2008 F1 sidecar Championship preview

THE 2008 CASTROL OILS/EASTERN AIRWAYS/FSRA F1 SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Donington plays host to the first round of the biggest and best F1 Sidecar championship for many a year.

A total of 26 teams has entered this year’s series – the only national championship to feature the reigning world champions!

Donington is the first of seven meetings, each featuring two championship races, with the series moving on to Snetterton, Brands, Cadwell, Knockhill and Oulton before returning to Snetterton in mid-September for the season’s finale.

A welcome boost for the championship comes in the form of generous sponsorship from Castrol Oils and Eastern Airways care of the hard-working FSRA led by chairman Paul Woodhead.

Last year three times world champion Tim Reeves and passenger Patrick Farrance won all 10 races yet amazingly they face a struggle to retain their title. How come? Well, it’s all down to a packed calendar which has resulted in three of the seven meetings coinciding with rounds of the World Superside series.

Mind, the first clash can be averted if teams rush back from the Dutch round at Assen in late June on the Saturday night to Cadwell for the Sunday racing! It’s not just Reeves and Farrance who will have this problem – World series regulars Steve Norbury and Dave Molyneux will also be facing the dashback.

The other clashes concern rounds in Germany and Croatia so there will be no doubling up there. All this gives the ‘homestays’ a chance to steal a march on the Superside teams.

As Paul Woodhead stated, ‘It’s fantastic, with the Superside clashes the championship could go to any one of half a dozen teams. Bring it on!’

Leading the charge when Reeves and Co are absent are a whole host of teams, many of whom have contested both British and world championships for many years.

Third-placed in 2007, father and son team Gary and Dan Knight along with fourth placed Brian Peddar and Rod Steadman will be hoping to score race wins and enough points to move well ahead in the title chase.

They’ll be under pressure though from the likes of Dan Morrissey and Rob Biggs, Richard Gatt and Paul Randall, Stuart Muldoon and Lee Barrett, Roger Lovelock and Rick Lawrence along with Roger Body and Wayne Stevens.

But what about the newcomers to the championship, those who have done well at club level and want to try their hand on the National scene? What incentive is there for these teams other than to perhaps avoid being lapped by Reeves and Co?

New for 2008 is the championship within a championship, for those teams who do not have an international licence. The scheme has worked well in the FSRA’s F2 Championships and the ten ‘national’ teams in this year’s series will be battling for the F1 Cup along with trying to score points in the main series.

It’s always difficult to compare teams who have contested the different club championships but Phil Bell and James Neave, NE and Scottish title-holders along with Scotland’s Scott Lawrie and James Connell will be eager to pit their skills against Gordon and Darryl Pottinger while Cheshire’s Craig Chaplow and Danny Evanson will be confident with a year’s experience at National level behind them.

Incidentally, a remarkable 20 of the 26 teams entered for 2008 will be fielding outfits with an LCR chassis – how the times have changed!

So, all is set for a fascinating title chase as Reeves, Norbury and Molyneux begin their campaign at Donington on Easter Sunday.

Dates and Venues:

• 22/23/March Donington Park
• 12/13 April Snetterton
• 10/11 May Brands Hatch
• 28/29 June Cadwell Park,
• 12/13 July Knockhill
• 15/16 August Oulton Park,
• 13/14 September Snetterton.

Accreditation to John Newton