Ollie Jackson has the tools for Lakeside-based motorsports team (From Thurrock Gazette)

AmD team ends Touring Car championship on a high note

9:00pm Monday 29th October 2012 in Sport

MOTORSPORT: WEST-Thurrock based motorsports team AmDTuning.com enjoyed a decent end to their 2012 season. The team has been competing in the televised Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. And in the final meeting of the year at Brands Hatch in Kent the team took home two points finishes.

The team made the short trip to Kent eager to return to form after a difficult weekend at Silverstone and things started well.

Driver Ollie Jackson was on the pace throughout the two free practice sessions.

In a tightly qualifying session he then secured 18th on the grid at the wheel of his turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf – only 1.3 seconds away from pole position.

Rain for race day threw up an added challenge and the Thurrock car slid off into the gravel in the early stages and was forced to retire.

Starting near the back for race two saw Jackson on fine form. He worked his way up the order and he crossed the line in eleventh spot, where he would then start the final race of the season.

Although he lost places on the opening lap, Ollie battled into the top ten before closing onto the rear of a battle between the MG of double champion Jason Plato and the Vauxhall of Lea Wood. But the driver lost his top ten on the penultimate lap to the hard-charging BMW of Tom Onslow-Cole.

It meant Ollie ended the weekend with a brace of eleventh place finishes, which leaves him 18th in the overall standings and 13th amongst the Independents.

“I think we all did the best job we have done all season this weekend,” he said. Team boss Shaun Hollamby was also delighted with the way the weekend panned out as the AmDTuning.com team brought the curtain down on its time running the only Volkswagen on the BTCC grid.