TOP TEN FINISH FOR TEAM ROCKINGHAM
TEAM Rockingham completed the 11-round 2008 Pickup Truck Racing Championship with a respectable mid-table finish following a hard-fought campaign.
Despite being hampered by mechanical problems, Antony Hawkins in the #98 Rockingham liveried truck remained in the mix all season to apply pressure on newly crowned champion Gavin Seager and the chasing pack.
The Sutton Coldfield driver spent most of the campaign hovering around mid-table, but after finishing fourth and 14th in the final two races of the season, Antony was able to replicate last season’s 10th place in the overall standings with 2913 points.
Seager won the overall championship for the third time in his career with 4410 points with Simon Carr (3908) and Pete Stevens (3885) both collecting the silverware for the first time as they finished in second and third respectively.
Antony said: “Team Rockingham would like to congratulate Gavin and his team on their tremendous success. He has been in a class of his own this season on both the oval and road circuits and thoroughly deserves his third title.
“We had a steady start to the season lying comfortably in the top ten but due to mechanical problems we had two non-finishes at Mondello and Donington, which also forced us to miss the Thruxton meeting. So we have to be pleased to finish 10th overall.
“Mid-season we changed our engine suppliers, which gave us the extra power we had been missing. We had two fourth place finishes in the last two rounds, which has given us great momentum to carry into the 2009 season.
“I would like to thank Rockingham for their support to both me and the Pickup Truck Racing Championship this season. It is only when you travel to other circuits that you realise what fantastic facilities Rockingham offer, whether you’re a competitor or spectator.”
Seager dominated the campaign to take a clean sweep of the honours after adding both the individual Oval and the Road Race championships to his overall 2008 Pickup Truck Racing title with 1675 and 2735 points respectively.
Antony faired better at his home circuit as he finished seventh in the Oval Championship held at Rockingham, on 1333, while he had to settle for 14th place in the Road Race Series with a respectable 1580 points.
Rockingham Director, Charlotte Orton, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Antony this season. It has been a great opportunity to promote our driving days to new audiences across the country.
“We have always been a great supporter of the Pickup Truck Racing Series since the circuit opened, and the championship has provided some close and exciting action at Rockingham this season.”
Antony is sponsored by Rockingham as part of the circuit’s continued support of both local drivers and the pickup truck racing series. As part of the package he received vital track time and promoted driving days at Rockingham, where drivers can get behind the wheel of a range of authentic racing cars.