Lawson continues dominance at Donny

2:50pm Friday 9th May 2008

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FIRST year SEAT Cupra Championship competitor, Robert Lawson, continued his sheer dominance of the category at Donington Park last weekend by stretching his winning tally to four victories from the opening six races of the season.

Thoroughly dominating proceedings once again, as has become a hallmark of the Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete- backed racer from Barton, he started the weekend off perfectly by securing a brace of pole position starts which he then converted into two unchallenged wins.

Extending his lead at the top of the championship to 18 points over his nearest rival, the JHR Developments driver now heads to Thruxton, in Hampshire, aiming to add yet more silverware to his rapidly expanding trophy cabinet during the fourth event of the season next weekend.

gThis weekend has been unbelievable, everything has been absolutely perfect but I have to be thankful to the team really for providing me with the car to be able to do thath, said Robert after Sunday afternoonfs second race.

gWe played it right, we went well in testing on Thursday so we knew we had the pace.h Completing the fewest laps of any competitor during round five qualifying on the Saturday, Robert, who celebrates his 31st birthday tomorrow, secured pole position and in the next session, he once again completed just four laps to establish his best time, proving to be good enough for pole by the smallest of margins, a mere five thousandths of a second.

At the start of the first race of the weekend, Robert held the lead through Redgate Corner and started to build his advantage halfway through the lap and on lap three, Robert posted the fastest lap of the race and with it set a brand new lap record for Doningtonfs National Circuit. Cruising to the finish on lap 16, Robert took the win by over two and a half seconds from Breeze.

Round six saw him take victory by an even greater margin, over five seconds the gap at the chequered flag back to 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup champion Martin Byford. Getting away from pole position cleanly, Robert didnft put a wheel wrong yet again and serenely coasted to his fourth SEAT Cupra Championship win from six race starts.

With his sponsor based just a short drive from Donington Park near the Leicestershire town of Coalville, the North Yorkshire farmerfs incredible performance couldnft have come at a more suitable venue and he now looks odds-on to be in the fight for the 2008 championship right to the end of the season.

Championship points were in very short supply for local riders when the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship took place at Oulton Park in Cheshire on May Day bank holiday Monday.

With Guisborough frontrunner Dennis Hobbs out injured with a broken shoulder following a spill at the previous round at Thruxton, it was left to the other local riders to come up with the goods but for various reasons, they all fell short of the all important top 15 in their respective classes.

The best result went the way of Newcastle rider Jonathan Dickson, who brought his Bell Racing Yamaha home in 16th place in the Metzeler Superstock 600 race, six places ahead of fellow Geordie Joe Burns, who had to endure a ridethrough penalty after jumping the start.

Hartburn teenager Jamie Ferguson scraped onto the 125cc grid in 40th place and ended up posting a 21st place finish on his TFR Honda with Middlesbroughfs Paul Veazey making a return to the British Supersport Championship and after qualifying his Astro Kawasaki in 40th place, proceeded to take 26th in the race.

Darlington brothers Richie and Jonathan Harrison both failed to make the cut in Supersport qualifying, their case not helped when Richie crashed out in session one damaging the bike in the process and younger sibling Jonathan only posting 45th fastest time in the rain-affected sessions.

There was better news, however, for the Middlesbroughbased Hydrex Bike Animal Honda team, with Cumbrian rider James Ellison taking a fantastic second place finish in the second Superbike race aboard Shaun Muirfs 1000cc Honda Fireblade.

The action moves on to Brands Hatch this weekend for the rescheduled meeting which was snowed off in early April.

24-year-old Stephen Petch is apprehensively looking forward to making his World Rally Car tarmac debut on this weekendfs notoriously unforgiving RBS Manx International Rally with his SG Petch Motorsportrun Hyundai Accent WRC.

Hamsterley-based Stephen, who is co-driven by Tow Lawfs Michael Wilkinson, has had mixed results from his numerous trips to the island but, typically, the young pilot has shown good form on the many narrow and twisty lanes that make up the bulk of the stages.

In the past, Stephen has been used to hustling a production specification Mitsubishi Lancer around the lanes, but this year he has made the step up to the more sophisticated WRC machinery.

The ex-works Hyundai is expected to go well, but minimal tarmac testing will present Stephen with his biggest hurdle.

As such, the 2007 Mitsubishi Evo Challenge junior champion aims to take a steady approach and learn the car.

Other locals in action on the event include Bishop Aucklandfs Tristan Pye (Subaru), Boroughbridge driver Miles Johnston (Mitsubishi) and the Middlesbrough crew of Geoff Glover and Charlie Turner (Vauxhall).

The event, which comprises round three of the 2008 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship, is based in Douglas and consists of 14 high speed tarmac stages on closed public roads throughout the tiny island.

The first car starts from the TT Grandstand at 7pm this evening, and will tackle a selection of tests in the dark. Action resumes at 8.30 tomorrow morning for a full day of action packed rallying.

BMW Challenge competitors were in action on the twowheel drive stages at Twyford Wood, Lincolnshire, last weekend.

Stockton driver Andy Davison claimed an impressive fifth overall and second in class, whereas Moulton Solicitor Simon Cole and co-driver Ian Jackson from Hartburn finished 24th overall and second in class in their 325i after problems.