Knockhill
16th-17th August 2008

Round 15.

On a tight and twisty Knockhill circuit the chances for over-taking are slim. So as the lights went out for Round 15 of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship the entire grid knew a good start was crucial, and Welch nosed ahead of Robert Lawson as they went into SEAT Curves. Welch managed to keep Lawson at bay to steal 2nd place and stormed into the John R Weir chicane for the first time with a tight procession of Lawson and Martin Byford behind him. Incredibly though, local driver Jonathan Adam had already capitalised on his pole position and within the first lap had stretched a three second lead over the trio behind him.

While Adam kept pulling away, Lawson looked for a way past Welch, heading for the inside coming out of Real Radio Hairpin for the next few laps but being blocked superbly. Pushing hard Welch went wide coming out of the chicane, sideways on the grass and rolling back onto the track with reduced speed allowing Lawson to squeeze past him. 

Further down the field, Andrew Herron continued to struggle with his car, an apparent lack of power on the straights keeping him pinned at the back of the grid.

Round 16

A familiar looking front two rows lined up for the start of Round 16 at Knockhill with Robert Lawson  keen to not let Jonathan Adam speed off into the distance from the beginning. But there was no stopping Adam’s charge from the line and despite a great start, Lawson had to tuck in behind the local driver as they headed into the SEAT Curves.

Early gaps were soon closed though when Jamie Ackers’ (Total Control Racing) off at the John R Weir chicane brought out the safety car on lap 7. Four laps later though and Ackers’ car was safely out of the way, the drivers crossing the line for the beginning of the eleventh lap with the tempo was boosted to high once again. 

Andrew Herron charging from the rear, having resolved the earlier issues with his car eased passed Gumbley for 7th place.

Robert Lawson may have lost out to Adam twice, but the JHR driver made sure he limited the damage with two second places, which in turn means he left Knockhill still leading the Championship. With Silverstone and Brands Hatch more neutral territory too, the finale of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship looks set to be a classic as Adam and Lawson battle it out until the end.

Robert Lawson: “It’s getting a little too close for comport to be fair, but we’ve still got two meetings to go. Jonathan is always going to be a tough man to beat up here and it could have been a lot worse. We still got a bag full of points and we’re still leading the Championship.”

Andrew Herron: “I so could have caught those guys in the second race. It’s a pity it took us so long to find the problem with the car. It’s a big loss of points, but it’s a character-building weekend for sure. It’s a real stab in the heart when you know it’s not your driving letting you down. But I proved in the last race I had the pace to do well here.”

Championship Standings
1. Robert Lawson (Bardon/JHR)…262pts
2. Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing)…248pts
3. Martin Byford (AB Glass/ Z Speed Racing)…216pts
4. Carl Breeze (Blue Chip/ Welch Motorsport)…208pts
5. Andrew Herron (Brian Herron Plant/JHR)…153pts
6. Daniel Rowbottom (DRM M-sport)…109pts