The Grid

Richmond based Robert Lawson made his 15th visit to the podium of the 2008 SEAT Cupra season at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 21st September, but the destiny of the championship title remains undecided with the outcome of the Silverstone event three weeks ago still subject to appeal.

The Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete supported racer, who has been a genuine revelation this year at the wheel of his 300bhp SEAT, headed into this weekend’s action at the Kent venue leading the title race by 21 points, albeit with the threat of a 25 point penalty hanging over him due to a contested judicial decision from the previous meeting.

As it now stands, following the 19th and 20th rounds of the season, Robert has a points total of 320 which sees him 19 points clear in the title race and, theoretically, in a position to be crowned 2008 SEAT Cupra Champion – the last ever following the news SEAT is pulling out of UK motorsport now the current season has been concluded.

However, should a penalty served against Robert at Silverstone three weeks ago for off-set camber on one of his wheels, which was caused by an impact with a kerb on track, go against him, the category rookie will end the season as championship runner-up.

Alongside his podium from the first of Sunday’s races, the JHR Developments driver also achieved a fourth place result during round 20 which proved to be a very static race with little in the way of overtaking. Qualifying in fourth position, Robert stayed there for the duration of the encounter.

“We came to Brands Hatch with very high expectations but the weekend got off to an absolutely horrendous start in testing on Friday as we only managed two laps due to a problem with the differential on the car”, said Robert, “The first time I really got to drive the car properly was in qualifying and that’s critical at a circuit like this.

“The first session went ok, just missed pole position, but fourth was the best we could manage in second qualifying which wasn’t good enough. It was the lowest I’ve qualified all year but, at the same time, I’d had the least amount of practice on Friday.

“All in all, a second and a fourth isn’t too bad at all considering the start we had to the weekend. At worst we’ve finished second in the championship but if the appeal over the Silverstone penalty goes our way, we’ll win the title. It’s a shame it’s come down to this but the decision against us at Silverstone was wrong, it’s as simple as that.”

Starting on pole position for round 19, Robert led away but after receiving a tap to the rear of his car at Druids Hairpin, he was lucky to hold his machine and the delay allowed Martin Byford through into the lead. After a short Safety Car period, Robert then soaked up intense pressure from third placed Adam all the way to the chequered flag.

He added: “Ideally we were going for a win in the first race but when I got the tap at Druids on lap one, I was very lucky to hold the car in all honesty. From then it was a case of getting my elbows out of the windows to keep Jonathan (Adam) behind me!

“It’s been a good season and, whatever the outcome of the appeal, we should be happy with what we’ve all achieved. Massive thanks go to the guys at JHR for their work throughout the year and also to my sponsors Bardon Concrete and Bardon Aggregates who have made it possible for me to go racing this year.”

Whether or not Robert ends up being crowned 2008 SEAT Cupra Champion, one of the highlights of the year will come next week at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire where he will test a SEAT Leon TDI touring car, as raced this year in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship by Jason Plato.

Robert Lawson regained his winning touch at Silverstone National Circuit over the weekend, 30th/31st August, after taking his sixth victory of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship campaign during the 17th round of the season.

The impressive category rookie, who lives in Barton near Richmond, North Yorkshire, made a perfect start to the first of the weekend’s races on Saturday afternoon and thankfully emerged relatively unscathed into the first corner after contact from title rival, and reigning champion, Jonathan Adam off the start-line.

Making a better start from the inside of the front-row than Adam did from his pole-position slot, Robert looked set to take the lead immediately in his Bardon Concrete and Bardon Aggregates backed SEAT Leon Cupra.

Adam, however, was later penalised by officials for moving over on the JHR Developments racer and forcing him towards the pit-wall, resulting in contact between the two which damaged the front-left wheel on Robert’s car.

Streaking away into the lead, Robert instantly punched in a hugely impressive lap time on the second tour of 1m 02.337 seconds (94.65mph) to open up a substantial early lead. The lap actually turned out to be the fastest of the race and a brand new lap record, three 10ths of a second better than Adam could manage.

Robert went on to win by over two seconds from team-mate Andrew Herron. After round 17, he said: “It’s fantastic to win again, it’s been a few races since I was last on the top step so it’s a great feeling to be back. I’ve been so eager to get another win under our belt so I’m very pleased indeed.”

The North Yorkshire driver’s weekend took a dramatic turn on Saturday evening when championship officials declared his car to have been in contravention of a ruling regarding the camber of the wheels after round 18 qualifying. At present, there is a question mark over whether or not Robert will have 25 points deducted from his total.

Adamant the car was correct prior to qualifying, the JHR team is now contesting the ruling. On-board video shows evidence that Robert’s car whacked a kerb at Copse Corner heavily during the aforementioned session.

With race one commencing soon after the second qualifying session and with the camber then adjusted to what was deemed correct by officials, Robert still proved that he could go out and comfortably win, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process.

Forced to start the second race from the back, Robert’s fortunes got worse when a fogged-up windscreen made racing incredibly difficult. He eventually came through to seventh place at the finish on Sunday, a good result all things considered.

“It was very difficult to do anything at all in the second race, I couldn’t see very much and certainly couldn’t attack as I wanted to”, said Robert, “To come home in the top seven isn’t too bad in those circumstances but it wasn’t what we wanted. It’s all to play for now heading into the last two rounds at Brands Hatch. It’ll be exciting that’s for sure!”

North Yorkshire saloon car star Robert Lawson maintained his position at the head of the SEAT Cupra Championship driver standings at Knockhill in Scotland today, Sunday, 17th August, after adding two more podium finishes to his superb season’s tally.

Finishing in second place during rounds 15 and 16, the racer from Barton near Richmond now leads reigning champion Jonathan Adam by 14 points with just four races remaining on the 2008 calendar.

Having lapped quicker than Adam during Friday’s test session at the Fife track, hopes were high for a potential pole position performance in qualifying. At the wheel of his Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete sponsored car, Robert came very close to achieving his aim, qualifying second on the grid for each encounter.

His best lap during the round 15 session was 54.108 seconds (84.58mph), just seven 100ths of a second shy of pole position, while in round 16 qualifying he produced a time of 54.410 seconds (84.11mph).

At the start of the weekend’s first race, the JHR Developments ace lost out to Daniel Welch off the line which seriously hampered his hopes of staying on terms with pole-sitter and race leader Adam.

Clearly quicker than Welch, Robert managed to find a way past on lap nine after applying huge pressure to his rival and forcing him into a mistake. From that point on, the first year SEAT racer remained in second position until the chequered flag on lap 22.

Round 16 saw Robert make a much better getaway from the front row and although he had to tuck in behind Adam into SEAT Curves for the first time, he was able to remain on terms with the home-town Scottish driver throughout the 25 lap race.

Although he couldn’t quite get close enough to Adam to make a concerted attempt to try and pass, Robert’s second runner-up spot of the weekend provided very welcome points towards his championship challenge. He ended the race just 4.5 seconds behind Adam but some 10 seconds ahead of third placed Carl Breeze.

Speaking on the weekend’s action, which marked his first ever run in a SEAT Cupra at Knockhill, Robert said: “It’s getting a little bit too close for comfort to be fair in terms of the championship but, at the same time, we have two race meetings left and Jonathan was always going to be quick here – it’s his home circuit and he works here too.

“Out of all of the circuits we visit, this is possibly the one I lack most knowledge of so to finish second in both races isn’t too bad at all. I would have liked to have been able to fight for the wins but it wasn’t to be. The main thing is that we did the best we could and still lead the championship.

“The team did a fantastic job with the car, they worked wonders this weekend but we just didn’t quite have the pace in the races. We were still in touch in the second one though so that was better. Big thanks must go to Bardon Concrete and Bardon Aggregates for their support as always and for giving me the opportunity to be out here racing.”

The penultimate event of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship, rounds 17 and 18, will take place just two weeks from now over the weekend 30th/31st August, at Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire. The finale will then come at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent in mid-September.

“We had a win and a second place at Brands Hatch during the opening round and I like Silverstone a lot, I think it will suit us there”, added Robert, “Things do look positive for us for the final two events where we’ll hopefully be back on the top step of the podium.”

SEAT Cupra Championship points leader Robert Lawson remains in charge of the 2008 title race after securing a brace of second place finishes during the 13th and 14th rounds of the season at Oulton Park Island Circuit over the weekend, 26th/27th July.

The JHR Developments racer, who is supported this year by Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete, now heads the driver standings by 22 points from reigning champion Jonathan Adam but is determined to make a return to the top step of the podium three weeks form now when the championship makes its annual visit to Knockhill in Scotland.

“I’m very pleased for myself and the team this weekend, we’ve got a lot of points and it could have been a lot worse”, commented Robert, “At the same time though, we’re there to win races so from that point of view I do feel a little bit disappointed.”

During Saturday’s two qualifying sessions for rounds 13 and 14, the Richmond-based star produced the second fastest time in each period – a lap of 1m 29.817 seconds (89.22mph) sealing a front row start for the first encounter of the weekend and a time of 1m 30.116 seconds bagging second on the grid for race two.

At the start of Saturday’s 13th round of the season, Robert didn’t make the best of getaways and slipped to fourth place off the grid as team-mate Andrew Herron and title rival Martin Byford both found a way past on the run to Old Hall corner for the first time.

Right on the tail of third placed Herron as the cars headed to the hairpin, Robert then got good drive out of the corner and passed his fellow JHR driver for third on entry to the Knickerbrook Chicane.

Pursuing second position, the North Yorkshire racer was held up behind Byford until lap nine when he forced a mistake on entry to the hairpin. Pulling clear over the remainder of the race, Robert was unfortunately too far behind race leader Adam at that point to even consider mounting a challenge for the win.

Round 14 produced an identical result with Adam winning, Robert in second and Byford in third place, but this time the Bardon-backed ace maintained second position off the line and remained there to the chequered flag without ever being seriously challenged from behind.

Reflecting on his pair of runner-up spots, Robert said: “We got two seconds at Snetterton a couple of weeks ago and two second places at Oulton this weekend which is good but we want wins. That’s the name of the game – nobody wants to win more than I do.

“I’ve got a very good team behind me, I drove my best in the two races this weekend but we didn’t quite find the sweet spot with the set-up. I think my car was probably a bit harder to drive than Jonathan’s (Adam) was but we’ve got to make sure we have the car perfect for Knockhill now.”

Robert added: “Sometimes you can fine tune the set-up and it just doesn’t quite work for you, I think that’s been the story of our weekend. There’s no doubt about it though, we’re in the best position of anybody with regard to the championship. At the same time, we do need to win more races and hopefully we will next time out.”

Robert Lawson provided plenty for his home supporters to cheer at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire yesterday, Sunday, 1st June, the leader of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship extending his advantage in the title race yet further after another dominant victory – his fifth of the campaign.

Living, quite literally, a stone’s throw from Croft in the village of Barton, near Richmond, Robert has been looking forward to his home event all season. The Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete supported star certainly didn’t disappoint either, his lead in the driver standings now sitting at 28 points over his nearest rival.

“As far as the championship goes, it’s been pretty spot-on this weekend and from the points available to us we’ve scored very well indeed”, said Robert, “I had a lot of support this weekend with Croft being my local circuit, it’s very special winning in front of so many of your friends and family – I’m absolutely delighted.”

The 31-year-old, a SEAT Cupra Championship rookie, started the weekend well by securing pole position for round nine, his sixth of the year, under beautifully sunny skies on Saturday with a terrific lap of 1m 27.293 seconds (87.63mph) – a full four 10ths of a second faster than JHR Developments team-mate Andrew Herron.

Conditions took a turn for the worse, however, ahead of Sunday’s race action with heavy and persistent rain creating almost impossible driving conditions on the 2.12-mile track.

With the raceday timetable greatly affected by the weather, the ninth round of the SEAT season eventually got underway over an hour late and although the rain had ceased by that point, track conditions were still incredibly tricky.

For that reason, championship officials decided to start the race behind the Safety Car and so the true race action didn’t get underway until lap four. Robert immediately made a good break and although he didn’t have the spray his pursuers would have to contend with, as the lead driver he had to find out where the grip actually was.

Lapping strongly at the front, the talented racer controlled the gap to second-placed Herron and all looked well placed for a relatively straight-forward win. The Safety Car was deployed on lap nine after Daniel Rowbottom careered into the tyre barriers on the exit of Tower Bend but at the re-start, over just one lap, Robert made no mistakes.

He commented: “When the Safety Car came out it was a bit annoying as I had built up a small gap and I had to do it all again from scratch at the re-start. With Andrew (Herron) behind me though, I knew he wouldn’t do anything stupid.

“The hardest thing when you’re the lead car on a day like that is you’re the first one through the standing water. You don’t want to be the first one to make a mistake so you have to be very careful and conservative with braking points. I still managed to have the pace over the guys behind though. I’m delighted to take another win.”

Due to time restrictions imposed by delays caused by the inclement weather, the planned 10th round of the season had to be canned so everyone is now awaiting a decision on when that race will actually be contested. During qualifying for round 10 on Saturday, Robert produced the second fastest time with a lap of 1m 27.390 seconds.

LAWSON EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT THRUXTON

Robert Lawson recorded his sixth podium finish of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship season at the super-fast Thruxton Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 18th May, to increase his lead in the driver standings to a very healthy 21 points.

The Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete backed racer, who celebrated his 31st birthday the weekend prior to the event, did actually record a double rostrum finish to continue his amazingly consistent season.

However, a time penalty was imposed following the second race of the weekend, dropping Robert from second to fourth in the final classification, after he was adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage when attempting to avoid an accident with JHR Developments team-mate Andrew Herron at the Club Chicane on lap eight.

Although an unfortunate conclusion to the weekend, the Richmond based racer fully accepts the decision of the Clerk of the Course who had to take steps even though he understood Robert’s view he had to take avoiding action across the chicane to prevent a big accident with Herron and Martin Byford as they diced for position.

“The Clerk of the Course decided to give me an eight second penalty in order to drop me back to fourth in the second race and I have to say, I don’t have a problem with that”, said the SEAT championship leader, “It’s a fair decision, I did gain time by cutting the chicane but I had to do it to avoid hitting my team-mate Andrew (Herron).

“The SEAT officials could see how I was taking evasive action but they said they had no option but to impose the penalty and I fully agree with that. Taking a third and a fourth from the weekend isn’t too bad at all and, championship wise, we’re still looking very good as my main rivals didn’t gain on me this weekend.”

The first race, round seven, saw Robert start from third place and although slipping behind Carl Breeze at the beginning he soon recovered the lost ground and passed the experienced SEAT campaigner on the run up Woodham Hill to the chicane at the end of the opening lap.

Following a dice with Daniel Welch over second position, Robert had to settle for third in the end but was still very pleased to be on the podium.

Round eight saw the JHR ace start on pole position – his fifth of the year –and taking into account his ability, and the performance of the 2008 spec SEAT Leon Cupra, his time of 1m 18.468 seconds (108.08mph) would have been good enough to place him 12th on the grid for the first of the weekend’s British Touring Car Championship races!

Slipping to fourth early on, the North Yorkshireman remained there until lap eight when the aforementioned incident at the chicane took place. Opting to avoid what would have been undoubted contact with team-mate Herron, Robert cut across the chicane on the outside and emerged in second position where he remained to the chequered flag.

Although losing what would have been his seventh podium from eight rounds after the race, Robert was relieved to have completed the distance without incident after identifying a major tyre problem at the conclusion.

“I was very fortunate to finish the race as my front left tyre – the one which takes all of the stick around Thruxton – had a huge cut in it”, explained the Bardon-backed star, “On the inside edge of the tyre there was a huge gash about six inches long , right down to the wire. I wouldn’t have wanted to do one more lap on it that’s for sure!

“Now I’m looking forward to my home race at Croft in two weeks where I’m hopeful we can have a couple of excellent results. It would be nice to win both races at my home track but two podiums would be great for the championship. One thing that is for sure is that I’ll be going all out to race as hard as I can and bag as many points as possible.”

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