£100,000 Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix Prize Money up for Grabs

22 September 2003

The top three drivers in this Sunday’s (28th September) £100,000 Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix at Brands Hatch will share one of the biggest single-race cash prizes in British motorsport, when £75,000 of the fund is shared out between them.
 
The Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Champion, Robert Huff, is not eligible for theHoliday Inn SEAT Super Prixawards, but will race at Brands Hatchto “put on a good show for the spectators.” For the other15 SEAT Leon Cupra R drivers there is much more than pride at stake, for they will be racing for a large part of their 2004 racing budget.The winner of the Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix will receive a cool £30,000, 2nd place will gain £25,000 and 3rd will collect £20,000 – all of which can be put towards their personal budget for the 2004 SEAT Cupra Championship.
 
The Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix is unique, as the starting grid for the first race is determined by a public web vote rather than by a traditional qualifying session. The web vote closes on Friday 26th September. Both SEAT races will take place on Sunday 28th September, with the first SEAT race starting at 12.45 and held over 12 laps of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. The result of that race will determine the starting grid for the big money second race – the £100,000 Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix - which starts at 17.15 and is held over 25 laps of the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit.
 
Having won half of the 10 races, finished 2nd in the Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship and set four fastest laps, Stefan Hodgetts is statistically the Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prixfavourite. Driving his Loaded backed Leon, Stefan will be under pressure from the likes of Gordon Shedden (Scottish SunLeon) and Gavin Smith (Smith Hire Centre Leon) – all Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship race winners.
 
James Pickford has been spending more time in the gym to physically prepare himself for the event. Making a return to racing after a two year layoff, James has led twice this year and is aiming to score his first race win in his Abt Sportsline / Haribo Leon.
 
Former Formula 3 driver Stephen Colbert swapped technical information with start line tactics with Robert Huff at Thruxton, and improved the set-up of his Auto Trader / Track Smart Leon. Stephen believes he can win the Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix if he starts fromanywhere within the first three rows of the grid.
 
Julian Westwood finished 3rd and 7th in his best race weekend performance at Thruxton, and the Orange-backedLeondriver will be looking for continued success on his return to Brands Hatch.
 
Spencer Marsh has been “fast but fragile” this season, as a number of mid-field tangles in his Shell / Beacon Sports Management Leon have ruined potential podium finishing positions. He finished a season best 2nd in his first SEAT race back in May, and with experience of both the Brands Hatch Grand Prix and Indy Circuits, Spencer will be keen to end the year where he began.
 
Andre D'Cruze has just celebrated his 27th birthday (on September 16th) and the localKentdriver has been visiting Brands Hatch for 22 years! He knows the circuit better than most, and will be aiming for victory in his Hot Wheels / GamePod Leon.
 
Emmet O’Brien has been leading the web vote for much of the election and starting near the front of the grid could see the22-year old driver from Monkstown inDublinshine in his DABL / Spin 103.8 Leon. Having finished a season’s best 4th at Thruxton, he’s certainly on top form.
 
Paula Cook will be looking to end a hard-fought year with a good performance in her EFSLeon, while Hamish Gordon also has victory in mind in his Sunday TimesLeon.
 
Karl Goshawk’s season began with an accident in first qualifying at Croft and ended in the crash barriers at Thruxton. He’ll be keen to wipe the slate clean and start the Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix afresh in his ISG / Siemens Financial Services Leon.
 
Ben Winrow will be keen to bounce back from his massive 100mph accident at Thruxton. The talented 18-year old Northamptonshire driver will be in a new TelemecaniqueLeon.
 
Melanie Healey scored points in all four final Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship races to highlight the excellent progress she has made in only her second season of racing. The web voted grid position will see her Spur GarageLeonstart from its highest position yet, and Melanie is looking forward to getting stuck into some serious racing, right in the thick of the action.
 
The transition from rallying to racing is not an easy one, and Natalie Barratt did well to hang onto the more experienced racing drivers and score points in her KF Concept Leon at Thruxton. She was certainly one of the stars of ITV’s Racing Rivals, with her no-nonsense approach to life striking a cord with the television audience.
 
The Holiday Inn SEAT Super Prix will be filmed for a 1 hour Racing Rivals special. Presented by Nell McAndrew and Jason Plato, it will be broadcast on ITV2 on Saturday 4th October (check local television listings for time).

See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2003

Related Story 15.09.2003 - SEAT Drivers Out to Prove a Point at Brands Hatch