The Student Motorsport Challenge, the inter-series within the 2022 BRSCC Nankang Tyre CityCar Cup Championship, enters the second half of its 18-round season with a visit to Lincolnshire’s Cadwell Park over the weekend of August 20th -21st.
Seven entries will again contest the Student Motorsport Challenge class for the two scheduled rounds with an additional round time-tabled at the end of the weekend to make up for the cancelled round at the previous race weekend at Snetterton.
East Surrey College currently sits at the top of the standings on 90 points with driver Andy Burgess unbeaten in class in every race the team has contested this season. In fact, the only time the #57 Peugeot 107 has not finished on the top step of the podium was when the team was absent for the Anglesey rounds and Andrew Jones, stepping in for Richard Jepp in the #65 MET Motorsport Peugeot, took a clean sweep of victories.
Despite dominating the SMo Challenge class, Burgess has yet to finish higher than fifth overall so the Aston Martin Product Specialist will be pushing hard this weekend to finish in the top three on track and secure his first overall podium in the 2022 CityCar Cup Championship.
Second in class currently is the #65 MET Motorsport Peugeot, piloted by Richard Jepp. The team was desperately unlucky to have to sit out the opening race last time out at Snetterton, a loss that was compounded by the final race of the weekend being cancelled due to a crash on the opening lap. Jepp, along with Emma Norton’s Greater Brighton Metropolitan College crew, will be looking for a strong weekend to make up the nine-point deficit to East Surrey College over the three races at Cadwell Park.
Third-in-class Coleg Gwent (Blaenau) travels to Cadwell Park with Daniel Locket sitting 13 points behind Richard Jepp’s #65 car. Lockett and the #23 Peugeot have never finished out of the podium places although Richard Cooper, deputising at the Anglesey rounds, completed a trio of fifth place finishes. With Lockett having entered the 2022 season as a novice, the results from the Welsh team have been exceptional. Cadwell Park spectators can expect the #23 Coleg Gwent (Blaenau) to feature strongly this weekend as the Welsh team look ahead to a competitive finish for the 2022 season.
West Suffolk College has been one of the ‘fan favourites’ in 2022 with lecturer and team principal Leon Wilde deciding to drive the #26 entry despite no previous racing experience. Understandably cautious at their season-opener at Snetterton in May, the team has never finished lower than fourth in class and Wilde and the crew will be hungry for a podium finish at Cadwell if any of the class front runners slip up.
Coleg Gwent (Newport) has been a consistent podium finisher this season with George Jones having picked up five third-place finishes to leave the team fifth in the current standings on 57 points. With commitments elsewhere preventing Jones from competing in Lincolnshire, the driving seat in the #9 Citroen will be occupied by novice pilot Ben Shaw.
The sensation of the SMo Challenge’s most recent visit to Snetterton was the arrival of Ben Creanor in the #77 OBU Student Challenge Citroen, the young Scottish pilot immediately making his mark by finishing second in the first race. Mechanical issues caused a DNF for Race Two but, by the time of the red-flagged Race Three, the logistics business owner was flying again, making up multiple places before the stoppage. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver is looking to make his mark in the Student Motorsport Challenge so we can expect fireworks at Cadwell over the next three rounds.
SHU Karting’s #25 Citroen sees the return of Joe Miller who made his season debut at Oulton Park in April. The rookie pilot was delighted at his brace of second-place finishes at Oulton Park and will be looking to build on that confidence at Cadwell.
Student Motorsport Founder and series organiser John Paul ‘JP’ Latham is delighted at how the season is developing and is looking forward to some more good racing as well as meaningful challenges for the seven teams at Cadwell Park.
“I’m very excited to see how the Student Motorsport Challenge develops this weekend,” said JP Latham. “After racing in almost perfect conditions last time out at Snetterton, the possibility of mixed conditions at Cadwell Park will present some excellent learning opportunities for the teams, which is exactly what the Challenge is designed to provide.
“It’s great to welcome back Joe Miller in the SHU Karting entry as well as welcome Ben Shaw to the Challenge in #9 car. With all our teams and drivers growing in experience and confidence, we’re looking forward to another highly competitive weekend in the Student Motorsport Challenge.”
Track action at the Lincolnshire circuit for the BRSCC CityCar Cup Championship gets underway at 18:10 on Saturday August 20th with the 15-minute qualifying session. The lights go out for the first race at 09:30 on Sunday August 21st with Race Two beginning at 14:35. The final race of the weekend, for which only cars and drivers who competed at Snetterton will be eligible for, gets underway at 17:50.
