CAN ANYONE CATCH WINFIELD IN CIVIC CUP AT SILVERSTONE?
The Milltek Civic Cup is back in action for the third round of their 2020 season. Setting up camp at the most illustrious of British venues, Silverstone. Racing around the National circuit, the Northamptonshire venue has been a staple of the calendar in recent years.
Just like they did in 2018 for their debut event, Civic Cup supports the TCR UK Championship feature and this year will include live coverage on social media thanks to the BRSCC.
Heading towards the halfway point of the season, Bruce Winfield has proven himself the class of the field, with 95 points and two wins in the opening two rounds. A further two second places have given the series veteran a 13 point lead over his opposition, who have each showcased their worth in wheel to wheel combat.
Winfield, one of the seven drivers returning from last years event, recorded a third place in 2019 around the 1.6 mile track. Gunning for further podiums, Winfield has yet to finish off the rostrum this year, a record he’ll hope to continue.
His closest rival, Alistair Camp is another whose silverware collection has grown in recent weeks. Three second places have made him one of the series most consistent drivers and will be eager to pounce on any mistake from the #37.
Only three points separate 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the standings as Max Lewis and Paul Taylor share third spot on 70 points. A chaotic final race at Thruxton left the door open for Lewis to become the newest top step visitor and will be hoping to continue his momentum, recording a second and first place despite the highly competitive reverse grid format. Taylor meanwhile has only finished on the podium once this year, but like Camp has been a paragon of consistency, finishing inside the top six during every race.
Jamie Tonks, the series highest placed rookie, leads the midfield battle on 57 points. After knocking on the door of the podium at Oulton Park, the Worcestershire driver will aim to remove that bugbear from his record at Silverstone and potentially catch the front runners.
One driver hoping to continue his momentum will be George Alp-Williams. After a troubled opening weekend, the 16-year-old picked up two top-five finishes and a maiden fastest lap at Thruxton and will be buoyed to challenge for podiums. Elsewhere, Shropshire’s Paul McHugh will be aiming to collect further experience.
David Buky will be eager to hit back after retiring from the lead in the second Thruxton race. An experienced driver, he, like Damian Harris were some of the drivers to race at the circuit last year, with Buky hoping to repeat his top three from 2019 qualifying on Saturday.
Paul McHugh returns to the entry list after missing the last round, while there is another familiar returning face with Martin Dalzell making an appearance. The Lincoln driver made his last entry in the Civic Cup at Silverstone in 2019, picking up his best finish of the year in fourth. A repeat performance will be highly sought after for the 39-year-old.
Qualifying gets underway at 11:35 Saturday 12th August 2020, keep up the Civic Cup for the latest results.
Stu Lane (Original post on Civic Cup website)
