dpr motorsport

Caterham racing provided three out of the top ten Sportscar drivers nominated by Motorsport News. However, it was  21 year  old novice driver Rob Springate on the fast track given  that 2009 was his first year of racing since passing his ARDS at the end of  2008.

DPR motorsport technician Robert Springate, a novice racer from Bromley, has been nominated by Motorsport News as one of the top 10 sports car drivers of 2009. Robert Springate, 21, may only have raced in seven rounds of the Caterham Roadsport A championship, but the Bromley ace still achieved several podiums, including two first place finishes. In the final race of the year at Snetterton, Springate stepped-up to the Superlight R300 challenge, gaining fifth spot overall in his debut race.

David Rowe, DPR motorsport team manager, said: “Robert has had some great results in highly competitive Caterham Roadsport A racing, despite having passed his ARDS racing driver test less than a year ago. I took notice when Robert achieved sixth in his first-ever race at Brands Hatch. This year he gained a first at Oulton Park with a three second lead over seasoned competitor Roelant De Waard. However, the decider for us was when Robert gained a third and first recently at Brands Hatch, including getting pole and the two fastest laps, demonstrating he had the pace to win in both races.”

Rowe added: “There is a significant step up between the Caterham Roadsport A and Superlight R300, which is a real race car rather than a fast road car. For Robert to gain fifth overall in his debut Superlight R300 race demonstrates an ability to advance to the top of the motorsport ladder. Given Robert has only just started his career in motorsport, it is a truly outstanding achievement to be nominated by Motorsport News as being one of the top 10 sports car drivers of 2009.”