After a dramatic opening weekend at Silverstone, the 2007 Visma Formula Palmer Audi Championship heads to Brands Hatch this weekend for the third, fourth and fifth rounds of the 20-race season, racing alongside the A1GP World Cup Of Motorsport on the Grand Prix circuit.
The season-opening races gave proof that the FPA field is an extremely competitive one, with only eight-tenths of a second separating the top 16 drivers in qualifying.
After finishing second in Race 1 and winning Race 2, Luciano Bacheta leads the championship by eight points. The Essex youngster, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Thursday, was consistently at the front of the field at Silverstone, and the reigning T Car champion goes into this weekend’s triple-header hoping to further boost his points total.
The surprise package of the first two races of FPA 2007 was Jason Moore, whose pair of third places in his first-ever car races leave the Super 1 TKM karting champion second in the points table. Three points behind him is Stefan Wilson, who took his first car podium at Silverstone and is looking forward to the race for another one at Brands Hatch. “It’s going to be a good atmosphere at Brands, as there’s going to be a big crowd watching us. The Grand Prix circuit is one of the most challenging in the country, so this will be a good meeting to do well at. ” said Wilson.
Meanwhile, former Formula BMW UK Champion Tim Bridgman will hope to begin clawing back his 29-point deficit to Bacheta this weekend. Having only been confirmed as an FPA driver on the eve of the Silverstone weekend, he proved his talent immediately, despite struggling as his need for mileage in the car over-wore his tyres. Tim took fifth in the opening race, only to crash out of Round 2, but says that now is the time to close the gap.
“I do feel very comfortable in this car, but I’m going to have to be on the limit to start closing down the points gap, ” said the 22-year-old. “Silverstone was a difficult weekend for lots of reasons, but for me the championship starts now! “
Also hoping to make amends is Jack Clarke, who spun out of the lead in Round 2. Despite missing out on his first FPA win, Jack is upbeat about his outright pace. “It was hugely disappointing to throw away a win like that, but at least I know I have the pace to win races. “
Jolyon Palmer and Alex Brundle are set to continue their rivalry, with the sons of former F1 drivers Jonathan and Martin trading places throughout both Silverstone races. Just two points separate the pair of 16-year-olds, and plenty will ride on this weekend’s races with a potential 72 points up for grabs.
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