Springate delivers race winning pace

Novice Robert Springate gained pole, 3rd and 1st at the RSA round at Brands Hatch, together with the two fastest laps.

In his first race a slow start by Springate resulted in an initial drop to fifth but he moved up the field rapidly only to be baulked by superb defensive driving in his duel with second place Florentino, allowing JJ O’Malley to gain a relatively comfortable 1st place result. In the second RSA race, JJ O’Malley had an electrifying start to take an early lead followed by seasoned competitor Graham Johnson. Springate pressured Johnson for the first third of the race. Persistence paid off and with Johnson dispatched Springate hunted down O’Malley with a stunning pass in the closing stages of the race. A red flag finish saw Springate the first man past the post at the crucial moment.

Robert Springate said

Having built and set-up the car myself it was up to me to deliver on track. At DPR Motorsport we put in a lot of effort to ensure the car preparation and set-up is optimum for each circuit. For Brands the handling and balance of the car was perfect and I had the race winning pace in both races. To get pole, two fastest laps, third and then a 1st in what is only my 5th race weekend since I passed my ARDS late last year is a truly fantastic and satisfying outcome.

Robert Springate - Pole, 3rd, 1st, 2 fastest laps

David Rowe, DPR Team Principal said

The one-make nature of Caterham Motorsport results in close racing requiring both man and machine to be 100%. During testing we use on-circuit data acquisition to fully involve the driver in optimising the car set-up for each circuit in a manner that reflects individual driver style and preference. Robert’s form at Brands fully demonstrates the benefits from this unique approach.

Earlier this year Robert had a stunning outcome with his 1st at Oulton and clearly had the pace to win both races at Brands. His pole time was 0.2 of a second faster than the next man on the grid and he had the fastest lap in both races. His third place in the first race is a great result for a novice entrant but his win in the second race is truly outstanding. Robert has the form to race at the higher levels of motorsport; we will be looking at ways in which we can fully develop the talents of this promising young driver.”