The Grid

There are just two weeks to wait until the 13th and 14th rounds of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship take place at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire over the weekend 26th/27th July.

Before then highlights from the eighth round of the championship, which took place at Thruxton Circuit in May, will be screened on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 this Tuesday, 15th July, at 17.10.

Provisional 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship Driver Standings (after Rd12):
1st Robert Lawson, 194pts; 2nd Carl Breeze, 166pts; 5th Andrew Herron, 84pts

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SEAT Cupra Championship

HERRON MAINTAINS SERIES TOP FIVE WITH SNETTERTON PODIUM

SEAT Cupra Championship front-runner Andrew Herron consolidated fifth place in the 2008 driver standings at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk yesterday, Sunday, 13th July, with a well deserved podium result during the first triple-header event in the category’s history.

Although bidding for three straight podium finishes at the East Anglia track, the Northern Ireland racer saw circumstances conspire against him during the weekend’s opening encounter on Sunday morning – round 11 – when a tap to the rear of his car heading into Riches Corner saw him pitched into a spin out of fourth place.

Eventually recovering, after initially struggling to get his car back into gear, the Dromore based 20-year-old fought back strongly to climb from the back of the field into seventh place before the chequered flag.

Having caught sixth placed Jamie Ackers three laps from the finish, Andrew crossed the line on lap 16 just a 10th of a second shy. Impressively, even after his lap one troubles, Andrew managed to post the second fastest lap of the race with a terrific time of 1m 14.297 seconds.

Starting round 12 from fourth on the grid, the Brian Herron Contracts supported star slipped back to sixth place but soon got onto terms with fifth placed Daniel Welch as the race progressed. On lap 10, fourth placed Martin Byford started to slow at the Bomb Hole and through Coram Curve which allowed Andrew to move into the top five.

Pressuring Welch all the way to the chequered flag on lap 16, Andrew concluded the second race of the day 0.672 seconds shy in fifth spot. Having made some changes to his car between the first two encounters, Andrew wasn’t as happy with the performance and handling so the set-up reverted for the third outing.

Race three was the rescheduled 10th round which was postponed from Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire at the start of June due to poor weather. Lining up fourth on the grid, Andrew made a great start to rapidly move into third position ahead of Byford, the latter also slipping behind Carl Breeze.

Quickly beginning to open up a gap to fourth placed Breeze, Andrew set after JHR Developments team-mate Robert Lawson ahead but third place was where he would remain for the duration of the 15 laps.

Obviously very happy to be back on the SEAT Cupra Championship podium, Andrew commented: “Realistically we had the pace all weekend. It’s great to be on the podium but I had hoped for top three finishes in the other two races as well. I’m still learning but we’re getting closer and closer to race wins all of the time – there’s more to come!

“In the first race I had the spin at the first corner after a small tap but I knew straight away my race pace was good – I was as quick as anybody in the opener. For the second race we made a slight set-up change but we struggled a bit so we went back to what we used for qualifying in the last race and it obviously worked.”

Andrew added: “It’s so hard to pass at Snetterton in these cars as there’s no slipstream, you can be 1.5 seconds quicker then the car ahead but you’ll be unable to get by. It gets quite frustrating knowing you’re much faster than the car ahead but we can’t complain with the results. I’ve maintained my championship position so I’m pleased with that.”

HERRON CLIMBS INTO SERIES TOP FIVE WITH CROFT PODIUM

Andrew Herron matched his season’s best finish of second place during the ninth round of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship season at Croft Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 1st June; the result helping lift the Northern Irishman into the top five in the driver standings.

Continuing the tremendous run of consistency which began with his maiden SEAT podium at Donington Park a month ago, the Dromore-based saloon car star showed superb pace during round nine and actually posted the fastest lap of the race, 1m 35.058 seconds (80.47mph), en route to his hugely competitive runner-up spot.

Taking the chequered flag just 0.161 seconds behind JHR Developments team-mate, and championship leader, Robert Lawson, Andrew is now almost 30 points clear of his closest pursuer in the title race and within 21 points of reigning SEAT Cupra Champion Jonathan Adam in fourth position.

“It’s fantastic to be on the podium again, the conditions were quite tricky but I was happy with the car and felt like I could push without any problems”, said the Brian Herron Contracts backed racer, “Setting the fastest lap of the race was good, I had the pace to challenge Robert (Lawson) but there was no point risking anything.”

The race actually started behind the Safety Car due to earlier persistent rainfall which caused chaos during the preceding HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship race.

Following a lengthy delay of around an hour, the SEAT Cupra encounter finally got underway and when the Safety Car peeled into the pits prior to the start of lap four, Andrew immediately set about staying on the heels of Lawson at the front.

Coping very well indeed with the spray from his team-mate’s car, Andrew – who will celebrate his 20th birthday a week tomorrow, Tuesday, 10th June – remained in Lawson’s wheel-tracks throughout. Although the Safety Car was required late in the race, the single lap re-start caused no issues and Andrew shadowed his team-mate over the line.

Due to the weather affecting the raceday timetable, round 10 of the SEAT Cupra Championship had to be postponed and no confirmation has yet been given as to when, if at all, that particular race will be contested. For round 10, Andrew qualified fourth on the grid with a best time of 1m 27.879 seconds (87.05mph).

CAREER BEST SEAT RESULT FOR HERRON WITH SECOND PLACE

SEAT Cupra Championship rookie Andrew Herron secured his best ever finish in the category with a deserved second place during the eighth round of the 2008 season at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire yesterday afternoon, Sunday, 18th May.

Racing over the weekend in memory of late motorcycling legend, and family friend, Robert Dunlop who tragically died last Thursday after an accident during the practice session for the North West 200 road race in Northern Ireland, 19-year-old Andrew produced an inspired drive to claim his second podium of the season.

In turn, the result – combined with a top six finish during the earlier seventh round – sees the Co. Down native climb into sixth position in the championship standings as he begins to become more and more comfortable at the wheel of his JHR Developments run car.

The Northern Irishman, backed by Brian Herron Contracts, headed into the weekend aiming for two consistent results and after a titanic battle in round eight, he actually took the flag in third but was later handed second when team-mate Robert Lawson was deemed to have gained an unfair advantage at the chicane.

Commenting on his best ever SEAT Cupra Championship result, Andrew said: “It’s been a good weekend all in all, I’m delighted to be on the podium again and it’s good to be showing much more consistency now. During the Thruxton test a few weeks ago we were quick and so always had the confidence we’d be strong here.

“I’d like to dedicate my second place to Robert Dunlop who died tragically on Thursday back home in Northern Ireland. He was a motorcycling legend and a great friend of my dad’s so we’re all devastated. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family.”

Qualifying for round eight second on the grid with a great lap during the second session on Saturday afternoon, Andrew made a good getaway at the beginning of the race but lost out initially to fast-starting pair Jonathan Adam and Daniel Welch.

Contact between the two, however, enabled Andrew to squeeze through and retake second place behind Adam as Welch had a spin. Martin Byford moved into third position but Andrew dealt superbly well with the pressure from his vastly more experienced rival.

Staying in touch with race leader, and reigning SEAT Cupra Champion, Adam during the early stages, from mid-distance the JHR teenager started to come under greater scrutiny but he did very well to keep Byford – the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion – at bay.

On lap eight at the chicane Byford braked incredibly late around the outside to try and usurp Andrew from second place and he succeeded. It wasn’t that straight-forward though and as Byford edged ahead of Andrew, the resulting slower exits from the turn meant Robert Lawson was forced to cut through the chicane to avoid a collision.

Moving Lawson up into second position, Byford took third and Welch slotted into fourth as Andrew was shuffled back to fifth place – the latter thinking any chance of a podium result had evaporated there and then.

However, on the 12th and final lap of the race, a lunge from fourth placed Welch on Byford resulted in both cars running wide at the complex. Andrew, displaying maturity far belying his experience, read the situation ahead brilliantly and as the two squabbling SEAT cars returned to the circuit, the Northern Ireland ace nipped through into third.

Taking the chequered flag with the final podium place in his grasp, Herron was later promoted to second when Lawson was demoted after gaining an unfair advantage on lap eight at the chicane.

During the earlier seventh round of the campaign, Andrew started on the second row of the grid in fourth place but a difficult getaway dropped him to seventh place. He moved back into the top six though at the end of lap one at the expense of Jeremy Gumbley and remained there to the chequered flag.

“The first race didn’t go our way but I felt very comfortable in sixth place just watching and waiting to see what happened ahead”, said Andrew, “I didn’t want do anything risky and was quite happy to take the points for sixth place knowing I was second on the grid for race two.

“It was good to have had the pace on Robert (Lawson) at times this weekend, he actually said to me I drove a better race than him in round eight. There are six drivers who I believe can win races in the championship this year and I’m the youngest and most inexperienced of them so I’m very happy with how things are progressing.”

HERRON RECORDS DEBUT SEAT PODIUM AT DONINGTON

Northern Ireland’s Andrew Herron recorded his maiden SEAT Cupra Championship podium finish at Donington Park in Leicestershire yesterday, Sunday, 4th May, to truly kick-start his 2008 campaign.

The 19-year-old Brian Herron Contracts backed ace, who only has one season of saloon car race experience under his belt, fought well to achieve a terrific third place finish during round six – the result only going to validate the pace he has shown throughout official testing.

Coupled with a fourth place finish in the earlier fifth round yesterday, where he missed out on climbing the rostrum by just 1.5 seconds, Andrew has risen to seventh place overall in the championship standings with 49 points.

Lining up third on the grid for the first of the weekend’s races, Andrew consolidated his position well and by lap four he was within just four 10ths of a second of Carl Breeze.

As round five entered its final third, the Dromore-based racer continued to press Breeze but he also came under pressure himself from 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion Martin Byford. Running nose-to-tail into the penultimate lap, Andrew defended the inside line into Redgate

But Byford, with more grip at his disposal, managed to cut back from the outside on the exit of the turn and make the pass for third on the run through Hollywood. Forced to settle for fourth position, Andrew was disappointed but nonetheless pleased to record a highly creditable result.

Starting from second on the grid for round six, Andrew slipped behind Breeze into Redgate for the fist time and on the opening lap came under some pressure from the reigning SEAT Cupra Champion Jonathan Adam.

Andrew soon found his rhythm though, lapping quickly and consistently to close to within three 10ths of a second of Breeze into lap four. Into Goddards at the end of the lap, he then produced an outstanding piece of late-braking and overtaking to seize second place.

Immediately beginning to pull away from his rival, the JHR Developments racer opened up a 1.5 second gap inside two laps but as the race entered its closing stages, Andrew started to come under attack once again as he began to lose grip.

The outcome was decided at the final corner, Goddards Chicane, on the last lap. Having to defend from Breeze at Coppice meant Andrew made a slower exit from the turn and as the cars ran along the straight under the Dunlop Bridge, Breeze pulled alongside.

Under braking for the corner, contact occurred between the two which allowed Byford to sneak through and take second but Andrew did manage to hold on to claim third ahead of Breeze who straight-lined the chicane.

Commenting on round six, the Northern Irishman said: “I was fast at the start and I was really disappointed that Carl (Breeze) pipped me to the first corner as I knew I would be quicker than him during the early laps and I knew I had to try and build a gap.

“I need to work on my driving style a little bit to get the most out of my front tyres but to come away from this weekend with my first podium in SEAT is great. My first podium last year in the Clio Cup kick-started a good run for me so I hope this can do the same.”

Although afflicted by bad luck during the first two race meetings of the year at Brands Hatch and Rockingham, Andrew’s season now appears to be turning a corner and he’s hopeful of continued podium success during the next SEAT Cupra Championship event a fortnight from now at Thruxton in Hampshire.

“During Thruxton testing, my lap-by-lap race pace was as quick as anyone else out there so I’m feeling really confident for the next two rounds”, said Andrew, “I hope this success at Donington will be the first of many podium finishes in 2008.”

The SEAT Cupra Championship will resume in two weeks on 17th/18th May at Thruxton for the seventh and eighth rounds of the season.

MORE ROCKINGHAM POINTS FOR BATTLING HERRON

Andrew Herron battled hard to maintain ninth position in the SEAT Cupra Championship standings at Rockingham in Northamptonshire yesterday, Sunday, 13th April, the JHR Developments driver fighting all the way for a top eight finish during the fourth round of the 2008 season.

The 19-year-old, from Dromore in Northern Ireland, qualified for the latest instalment of the championship in ninth position and at the start he made up two places before closing on reigning SEAT Cupra champion Jonathan Adam.

Rain before the race meant the opening laps would be a little tricky, especially with all cars on slick tyres, but Andrew felt comfortable and he looked set to bide his time while the group of four cars ahead of him battled hard for position.

On lap four, Andrew climbed into the top six following a moment for Jeremy Gumbley at Deene Hairpin and he then closed on Adam once more as the cars immediately ahead swapped places, thus allowing the pursuing pack to get ever closer.

Confident he had the pace and the astuteness to find a way past Adam, the complexion of the race then changed for Andrew on lap eight when Daniel Rowbottom produced a late braking move into Deene Hairpin to first pass Freddy Nordstrom and then the JHR Developments ace.

Unfortunately, contact with Andrew’s car left the category rookie with a steering problem and also allowed Nordstrom and Rowbottom to sneak past. Forced to effectively nurse his car home to the best finish possible, Andrew took the chequered flag in eighth place.

Looking back at round four, the Brian Herron Contracts backed racer commented: “At the start of the race I was really fast, sitting on the back of Jonathan Adam, and I felt pretty happy. Carl Breeze was kind of holding up the group ahead so I felt positive we’d be able to make up some ground as the laps went by.

“Then a couple of guys started to catch us so I pushed a bit more to try to get Jonathan to move but then, at the hairpin, I had some contact up the inside from one of the cars behind which knocked my steering out a bit.

“It made things quite hard for the remainder of the race but I held on for eighth place so I’m not too disappointed. It’s a finish, more points, but I genuinely think we could have had fourth place had things worked out a bit better. I just need my luck to change!”

The result helps Andrew maintain ninth in the championship standings but he’s hoping for much bigger gains at Donington Park three weeks from now when the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship resumes on 3rd/4th May. The Leicestershire venue will also host pre-event practice on Friday, 2nd May.

HERRON CARVES OUT HARD-FOUGHT TOP FIVE AT ROCKINGHAM

JHR Developments driver Andrew Herron fought back superbly well from opening lap difficulties at Rockingham International Sports Car Circuit on Saturday, 12th April, to carve out a well deserved top five result; moving the Northern Irishman up to ninth position in the SEAT Cupra Championship standings.

The Brian Herron Contracts supported star recorded the sixth fastest time in qualifying with a lap if 1m 26.447 seconds (80.78mph) but at the start of Saturday's third round, Andrew was pushed back down the order as the cars headed off the grid, through the banked Turn One and into Deene Hairpin for the first time.

Running in ninth place, Andrew quickly set about staying in touch with the cars ahead as he moved up into the top eight. For several laps he was locked in a very entertaining duel with Jamie Ackers and out of Deene on lap eight, Andrew got alongside but wasn’t quite able to make the move stick and he repeated the attempt during the next lap.

However, on lap 10 at the same corner, the Dromore-based racer’s pressure paid off as he slipped inside Ackers’ SEAT and into the top seven. Closing on the squabbling cars of Jeremy Gumbley and Daniel Welch, 19-year-old Andrew sensed a serious opportunity to make up more places.

On lap 13 at Yentwood, he seized his chance to move ahead of Gumbley and after defending the position well at Deene on the following tour Andrew edged ever closer to the tail of fifth-placed Welch.

Running side-by-side at Yentwood on the penultimate lap, Andrew couldn’t quite get ahead but an absolutely stunning move out of Pif-Paf and onto Steel Straight saw him slice past Welch and into the top five where he would remain to the chequered flag.

Commenting on the first of the weekend’s races, Andrew said: “After losing places at the start, I sat behind Ackers as I could see he was pushing his tyres hard so I thought I’d let him do the work. When I started to pressurise him more, he made a small mistake and my tyres were still good so I pushed and caught Gumbley and Welch real fast.

“After sitting behind them for a couple of laps, they started to fall over each other and when I got past them I was pretty happy to get the points for fifth place. It’s nice when you’re catching people and you can see you’re faster than them. It was a shame about the start but overall I did enjoy the race.”

Round four of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship is timetabled to start at 12.00 tomorrow, Sunday, 13th April. Andrew will start the race from ninth on the grid.

HERRON FORCED TO BATTLE THE ODDS ON SEAT DEBUT

Northern Ireland saloon car racer Andrew Herron saw a fantastic start to his first ever SEAT Cupra Championship race rapidly undone at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent on Sunday, 30th March, after being forced out of proceedings on the third lap.

Qualifying in sixth place for both of the weekend’s races, Andrew began round one well and moved into fifth ahead of Daniel Welch at Druids Hairpin on the opening lap. Next target Carl Breeze was soon in the 19-year-old's sights and following a great move at Paddock Hill Bend on lap three the JHR Developments driver moved into fourth position.

On the run up to Druids though, Welch moved to the inside of Breeze and braked very late into the turn, squeezing up the inside of Andrew’s car as well. Tagged sideways, the Dromore based racer recovered brilliantly and actually managed to get ahead of both experienced SEAT competitors through Graham Hill Bend with an outstanding move.

Along Cooper Straight though, more contact from Welch resulted in an early exit from round one for Andrew as he slammed into the barriers hard and came to rest on the grass at Surtees.

With his 300bhp SEAT bearing major damage, his team worked hard to repair the car in time for the second round and did a great job to ensure the Brian Herron Contracts backed star would line up on the third row of the grid.

Slipping to seventh place off the line, Andrew tried to pressure the cars immediately ahead but his SEAT was still suffering some effects of the earlier impact. Fighting on against the odds, he eventually came home in eighth position having lost some ground when baulked by a slowing car on the racing line at Surtees and McLaren.

“It’s been a disappointing weekend, especially as we felt we had a great chance of a couple of good podium results”, commented the SEAT rookie, “In the first race I felt good, the car was strong and I think we could have finished in second place or even challenged for the win.

“After being tapped at Druids I thought I was in trouble but then when I got the place back at Graham Hill Bend I felt we’d be ok. I didn’t expect the contact on Cooper Straight so I’m really disappointed with how the race ended. There’s no point dwelling on it though, we need to put it behind us and look ahead to the next two rounds.

“The JHR boys did a fantastic job to repair the car for the second race but it was always going to be a struggle. At least we scored some points and hopefully we’ve got all of our bad luck for the season out of the way now!”

Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit hosts rounds three and four of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship just under a fortnight from now, 12th/13th April.

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