Leon Cupra R title goes down to the wire at Thruxton

When the Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship rolled into Thruxton in May, it was Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) and Freddy Nordstrom (Advent Motorsport) who stole the show, both taking double victories in their respective classes. Adam went on to record another five wins in the New Leon Cupra class and clinch the title in front of his home crowd at Knockhill, while 18-year old Nordstrom has gone on to have a turbulent season, leaving him in 4th place in the Leon Cupra R class. Harry Vaulkhard (Volkis Boozer’s/Triple R) heads Nordstom, with Ian Churchill (Churchill Motorsport) and Adrian Churchill (Churchill Motorsport) taking the positions directly behind him.

Despite the Leon Cupra R class crown being unattainable by Nordstrom now, he’s proved throughout the season that he’s quick and could still mathematically take 3rd place. Barring any technical problems you can be certain he’ll want to end the season at Thruxton on a high and take as many points away from the top three as he can. But clearly neither Vaulkhard nor the Churchill brothers are cursed with snail’s pace, the three of them setting a total of 13 fastest laps between them this season. While the older 1.8-litre cars may not have the speed to keep up with the New Leon Cupra class around Thruxton, you can expect a tough battle at the front as a win from Vaulkhard in Round 19 should almost certainly hand him the title. Should Vaulkhard fail to score in that race though and either Ian or Adrian Churchill take the win then Round 20 will be the most dramatic race of the season, taking the Championship right down to the wire.

In the New Leon Cupra class it’s unlikely that Adam will want to end the season anywhere else but on the podium, but there may just be a few drivers who want that flying finish even more. Behind Adam in the standings sit Fulvio Mussi (Total Control Racing), Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/CMS Motorsport), Neil Waterworth (Total Control Racing) and Gareth Nixon (Nixon Motorsport) respectively, none of whom will feel their current positions are true reflections of their ability. In a dramatic season, no driver in the class has managed to finish every race they’ve started, yet of these top five drivers only Adam and Waterworth have failed to score points just the once. However, at the last visit to Thruxton all five of them finished within the top six in both races, with Daniel Welch (Marriott/Welch Motorsport) getting amongst them in Round 5 with a memorable 2nd place. With shares of the £250,000 prize fund and the chance to test the SEAT BTCC car for the 2nd and 3rd placed drivers, it’s likely you’ll see each driver going hell for leather to get into those coveted positions.

And it’s not just those still in with a chance of a top three finish that should be looked out for. While pre-season tip and local driver Alan Blencowe won’t be competing at his local circuit, Welch, Tom Boardman (Triple R) and Stewart Whyte (SWR) all have the pace to score the higher points. In fact 2005 Champion Boardman, who joined this year’s Championship almost half way through the season has won two races and is more than capable of taking victory at Thruxton. Welch has already proved he can go well here, while Whyte, who runs a self-funded team, would certainly be sitting on a lot more points if he hadn’t failed to finish six races out of the 18 already competed for this year. Towards the end of this year he has looked quicker and quicker, so if he can avoid disaster he may finish the season by gaining that illusive podium position.

Thruxton is a fast circuit that many drivers cite as one of their favourites on the calendar. The two classes should soon separate out leaving the crowds to watch both thrilling championships reach their climax in tremendous style. No driver will want to end their season with a bad result, so spectators will be holding onto their seats as they revel in a feast of fast-paced SEAT action.

RACE DETAILS
Race: 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship, Rounds 19/20
Venue: Thruxton, Hampshire
Lap distance: 2.356miles
Race distance: 28.27miles (12 laps)
Friday 12th October: Testing – 9:15-10:15 and 13:35-14:35
Saturday 13th October: Qualifying – Round 19: 13:40 – 14:00; Round 20: 17:10 – 17:30
Sunday 14th October: Round 19 – 11:40; Round 20– 15:30
Lap Record: Gareth Nixon 1:20.354 set on Sunday 7th May, 2007
Past winners:
2007: Jonathan Adam and Jonathan Adam
2006: Mat Jackson and Fulvio Mussi
2005: Carl Breeze and Mat Jackson
TV schedule: Live on Setanta Sports

NEWS FROM THE PADDOCK
Freddy Nordstrom is taking a year out of education before he starts at University. The young Leon Cupra R driver hasn’t decided exactly what he wants to do in that time but you can bet it involves racing and rumours of a New Leon Cupra abound. Daniel Welch will be looking forward to some sunshine, and in fact some moonlight, in January 2008 when he will compete in a 24hr endurance race in Dubai. Supported by current sponsor Marriott, Daniel will be piloting a SEAT along with two other drivers and he believes they will have a great chance of success – and he’ll be able to enjoy the luxury of Dubai’s latest four star Marriott hotel as well. Ian Churchill is confident he will be able to take a good haul of points from the final meeting. The long fast sections at Thruxton suit his driving style which was proved by the fact he was quickest in testing at Thruxton earlier this year. Last time there, however, he was suffering confidence problems after a huge crash at Rockingham and had undergone back operation a few months earlier, so he’ll be hoping he’ll be fully fit for these final rounds. When Liam McMillan isn’t racing he’s helping his Maxtreme team prepare and run customers cars in the SAXMAX Championship.

Currently they run three of them in the series and have one driver who can win the title. It’s the series Liam won before stepping up to the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship which he believes was a good path as it was the only front-wheel drive championship for that young age group. It’s certainly stood Liam in good stead this season where he’s held his own amongst much more experienced racers and a host of championship winners. Before Thruxton, Liam competed in the Spanish SEAT Supercopa series at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, where his consistently fast laps helped him finish 13th, 12th and 15th in a capacity field of 44 cars. A great experience for McMillan and superb preparation for Thruxton. Harry Vaulkhard has also been getting in extra practice, taking part in a 6 hour classics race in a Mustang at Spa. He’ll also be squeezing in another race in his Mk2 Escort, competing against amongst others his dad and brother!