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The pressure mounts in the Cupra Championship
The 2006 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship visits the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk this week and the pressure of fighting for the UK’s biggest prize fund is starting to tell. As the previous round showed, a good weekend for a driver can change the face of the championship considerably and no-one will be more aware of that than series leader, Mat Jackson (Whale Tankers/Jackson Motorsport). He extended his lead at the top of the table but several of his rivals upped their game, while others suffered and the result was a re-shuffle of the names behind him.
Jackson, from Henley-in-Arden, has dominated the 2006 season so far, claiming seven wins from ten race starts. However, he also appreciates that with the level of competition so high, the slightest change in luck or performance can have a significant effect on the series. “The last two race weekends have been very good for us,” said Jackson. “Approaching Croft [rounds 7 and 8], we were on the back foot a little but Donington was awesome. We took almost the maximum points haul possible, only missing out on the fastest lap in the second race and that’s really helped our championship. Jonathan Adam, Fulvio [Mussi] and Jonathan Fildes didn’t have such good weekends at Donington, so that also helped us.
“I’m looking forward to Snetterton though, as we had really good results there last year. It’s another circuit with different characteristics; some technical corners and some where you just need lots of commitment. The Complex, for example, at the end of the back straight is one; car set-up is crucial. You’re braking and turning in to the left hander at the same time, before turning the car right and heading into the Bomb-Hole. You need lots of speed through there, ready for Coram and the run to the Chicane on the start/finish straight. The slightest hint of oversteer and you’ll be off into the grass immediately.”
Ben Winrow (Winged Aviation/CMS) from Earls Barton was another driver whose consistency paid off at Donington. Yet another pair of podium finishes, third in both races, saw him consolidate second place in the series, entering the second half of the season. “Gaining a solid second in the championship is the important thing,” he said. “I was a bit disappointed in my qualifying performance – I just didn’t seem able to string a good lap together. But two more podiums, making seven out of ten races, helped me enormously. Now I need some more wins in the second half of the series to make sure I maintain second and try to close the gap to Mat as much as possible.”
“I’m quite optimistic for Snetterton. I got my first saloon car podium there and I like the circuit – it’s got a great flow to it and a fantastic back straight – very long and a perfect opportunity for slipstreaming. I think as ever, qualifying will be key and I’ll be looking for a front row start to get a good chance of converting that into a win.”
Alan Blencowe (Triple R) is another driver who enjoyed a good weekend at Donington and reaped the rewards, climbing to third in the championship as he headed home from Leicestershire. He demonstrated convincingly the importance of qualifying well and converting that into race results, starting the first race from pole and the second, from third. “At one point, it was looking like I’d get my first win of the season at Donington,” he said. “I was fastest in testing, on pole for the first race and had a great dice with Mat [Jackson] throughout. We swapped places a couple of times and then, after not making a mistake all weekend, I made one at the Old Hairpin, lost speed and through he went. A pair of second places helped my championship enormously but Mat still finished in front of me!
“Everything went our way at Donington. We started with a plan and stuck to it. We had a great car set-up and were getting pointers from the team throughout and it all came together. And we’ll be looking to repeat that at Snetterton. I’ll be putting everything I know into practice there and if I get my first win, I’ll be delighted.”
While things go right for some, inevitably, there are others who don’t fare so well and Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) was one of those at Donington. He arrived joint-second in the title but left having dropped to fourth, behind Blencowe. “Donington was a bit of a nightmare, if I’m honest. Everything that could go wrong, did. The car felt great in practice on Friday and the times were comparable with Mat and Alan. Then, on Saturday, we went out for qualifying on new tyres and straight away, the car didn’t feel right and I struggled with pace for the whole weekend. I also came together with Richard Dawson in qualifying and the car was a real mess after that. The team did a great job to get the car ready for the races on Sunday but I’d missed the second qualifying, so I started from the back of the grid.
“One thing is for sure though; we need to get back on the pace for Snetterton. The car will be stripped to make sure that there wasn’t anything wrong or broken before the races at Donington. But the circuit itself is great. The back straight, the longest in the UK, is a perfect overtaking opportunity, especially if you get a good tow on the run down. Qualifying is crucial, as we’ve seen all season. If you’re not on one of the front two rows, it can be very difficult to make a break and stick with the front-runners. I’ll be looking for at least podiums at Snetterton to get back in the game.”
Fulvio Mussi (Total Control Racing) was another driver who felt the Donington weekend went against him, despite a good start. “Practice was good and with the new tyres on for qualifying, I was third and second, which I was pleased with. But come the race, I was struggling with understeer and was going backwards to start with. Then it felt like the tyres came in and the car felt much better but I got hit from behind, which bent the rear suspension. The second race wasn’t much better but I wouldn’t say the weekend was a disaster, just strange to have dropped off the pace when I’d clearly been on it to start with and in previous rounds.
“The others finishing in front of me hurt my championship a bit but there’s still a long way to go – eight races, including Snetterton, so there’s no need to start panicking yet. We saw at Donington how quickly things can change when one or two people have a run of bad luck. So it’s definitely still all to play for. My aim is to finish this season in the top four – it’s a learning one for me, as I love the championship and I’m very keen to do it again next year, but of course, in the new car!”
Local driver Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/Edenbridge Racing) from King’s Lynn has enjoyed something of a resurgence in the last two meetings, with a fourth place on each of the four races leading up to Snetterton boosting him to sixth in the points table, with two places gained at Donington alone. “Donington was good for me,” he said. “I’m only a few points behind Fulvio now, so a good result at Snetterton will hopefully move me up into the top five. My qualifying pace in the last few races still hasn’t been quite what I would expect of myself, so I need to try to improve that as much as possible. I’ve been aggressive in the races themselves and seem able to make up positions in each, so the further up the front I start, the better the finish is likely to be. And at Snetterton, I’ll be aiming to start on the front row and pull out the gap as soon as possible, as I did at Thruxton. If we get the car set up correctly and get qualifying right, then I feel we can win this weekend.”
A new name appears on the Cupra entry list this weekend; Andrew Jordan, the 17-year old son of BTCC privateer Mike Jordan will take to the track in car number 41. The latest addition to the series is already an accomplished racer, competing in RallyCross for the last two years and winning his first race outright just two weeks before Snetterton. “I’m thrilled and excited by the opportunity to race with Team GVR in the Cupras and am really looking forward to the first race at Snetterton,” he said. “The Leon Cupra R is a great car and I was surprised how quickly I felt at one with the levels of grip and the cornering speeds.”
Rounds 11 and 12 of the season take place on Sunday 13 August at 09.30 and 13.55 respectively and both races can be seen live on Motors TV (Sky 413, ntl 173).
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