2008 SEAT Cupra Championship

Andrew Herron is aiming high ahead of the final two rounds of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship next weekend, 20th/21st September, and plans to be in a position to fight for his maiden category victory at the Kent venue.Having come tantalisingly close to securing his first SEAT Cupra race win at Silverstone just under a fortnight ago, the 20-year-old from Dromore in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, is confident he’ll be in the mix for more podium success at Brands Hatch. In only his second year of car racing action, and first at the wheel of a turbocharged 300bhp SEAT, Andrew has performed exceptionally well and has achieved some superb results along the way – the highlight undoubtedly his second place finish at Silverstone during round 18, an outing he led for more than three quarters of the race distance.Performing so well during the previous event, Andrew is keen to continue the momentum next weekend and he also knows full well the importance an impressive season finale will have with regard to sponsorship negotiations for the 2009 season. Following an announcement by SEAT Sport UK yesterday, Thursday, 11th September, next weekend’s action will actually be the last for the SEAT Cupra Championship in the UK after a decision by the manufacturer to pull the series after the final two races. Therefore, Andrew is hoping to etch his name in the history books by winning at least one of the last ever SEAT Cupra Championship encounters in Britain.He commented: “I can’t believe it’s the last event of the season and certainly not the last ever for this championship. The year has flown by and I’m starting to wonder what I’m going to do with myself over the winter months without the racing! I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch, especially after such a fantastic weekend at Silverstone.“I felt so down after the problems we had at Knockhill but to bounce back so strongly at Silverstone and to lead the second race for so long was a great feeling. When you look back, our target at the start of the year was to get on the podium but then, as you go along, the target rises. Now I want to qualify on pole position and win races.“We’ve been getting closer and closer to achieving that, if I can qualify on pole – which I know I’m capable of if I hook the lap together – I’ve no doubt I can go on and win my first race in SEAT. It’s so important to end the year with good results in order to help attract sponsorship for the following season so we need to do well at Brands Hatch.”With JHR Developments team-mate Robert Lawson battling to win the SEAT Cupra title next weekend against reigning champion Jonathan Adam, Andrew is not only keen to do well for himself but to also run at the front for the good of JHR in the final season of SEAT Cupra action.“There’s a lot of pressure on Robert (Lawson) and Jonathan (Adam) going into next weekend’s races so there’s a chance I might be able to benefit from that”, added the Brian Herron Contracts backed racer, “As a team we’ll doing everything we can to end the year on a high and if I can finish strongly at Brands it might help Robert out too.”Pre-event testing will take place at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Friday, 19th September, with qualifying for rounds 19 and 20 of the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship season scheduled for 10.45 and 15.10 respectively on Saturday, 20th September.Both races are timetabled for Sunday, 21st September, with round 19 starting at 10.50 and round 20 getting underway at around 15.45. The second of the two races will be screened live on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4.Provisional 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship Driver Standings (after Rd18):1st Robert Lawson, 290pts; 2nd Jonathan Adam, 269pts; 5th Andrew Herron, 187pts

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