Scottish Championship Racing returns to Knockhill for its fifth meeting of the season this weekend (Sunday 17th August). As per usual, the action will be frantic and enthralling as leading Scots racers aim to claim one of seven prestigious Championship titles.
In the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship, young Johnstone racer, Ciaran Haggerty has been on a roll in recent weeks. He has taken 4 SRMC race wins on the spin, dovetailed in between impressive wins at Donington Park Circuit, and more recently, an Avon Tyres Formula Ford 1600 Triple Crown victory at Silverstone. Despite that form, Jordan Gronkowski (Banff) resolutely holds top spot in the standings, in part, due to the three fastest lap scores he has claimed on his way to four-straight 2nd place podium finishes in recent weeks. Graham Carroll (Musselburgh) seems set to miss this weekend, and that, could effectively end his Championship assault this year.
The Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup makes a welcome return to Knockhill at this event following an away round in July. It’s still Kenny Thirlwall (Haddington) who leads the way in the Championship on 286 points; with Dunfermline’s Joe Tanner in second place some 65points adrift of Thirlawll. Former Champion, David Sleigh has found some form in recent weeks and has leap-frogged Oliver Mortimer (Edinburgh) to third spot in the standings. The Mini Cooper Cup racers will line up for three full-on races this weekend and with vital Championship points at stake, things could get a bit tasty for assembled fans.
In the overall Classic Sport and Saloons Championship, Raymond Boyd (Stirling) heads back to Knockhill in search of his 9th and 10th consecutive wins of the season. Boyd has a 100% (Class D) record behind the wheel of his Porsche 911 and he’ll be keen to maintain his overall lead against Steve Uphill (Linlithgow) and Harry Simpson (Edinburgh). Tommy Gilmartin (Cupar) will be hopeful of resurrecting his title challenge following a no-points scoring outing at the previous round.
Wayne Macaulay (Forfar) also returns to Knockhill with his 100% record for the season intact. Macaulay entered the series at the end of last season after he’d already wrapped up the XR2 Championship title. If he maintains his current form, we could well see the flying Fiesta man jump-ship into another SRMC Championship before the end of this campaign too. Steven Gray leads the way in the XR2 Championship, despite his worst points haul of the season in the previous round. Jim Deans (Stonehaven), finally got his first XR2 win of the season at the last round and he’ll be keen to reel in Gray, who has a 14 point advantage at the top of the XR2 standings; heading into this weekend’s double-header.
Andrew Morrison (Stirling) returns to Scottish Saloon and Sports Car Championship as the overall Championship leader, despite missing the last round. 2nd placed man, Mark Robson (Pitmeddon), made the most of Morrison’s absence by claiming a win and a 2nd placed finish in the B1 class races. Whilst, Chris White (Falkirk), David Gebbie (Bothwell) and Joe Shuttleton (Portlethen) will all be eager to maintain their push for overall title success this weekend.
David Hunter (Alva), John Paterson (Motherwell) and Paul O’Brien (Naas) have all been in close proximity this season and currently occupy the top three places in the Legends Championship points table. They’ll all head back into this weekend’s triple-header looking to, at least, stay in touch with the leading pack when the racing concludes at approximately 5.30pm on Sunday 17th August. The leading trio, however, know all-to-well that the Legends Championship can be one of the most unpredictable on the SMRC event schedule; with upwards of 10 drivers capable of winning Legends races, this is one Championship that tends to go to the wire.
The seventh Championship set to race this weekend at Knockhill is the Scottish BMW Compact Cup; which sees St. Andrews racer, Alan Kirkcaldy remain at the top of the standings ahead of Steven Dailly (Wallyford) and Mark Souter (Aberdeen). The Compact Cup has been one of the most popular series this year, with bumper grids at each and every round, providing action-packed entertainment throughout the field all season. With 25 racers set to lock horns this weekend, more bumper-to-bumper action will be guaranteed from Scotland’s newest racing Championship.
Knockhill Events Director, Stuart Gray commented:
“It’s getting to a very decisive point in the season and I expect the action on track this weekend to be rather lively. I’m particularly looking forward to the battle between Ciaran Haggerty and Jordan Gronkowski. Ciaran seems to be flying at the moment, but Jordan has shown a great deal of determination to hold onto his Championship lead.
“As always, the SMRC events at Knockhill provide a wealth of machines, driving styles, action and entertainment; and I for one, am looking forward to more of the same this weekend.”
Action this Sunday (17th August) kicks off with qualifying from 8.30am onwards, with the first racing action of the day coming from the Scottish Saloons and Sports Car Championship at 10.45am.
Tickets for the event can be pre-booked via the Knockhill website, alternatively tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day, with admission prices as follows: Adult £12, Conc. £8, Family £32 and kids under 12 go free. All tickets pre-booked via the Knockhill website will be subject to advanced booking discounts.
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