Robert Lawson Gets Season’s 4th Victory At Donington

May 05, 2008

First year SEAT Cupra Championship competitor Robert Lawson continued his sheer dominance of the category at Donington Park yesterday, Sunday, 4th May, by stretching his winning tally to four victories from the opening six races of the season.

Thoroughly dominating proceedings once again, as has become a hallmark of the Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete backed racer from Richmond in North Yorkshire, he started the weekend off perfectly by securing a brace of pole position starts which he then converted into two, unchallenged wins.

Extending his lead at the top of the championship to 18 points over his nearest rival, the vastly more experienced Martin Byford, the JHR Developments driver now heads to Thruxton in Hampshire aiming to add yet more silverware to his rapidly expanding trophy cabinet during the fourth event of the season on 17th/18th May.

“This weekend has been unbelievable, everything has been absolutely perfect but I have to be thankful to the team really for providing me with the car to be able to do that”, said Robert after Sunday afternoon’s second race, “We played it right, we went well in testing on Thursday so we knew we had the pace.

“To come out on Saturday and get two pole positions was fantastic in itself but to convert those into wins was just unbelievable. I’m very pleased. I’m trying to do the best job I can behind the wheel but as I always say, without the support of my sponsors Bardon Aggregates and Bardon Concrete I wouldn’t be able to do this, they make it happen.”

Completing the fewest laps of any competitor during round five qualifying on Saturday, Robert – who celebrates his 31st birthday next Saturday, 10th May – secured pole position with a time of 1m 14.772 seconds (94.23mph). 

In the round six session he once again completed just four laps with his best, a time of 1m 14.787 seconds (94.21mph), proving to be good enough for pole by the smallest of margins, a mere five 1,000ths of a second from team-mate Andrew Herron.

At the start of the first race of the weekend, fellow front-row starter Carl Breeze made a good initial getaway. Robert held the lead through Redgate Corner though and started to build his advantage halfway through the lap as Breeze began to come under pressure from third-placed Herron.

On lap three, Robert posted the fastest lap of the race and with it set a brand new lap record for Donington’s National Circuit with a stunning time of 1m 14.871 seconds (94.11mph). Cruising to the finish on lap 16, Robert took the win by over two and a half seconds from Breeze.

Round six saw him take victory by an even greater margin, over five seconds the gap at the chequered flag back to 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion Martin Byford. Getting away from pole position cleanly, Robert didn’t put a wheel wrong yet again and serenely coasted to his fourth SEAT Cupra Championship win from six race starts. 

With sponsor Bardon Aggregates based just a short drive from Donington Park near the Leicestershire town of Coalville, the North Yorkshire farmer’s incredible performance couldn’t have come at a more suitable venue and he now looks odds-on to be in the fight for the 2008 championship right to the end of the season.