TITLE RIVALS TIED AS CATERHAM ROADSPORT REACHES SNETTERTON FINALE
This weekend at Snetterton, we’re expecting to see a spectacle in the conclusion of the Caterham Roadsport Championship that could just as easily look like someone playing the finale of the 2019 Academy White Group season all over again. Because, for the second year in succession, the same two drivers will go head to head for the title across the last two races of the season. With a close battle for 3rd place also expected, this could be intense.
The Roadsport championship is the next step on the Caterham ladder for the Academy drivers and their cars from the 2019 season, enabling them to enjoy another year of racing with the friends they have battled against in the hugely successful Academy series. With only light modifications, the Roadsport race car is a simple development of the 2019 Academy car; its performance significantly enhanced by the addition of a rear-anti roll bar and a switch to track orientated, yet still road legal, Avon ZZS tyres.
So, those two drivers that are again battling for the crown are Tom Wyllys and Blair McConachie, and last year it was Tom that came out on top. But on this occasion they now head to Norfolk tied on points after dropped scores. This is because Tom was not present at the previous rounds at Donington Park, leaving the way clear for Blair to run away with victory in both races and take a fastest lap in the second encounter too. In terms of scores to drop, Wyllys cannot drop anything while McConachie has a non-finish and a 4th to dispose of, but if Blair struggles he may get a chance to claim those points back and still be champion. As for Tom, he knows that he has to keep out of trouble and score as high as possible. Should they still remain inseparable at the conclusion of racing and neither of them win either race, honours would go to McConachie thanks to his better win tally with five to his name compared to Wyllys’ four. There are other calculations to work out, but we’ll let Simon Lambert worry about that!
The driver with the most amount of points scored overall is Harry Eyre, having always remained a front runner this year and has also managed to finish every single race this year. This means he will have two drop two complete scores, these being a pair of 4th places scored between Thruxton and Donington. Aside from this, he’s never been off the podium otherwise, collecting two wins but now sitting 12 points back from the tied leaders. He may have points to fall back on if he has a bad time, but let’s see whether he requires them or not. Harry is just four points ahead of Carl Jones, who is yet to win so far but holds three 2nd places as his best finishes in 2020. Retiring from the first Donington race didn’t help matters, but it’s one less score he has to drop. His worst results so far have been two 7th places but right now he’s only getting rid of one, and if he’s able to keep his nose out of trouble, there’s every chance he could steal the final podium place in the standings away.
Next up is a two points scrap between Wes Payne and William Brunt. Wes was able to get amongst the battle for the lead at Thruxton to take his second podium of the season after also picking up 3rd in the first race at Cadwell Park. Since then he’s only had one DNF and the steady stream of points have helped him into the position he currently sits in the standings. For Brunt, he missed Thruxton and therefore has nothing to drop in his scores, but has been steadily getting quicker as the season has progressed. It was only at Donington that he claimed his first podium, but this weekend’s finale will certainly give him confidence to carry on pushing.
The only other drivers to have scores in triple digits after dropped rounds are Nick Allbones and Daryl Cresswell, both separated by just two points. Both have had their moments challenging at the head of the pack and Allbones made a cracking getaway in one of the Donington races to challenge for the lead in the early stages, which was rewarded with a 3rd place in the end. Cresswell has also visited the podium once at Brands Hatch and after hovering around the top five last time out, he’ll be keen to get amongst the competition again and back on that podium.
So, fireworks look set to occur in the battle for the championship – let the final duel for the Roadsport crown commence in Norfolk!
Scott Woodwiss
