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Provisional championship standings
1, David Mayes, 102
2, Ollie Jackson, 93
3, Peter Ratcliff, 91
4, Will Mitcham, 88
5, Grahame Tilley, 76
6, Chris Cappuccini, 74 etc

SILVERSTONE SHOWDOWN FOR MAYES & RIVALS

He's stood atop the podium at every Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge race meeting so far this season, and the heavy betting will be on young David Mayes to repeat the feat at Silverstone next weekend (16/17 Aug) at the wheel of his Taylor's Foundry Motor Sport-prepared machine.

The 19-year-old from Kent won the opening round at Castle Combe in May and went on to clinch a hat-trick of victories, starting at Snetterton and concluding with a double top on his home circuit of Brands Hatch last month. Four wins from six starts puts him nine points clear in the championship.

But there's an increasingly impatient queue of drivers forming up behind Mayes looking to put an end to his winning streak. Not the least of these is Britain's leading female racer, Rachel Green, who will be bidding at Silverstone to add another Superlight race win to her impressive CV.

Not only that, but Hertfordshire-based Rachel, 37, will be jumping at Silverstone from the cockpit of her Fauldsport-prepared Superlight straight into that of a Team Modena Lamborghini as she bids for further success in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

She's hopeful of success in both championships: "I'm looking forward to going back to Silverstone as I came away with two podiums from there last year. Although I led much of race one, I only managed a third and a second, so I'm hoping to go one better this year and get on the top step.

"I've had a troublesome start to this year with a big smash at Castle Combe and only got my car, and myself, back on form at Brands last time out with a second place finish. I'm hoping now to go out and get off to a good start at Silverstone with a strong qualifying, and to have a proper race with David Mayes. I would love to go wheel to wheel with him as he certainly knows how to drive that car and it would be good to see just how good he is in a close fight."

The only driver other than Mayes to take a Superlight Challenge victory so far this year is Ollie Jackson, who profited from David's errors in the wet at Combe and at Snetterton. But Ollie erred himself at Brands Hatch, posting his first non-finish of the year with a trip into a gravel trap, which handed the championship lead to Mayes.

Third in the points battle behind Mayes and Jackson is wily veteran and former 750MC champion Peter Ratcliff, a podium finisher at Brands, with fourth place currently in the hands of 2005 champion Will Mitcham in the second Taylor's Foundry car. Both can be expected to play a starring role at Silverstone.

Backing up Jackson in Graham Fennymore's Piranha Racing team is Chris Cappuccini; he's two points down on Leicestershire privateer Graham Tilley. Sharing seventh overall with Green is another former Caterham champion long overdue a win: the 2006 R400 class titlist Pat Gormley.

To prove that Caterham racing spans the ages just compare the appearance on the grid of Dan Denis, just turned 17, alongside a trio of 50-plus drivers comprising Bill Addison, Carl Woodwiss and Ron Johnson. Denis has his eyes set on a British GT career, following in the wheeltracks of former Caterham champion Jon Barnes.

Ex-BTCC racer Mark Fullalove, who has been knocking on the door of a podium finish, will be in action also, as will former Roadsport Challenge racers Tony Poole, Simon Young and Pat Maher.

Backers for Caterham Motorsport's UK and European race series include Bilstein, Brian James Trailers, Cooper-Avon Tyres, The Daily Telegraph, Demon Tweeks, evo, HSBC, insuremotorsport.com, Motorsport News, Quaife and Stack.

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