Jordan and Goff look to end season in style at Brands Hatch

MG Triple Eight Racing’s Andrew Jordan and Jack Goff are intent on finishing their 2015 seasons on a high as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) heads to the iconic Brands Hatch GP circuit, for the final three rounds this weekend (10-11 October).

Returning to the scene of where the Greatworth-based team clinched a 23rd BTCC title one year ago, MG and Triple Eight have the opportunity to retain their Manufacturer/ Constructors crown, but will require the two highly capable young drivers to close the 64 point deficit to Honda Yuasa Racing.

With the traditional unpredictability of the weather set to play its part throughout the tenth meeting of the campaign, both Jordan and Goff will draw confidence on the MG6 GT’s strong record around the 2.3-mile GP loop layout, which includes a pair of pole-positions and three wins in as many years.

Entering the weekend as one of five drivers with a mathematical shot of being crowned champion, Andrew Jordan sits as an outside bet for the 2015 championship. Trailing series leader, Gordon Shedden by 64 points with a total of 67 available over the weekend, the Pirtek-backed driver will need his rivals to suffer a significant bout of poor luck to stand any chance of claiming his second driver’s title.

Heading into the finale realistic of what can be achieved, the Red Bull athlete has instead outlined third place in the championship standings as an achievable target to work towards. Returning to the podium at Silverstone less than two weeks ago, Jordan is optimistic that yet more silverware will be within his grasp when battle resumes in Kent. Andrew Jordan: “We go into the weekend as one of the championship contenders but there is no real reason for us to think about it; what we need to happen is too much to ask. Instead, I’d like to think we can still take third in the standings, but that will be a tough ask. I’ll give it my all because I just want to round out the season on a high. More podiums will be the aim and obviously I’ll be gunning for my first MG win as well. Brands Hatch GP is a great circuit though and the perfect place to end the season. It’s a really old school circuit and requires a lot of commitment when you go onto the loop. I love the place though and I can’t wait to get out on track.” said Jordan

Relishing the challenge of the undulating, flowing layout both on the traditional ‘Indy’ configuration before heading out onto the Grand Prix layout, the 26-year-old admits the test that Brands Hatch presents suits his committed driving style.

Like Jordan, 5 Star Cases-backed racer Jack Goff also made a welcome return to the rostrum at Silverstone with a stellar second place finish; but he now has his sights set on the top step. With one win to his name already, the 24-year-old enters the final meeting of the season looking to settle an old score with the historic Kent circuit this weekend, where he narrowly missed out of a maiden win in his debut year. Said Jack “There is something about Brands Hatch that seems to bring the best out of me, and I want another win this season. We’ve shown that we have had the pace on several occasions this year but the luck hasn’t always been on our side. I’ve been second on both the Indy and the GP circuit so I am desperate to finally take the top step of the podium there and I’m optimistic we can challenge from the outset. It’s important to round out the season on a high for MG and Triple Eight as well, so it will be all guns blazing from both Andy and I. It wouldn’t be the finale without it probably being wet at some stage, so we will keep our eyes on the skies and the forecast.”

Hounding Gordon Shedden in treacherous conditions during the 2013 finale, Goff claimed his first-ever podium finish in the UK’s premier race series on the GP loop. Then on his maiden MG weekend this year, the High Wycombe-based driver produced a scintillating wheel-to-wheel battle with Matt Neal to finish second once again – this time around the Indy circuit.

Now back at the venue where the season began in April, Goff is targeting his first Brands Hatch victory which has so far eluded him, but understands that a strong final qualifying performance in his MG6GT will be vital in his final quest for 2015 silverware. Triple Eight Team Principal, Ian Harrison said: “I don’t make predictions anymore because people have been saying this, that and the other and they’re all normally wrong. Let’s do our talking on the track and see what we can achieve at Brands Hatch. Obviously three finishes for both drivers has to be the first aim but we want to end this season with a bang; by that I mean wins and podiums.”

Qualifying will be shown live on the ITV website (www.itv.com/btcc) at 15:40 this Saturday with race day coverage beginning at 10:15 on Sunday and being shown on live ITV4, itv.com and also in HD.