is confident that 2019 holds more potential than ever before to stake his claim on the overall title.
© 2019 Gary Hawkins
© 2019 Gary Hawkins
"I have a lot of happy memories, so I’m really excited about being back with them"
Jackson secured three top ten finishes last season at the wheel of AmD’s Audi – including a maiden podium in the chaotic wet/dry race at Brands Hatch – and makes the move to Motorbase having tested the team’s Ford Focus RS during the winter.
The deal will see him team up with the returning Tom Chilton for the season ahead in one of the two Shredded Wheat-backed cars, with Jackson aiming to regularly push towards the front of the grid.
“I had a lot of success with David and the team back in 2009 and 2010,” he said. “I won the Carrera Cup Pro-Am Championship with them, and have a lot of happy memories from my time with Motorbase so I’m really excited about being back with them again this season.
“Having had the relationship with David [Bartrum], I was lucky enough to test the Focus at the end of last season, and being in a more competitive car proved that I was ready to make the step-up into a race winning team with a proven track record of success.
© 2019 Peter Laborne
© 2019 Peter Laborne
“It was a little bit of good fortune that got me that first podium last year, but I think with the extra that everyone puts in at Motorbase, including myself, we should be pushing for more regular podiums this year and hopefully even chasing down that maiden race win.
“I get on really well with Tom [Chilton] and I’m looking forward to working with him this year. He’s a bit of a legend in touring cars so I’m going to be looking to absorb as much as I can from him and making the most of what I’m sure is going to be a really good, constructive, environment this year.”
