Breeze and Lawson lead the way

The second outing for the new SEAT Cupras at Rockingham saw some fantastic race action as Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/Welch Motorsport) and Robert Lawson (Bardon/JHR) took a victory each in Rounds 3 and 4 respectively of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship. Unusually the races were split over the Saturday and the Sunday, but it didn't affect the intensity that they powered into the first corner resulting in a great spectacle for the fans.

Saturday's Round 3 was all about Breeze's storming start, bounding from 2nd place on the grid to squeeze past Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) into the lead. While Breeze went on to stretch his lead and score a race win, Adam also made some distance between him and the battle for third place. It was Martin Byford (AB Glass/Z Speed Racing) who went on to take that spot with Lawson hot on his tail. Daniel Welch (Marriott/Welch Motorsport) clearly had problems, as Lawson finally broke his defences on lap 14 of 16, problems that were further compounded when he was hit in the side at Tarzan. He went on to finish in a disappointing 10th position, losing valuable Championship points in the process. New Cupra drivers Andrew Herron (Brian Herron Plant/JHR) and Daniel Rowbottom (DRM M- sport) both had a happy time, recording top six finishes and Rowbottom gaining an extra Championship point for most places gained in the race.

Round 4 had the added intrigue of teams having to opt between wet or slick tyres. With a damp circuit but no real sign of rain in the air the whole grid opted for slicks, which made for a slippery start. Lawson didn't hang about though, while others looked cautious he flew out of the first corner and went on to build a lead that was uncatchable. Byford may have given him a run for his money but struggled to get into a position to challenge as he battled with the quartet of Breeze, Welch, Adam and Gumbley. Eventually he took his chances and slipped on the inside of both Welch and Breeze, but it was too late to have any hope of catching Lawson. Welch improved on his fortunes from Saturday by finishing 3rd , while Adam kept in the top five with a 4th place. Breeze ended up in 5th but added to his victory on Saturday it equates to a decent haul of points from the weekend. While he may have lost his short-lived stay at the top of the Championship standings back to Lawson, he's shown he'll be no pushover this season. Lawson, Byford, Welch, Adam and Breeze have all shown how competitive they'll be, and drivers like Herron, Rowbottom and Nordström are looking better all the time. With Donington Park on the menu at the beginning of May, fans of the SEAT Cupra Championship can be assured of some hot action to get tucked into!

Martin Byford (after Round 4): "It was a cracking race, just a shame I didn't get into 2nd a few laps earlier. I was a bit over cautious if anything and dropped back early on, but I was much quicker on the infield section. The others seemed more brave in the early corners, maybe I'm getting old! We haven't been as strong as we'd like here, but a 2nd and 3rd is very rewarding. I can't wait to get to Thruxton for testing on Tuesday now and I'll be looking forward to Donington. It was great to be physically racing the other drivers one-on-one and learning a bit more about them."

Jonathan Adam: "It's a new car and we're still fine tuning it. We're losing out a lot but we know that so we'll be studying the data and looking at the car before Donington. If we can dial the car in then I can't see why we can't be right up there. We'll keep plugging away."

Robert Lawson (after Round 4): "It was a difficult situation to be honest, having to make a call on the right tyres. I knew if we went for slicks it would be slippery so it was a case of getting my head down and pushing as hard as I dare. The job was done really after four laps then it was just a case of keeping concentration as you'd look a bit of a fool losing a big lead in front of a big crowd like this! It was very difficult on Saturday, Adam did a good job qualifying and I let the team down by getting a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Hopefully this win makes up for that. I'm thoroughly enjoying this Championship!"

Daniel Welch (after Round 4): "That was a good race for me. The car was a lot better than yesterday as we'd sorted the problem we had. That race could have gone any way for anyone, I had a good start, but I hate this place with a vengeance. Fortunately the 3rd place turned the weekend around a bit for us."

Carl Breeze (after Round 4): "I was struggling a bit with front end grip in that race, but I've scored 32 points this weekend, so as long as I keep scoring about that every weekend then it should be good. It's a strong championship and the five top finishers in that last race are going to be chasing all season. It'll be a case of who finishes races."

Daniel Rowbottom: "All credit to the team, we made a few changes for the second race and we had a few good, close encounters. We don't know the set-up for Donington yet, but at least I've driven there before which means we can concentrate on that rather than learning the track. That'll be the first time this season that's happened!"