Championship Reflections
At the start of the year, I had gone out to try and win this year’s championship. I knew that I was quick enough and capable of doing so, but also knew that it would be tough with such a long season. Consistency would be key.
The opening round at Croft was both encouraging and crushing at the same time - my exclusion from the P3 finish and points dropped for having to start at the back of the grid handicapped the rest of my season and ultimately probably cost me a P3 championship finish. But it also showed that I was capable of winning races.
What became apparent during the course of the season, as discussed in previous postings, was that my engine was in dire need of a rebuild. The ability to slingshot past the car in front is crucial in Caterham racing and to do that you need power. It also compromised my ability to put in a good, single, fast lap in qualifying sessions meaning I started quite a few races from the upper midfield, rather than the front. This makes it a real battle to score high points consistently.
So, having had about 90 hours of stressed use, the whole engine is going to be removed, stripped and rebuilt in time for next season. Stronger, forged pistons will also be added so as to minimise power lost through compression leakage. This, coupled with the wider track suspension, new Bilstein dampers and springs and quicker steering rack should make Car 54 extremely competitive next year - and hopefully a car with the potential to win the championship.
Sadly, the win didn’t happen this year - although I reached the lower steps of the podium on several occasions. I scored 153 points out of a maximum 240. Next season is scheduled to start in April and Car 54 will be back, upgraded and finely fettled to A-spec, to start its challenge on the 2009 Roadsport title…
| Position | No. | Driver | Total |
| 1 | 39 | Raphael Firorentino | 220 |
| 2 | 18 | Amit Patel | 177 |
| 3 | 22 | Mark Figes | 176 |
| 4 | 67 | Dean Wilkin | 169 |
| 5 | 8 | Paul Fleury | 155 |
| 6 | 54 | Phil Haworth | 153 |
| 7 | 66 | Mark Blackburn | 146 |
| 8 | 69 | Magd Mohaffel | 135 |
| 9 | 76 | Stephen Tucker | 132 |
| 10 | 50 | Rob Vissers | 129 |
| etc |