COMPACT CUP READY TO RUMBLE WITH PACKED ENTRY FOR 2019 SEASON
Although it’s been around 5 months since our 2018 season-ending meeting at Donington Park, the time has flown by and we’re now on the verge of kicking off our 2019 campaign at Brands Hatch…and what a cracking season we have ahead of us!
With such a great season of racing behind us in 2018, it should come as no surprise that we should generate interest from new drivers looking to join us for 2019, however, the level of new interest in our championship has blown us all away. Not only have we been fortunate enough to retain the majority of our 2018 competitors, but we’ll also be welcoming a very significant number of new drivers to the championship this season. Our competitor numbers have grown to such an extent that we’ve taken a massive 47 entries for our season opener at Brands Hatch…this compared with 32 for the same meeting in 2018!
It’s no accident that we’ve achieved this level of commitment to racing in the Nankang Tyre BMW Compact Cup Championship, as a huge amount of work goes into supporting the race series by a number of parties, this including the BRSCC, the BMW Racedays management team, our valued sponsors, and most of all by the teams and competitors who support the championship fantastically well.
Our season opener takes place at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit layout…this being a real favourite of our racers. The circuit seems to really suit our cars, and the racing is some of the most exciting you’ll witness anywhere. After this, we’re off to Oulton Park, again a long time favourite for many of our competitors.
Then it’s on to Snetterton 300 for a really special meeting. Not only is this a headline meeting for the Compact Cup, but also our lovely Championship sponsors Nankang Tyres are hosting a Saturday evening BBQ and get together for our racers, teams and supporters as a celebration of their 60 year anniversary. If that wasn’t enough, this meeting also introduces a full 3 race / 2 day format for the first time in Compact Cup racing. With a little shake-up of the top 8 grid positions for race 3, it should be an awesome weekend all round!
In July and August we head to Croft then to Anglesey, two circuits that we’ve not visited for some years, so not many of our competitors will be familiar with them, however, both offer fantastic opportunities for top class racing. We then head to Silverstone for an outing on the fast and technical National Circuit, before our season-ending meeting on the fantastic Donington Park National circuit…another firm favourite amongst our drivers!
As always in Compact Cup racing, it’s impossible to forecast who’s likely to be on the top step at the end of the season, however with our reigning champion Steven Dailly back to defend his title once more, he’s sure to be a favourite. However, we also welcome back guys such as Matt Parkes, Tom Griffiths, Ben Huntley and Ian Jones, all of whom (amongst others!) have proven they can take the fight right to Mr Dailly’s door on any given day. Our 2018 Masters Champion David May is also returning to defend his well won 2018 title, however, he’s unlikely to have things all his own way when he has some very determined racers such as Mark Skeats, Keith Towers, Mike Doble and Alan Corfield hunting him down! And let’s not forget that we have a few new guys this year, some of who have a lot of race experience in other formulae.
In summary, then, we’re looking forward to one of the most exciting and busy seasons of Compact Cup racing ever this year…and we look forward to showcasing once again the very best club level tin-top racing you’ll find anywhere in the UK.
Greg Graham
