The Pressure Mounts in the SEAT Cupra Championship
03 August 2006
The 2006 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship visits the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk (August
12/13) 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 43. 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 14.20 respectively and both races can be seen live on Motors TV
(Sky 413, ntl 173)
See series calendar for SEAT
Cupra Championship 2006
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Cupra Double Delight for Jackson at Donington Park
