He might be the oldest driver on the grid, but at 48, Mike Jordan (Sutton Coldfield) says his win at Mondello Park has made him "hungrier than ever before" as he prepares to do battle in this coming Sunday's (14 May) Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Oulton Park.
Jordan, driving his Team Eurotech with John Guest Racing Honda, romped to a hugely popular maiden win in Britain's most famous motor racing championship at the Mondello track in Ireland three weeks ago.
In doing so, he became the oldest driver in history to win a BTCC race. But he says the success has re-energised his thirst for more victory champagne.
Jordan said: "It's made me really hungry - hungrier than I've ever been at any point in my career - and given me a huge shot of self confidence. I'm so revved up for it and that's something that's spread itself to every member of the team.
"It's given me more of a boost than anyone could imagine."
And Jordan believes the win will only help his performance at the Oulton track - a circuit for which he holds a deep passion and which is also the scene of some of his greatest triumphs.
"The win has taken off a certain amount of in-built pressure to satisfy my sponsors - that kind of pressure can have a negative effect," added Jordan. "It's made me more relaxed so I think I'll enjoy it even more and as a result perform better.
"At Oulton I want to get up there and be on the podium again, but I know how difficult it is to reach that level and this is ultra-competitive. I love Oulton - certainly two of the corners, Druids and Cascades, require a lot of bravery, but it really is a proper driver's circuit. I can't wait to get stuck in."
Jordan says his Mondello win was justified - he took advantage of the reversed grid rule and got an early break while others behind battled held up one another. And he says that the celebrations are still only half complete.
"I don't think we got lucky that Mondello - our win was well deserved," said Jordan. "The battle behind certainly helped me build up a few seconds' lead, but even when that settled down my lap times were very comparable with the best of the rest. Nobody could catch me.
"Unfortunately, we never got the chance to go out and celebrate - a lot of the team had to drive back home so some of us stayed and had a quiet pizza in Naas! But we've got a mid-season break coming up and there's a great little kart track near Tamworth. I think I'll take everyone there for an evening out..."
The BTCC will be in race action three times at Oulton Park on Sunday and the crowds will also be able to meet the drivers for autographs and give-aways during the hugely popular Pit Lane Walkabout. In addition, there will be a further six championship races from high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.
