Andrew Herron SEAT Cupra Championship

Rockingham Preview

SEAT Cupra Championship racer Andrew Herron is relishing the prospect of competing at Rockingham in Northamptonshire this coming weekend, 12th/13th April, during the third and fourth rounds of the 2008 season.With his maiden campaign in SEAT getting off to a difficult start at Brands Hatch two weeks ago – the 19-year-old forced out of the opening round after unexpected contact from a fellow competitor – Andrew is now bidding to get his season back on track and sees Rockingham as the ideal place to do it.Having racked up the miles at the venue’s International Super Sports Car Circuit layout during winter testing, the Dromore-based sensation is confident he and his JHR Developments team will be able to challenge at the front at the weekend.While podium results are Andrew’s chief aim for rounds three and four, the most exciting prospect for the Northern Irishman is the chance to race his turbocharged 300bhp SEAT through Rockingham’s famous banked Turn One where the cars are likely to hit 140mph before braking for the sharp hairpin which leads to the tricky infield section. “I’m really looking forward to Rockingham, especially after the disappointment we had at Brands”, said the Brian Herron Contracts-backed racer, “We’ve done a good bit of testing at the track during the winter so hopefully it will stand us in good stead and we’ll be able to challenge for podiums.“I like Rockingham a lot. It’s different to any of the circuits we visit. Obviously, the first turn is banked on the Oval and then you have the infield which is quite technical. Going through the first corner we’ll be travelling at about 120mph which builds to around 140mph I’d say before you brake for the first hairpin. “The SEAT is fantastic to drive at Rockingham as you can use a lot of its power. Our main aim is to try and get on the podium but it’s hard to say how well we’ll go until we see how quick everyone else is during the practice day on Friday.”Provisionally, qualifying for the third round of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship will take place at 10.45 on Saturday, 12th April, with the round four session expected to follow at around 14.15 and the first of the weekend’s races scheduled to take place at 16.35. Round four is timetabled to commence at 12.00 on Sunday, 13th April.


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