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West Surrey Racing and Motorbase confirm their drivers for 2016

By MJP Media | 12 February 2016

More driver announcements confirm the stability of the teams in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship as both West Surrey Racing and Motorbase Performance finalise their driver line-ups for the 2016 season.

2016 will be Rob Collard's 7th year with West Surrey Racing

Stability is the key to progress according to West Surrey Racing as they confirm Rob Collard and Sam Tordoff for their Team JCT600 with GardX squad in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after a deal was struck for the race-winning pairing to remain at the team for a second successive season.

This will be Collard's seventh consecutive BTCC campaign with the West Surrey Racing-run outfit while team-mate Tordoff joined under the new JCT600 and GardX-backed banner last season. An outstanding season for the two drivers resulted in five overall wins for the team with Collard amassing three victories, while Tordoff ended the year as the highest placed driver who wasn't a former BTCC champion.

Team JCT600 with GardX will continue with drivers Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard

Last season's plain white machines have made way for a striking silver and blue livery design whilst the multiple championship winning cars have also undergone an extensive development programme during the off-season. Further ties have also been made with BMW appointing Sam Tordoff as a Brand Ambassador, whilst GardX becomes an official supplier to BMW with its ProtectX protection products.

The two BMW 125i M Sports will now embark on a pre-season testing programme over the coming weeks with both Tordoff and Collard enjoying significant time behind the wheel. The Team JCT600 with GardX squad will then appear at the official test day during the BTCC Season Launch event at Donington Park on 22 March, before the opening round of the season takes place at Brands Hatch in early April.

Mat Jackson will remain at Motorbase Performance with the backing of DUO

There was more of the same elsewhere as, in a very positive move, Motorbase Performance were able to announce Mat Jackson would be continuing with the team for a seventh consecutive year in 2016. This news has come much earlier than in previous years and shows the squad's commitment to this season. With both Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson at the helms of their race proven Ford Focus cars, this is a team that has the potential to push for titles this year. Mat Jackson's car will run with the backing of DUO who has regularly sponsored BTCC cars in recent years.

Mat Jackson said: "It is great to be returning with Motorbase for 2016 and to be able to carry on from last year's performance and mount our assault on the championship. I have to say huge thanks to DUO and to Motorbase for their continued loyalty and it's fantastic to be able to bring DUO in for a full season this year." He continued: "We've got an extensive testing programme planned which starts today and with the new regulations it will be more important than ever before to get a head start as the season kick off at Brands in April."

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