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Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete sponsored saloon car racer Robert
Lawson took two podium finishes from three race starts at Snetterton Circuit in
Norfolk yesterday, Sunday, 13th July, to ensure he maintains a healthy 28 point
cushion at the head of the SEAT Cupra Championship driver standings.
While delighted to continue his outstanding record of podium finishes in
his debut season of SEAT action, the farmer from Barton, near Richmond in North
Yorkshire, didn’t have a completely straightforward weekend after being forced
out of the first race at the second corner when caught up in the aftermath of an
incident between Jonathan Adam and Daniel Welch.
However, outstanding work by the JHR Developments mechanics ensured
Robert’s car, which had received substantial damage to the front end, was
repaired with just minutes to spare ahead of the second race of the day.
Lining up second on the grid for round 12, Robert made a decent start and
kept his foot to the floor around the outside of Riches and Sear to maintain
second place behind pole-sitter Adam.
Running in a comfortable second for the remainder of the race, Robert took
the chequered flag on lap 16 some seven and a half seconds clear of Breeze. He
also posted the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1m 13.856 seconds
(95.14mph).
The third and final race of the weekend, the rescheduled 10th round from
the Croft race meeting at the beginning of June, saw Robert achieve another
solid second place finish behind Adam with a fault-free run.
Commenting on the Snetterton event, Robert said: “We did the best we could
this weekend, obviously the car took a bit of a hit in the first race and, to be
honest, it’s all credit to the team for putting it back together. It was touch
and go whether we’d even feature in the second race so we have to look at the
positives really.
“We bagged a fair few points and managed to get the fastest lap in the
second race as well so, as far as damage limitation goes, if you can’t win
you’re better off being second than anywhere else! We struggled with tyre wear
in the third race but I’m pretty satisfied with two podiums. Our championship
lead is intact and that’s the important thing.”
The first race of the day, round 11, saw Robert get away cleanly from his
seventh pole position of the year and after negotiating the first corner in the
lead, he was then tagged on the run to Sear which resulted in his SEAT being
fired off the circuit with damaged steering and front-left suspension. The
impact also ripped off the front-left wheel.
Although a nightmare start to his Snetterton weekend, Robert’s solid
performances in the remaining two encounters underlined his professionalism as
he maintained a cool head. He’s now looking forward to the next two rounds of
the championship which take place at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire a
fortnight from now.
“I’m looking forward to Oulton Park, I like that circuit and it’s a bit
more local for me which is always good”, said Robert, “I aim to be back fighting
strong and challenging for pole positions and race wins. The first race at
Snetterton was disappointing but to get two second places and one fastest lap
shows it wasn’t a desperately bad weekend.”
Rounds 13 and 14 of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship will take place two
weeks from now, 26th/27th July, at Cheshire’s Oulton Park Island Circuit. In the
meantime, highlights from round eight at Thruxton will be screened on Freeview,
cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 at 17.10 this Tuesday, 15th July, on
the Motorsport UK show.
Provisional 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship Driver Standings (after
Rd12):
1st Robert Lawson, 194pts;
2nd Carl Breeze, 166pts; 3rd Jonathan Adam, 164pts
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