Chris Knox closes in on British Mini Challenge title

after a double win at Silverstone.

Chris has been the dominant force all season and produced another commanding display at the Northamptonshire circuit.

The 2011 champion can wrap up the title with just a point in the three final races at Brands Hatch, but Chris has also kept himself firmly in the hunt for the Sunoco Challenge.

That would pave the way for Chris to win a drive in the prestigious Daytona 24-hour support race, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, in Florida in January.

Chris, originally from Elderslie in Renfrewshire but who is now living in Brighton, has already taken part in the Daytona meeting, and boosted his reputation Stateside with a number of appearances in the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge in 2012.

But, for now, he has his sights firmly on lifting the British Mini Challenge silverware. He was immediately on a charge in the Rivervale Leasing Mini at Silverstone.

The Renfrewshire Rocket – who is also backed by SL Group Management, shopplay.co.uk, WESL, Thomsons Cycles and Mintech Spares UK – was two seconds ahead of the rest in testing and took pole position by more than a second.

He cruised to victory in race one, then defied a power problem to win the second outing of the weekend.

His Excelr8 team tried to fix the problem but it was still affecting the car in the final race. Chris still battled up to third from sixth before a braking issue caused him to collide with another car and he limped home in tenth.

The stewards are still looking at the causes of the crash, but even if the result is taken away from him, Chris will need just a point next time out Brands. If he keeps the result then he will already have clinched the title.

The results also mean he is second in the Sonoco Challenge and he admits it would be a dream come true to get back out to Florida.

CHRIS SAYS: “I was quite surprised by my pace. I was two seconds quicker than anyone in testing and, in qualifying, I took pole position by 1.3 seconds. The first race was really straight-forward. I was pleased with the way I was able to pull away from the others.

“Race two looked to be going the same way. I had built up a comfortable lead but the car had developed a problem and they started to catch me quickly by the end.

“The final race was a challenge and then I went for the brakes and there was nothing there and I speared into another car.

“I am happy to be where I am in the championship. It is all a little bit up in the air at the moment. However, I should be able to get one point over the three races we have left if I need to. However, I can’t afford to concentrate on that because I need all the points I can get for the Sonoco Challenge.

“I have raced there before and it would not be a shock to me. I have tested the Chevrolet Camaro before and it would be a dream come true to get back on that circuit.”


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