Cammish tops both Rockingham test sessions ahead of crucial weekend of racing
Dan Cammish, the man on the brink of securing the Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship title, is set to add to the fame he has earned on UK tracks this season with a starring role in a new Australian reality TV show. The 24-year-old from Leeds is one of two British drivers selected to do battle against Aussie rivals in the Shannons Supercar Showdown, the first episode of which is about to be screened.
Filmed over the summer for the Australian 7mate network, the eight-part series pits eight rookie drivers against each other in a series of on-and-off-track challenges to win a coveted testing contract with Australian V8 Supercar team Ford Performance Racing. The other Briton taking part is ex-Formula Ford racer Adrian Campfield.
“The offer came out of the blue,” said Cammish. “I received an email saying my name had been put forward and would I like to do it? I said yes like a shot. The show runs over eight weeks, with each of us facing different challenges - some involving driving and some not. We were filmed from the minute we woke up to when we went to bed, all our social interactions, talking to the cameras about our experiences, all that sort of thing. It was a really good experience.
“It was always going to be tough - I had never driven a tin-top of any kind, let alone a V8 Supercar with 600 horsepower, and I was given very few laps to acclimatise. It was scary: I could barely see out of this car which weighed a ton and a half. It was a case of hanging on for dear life. I’m not allowed to reveal how I got on - you’ll have to watch the show to see how I did.”
Though unlikely to be screened on British TV, UK race fans can keep up with the show via www.shannons.com.au/supercarshowdown and YouTube. The first episode airs tomorrow (Saturday).
Meanwhile at Rockingham, Cammish got his race weekend off to the perfect start by topping the timesheets in both of today’s test sessions on the Northamptonshire track. Dan’s JTR team crew overcame an electrical issue in the morning test to put Cammish on track with enough time to complete 10 laps of the 1.94-mile speedway and set a time 1.3s better than that of his closest rival, Radical Motorsport Mygale driver James Abbott.
In the afternoon, Cammish improved his pace by a further 0.18s to lead the way once again, with Jamun driver Jayde Kruger running him closest, just under a second off Dan’s pace. Scholarship class leader Harrison Scott was third quickest for Falcon Motorsport, with Abbott fourth overall.
Tomorrow’s official qualifying at Rockingham is scheduled for 9am, with the championship’s 22nd round due off at 1425. There are two further races on Sunday, with the 4pm race to be screen live on ITV4. If he can maintain his winning momentum through the weekend, Cammish can put the championship title beyond the reach of his rivals.
Official testing, Rockingham 13 September 2013am/pm (faster time in bold)1 Dan CAMMISH / GBR (Leeds) JTR Mygale 1:17.273 / 1:17.0932 Jayde KRUGER / RSA Jamun Mygale 1:19.310 / 1:18.0893 Harrison SCOTT / GBR (Althorne) 1:19.050 / 1:18.1984 James ABBOTT / GBR (Thurlby) Radical Mygale 1:18.625 / 1:18.2455 Juan ROSSO / ARG Jamun Mygale 1:19.242 / 1:18.3046 Camren KAMINSKY / USA JTR Mygale 1:19.357 / 1:18.5857 Sam BRABHAM / GBR (Henley) JTR Mygale 1:19.096 / 1:18.7728 Andy CHANG / CHI Falcon Mygale 1:20.527 / 1:18.9169 Andy RICHARDSON / GBR (Grantham) Richardson Mygale 1:19.963 / 1:19.13510 Connor MILLS / GBR (Upminster) Meridian Mygale 1:21.799 / 1:20.075 etc
