The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
| Home |
 Features |
Calendar |
News
Archive |
11/56 MotorSport | |
|
Reports |
Gallery |
Links |
Classified |
|
Provisional
2008 SEAT Cupra Championship Driver Standings:
|
E mail the editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk with any news SEAT Cupra Championship ANDREW HERRON – 2008 SEASON REVIEW
Northern Ireland saloon car driver Andrew Herron embarked on only his second ever season of car racing action during 2008 in the high profile SEAT Cupra Championship and underlined his outstanding progression with a tremendous year. Narrowly missing out on race victory during the penultimate event of the season at a very wet Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire, the 20-year-old from Dromore in Co. Down achieved a total of five podium finishes during his maiden year in a 300bhp SEAT Leon Cupra. Comprising four runner-up spots and one third place finish from the 20 rounds contested, the JHR Developments driver regularly raced wheel-to-wheel with, and defeated, a number of vastly more experienced rivals including double champion Jonathan Adam and 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion Martin Byford. Andrew, of course, started his own car racing career in Clios last year and after finishing ninth overall in the championship – from over 50 registered competitors – he took his first win during the four round Winter Cup which he ended as Vice-Champion. Heading into SEATs for 2008, a top six finish in the driver standings was always likely to be a tall order but the young Northern Irishman consistently produced performances far belying his minimal experience and quickly became a regular front-runner and podium challenger. “Stepping up to SEAT this year was always going to be a big challenge but we did a great job and I was very happy to end the year in the top five in the championship”, said Andrew, “We showed our pace was good enough to run at the front consistently and the guys at JHR did a fantastic job with the car, not only was it my first year in SEAT but it was also the team’s first season too.” While the opening two rounds of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent weren’t the most fortunate, it wasn’t long before Andrew was right on the pace and during the eighth race of the season he achieved his first category podium. This started a rich run of form for the Brian Herron Contracts backed racer, standing on the podium for rounds nine and 10 and racking up plenty of championship points. Tantalisingly close to a memorable victory during round 18 at Silverstone, Andrew still made two rostrum visits over the course of the weekend and ended the season fifth overall in the championship. “At the start of the year the target for the season was to try and get on the podium but we managed that after only eight races”, he explained, “The next aim was to become a consistent front-runner and podium finisher, which we did, so after that we wanted to win a race. “We were so close at Silverstone but there was no shame in finishing second to a driver like Jonathan Adam (2005 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion and 2007/2008 SEAT Cupra Champion), especially considering I’ve only been racing cars since last year. All in all, it was a great year and I was very pleased with my performances.”
HERRON ENDS FINAL SEAT CUPRA SEASON FIFTH OVERALL
Although not ending the season with another podium result as he had wanted when the weekend’s action got underway, the 20-year-old Brian Herron Contracts-backed driver is still pleased to have finished the campaign in fifth position some 70 points ahead of the chasing pack. “The aim at the start of the year was to get on the podium and we’ve ended up achieving about six of those”, said the Northern Irishman, “At Silverstone I came very close to my first win in SEAT so, all in all, I think I’ve produced good enough performances this year to enable me to get a drive in 2009 in a good car in a good championship. “It’s such a shame SEAT has decided to pull out of British motorsport next year as, with the experience I’ve gained this year, I’m sure I could have challenged for the title in my second season. We’ve come on leaps and bounds this year, it’s only my second season in cars, and I think myself and JHR Developments have done a great job.” Lining up eighth on the grid for round 19, just half a second shy of pole position, Andrew made a decent getaway and instantly gained a place before claiming another spot as Carl Breeze was pitched into a spin by Daniel Welch on Cooper Straight. Contact off the start, as Jeremy Gumbley hit James Appleby into the barriers, resulted in a Safety Car period between lap two and the start of lap four but as the race resumed Andrew immediately pressurised the cars ahead but he was unable to find a way past before the chequered flag on lap 19. For round 20, Dromore-based Andrew started from the third row of the grid in sixth place and maintained the position throughout during a race which saw little in the way of overtaking anywhere down the field. Although the season has concluded, the hard work now begins for Andrew as he strives to attract the required backing to continue his outstanding progress into 2009 and beyond. After just two seasons of car racing action, the talented youngster has proven his ability on numerous occasions and hopes to graduate up the racing ladder next year. With SEAT Sport UK having confirmed the SEAT Cupra Championship will no longer be in existence next season, Andrew has to look for a fresh challenge and at this stage has one eye on the prestigious Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship while also looking at options in Europe. “If I’m back on the British Touring Car Championship package next year then it’ll be in the Porsche GB series”, he commented, “There are some other options to look at seriously in Europe but we’ll have to wait and see. We really need to secure some sponsors for next year so the hard work begins now to try and get everything into place.”
MAIDEN SEAT WIN JUST ELUDES SENSATIONAL HERRON
The 20-year-old Brian Herron Contracts backed star, from Dromore in Co. Down, looked on course to claim his maiden SEAT triumph after an outstanding drive from second on the grid during round 18 but was just unable to keep a charging Adam at bay during the final stages. Nonetheless a superb performance by the ever-improving Northern Irishman, he finished the race just 1.4 seconds shy of Adam. Other than the victor himself, Andrew was the only driver to lap under the 1m 09 second bracket in wet conditions with a best time of 1m 08.904 seconds. Claiming his second runner-up spot of the weekend, backing up an excellent effort during Saturday afternoon’s 17th round of the season, Andrew now has a championship total of 187 points. “I got a very good start, moved alongside Jonathan (Adam) but, unfortunately, I was on the inside which was more slippery in the wet so I couldn’t quite get into Copse in the lead”, explained Andrew, “Jonathan made a mistake into the last corner and I knew it was my chance and I went through. “I pushed as hard as I could, got a gap, but my tyres started to go off towards the end, especially at Becketts where I struggled to get the car stopped. That was the only place he was quicker than me. Jonathan is a brilliant driver, he has much more experience than I have so it’s good for me to race with drivers like him and to learn.” Leading the 18th round of the SEAT Cupra Championship for more than three quarters of the race distance, the JHR Developments racer couldn’t quite fend off Adam’s challenge but he did prove beyond question his time will come, sooner rather than later. Making a superb start on the trickiest side of the grid, Andrew gave Adam a run for his money down to Copse Corner for the first time and although forced to slot into second he went with the 2007 SEAT title winner. Into Luffield at the end of the lap, Adam made a mistake and ran wide onto the grass and gravel, giving Andrew the opportunity to take the lead. Quickly opening up a good margin, the youngster led by a superb three seconds into the sixth tour and he looked comfortable in the trying, wet conditions. On lap 12, the recovering Adam finally made his way back into second place and as the laps counted down Andrew started to struggle for grip as his tyres lost adhesion. Getting more and more difficult to hold the line through Becketts under braking, Andrew did all he could to stay ahead of Adam. On lap 17, Adam did get a good run out of Becketts but Andrew boldly stayed with him and ran side-by-side to Brooklands before holding the lead through the turn. Into lap 18, Adam was glued to the rear of Andrew’s SEAT and although managing to hold on to first place to Brooklands, the category rookie lost out on the exit. Disappointed to finish in second place having come within touching distance of his first ever SEAT Cupra win, Andrew was still happy with the performance and his second runner-up finish of the Silverstone weekend. “It looks good for the last couple of rounds and into next year too if we’re back in SEAT, we’re getting stronger all of the time and I’m getting more and more confidence”, added Andrew, “I’m disappointed the win just got away from us but who knows what we might be able to do at Brands Hatch next month? I’m looking forward to it”.
SUPER SECOND FOR RAPID HERRON AT SILVERSTONE
Returning to his usual front-running pace after a difficult weekend in Scotland two weeks ago which was caused by a problematic turbo on his SEAT Leon Cupra, the 20-year-old was delighted to claim his third runner-up spot of the year and prove beyond any shadow of a doubt his mysterious lack of pace at Knockhill wasn’t driver related. Speaking after today’s race, Dromore based Andrew said: “It’s fantastic to be back on the podium, I’m really delighted. It’s great to prove to people that Knockhill wasn’t me and that is was a problem with the car. It’s good to be back up there at the front, we need to make a big impression like this to help secure sponsors for next year.” Andrew started his Silverstone weekend very well indeed with the third fastest time overall during pre-event testing on Friday – a lap of 1m 02.559 seconds (94.31mph), just two 10ths of a second shy of Jonathan Adam’s best. Continuing his promising pace during qualifying today, the Brian Herron Contracts backed star lapped the 1.64-mile circuit with a time of 1m 01.945 seconds (95.25mph) to claim fourth on the grid for round 17, a mere two 10ths of a second away from pole. At the start of this afternoon’s 20-lap race Andrew got away well as his JHR Developments team-mate Robert Lawson and pole-sitter Jonathan Adam duelled over the lead from the front-row. Moving into third position past fellow second row starter David Nye, Andrew ended lap one in third and then fended off a challenge from Carl Breeze on the run to Copse Corner for the second time. Andrew then moved into second position before the end of lap two as reigning champion Adam pitted with a puncture. From that point on, Andrew was never troubled as he followed Lawson home to make it a JHR one-two finish. Taking the chequered flag just two seconds behind his team-mate, the Co. Down racer also set the third fastest lap with a time of 1m 02.872 seconds. In addition, he finished a full 6.5 seconds clear of Breeze in fourth place. Andrew commented: “I got a pretty good start, about as good as my team-mate Robert (Lawson) who was on the front row, but as Jonathan (Adam) started trying to defend the lead from Robert I gained some ground on them both. “Going into the first corner, I wanted to try and get through into second place but there wasn’t room. Breeze was giving me a really hard time so I had to drive cleverly to make sure I kept third place. “Then as we came through the complex, Jonathan was really slow and he was starting to hold me up – I was so glad to see him pull into the pits! At about half distance I started to relax a bit too much so I pushed a bit more and then Robert and I just ran at the same pace to the finish. It’s a great result for everyone at the team.”
HERRON’S KNOCKHILL HOPES DASHED BY POWER PROBLEMS
Thankfully retaining fifth place in the driver standings, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman left the Fife track on Sunday evening highly frustrated with the thought of what might have been having shown excellent pace in the second race of the weekend due to the use of a brand new turbo on his SEAT Leon Cupra. Struggling for straight-line speed throughout qualifying on Saturday, Dromore-based Andrew drove as hard as he could but was still only able to manage the 12th fastest time in the round 15 session and the 11th quickest lap during round 16 qualifying. His problems continued into the first of Sunday’s races when he fought as hard as he has all season to try and hold on to a top 10 finish. Lapping almost a second off the sort of pace he would have expected, the Brian Herron Contracts backed star simply didn’t have the power available to try and challenge the cars ahead. Attempting to identify the root cause of Andrew’s mysterious lack of pace, the JHR Developments mechanics opted to fit a new turbo to his engine during the build-up to round 16 and come the start of the race, it did appear to go a long way to solving the problems he had suffered from all weekend up to that point. Lining up on row six, Andrew made a decent getaway and it became immediately obvious his car was more competitive on the straights. By lap 12 he was up into eighth position – at a circuit noted for its overtaking difficulty in SEAT Cupras – and then latched onto a train of cars stretching all the way to the final podium place. With just four seconds covering Carl Breeze in third place to Jeremy Gumbley in eighth position at the finish, the result underlined the competitiveness of the race. Andrew came home in seventh after getting by Gumbley with a neat piece of opportunist passing which began at Real Radio Hairpin on lap 21. At the round 16 chequered flag, Andrew was just two 10ths of a second shy of a top six finish and only 1.5 seconds away from Martin Byford in fourth. His lap times were much more promising too – in fact, Andrew’s best of 55.240 seconds came on lap 16 and matched Byford’s quickest time of the race. Speaking at the end of perhaps his most frustrating weekend of the season, Andrew said: “Fitting the new turbo before race two made a big difference, we don’t know if it has totally cured the problem or just helped for now but the team will check everything over at the workshop and see where we stand. “With the car more sorted for race two we showed what we could do in terms of pace, even at a track I’ve never been to before. If we had started the second race on the second or third rows we’d have had a good result. I’m pleased we seemed to have decent pace in round 16 but it’s been a disappointing weekend all in all.” He added: “I was massively quicker than the cars ahead in the second one but just couldn’t get by. Knockhill is a very tough circuit to pass at in a one-make series like SEAT. Even though I’d never been to Knockhill before this weekend, I did have quite high hopes, it’s very frustrating the way it all turned out.”
HERRON FRUSTRATED AS ‘RACING INCIDENT’ DENTS PODIUM HOPES
Lining up fourth on the grid for this afternoon’s race, the JHR Developments star was confident he would be able to fight for a top three finish having driven strongly to fourth position during Saturday’s 13th round of the championship. Getting away from the line cleanly, Andrew gave third placed Martin Byford racing room on the inside of Old Hall but as the Brian Herron Contracts-backed driver turned in himself, Breeze forced his way up the inside and made contact in what the Clerk of the Course later deemed a ‘racing incident’, much to Andrew’s chagrin. Spinning Andrew round in the middle of the track on the exit of the corner, the move by Breeze wiped out any chance the Dromore sensation had of a decent finish. Recovering a long way down on the remainder of the field, Andrew ploughed on as hard as he could to close the gap and he managed to get back on terms with the others by lap four. Running in 12th position, Andrew soon realised he was losing out to the others in terms of straight-line speed due to a problem with one of his rear wheels – a result of the lap one contact. This prevented him from attempting any overtaking moves throughout the remainder of the 14 lap encounter, his car was simply not on a par with the others. The SEAT front-runner eventually came home in 10th position having got ahead of James Appleby as a result of the latter being involved in contact mid-way through the race. Scoring three points today, Andrew maintains fifth place in the driver standings some 41 points clear of his pursuers. In turn, he is 40 points shy of fourth placed Breeze. Commenting on round 14, Andrew said: “I’m confident we would easily have been on for another fourth place today and quite possibly a podium as I don’t think (Martin) Byford was any quicker than we would have been. Instead, I’ve come away with a poor finish and it was no fault of mine. I’m not at all happy about it but we’ll bounce back. “I had fourth place going into the first corner but then the contact came which then led to the back wheel being off-set. We lost a lot of speed on the straights because of that which prevented me from making any attempts at passing. It’s annoying but the focus now is Knockhill – I want to be back on the podium there for sure.”
SOLID TOP FOUR FINISH PLEASES HERRON AT OULTON
Heading into the weekend unsure exactly how competitive he would be – Oulton Park being one of the Dromore-based 20-year-old’s least favourite circuits – he was pleasantly surprised with his pace after qualifying fourth quickest in both of today’s qualifying sessions. Producing a best time of 1m 30.292 seconds (88.75mph) during the round 13 session to secure a place on the second row of the grid, Andrew went on to replicate the performance in round 14 qualifying with a great effort on his final lap of the session, a time of 1m 30.774 seconds (88.28mph). At the beginning of this afternoon’s 14-lap encounter, Andrew appeared to make a very good getaway but he later put that down to the fact JHR Developments team-mate Robert Lawson and series rival Carl Breeze both made poor starts. Following third-placed qualifier Martin Byford through to pass front row starter Lawson on the run to Old Hall Corner for the first time, Andrew ran in third position until midway through lap one when he sensibly allowed his championship leading team-mate back past in order to avoid compromising their individual races. From that point on, the Brian Herron Contracts backed star remained unchallenged in fourth place, crossing the line on lap 14 four seconds clear of Jeremy Gumbley. On lap two, Andrew posted a fastest race time of 1m31.265 seconds – just two 10ths of a second shy of the best managed by podium finishers Lawson and Byford. “I didn’t make the best of starts actually, it looked good because Robert (Lawson) and (Carl) Breeze didn’t get away well but mine wasn’t brilliant”, explained Andrew, “I did still manage to get by Robert at the start but heading down to the chicane it was safe to let him past so I did – there was no point us fighting. “The people behind would have caught us if we’d started racing for the position. He’s leading the championship too so if we had fought it could have ruined both our races. I decided to do the sensible thing which was the best decision. I didn’t quite have the pace of Robert and (Martin) Byford but we’ll have a look at the data and hopefully improve.” The Northern Irishman added: “I came into this weekend not knowing where I was going to be so to have ended today with two fourths in qualifying and fourth in the first race is good. If I can finish in the top four again on Sunday I’ll be really happy. I didn’t expect to have the pace I’m showing this weekend so it’s been a really good boost today.”
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
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
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. |
|
Rapid
young saloon car racer Andrew Herron concluded the final weekend of the
last ever SEAT Cupra Championship season fifth overall in the driver
standings after taking a brace of top six results at Brands Hatch Indy
Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 21st September. 
Andrew
Herron came within three laps of winning his first race in the SEAT
Cupra Championship at Silverstone National Circuit on Sunday, 31st
August, after a fantastic battle with the vastly more experienced
reigning champion Jonathan Adam. 
Northern
Ireland
SEAT
Cupra Championship front-runner Andrew Herron consolidated his fifth
position in the 2008 driver standings at Oulton Park Island Circuit in
Cheshire today, Saturday, 26th July, after racing to a solid fourth
place finish during the 13th round of the season. 
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. 
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. 