SCC 2008 - Confirmed Drivers

[pdd144c]

When I was up at Northern South last there were a good 15 cars there which hadn't been sold...

 

[ZBOYD]

Autosport have reported that former Kuhmo BMW Club front runner Dan Stringfellow is joining the Cupra Championship this season, in an ex Nixon Motorsport car.

 

[ZBOYD]

Total Control Racing are also supposed to be fielding: Alex MacDowell, Jonathan Ridley-Holloway, Mike Robinson and another yet TBA

 

[ZBOYD]

Freddy Nordstrom returns to the contest the championship in a new Leon, with Advent Motorsport running the car for him.

http://www.seatcupra.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=805&Itemid=1

They also have on offer an ‘arrive and drive’ SEAT available for a budgeted driver.

 

[JasonP06]

Total Control Racing are also supposed to be fielding: Alex MacDowell, Jonathan Ridley-Holloway, Mike Robinson and another yet TBA

You think if I asked they would reply with something other than a few expletives?

Also what do you think of the likelyhood of the TBA being one of their Clio drivers like Ben Winrow or someone who was also with TCR last season?

It is just I think I am a growing fan of the team, knowing little about them, and would like to support them at Croft this year.

btw, I see on the TCR website by Jonathan and Mike in the 2007 season is "Winter Series" in brackets. What does this mean?

 

[IainW]

Ben Winrow's doing Clios with Team Pyro.

Sounds like the Clio Winter Series to me. It ran at Donington (I think) and Croft last November. Usually a chance for somebody to try a car/team out in a few races with a view to doing the following season.

 

[JasonP06]

Just out of interest but still related to the SCC when Motorsport UK returns on Tuesday 22nd April on ITV4 at 5pm, moving from its old late night slot on ITV1, does anyone know if all of the TOCA support races will be on it? I know both the Formula Renault and Renault Clio cup races will be on because it says so in a news article on the renaultsport website.

 

[pdd144c]

Have Seat released an entry list for the series yet? It's getting close now!

 

[JasonP06]

Dunno. Thing is we know who has entered so far; Martin Byford (Z Speed Racing), Andrew Herron & Rob Lawson (JHR Developments), David Nye (Daniels Motorsport), Carl Breeze & Daniel Welch (Welch Motorsport) and Freddy Nordstrom (Advent Motorsport), but is their a need for a list? But at the same time I just feel we need a list anyway to confirm things and perhaps even give names of people who perhaps MAY have slipped the media and press net.

 

[pdd144c]

Given that you have only listed 7 names and there is a week to go till testing at Brands is the Championship actually going to happen?! Would be strange for the drivers to miss out on any PR which gives them a good chance to talk about sponsors etc.

 

[JasonP06]

More have joined. This also includes confirmation of Daniel Stringfellows entry with Nixon Motorsport. This is an excert from the seatsportuk website:

"A tantalising mix of experienced Leon Cupra racers like Carl Breeze, Daniel Welch and Freddy Nordstrom and rapid newcomers such as Martin Byford, Robert Lawson and Andrew Herron, makes this year’s SEAT Cupra Championship one of the most open ever. Together with a prize fund in excess of £250,000 and a Champion’s title-winning prize drive of a fully funded race weekend with SEAT Sport UK, the opening two rounds at Brands Hatch on Sunday 30th March are eagerly anticipated.

Winter testing has been intensive, with new team and driver combinations doing more pre-season miles than ever before. Byford, the 2007 Clio Champion, has been ultra quick in his Z Speed Racing Leon, unofficially breaking the lap record at Brands Hatch in February. Not to be out done, Herron bounced back from a 115mph testing accident at Donington Park to also get under the Brands Hatch lap record in March. If testing times are a guide to the season ahead, Herron and his JHR Developments stable-mate Robert Lawson, who finished 9th and 3rd respectively in last year’s Clio Cup, also look set to be a team that will be series front runners.

Meanwhile Breeze, Welch and Nordstrom will be hoping that their experience in the SEAT Cupra Championship will give them an early edge. Breeze won three races and finished 3rd last year, while Welch finished 5th in last season’s SEAT Cupra Championship, with wins at both final races at Thruxton. They will be joined in a three car Welch Motorsport team by former Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship pilot Jeremy Gumbley, who returns to motorsport after an 11 year break.

Nordstrom finished 4th in the Cupra R Class last year, after three wins and finishing half his races on the podium. The 19-year old former Mini S Class Champion has a brand new PlumberTraining.com backed Leon Cupra for 2008, and will no-doubt be chasing race wins and podiums again.

Others to look out for include former kart champion and Radical racer Daniel Rowbottom (above), who achieved pole positions and race wins last year in cars that he had never driven before. Dan Stringfellow joins the Championship this year, having finished 4th overall and 2nd in class in his first season of saloon car racing in last year’s Kumho BMW Championship. James Appleby (below, with Jason Plato), the son of acclaimed international rally driver Dave Appleby, also joins the series. James only passed his ARDS test in February and has been impressive in testing his Hardinge Machine Tools backed Leon Cupra. David Nye, who finished 5th in the Ford Fiesta Championship last year, will also be worth watching, as he’s already set fast times in pre-season testing and is being run by the vastly experienced Daniels Motorsport team."

 

[nog986]

Dont know if this is the right place to post this but a guy was testing his leon challenge car here in Northern Ireland last weekend. The report and pics are on http://www.reallymeansounds.com/report.php?event=408

 

[JasonP06]

Could we have an updated entry list please which includes James Appleby, Dan Stringfellow, Daniel Rowbottom and Jeremy Gumbley (Welsh Motorsport)? It is just with just 1 week to go now before the BTCC and the TOCA support series begins their coming thick and strong now. We have another one to add to those four names.

Jamie Ackers, another former Fiesta racer, has just signed up with my fave team TCR. I would like to see maybe another two to make Lee Brookes team strong and with any luck to retain the SCC title which they won with Jonathan Adam last year. With just young Jamie I don't see them winning the SCC title.

 

[JasonP06]

We'll update this list as new drivers are confirmed to the 2008 series.

Martin Byford - Z Speed Racing ELF Renault Clio Cup 2007 Champion)
Andrew Herron - JHR Developments ELF Renault Clio Cup 2007 race winner
Robert Lawson - JHR Developments ELF Renault Clio Cup 2007 race winner
David Nye - Daniels Motorsport ex Fiesta Championship - 5th Place in 2007
Daniel Welch - Welch Motorsport SCC- 5th Place in 2007
Carl Breeze - Welch Motorsport SCC- 3rd Place in 2007
Freddy Nordstrom - Advent Motorsport SCC R Class- 3rd Place in 2007
James Appleby -
Daniel Rowbottom -
Dan Stringfellow -
Jeremy Gumbley -
Jamie Ackers - Total Control Racing

Thanks ZBOYD.

I only wish I had the teams for Appleby, Stringfellow, Rowbottom and Gumbley.

Though I am sure Appleby will be racing a privateer Leon though. In the article entitled "Experience v newcomers in the SEAT Cupra opener" it just says "Hardinge Machine Tools backed Leon". No mention of team.

 

[pdd144c]

18 drivers have apparently signed up so far I found out today, but no more info as to who they are, sorry!

 

[ZBOYD]

Trawling of Google sometimes yields results.

http://www.jeremygumbley.com

Jeremy Gumbley is running with Welch Motorsport

 

[JasonP06]

Jonathan Adam has returned to TCR to defend his title.

http://www.totalcontrolracing.com/

Last miniute news from sponsors. Does anyone know what news that is?

 

[ZBOYD]

Jonathan Adam has returned to TCR to defend his title.

http://www.totalcontrolracing.com/

Last miniute news from sponsors. Does anyone know what news that is?

Probably the last minute news is, Jonny you can have the money to go racing. or something along those lines.

 

[JasonP06]

You can finally complete your roster.

James Apleby is JHR's third driver to partner Rob Lawson and Andrew Herron, Jeremy Gumbley is the third driver at Welsh Motorsport to partner Daniel Welch and Carl Breeze and whilst Daniel Rowbottom will race for DRM Motorsport, Dan Stringfellow will race for West Suffolk Racing. Also David Green, a new name to us, will run at Daniels Motorsort.

I can give you their numbers too:

1# Jonanathan Adam (TCR)
2# Carl Breeze (Welch Motorsport)
3# Andrew Herron (JHR Development)
7# Daniel Welch (Welch Motorsport)
8# James Appleby (JHR Developments)
9# Jamie Ackers (TCR)
11# Jeremy Gumbley (Welch Motorsport)
14# David Nye (Daniels Motorsport)
25# Rob Lawson (JHR Developments)
32# Daniel Rowbottom (DRM)
34# Martin Byford (Z Speed Racing)
42# David Green (Daniels Motorsort)
44# Freddy Nordstrom (Advent Motorsport)
69# Dan Stringfellow (West Suffolk Racing)

 

[ZBOYD]

They are all testing today, should be on Live Timing.

I'll sort the main list out later, too busy at the moment.