Frantic Fortnight Ahead for Caterham Racers

06 July 2006

Caterham Motorsport and well in excess of 100 of its competitors are set to enjoy a fortnight of frantic track activity over the coming fortnight as the sports car manufacturer’s quartet of top-level championships see action both in the UK and Europe.

Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge – Snetterton 15/16 July

With twin wins under his belt from the miserably wet Donington Park races in May, Oxfordshire’s Graham Fennymore arrives at the Norfolk circuit with a useful seven-point advantage in the Superlight class, and will be hoping that a little of the Suffolk-based Hyperion Motorsport team’s local luck will rub off on his efforts to stay ahead.

But Bury St Edmunds residents Ben de Zille Butler and Will Mitcham, the reigning champion, have an equally justified claim to home track advantage, as do Newmarket-based drivers Tony Poole and Kevin Williams.

Nineteen-year-old Guy Harrington comes to Snetterton fresh from his maiden Superlight race win and will be a force, as will Rachel Green, currently third overall in the points standings. Among the Superlight newcomers expected is Cosworth race engineer Andy Herring.

Patrick Gormley leads the way in the R400 class thanks to twin class wins at Donington, but the Londoner is likely to face stiff pressure from such as Stuart Smith, Stuart Dixon and Patrick Maher.

Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge – Cadwell Park 15/16 July

Meanwhile at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire, a hundred miles north of Snetterton, the Roadsport boys will be providing a five-race feast of entertainment.

There will be two sprints for the Roadsport B brigade, in which Gary Halcrow will be seeking to enhance his impressive seven-wins-from-eight-starts tally, and three races for the heavily subscribed Roadsport class, which has seen four different winners so far this season.

Jeremy Ellis leads the Roadsport title race from Adrian Argyros, with Halcrow catching fast thanks to recent wins at Donington and Oulton.

Cosworth Caterham Masters – Estoril 22/23 July

Battle will be rejoined at the Portuguese Grand Prix circuit – at the first-ever Caterham race meeting held in Portugal – between Masters title fighters Nathan Bell/Rob Jenkinson and Clive Richards/Richard Hay.

Hay and Richards won the opening round at Hockenheim in their Colards Motorsport CSR 260 but have since had to play second fiddle to their Hyperion Motorsport rivals, who have clocked up a hat-trick of victories.

Drivers from France, Italy and Germany will be joining their British counterparts, with seasonal debuts in the championship for Terry Clark/Roger Norris and Malcolm Johnstone.

Autosport Caterham Eurocup – Estoril 22/23 July

With three different winners in the opening races – David Knox, Ben de Zille Butler and Guy Harrington – the Eurocup could not be more open and unpredictable, particularly since it is visiting a track of which few of the drivers have any prior knowledge.

Team Parker Racing’s Jamie Constable, Mike Cantillon, Ted Murray and Charles Bateman will be bidding to follow their team-mate Harrington on to the podium’s top step but they are certain to face stiff opposition not just from Knox and de Zille Butler but also from the ever-improving Hyperion squad, spearheaded by Simon Crompton, Andrew Beaumont and Bill Addison.

Backers for Caterham Motorsport’s UK and European race series include Autosport, Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Caged, Cheesman Products, Comma, Cosworth, Cooper-Avon Tyres, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Mitchell Cotts, Motorsport News and Stack.

See series calendars for all 2006 Caterham Championships

Related Story 18.06.2006 - Donington Caterham Victories for De Zille Butler and Harrington