FUNCUP HEADLINES EXCITING BRSCC WEEKEND IN STORE AT SILVERSTONE
Silverstone once again plays host to the British Racing & Sports Car Club this weekend, as the Midlands Centre utilises the National circuit with many championship battles nearing their climax. There’s something for everyone this weekend with endurance racing, single-seaters, saloon cars and sports cars all on the same timetable together for another two days of mega competition.
Saturday is dominated by the latest rounds of this year’s FunCup Championship, with a 4 hour endure on the cards as the penultimate race of the season. The battle for the title currently rests between two former champion teams as JPR Uvio holds a 24 point lead over defending champs 2 Rent Dominos. Both will be out for victory, although it’s crucial 2 Rent’s Henry Dawes and Chris Hart score well to maintain their chances. Racelogic, another champion team, won last year’s visit to Silverstone and could be in with a shout again this year, while other squads to watch out for include Trumans, GT Radial, Track Torque FNS, PLR Racing, Team Viking and JPR Axiametrics.
Also racing on Saturday are the pair of Caterham Academy championships, where one of them could be settled by the end of the day. Alexander Conway heads to Silverstone with a 22 point lead in the Green Group and four race wins to his name, one of the most dominant Academy seasons in recent years. All he needs to do is outscore his main rivals Dimitris Melas, David Morgan and William Brunt by a handful of points and the title will be his before the season finale at Brands Hatch. In the White Group, it’s much closer as Tom Wyllys has a much slender 2 point lead over Blair McConachie with the pair going back and forth in the standings all season. James Fowler lies 3rd just 10 points back too, so any of these three could have a major impact on the standings depending on how this weekend plays out. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be exciting for Caterham’s annual band of rookie racers.
The Avon Tyres National Formula Ford Championship continues to provide thrilling racing wherever it goes and touches down here at Silverstone after three incredible races across the Irish Sea at Kirkistown. Points leader Ross Martin will be doing all he can to maintain his advantage against Cliff Dempsey Racing’s young American charge Spike Kohlbecker as the pair are now the two main contenders for the title. Other hard chargers such as Neil MacLennan and Kohlbecker’s teammates James Clarke and Jonathan Browne will be keen to throw themselves into the mix, while a few familiar faces return to the grid to potentially throw a spanner in the works, including Kirkistown winner Michael Eastwell, former Formula Ford Festival winner Joey Foster and double Walter Hayes Trophy victor Michael Moyers all hungry for a winner’s trophy.
There’s also a close title contest taking place in the Mazda MX-5 SuperCup, where the trio of Luke Herbert, Jack Harding and Aidan Hills are covered by 32 points as they arrive here locked in combat. Hills enters as the in-form man having clinched two wins last time out at Donington Park, while Herbert and Harding both ensured all three shared the podium amongst each other all weekend. It’s almost certain that race wins will once again come from one of these names, but the connotations of those results and what they do for the championship remain to be seen. Keep an eye out behind for the likes of Patrick Fletcher, Jack Sycamore and Garry Townsend to also score strong results too.
Within the last couple of meetings, the Nankang Tyres BMW Compact Cup has seen the battle for the championship completely turn on its head. Steven Dailly had been heading the field in his quest for a third title, but a pointless weekend at Croft was followed by an equally difficult encounter at Anglesey. Because of this, he now lies 3rd in the standings behind new leader Tom Griffiths and Ian Jones, but Steven’s fighting nature means he won’t give up until it’s over. With another packed grid ready to compete here this weekend, be sure to keep an eye on other key names in the field such as Matthew Parkes, Mikey Doble, Mark Skeats, Keith Towers, Wayne Flint and David May, all of whom have the potential to cause an upset should the opportunity arise.
Also adding to the tin-top vibe will be the ever-competitive and superb Disklok Civic Cup, the domain of the mighty Honda Civic Type R. At this point in the season, it’s fair to say that 2017 champion Lee Deegan looks firmly on course to secure his second title in three years, having racked up a mix of race wins and strong points finishes to hold a 34 point advantage with just two weekends left to run. Daniel Reason remains his strongest rival, while Daniel Hobson and Jason Ballantyne land here level on points with race winners Bruce Winfield and Alistair Camp also hot on their heels. The cars here look, sound and race the part so be prepared for some real club-level touring car style racing in this series!
Last but certainly not least, the rapid OSS Championship for sports prototypes and sports racing cars rolls into Silverstone with runaway points leader Patrick Sherrington looking to extend his advantage aboard his mighty MCR sports racer. However, he will face some stiff competition this weekend from his old friend, sparring partner and fellow Sports 2000 graduate Mike Jenvey, as the former champion returns to the grid this weekend in a bid to halt Patrick’s dominance. With the usual mix of Radicals also set to line up, the entry is also boosted by the inclusion of the Irish Global GT Lights, who join the OSS grid in Class E whilst still competing for their own points in their respective championship. The Irish contenders always put on a great race wherever they compete, so their battles amongst the bigger, faster cars should be thrilling to watch!
Scott Woodwiss
