2019 SEASON REVIEW – CATERHAM ACADEMY GREEN GROUP
To win a championship in the first season of your racing career is impressive, but to do it in a series as competitive as the Caterham Academy, the first step on the Caterham Motorsport roster, is something truly special. That is something Alexander Conway would achieve as he conquered the Green Group in 2019.
He started as he meant to go on, taking a second place in the first event of the season at the Curborough sprint before setting himself up for an incredible run of form on the circuits. Cadwell Park would kick off the first of four victories as he added Oulton Park, Donington Park and Silverstone to his tally across the season. The only win from races he started that he missed out on was at Snetterton, as he had to concede to his main rivals and settle for a 3rd place instead. Most of Conway’s winning margins were comfortable enough to leave him untroubled, although at Silverstone he was only 0.4 seconds ahead of P2, but that race gave him enough of a points margin to sit out the final round at Brands Hatch and guarantee the Green Group title.
That man that ran him close at Silverstone was James Venning, who almost seemed as though he was chasing Conway’s tail the entire way in 2019. While he was able to get the better of him to win the Curborough Sprint, he was typically standing on the runner up spot at the end of most of the circuit encounters that season, and his first win didn’t come until the Brands Hatch finale in Conway’s absence. Venning also missed a round at Oulton Park due to a hand injury sustained at Cadwell, meaning that he only ended up 3 points away from the title come the end of the year. No doubt he’ll be back to put this right in 2020.
Dimitris Melas would round off the end of season podium in 3rd place, taking the win that neither Conway nor Venning could grab at Snetterton at the midway point. A further three podiums and a fastest lap, including a strong 3rd place at his first circuit race at Cadwell Park, helped keep him around the top of the table, ending with a great P2 at Brands Hatch as he finished 17 points off champion Conway in the end.
Other names to make it onto the rostrum in 2019 included William Brunt (two 3rd places at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch) and one each for David Morgan and Benjamin Miller, all of whom were regular top 5 contenders and will be sure to impress further next season.
