FUN CUP ENDURANCE 2024 – ROUND SIX – SNETTERTON – PREVIEW
It’s a 22 car grid heading for Snetterton this weekend, for round six of this year’s Fun Cup Endurance Championship. Both Team Olympian-GRD and MJ Tec will be vying for top spot, as they head for Norfolk split by just one solitary point.
MJ Tec’s Scott Jeffs/Will Abraham had won the opening two rounds at Oulton and Croft, but the second race at Anglesey in round five, was their first race finish off the podium this season.
Olympian’s Chris Dovell, Simon Rudd and Riley Phillips have had four
podiums too, but it was their double win at Anglesey that took them to the top.
Third in the table UVio/Hofmann’s have also had four podiums out of five, with Farquini Deott/Fabulous Randaccio taking third in the opening two rounds, improving to second place in both Anglesey races. Currently, sitting eight points off the Championship lead.
Greenheath’s Gary Bate/Paul Turner have been so close so many times, but made it onto the podium in round five at Anglesey, third place improving on their previous seasons best of fourth at Oulton.
Vlad Vassiliev/Simon Coles have been fairly well matched since teaming up in the Vapeclub with EDF car at the start of the season. Despite only making the top six on one occasion so far, with sixth at Oulton, they are still fifth in the table and only two points behind Greenheath.
Marcus Clutton is back with Signature RV’s John Whitehouse/Steve Ruston, after Harry Mailer proved a worthy sub at Anglesey. They are currently sixth in the points, after taking sixth in race two at Anglesey, but they were winners in the final round of 2023.
Ted Bradbury/Neil Burroughs had a catalogue of issues at Anglesey, after the Morpheus crew had won at Croft, ending MJ Tec’s winning streak. Bradbury has already proved himself one of the fastest drivers in the Championship and a win this weekend cannot be discounted.
Team Seed’s Matt Hogg/Mike Devlin finally got their rewards at Anglesey too, with fourth in race one and fifth in race two. They are eighth in the table so far and will hoping for similar success at Snetterton.
The Ratcliff family or Team Ratters have run in the top six, but not quite held onto the flag. However Peter, David and John Ratcliff’s enthusiasm should see them challenging and with some luck on their side, they could well get their best finish of the year.
PLR’s Neil Plimmer/Ben Pitch round off the current top 10, in what has so far been an up and down year. They had a sixth in round three at Croft and are easily capable of adding to that result.
GCI and AxiaMetrics are the other teams on this weekend’s grid with a top six finish, after Chris Weatherill/Jon Railton/Greg Evans finished fifth at Anglesey in round four. 2022 Champions GCI have been there in the first three rounds, with a best of fifth for Craig Butterworth/Ian Wood, but gave Anglesey a miss.
Others to look out for are returnees Chris Hart/Stephen Walton with Morpheus, having returned from GT Cup action in the last rounds at Anglesey.
Jac Constable/Russell Joyce, both drivers of proven pace, have found the acclimatisation from TCR Racing to Fun Cup quite hard. Luck hasn’t been with them at times either, but Skull Club Racing maybe a name for the future; but lets see what they can do this weekend!
Paul Calladine’s Hi-Peak Racing car has a change in the line-up this weekend. George makes it two Calladine’s, and they are joined by former Britcar Trophy racer Craig Keeble, with Guido Basile absent.
Red River Sport return after missing Anglesey, and have Bonamy Grimes rejoining Johnny Mowlem and Gareth Williams, Fuelled Up Racing are back too, after tackling the Le Mans 24hrs support race. Paul Taylor is with Paul and Wendy Ellis-Smith this weekend.
Currently third in the Masters Class behind Olympian and Greenheath, it’s just Mark Burton/Jason Minshaw this weekend, after Graham Pattle joined them at Anglesey.
There are three new crews too, with Father and son Caterham racers Barry and Lewis Thompson joined by fellow Caterham rivals Nick Highton. James De Lusignan/Simon Goodwin/Toby Clowes are stepping up from Caterham Graduates in the Marlboro liveried 97 car as “Caterham Boys.”
Gary Summers is a late entry too, but has the experience of Kristian Rose with him this time.
Finally MD of Rosland Gold, Stuart Kinner, who has also raced in Enduroka and partnered Century Motorsport in various championships, is joined by fellow businessman Joshua Goh in the 257 car as JPR Supercharged Performance car, along with rallyman and Team 3 regular John Perrott.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday morning at 10.15 for 45 minutes, with lights out for the four- hour race at 13.30.
The race can be viewed on live stream on Live Stream
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, July 16th 2024
