DARKNESS DESCENDS ON DONINGTON
There is a packed schedule at Donington Park this weekend with 21 races on the timetable across both days, with today’s action extending into the evening to accommodate the annual ‘night’ races for both Mighty Minis championships.
Prior to the excitement of the night races, the meeting opens with the Arrowpak Euro Saloon & Sports Car Championship, which always offers a wide variety of marques and models. Paul Rose has dominated in his Saker Sportscar this year and secured the 2013 title at Cadwell Park last month. All eyes today and tomorrow will be on Class B’s Steve Harris (Saker) and Class C’s Chris Whiteley (Seat Leon), who are both tied in second place on 238 points.
The Dunlop TVR Challenge competitors will be looking to make an early get-away this afternoon as they have their awards dinner this evening. But who will the championship trophy be presented to? Dean Cook is the leader but he can still be caught by Graham Walden & Chris Hayward-Browne.
Although the Formula Jedi Championship has been decided in the favour of Lee Morgan, the runner up spot can still be mathematically claimed by any one of six drivers. However the battle will surely come down Scott Stevens and Jack Lang. Only 31 points separate the pair with 80 still on the table so there is still plenty to race for.
Mike Heath has already won the Advantage Motorsport Ford XR Challenge in his XR2 and he also scooped the ‘Star of Anglesey’ title. However don’t expect any fall off in effort as Mike will be looking for more chequered flags. Steve Poole, Tony Rudd, Ralph Fernihough and Adam Burgess will all be wanting to end the season on a high. Watch out also for Lee Bowron in the number 62 XR3i.
The Toyo Tires Porsche Championship has enjoyed a fantastic season with very strong grids throughout the year. Genial Yorkshireman, Rick Styrin is the undisputed king of the ‘full fat’ Boxsters having wrapped up the title at Cadwell Park last month so at Donington the focus will be on the battles for the Class B and C titles.
Going into this weekend, neither Rebecca Jackson (Production Boxsters) nor Alastair Kirkham (924s) can count their chickens and the second and third place slots in Class C will be fiercely contested. One driver making a comeback this weekend is Boxster campaigner JM Littman, who thanks to the backing of some new sponsors has put in a last minute entry. Donington is the first track JM ever raced on and he will be looking to finally break Rick Styrin’s hold on top spot that he’s had all season.
Jamie White secured the Super Mighty Minis title at the last race. Despite the stiff competition in the championship, the destination of the trophy has rarely been in doubt with the Hertfordshire based driver visiting the podium at almost every race. However, the second step is still up for grabs so there are vital points to be won and lost. With a night race, anything can happen under the cover of darkness, so clever strategies will have to be employed.
True to form, the Mighty Minis Championship again comes down to the wire, with either of the top three in with a mathematical chance of claiming title glory. Again, tonight’s race in the dark will play a huge part in deciding who takes the ultimate glory. However, those who don’t adapt well to racing at night still have tomorrow afternoon’s race to make their mark and you can rest assured that all the drivers, whether they are challenging for the title or not, will battle for every point.
Tomorrow’s action sees the Teekay Couplings Production GTi Championship join the fray. Simon Hill has already secured the title as Champion for 2013 so tomorrow’s races are about the fight for second and third place. Chris Webb and Martyn Walsh look favorites to round out the top three, however Tim Hartland returns to the fold after being sidelined with a broken collar bone for the past 3 months. He is accompanied by the vastly improving and ‘uber’ quick Nick Jarvis who has already claimed several podiums this season.
Sunday’s schedule also sees some non-BRSCC championships in action in the form of the MSA British Superkart Championship and the Track Attack Race Club Autumn Series.Reigning champion and recent UK Cup winner Paul Platt must start as favourite with a healthy 63-point margin at the top of the Superkart table. He secured a win and a second place at Cadwell Park last month and the last five rounds have seen Paul consistently finish in the top three. Lying second in the championship and the only other driver with a mathematical chance of taking the title is Louis Wall. He has climbed up from 6thplace after collecting a second and fourth last time out at Cadwell Park.
In the Track Attack serie,s expect the Subaru’s of Kev Middleton and Robbie Durrant to be leading contenders, but don’t discount some of the faster Clio’s in the hands of David Bell, Tony Hunter and James Ashton, or even the mini marvel that’s the Suzuki Swift of Andy McLennan, often seen on the podium if it stays reliable.
For the timetable and entry lists visit
http://www.brscc.co.uk/DONINGTON-PARK—BRSCC-FINALS-WEEKEND-13-09-87
