SNETTERTON JULY 31 PREVIEW – BRSCC MAZDA MX-5 CHAMPIONSHIP
We’re officially reaching the half way stage already in the 2021 BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Championship and after ventures north to Croft, then south to Silverstone and recently west to Anglesey, it’s now time to head east and to the Snetterton 300 circuit in Norfolk. It’s at this stage where the championship battles are really starting to take shape and the main contenders are being confirmed, and with all-important dropped scores now starting to come into effect, this means that it’s going to get even more tense with each passing race.
Jack Brewer’s recovery from a tough weekend at Silverstone was an impressive one at Anglesey, getting back to the front of the field with two more wins, meaning that not only has he regained the overall points lead but also retains it once the three lowest scores are removed. Once this is taken into account, he leads by ten points over Oliver Allwood, someone who picked up three 2nd place finishes until finally getting his win tally off the mark in Anglesey’s third race. If he can keep up this run of form up and keep the pressure applied on Brewer, he will be in a position to potentially claim the title that he so agonisingly ended up losing out on last year.
Someone else who definitely looks to be in the fight is Steve Foden, who is having his strongest season to date in 2021 after he finally took his first two wins in the championship back at Silverstone. So far, he’s been on the podium at least once at every meeting so far and usually when he’s on form, he’s incredibly difficult to match. He will be especially hoping there’s no sunshine present either as Steve is a demon in the wet, a fact vindicated by the conditions he took his two Silverstone victories in. Brian Trott is hunting the top three down and he too has been a beacon of consistency throughout this season, albeit with a retirement from Croft on his record too. Brian always appears to be in the right position at the right time if any of his other rivals slip or have a less than ideal race, and it’s that coupled with his consistency that means he could be a dark horse to steal the title. He’s just under 20 points away from leader Brewer on dropped scores, so he’s certainly in with a chance.
Teammates Sebastian Fisher and Oliver Graham had their best weekend to date at Anglesey as they managed to take a double podium and their superb seasons thus far mean that while Graham is tied level with Brewer at the top with all scores counted, he slots in just three points behind Fisher in 6th, which is impressive for Sebastian being in the top five already having missed the opening races at Croft. Fraser Fenwick was briefly the leader leaving Silverstone, but a quieter Anglesey meeting has pushed him down to 7th on adjusted scores ahead of Jason Greatrex, Luke Pullen and Adam Craig, all three managing to bank solid points at every weekend thus far to ensure their current place in the top 10.
Over in the Masters contest, defending champion Paul Bateman has work to do now he’s been shuffled down to 3rd on dropped scores, despite being top when all results are counted. The lead is now held by Trott who will surely be hoping he can at least come away with this title and even add it to a potential overall crown as well. Jason Greatrex now sits in between them in 2nd place, with Kevin Dengate and Tim Dore completing the top five.
Scott Woodwiss
