BRSCC AND CATERHAM KICK OFF 2019 WITH 4-HOUR SILVERSTONE ENDURO
The British Racing & Sports Car Club kicks off its 2019 racing season with a unique one day race event that acts as the perfect pre-season shakedown for many competitors before their chosen championship or series kicks in. The Caterham Motorsport Team Enduro sees teams of the superb little Caterham 7 sports car in various specifications doing battle on track in a relay-style long distance event, with a pair of eclectic supporting trophy competitions bringing extra action to the time table.
Silverstone’s National circuit is the chosen venue for Caterham’s first ever endurance event, where “Super Teams” comprising of a Roadsport, 270R and 310R each will compete for overall victory across a four hour race. Drivers will take over stints from their teammates in similar fashion to that of a relay race, with one heading out as another pits. As such, there are a variety of skill and experience levels together on the entry list. In the end, it’ll be the team that can keep a consistent, yet fast pace across the entire race distance that will come out on top.
Picking a favourite from the Super Team squads could prove tricky, especially as each one appears to feature a mix of front runners and midfield warriors. With each line-up as unpredictable as the next, it may be easier to go through the top drivers from each respective class of Caterham car featuring amongst the teams, starting with Roadsport. All of these drivers will be fresh out of the Academy from last season and as such will gain a valuable signature towards their licence ahead of the away rounds at Spa later in the year. The strongest of the Roadsport drivers entered will surely be Andrew Murgatroyd, who finished 3rd in the Green Group in Academy in 2018; he will feature in the PT Sportscars Premier team as a result. Other drivers from the same class of car to watch include Tom Power (4th in Green Group), Tom Power (6th in Academy White) and Glenn Moule (7th in Academy White), while the likes of Trevor Conway and Ben Lopez-Appleton will also feature.
The 270R class cars could really put on a fantastic show should they find themselves on track together at any one time during the four hours. Several of the top 10 drivers from Roadsport last year are here having moved up the ladder, including the top 4 of champion James Murphy, Daniel French, Caterham CEO Graham Macdonald and Daniel Halstead. Also set to cause a stir will be Matt Sheppard, Oli Pratt and James McCall while Guy Berryman and returnee Matt Creak will also be ones to watch.
Over with the 310R drivers, the fastest cars amongst the super teams, there could be some fireworks too with Gordon Sawyer and Lee Bristow at the top of the pile. Also expected to cause a stir will be Columbian hotshot Daniel Quintero and Andrew Perry, while the influx of fast 270R graduates will also spice things up. Jay McCormack will definitely be keen to mix it up, as will Douglas Christie and Matt Topham.
There are also two teams solely running Caterham 420Rs, the fastest race cars offered by the factory championship roster. Ian Sparshott and 270R race winner Chris Bates make up one team, while the other could arguably be favourites for outright victory as 310R stars Rob Watts and Alex Jordan are joined by the rapid Jack Sales, back in the seat of a Caterham after a year out but only expected to make a one-off appearance here. Whatever happens, the Caterham Motorsport Team Enduro should be both thrilling and intriguing in equal measure!
In support of the main event, two “all-comers” competitions take shape in the form of the BRSCC Saloon Car Trophy and Sports Car Trophy races, each providing a doubleheader of 15-minute encounters before the Enduro takes place. In the Saloons, TCR UK star Lewis Kent is undoubted favourite as he shakes down his Hyundai i30 N TCR after a winter’s development work. Also in the line-up is Britcar and Ginetta star Lucky Khera in a BMW M3, while a small selection of BRSCC regulars also make an appearance with Fiesta drivers John Cooper and Tom Hutchins and Civic Cup racer Paul Taylor amongst the entries. In the Sports Car Trophy, it’s mostly something of a sports prototype benefit as a phalanx of Radicals takes on a selection of Sports 2000 racers in what’s set to be a fascinating battle. Dave Porter, a regular in these trophy style races, leads the line in his Radical SR3 RS along with Andrew Kimpton and Alastair Smart, while MCR’s Clive Hayes pilots one of his own creations along with John Owen, with the experienced Ross Hyett and son Nick also appearing in a pair of Tiga’s. Lucky Khera’s sibling Simon is also present aboard his Ginetta G40 GT5.
Scott Woodwiss
