Colbert and Hodgetts boost SEAT Cupra Championship grid to 18

01 May 2003

Top single seater racing drivers Stephen Colbert and Stefan Hodgetts have today registered to race in the Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship, boosting the grid to 18 in the new racing series first year.

Both 24-year old Colbert (Dungannon, Northern Ireland) and 20-year old Hodgetts (Redditch, Worcestershire) signed their contracts at Croft. Minutes later they were testing their SEAT Leon Cupra Rs for the first time around the North Yorkshire circuit - together with the rest of the Championship field, as they prepare for the opening race of the Championship at Croft this Sunday (May 4).

Moving from their familiar driving position in the centre of a single seater racing car to a left-hand drive saloon car was a completely new experience for both drivers, and things didn't go as planned for Hodgetts, who hit a kerb and cracked the engine's sump. While his test day ended after just four laps, Colbert was immediately on the pace. Hodgetts's car will be repaired during tomorrow's rest day, and all 18 cars will return to the circuit on Saturday for two qualifying sessions, which will determine Sunday's grids.

Colbert said: "My first ever laps in a saloon car were certainly entertaining. I've been driving a left-hand drive car on the road at home as practise, and I've brushed the odd hedge or two. In a single seater you are also sitting very low to the ground, and with the raised height of the Leon Cupra R you can see an awful lot more of the corners - so this has
helped me get my turning in points correct.

Hodgetts said: "My first impressions of the Leon Cupra R was very good. It handles well and there is good grip. It's a lot different than a single seater, but it's a car I believe I can do very well in. I've lost some valuable testing time today because I hit a kerb and cracked the sump, but my plan is to finish both races this weekend at Croft and kick-start my challenge at the next race at Silverstone, which is a circuit I know very well."

See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2003

Related Story 28.04.2003 - Countdown to the Opening SEAT Supra Championship Race

Image from official series web site : www.seatcuprachampionship.com