With an insurmountable lead in both the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's Independent Teams' and Drivers' standings already in the bag, yielding maiden titles for Motorbase Performance, the outfit now turns its attention to the overall trophies at this weekend's Brands Hatch finale.

Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan will fight it out between them for Independent Drivers' honours and both are still firmly in the mix as two of eight drivers arriving at the legendary former Formula 1 circuit with a chance of taking the coveted BTCC Drivers' crown.

The former is just 21 points shy of current championship front-runner, Team JCT600 with GardX man Sam Tordoff. Given there are 67 points on offer over the course of this finale weekend, Jackson will feel as much in the hunt as any of his rivals.

“It’s great to be going into this weekend with the championship race still so close," said the Warwickshire racer. "Fifth spot in the standings means we’re carrying less ballast into qualifying and being only 10 points away from second puts us in a great position.

"This is the strongest we’ve ever been in heading into the final round and it highlights what a great year it has been for Motorbase.

“It’s been an interesting one for a lot of the guys in the championship and it’s stayed very, very close at the top. With eight drivers in contention going into the final it shows what a strong year it’s been all-round but all the pressure is on Sam (Tordoff) not to make a mistake this weekend.

"We’ve just got to treat it as any other race meeting. The pressure isn't on us; all we can do is go for wins and bank the points. It’s down to the others to lose it more than it is for us to win it. We need to make sure that qualifying goes to plan so we can hit the ground running in race one and deliver the results from there.”

Jackson's stablemate, Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan is a further 13 points back and is not willing to give up on the fight, though admitted bad luck may have to strike those ahead of him to really put him in the running.

“I don’t feel any pressure, which is strange to say heading into a title decider for two championships," said Jordan. "We’ve got a good lead in the Independent Drivers' standings so my aim is to go to Brands to seal that and to try and secure a first Drivers' title for Motorbase - that would be a nice way to end my maiden campaign with the team.

“In terms of the overall title, I’m just going there with the same mentality as I did at Silverstone – to just try to be quick and win races, with a bit of hope that the other guys in front all fall over each other and I can score some big points.

"Realistically it’s going to take some misfortune for the other guys, but I’m in a position where I can just roll my sleeves up and get stuck in and see what gaps I can make in the championship.”

Whatever the outcome, Team Manager Oly Collins is proud of Motorbase's achievements in 2016.

“It’s hard to believe that we are so near to the end of an amazing season for all of us at Motorbase,” said Collins. “We go into the final weekend with both drivers in the hunt for the outright championship.

"We're Independent Teams' champions, Independent Drivers' Champions and have consistently fought amongst the Manufacturers all year long and beaten most of them along the way.

“It’s been a pretty good season by anyone's standards, especially for a small team like ourselves.”

Get all twelve of this season’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship winners so far in these complete Dynamic Dozen wallpapers:

 

In his fourth full campaign in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, West Surrey Racing man Sam Tordoff heads the way in what is his biggest shot at taking the title yet.

A stellar afternoon at Oulton Park in June cemented Tordoff’s championship credentials – a win and two-second place finishes moving the Team JCT600 with GardX driver to the summit. That Cheshire weekend has since proved to be one of the most impressive individual drives of the season.

He has headed the standings at the end of every weekend since, barring post-Snetterton, where team-mate Rob Collard briefly usurped his lead by three points. A Knockhill race weekend later and Tordoff left Scotland back on top.

The Yorkshireman's trip to Rockingham started in the worst possible fashion, however, beaching his BMW 125i M Sport in practice and suffering more trouble in qualifying, meaning he was way back on the race one grid. After the setbacks, Tordoff produced the goods, battling from 28th in the opening race to scythe through the field and win by the time the chequered flag fell on race two – signalling his title intent, as if he hadn't done so already this year.

Silverstone was to be a poor weekend, relatively speaking, for the standings leader with just two 11th placed finishes and a 6th. Despite this, the other challengers failed to capitalise, leaving him with an 11-point lead, extended by some six points – 'ridiculous' was the word used by the man himself at how things had panned out for him in the championship shakeup leaving Northamptonshire.

Heading to the Brands Hatch finale leading the way is a position the BMW man has not been in before. Even with five champions hot on his heels, Tordoff is insistent that the pressure is firmly on the chasing pack.

"To come away from Silverstone having extended our lead from five points to 11 was quite frankly ridiculous!" said Tordoff. "For me, the pressure is off as nobody expected this at the start of the year. I’ve been picking points up as we've gone along and just seeing how we go from there.

“There are seven or eight guys who keep taking points off each other out there as well as off of me, so we’ll see what happens. Regarding the competition, Honda has been up there for many years as the benchmark. I think the biggest threat comes from them – they’re experienced guys who have been there and done it. My team-mate’s there in the mirrors too, and you can never discount the Fords.

"It could be difficult at Brands with the ballast – it’s undulating, so we have to be wary. There are a lot of corners and stop-starts, though, which should suit the BMW.

"It’s been a strange two weeks in the meantime. I’ve tried to keep myself sharp with BMW, and Brands Hatch GP is my favourite circuit. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll arrive there having approached the weekend the same as I've approached every other this season.

"I’ve prepped, done the simulator work and if I have to walk the track three times on Friday then I'll do it. Hopefully we’ll qualify well, which will be really important, and we’ll just go from there.

"I had a set of targets for the season and we’ve surpassed all of them, so whatever happens now is a bonus. Having said that, I’ve led the championship for half the season so of course it would be a disappointment not to convert it into a title, both for myself and WSR, who have worked incredibly hard to give me a fantastic car."

Double champion Colin Turkington heaped praise on his team for this season's turnaround and has vowed to give it his all this weekend as both he and Silverline Subaru BMR Racing team-mate Jason Plato remain in contention to win the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The team has enjoyed a fine run of form since its withdrawal on safety grounds from race day at Thruxton back in May, with the 2014 BTCC title winner leading that resurgence. Three victories, starting with top spot at the very next round from Oulton Park have capped eight visits so far to the podium.

With the final three rounds of the campaign still to come this weekend at Brands Hatch, the Irishman's form has seen him close to within 37 points of standings leader Sam Tordoff, despite a best of only 10th from the first three events on the calendar.

Turkington has been there and done it before, and he knows there's still time for everything to change come the final chequered flag is waved on Sunday evening.

"I’m aiming to build on what we've got and I won't give up the fight until I've crossed the line on the final lap of the final race," said Turkington.

"Although I’m regarded as an outside contender for the title, it's still pretty impressive that we are involved in the season showdown.  Even in a ‘normal’ Championship year to arrive at Brands with a shout of the crown is always the goal.

"To achieve that in our first season with the Subaru is a great reward for everyone involved.  We have all worked incredibly hard and put everything into this project.  To be in the Championship fight despite the challenges we faced early on is amazing.

"It was only six months ago at Brands Hatch that my car turned a wheel for the first time so to return there as a Championship contender is an enormous confidence boost.

"Brands GP should suit our car and it's the track that holds the most special memories for me, having won my first race there and clinched both my championships."

To celebrate the unprecedented number of eight contenders still in contention for this year's BTCC title we're giving away special 'SUPER 8' wallpapers ahead of the Brands Hatch showdown next weekend (1/2 October).

There are four different versions, so take your pick or take them all! Simply click on the images below...

#BTCCFans #BESTFans - thank you for your continued and fantastic support!

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has introduced a new annual award to its prestigious portfolio.

The ‘BTCC Engineer of the Year’ award will recognise the achievement of the Chief Engineer behind the Championship winning car.

An impressive carbon fibre, machined alloy and laser engraved trophy is being designed, produced and donated by BTCC technical partner, S.P.A. Design, and will be awarded to the inaugural winner at the TOCA Awards which will be held at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire on 26 November.

BTCC Series Director, Alan Gow, said: “I'm delighted to introduce this new award for 2016 and beyond. Whilst drivers and teams are recognised through the extensive titles on offer in the BTCC, I felt it was right to also acknowledge the great work of the top performing chief engineer. Motor racing isn’t just about the driver, it's a team sport and the chief engineer's role is absolutely key in providing a winning car.

“The BTCC, as the pinnacle of British motor sport, boasts engineers of the highest calibre. This award will hopefully go to also serve as an inspiration to those involved and motivate them to continue developing and innovating further. We look forward to awarding the ‘BTCC Engineer Of The Year’ - and, given how incredibly closely fought the BTCC is this year, whoever wins this award will have richly deserved it.”

COMPETITION: Our latest competition comes in conjunction with IHG® Rewards Club once more, and we’re giving you the chance to win a weekend at Brands Hatch (1/2 October) to see the BTCC finale plus an overnight stay at Holiday Inn London Bexley.

The headline prize also includes a chance to meet Team IHG® Rewards Club’s star driver Jack Goff and the opportunity to take a walk down the BTCC grid right before the lights go out for one of the three rounds at the circuit.

The top prize includes:

Silverline Subaru BMR Racing's double champion Colin Turkington took the latest Dunlop #ForeverForward honours with 26 points gained over the Silverstone weekend – the penultimate event on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar.

Team JCT600 with GardX's Rob Collard retains the overall lead – some 30 points clear of nearest rival Handy Motorsport man Rob Austin. With Collard's Saturday form not his strongest suit – by his own admission – and his eye for a pass come Sunday's races, he'll be difficult to surpass as the competition draws towards its conclusion.

Top of the Independents' tally was Team BKR's Mark Howard, who enjoyed what was undoubtedly the best race weekend to date of his maiden BTCC campaign.

The Leicestershire racer scythed through the field in race one from 30th on the grid to finish 16th, only missing out on a first haul of points by one spot. Gaining 14 places in a single round is no mean feat given the spread of the top 22 drivers on the grid was just one second over a single lap of the Silverstone National circuit, as evidenced by Saturday's close-run qualifying session.

Race two would prove the only cloud to a day of silver linings for the 'Silver Fox Racing' man. He once again produced a spirited drive in steering his BKR VW CC through the pack in race three, eventually climbing from 28th to an encouraging 19th position.

Turkington's round-topping performance largely came down to the pre-race one third strike penalty that saw him demoted to P29 on the grid. He wasted no time in tearing through the field in the Team BMR-backed Subaru Levorg, amassing a stunning total of 21 positions gained.

With only the Brands Hatch finale remaining, the results and standings are as follows – Rob Collard holds a commanding lead at the top of the overall standings:

Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1 Colin Turkington 26
2 Josh Cook 24
3 Mark Howard 23

Dunlop #ForeverForward overall standings

1 Rob Collard 147
2 Rob Austin 117
3 Martin Depper 114