Seat Cupra Championship - Donington - Thanks Guys

[Sheila M]

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to Steve and Mark from the Seat Cupra Cup for helping us out in the pit lane at Donington today.

To say we were short staffed would be an understatement - me and Nigel on the pits side and Steve on the fire cover side. Mark and Steve very kindly offered to assist (or were they press-ganged by the series co-ordinator, whose name I didn't get?) by manning the pit exit for the Seats and a great job they did too. They have already offered to come back and do it again tomorrow, for which I am eternally grateful.

Anyway, thanks once again for your help guys, it was very much appreciated.

Sheila

[redshoes]

On the subject of SEATs anyone what happened to Tom Boardman in first qualifying. The press release shows him as 4th fastest time with a footnote that he will be demoted 4 gris places but doesn't actually say why.

[Sheila M]

No idea!

[Ian Sowman]

Probably an infringement from a previous round redshoes - I think it is a regulation peculiar to SEATs.

[racingdad]

Tom was penalised 4 places on the grid as a punishment for driving infringement at Knockhill - in a championship, it is a valid means of trying to ensure driver standards

[redshoes]

Fair enough, although I don't understand why they couldn't say so.

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by racingdad
Tom was penalised 4 places on the grid as a punishment for driving infringement at Knockhill - in a championship, it is a valid means of trying to ensure driver standards

Shame a few more series can't come up with this idea - I'm sure it would some some drivers the world of good.

Didn't Tom still win the race though?

[racingdad]

Yep,

He won the first race of the day.

Got a cracking start, got to the front and then held off a very determined (but entirely contact free) challenge from Oli Wilkinson.

His tyre choice for the second race was, however, very strange indeed!

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by racingdad
Yep,

He won the first race of the day.

Got a cracking start, got to the front and then held off a very determined (but entirely contact free) challenge from Oli Wilkinson.

His tyre choice for the second race was, however, very strange indeed!

Thanks for that - I lose track after a while I'm afraid, being busy doing other things. I'm glad Tom won - he's a good kid!

As for his tyre choice - didn't he go for the round, black ones like everyone else?

[racingdad]

Yes, except his were very soft with big grooves that really help when its raining.... everyone else had actually noticed that the rain had stoppoed and went for the slightly less soft ones without grooves that work really well in the dry!

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by racingdad
Yes, except his were very soft with big grooves that really help when its raining.... everyone else had actually noticed that the rain had stoppoed and went for the slightly less soft ones without grooves that work really well in the dry!

Oh, silly boy!

[Les]

not silly but a gamble that didn't work - he knew James was going to win if he finished in the top 6 regardless of where Tom finished. All he could hope for was it to rain again and James not to finish and for him to win - it didn't work

sad

[racingdad]

Les,

When the whole field was in the collecting area on wets, a couple of the drivers were asking if they could stat from the pit lane as they knew that slicks were the way to go and whatever they lost at the start they would more than make up in the race. Seat said they wouldn't allow any tyre changes until after the race had started, which sort of killed that idea.

Sorry - Tom was the only person who seemed to think it would rain again, and that is a mistake.

Look at Oli Wilinson - his only realistic chance of the championship was if James had a DNF - didn't stop him putting in the drive of the season to come back from being punted off (last and 18 seconds down on Sheddon) to taking the win.