FUN CUP ENDURANCE – ROUND ONE – SILVERSTONE – PREVIEW
Defending Champions UVio/Hofman’s Lotus head a 20 car entry list for this weekends opening Fun Cup Endurance round at Silverstone.
Farquini Deott and Fabio Randaccio will have plenty of crews vying to take their crown, with a good blend of Fun Cup regulars and rookies.
At team Greenheath Gary Bate has a new partner sharing the car, with his ex Caterham rival Jonathan Mitchell making his Fun Cup debut.
2020 Champions Team Olympian have a change in their line-up too, with Kuwaiti driver Haytham Qarajouli replacing Riley Phillips, to share with Chris Dovell and Kristian Rose.
Qarajouli has previously raced Ginetta’s in both the Junior Championship and GT5 Challenge.
PLR Racing will be hoping to repeat some of their 2021 success with Neil Plimmer and Ben Pitch back for more, while Team Viking will be hoping for better fortunes for Mark Holme and Nick Nunn.
After a successful debut season MJ Tec Gti’s Scott Jeffs and Martin Gibson will be looking for wins this year too.
GCI Racing were another team who spent much of their season at the sharp end. With Craig Butterworth and Ian Wood well matched and occasionally joined by ex Fun Cup chief Grahame Butterworth, they will be podium contenders too.
Fun Cup regulars Agua Caliente have just the one car at Silverstone, as experienced Sports Car racer Rob Croydon and Fun Cup expert Paul Turner share.
CCS Media have their familiar line-up with Nigel Greensall joining Alan Honarmand and Bob Tomlinson, while Greensall Motorsport also run two family cars. Pacey Sam Smeeth has brother Ted and father Simon sharing, while newcomer and occasional Historic racer Will Pembroke shares with fellow debutants Morgan and Roger Sparrow, who previously raced a Porsche in Historic Roadsports.
Last years Black Widows team are now in the GT Radial car, as David Clark and Steve Harris have Kiwi engine mapping expert David Rowe sharing this weekend., for his circuit racing debut
Colin Kingsnorth and Richard Webb are back as Stobart Sport and will be looking for a better 2022, while RAW Motorsports Alex Macleod and Paul Rivett will be aiming to move up the order, following the progress made last season.
EDF made their Fun Cup debut as a team at the end of 2020, and are back with two cars again this year. Vlad Vassiliev and Matt Dorkings are in the Vapeclub car and were probably the best of last years newcomers.
Simon Coles and Victor Kara also came out briefly with EDF last year and will be back on the Silverstone grid on Saturday in the second car.
We Have No Idea are Back, but have trailer man Brandon James joining the regular pairing of Paul Calladine and Alan Baldwin.
Apollo Motorsport make their return a few years away, fielding one car for co-owners Stuart Ramsay and Peter Flynn with John Goodwin.
Kaizen Motorsport are a new team to Fun Cup, but have hotshoe Riley Phillips leading their trio with Ginetta GT Academy racers Richard Just and Ravi Ramyead.
Finally Fuelled Up Racing are rookies too, with a crew of Jamie Price and Paul Taylor joining Motorcrosser Paul and Wendy Ellis-Smith.
Qualifying is at 9.30 for 45 minutes and the four-hour race starts at 13.55.
Published by Peter Scherer for Fun Cup Endurance, March 16th 2022
