Local man Lawson leads the way

Robert Lawson (Bardon/JHR) will head to his home circuit of Croft in North Yorkshire for Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship with his lead in the driver standings still intact. The Darlington-born newcomer to the Championship has been the man to beat this season, finishing three races so far as winner and only scoring outside of the top three points once. With masses of support and a track he's very familiar with, Croft may well be his opportunity to further increase his lead as we come to the halfway point of the season.

On the basis of the last meeting at Thruxton though, Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) looks to be in resurgent form, while Daniel Welch (Marriott/Welch Motorsport) also put in another quick display and both drivers will feel they have the ability to stop Lawson in his tracks. Martin Byford (AB Glass/Z Speed Racing) and Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/Welch Motorsport) are Lawson's closest rivals in the Championship though and have proven to be consistent throughout the season so far. While their qualifying at Thruxton and some poor luck on Breeze's part during the races didn't help them close the gap any further, the technically difficult Croft circuit and their inherent pace are bound to play a part in the final outcome. Lawson's JHR team mate Andrew Herron (Brian Herron Plant/JHR) is also finding form meaning Lawson will have challenges coming from all directions.

In fact, as drivers and teams all keep learning more about their cars, the pace throughout the grid has steadily increased. While six drivers have proven so far to be consistently quicker than the rest, Croft is always capable of throwing up an unpredictable result which can only add more drama to the UK's most exciting series.

Robert Lawson: "There's nothing better than coming to your home circuit leading the Championship. I should hopefully have plenty of support from friends, family and sponsors there and will want to do well for them."

Jonathan Adam: "Croft is a good circuit and I've had a good result there before. The car's feeling even stronger now so looking forward to it."

Martin Byford: "Croft is always tricky to get the set-up right. It's either high speed or really slow stuff so you have to find the middle ground. It's been a bit of a challenge to get the set-up right in just two testing sessions, but I'm eager to get racing again."

Carl Breeze: "Croft is a good track. We have one weekend off then we race again, so should be able to forget Thruxton and move straight on with Croft."

Daniel Welch: "Croft is a long way from where I live in Fleet in Hampshire, so I'll want to make the journey up and down the M1 worth it, so we'll be putting up a good fight."

The 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship gets its first taste of the 2.1 mile Croft circuit on Friday 30th May with two 40 minute test sessions starting at 09.15 and 12.55. Qualifying takes place on Saturday 31st May with two 20 minute sessions starting at 10.20 and 14.45, with two 14 lap races on Sunday 1st June beginning at 12.40 and 17.15.