Motorbase Performance

Motorbase Performance
Team Information
Nationality	British
First Season	2006
Founder	Dave Bartrum
Team Principle	Unknown
Key People	Unknown
Driver(s)	Mat Jackson (No.7) Fabrizio Giovanardi (No.8)
Car	Ford Focus ST Mk III
Sponsor(s)	Airwaves
Team Stats
Previous Season Standings	5th (Team's Championship)
Races Entered	257
Total Number of Wins	12
First Win	Thruxton 2009
Total Number of Podiums	50
Total Fastest Laps	18
Number of Championships	0

 Motorbase Performance, better known under their current competition name of Airwaves Racing, are a British Touring Car Championship team, running multiple cars in 2014.

Current Season

Motorbase are directly responsible for the Ford Focus Mk IIIs raced by Mat Jackson and Fabrizio Giovanardi in 2014, who compete in Airwaves Racing colours. Motorbase also build and run the Crabbie's Racing car of Jack Clarke, while providing support for AmD Tuning.com's car.

History

Motorbase were founded in 2004, with Dave Bartrum building the team to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup. The team continued to race in the Carrera Cup GB, although Motorbase switched their main focus to the BTCC in 2006.

Early Steps

Motorbase entered a single car in the 2006, with Dave Pinkney bringing his own Honda Integra Type-R to the team at the start of the year. Competing for the full season, Pinkney claimed thirteenth overall, and was joined by Tom Ferrier at the final round, who debuted one of the two SEAT Toldeos the team had bought at the end of the year. Ferrier returned to the team for three meetings in 2007, but he was replaced by Gareth Howell (who left half way through the year) and Paul O'Neill, while Matt Allison drove the second car throughout the year. Allison was impressive, but numerous accidents meant that both cars were written off in an accident at Brands Hatch at the penultimate round.

Full Focus

Rob Collard driving his Motorbase BMW in 2008.

Motorbase dropped their efforts in other series before the start of 2008, buying two new BMW 320si E90s for their latest drivers, Rob Collard and Stephen Kane. The season started slowly, although that was down to the fact that the BMW struggled in wet conditions, with Kane claiming a second place at Snetterton in the final meetings. Kane was replaced in 2009 by Jonathan Adam, with Airwaves becoming the title sponsor of the team (hence Motorbase competed as Airwaves BMW). Collard claimed the team's first wins that year, pushing the team to fourth overall in the team's standings.

Collard left the team in 2010, joining WSR instead, meaning Mat Jackson was brought into the team, while Kane returned to replace Adam. Kane and Jackson took one win each, and took to the podium eleven times, putting Motorbase fourth in the team's championship.

Focus on Ford

For 2011, Motorbase bought the two Team Aon Ford Focus STs from the previous year, although they fitted the S2000 chassis with NGTC engines. Jackson was joined by Liam Griffin for the season, with a third car added for Porsche Carrera Cup leader Michael Caine at the final rounds (James Thompson would, however, drive the car at the final meeting). Jackson claimed fourth overall in the final standings, with Motorbase claiming fifth in the team's championship.

Mat Jackson in his 2012 Redstone Racing Focus.

Airwaves dropped their sponsorship from the team in 2012, leading to the team competing under the name Redstone Racing. Jackson and Griffin were joined by promising Renault Clio Cup driver Aron Smith for the year, with Jackson getting the chance to drive the Mk III version of the Focus during the second half of the year (the car was not expected to be finished before the end of the year). Jackson drove the car to victory at Silverstone, although the reason for the new car was because of a fire which destroyed Griffin's car.

2013 saw Motorbase run, effectively, two teams, as Airwaves returned as their title sponsor, while the second team ran as Addison Lee Racing, using the older cars. Jackson and Smith ran two Mk IIIs (later joined by Tom Onslow-Cole in a third Mk III for the final three meetings), while Griffin headed the ALR team (replaced by Caine and Jake Hill at the fifth meeting). Jackson led the team, with Smith backing him all the way, while the ALR cars were well behind.

Jackson re-signed for the team at the media day before the start of 2014 season, joining returning double champion Fabrizio Giovanardi. Motorbase also prepared and ran a third car, running under the Crabbie's Racing banner, for Jack Clarke.

Honours

Motorbase, as a relatively new team to the championship, have no titles to their name.

Driver List

Below is a list of all the drivers that have raced for Motorbase Performance.

Motorbase Performance Driver List
Year	Nat	Name	No.	Rounds	Final Standings
2006		Dave Pinkney	55	All	13th
		Tom Ferrier	23	10	19th
2007		Matt Allison		1-8, 10	12th
		Tom Ferrier	24	6-8	22nd
		Gareth Howell	25	1-5	14th
		Paul O'Neill	29	10	33rd
2008		Stephen Kane	24	All	11th
		Rob Collard	25	All	12th
2009			11	All	6th
		Jonathan Adam	12	All	8th
2010		Mat Jackson	5	All	7th
		Stephen Kane	11	All	6th
		Ben Collins	12	10	26th
2011		Michael Caine	6	8-9	23rd
		James Thompson		10	25th
		Mat Jackson	7	All	4th
		Liam Griffin	66	All	21st
2012		Mat Jackson	4	All	7th
		Aron Smith	5	All	8th
		Liam Griffin	6	1-5, 9-10	21st
2013		Tom Onslow-Cole	6	8-10	12th
		Mat Jackson	7	All	8th
		Aron Smith	8	All	9th
		Michael Caine*	4	5	22nd
		Jake Hill*	9	5	23rd
		Liam Griffin	66	1-4, 6-10	25th
2014		Mat Jackson	7	All
		Fabrizio Giovanardi	8	All
		Jack Clarke**	44	All

* Ran Motorbase cars but under the name Addison Lee Racing.

** Jack Clarke's car was run by Crabbie's Racing.

References

Images:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mat_Jackson,_Thruxton,_Apr_2012_(practice).jpg - Jackson 2012
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rob_Collard_2008_BTCC_Croft.jpg - Collard BMW 2008