Honda British Talent Cup ready to take on Donington
After a short break, the class of 2020 are back to face down the Grand Prix layout at Donington Park for the penultimate round
A little downtime goes a long way, but after a few weekends off it’s now time for the Honda British Talent Cup to get back down to business. The place? Donington Park. The layout? The Grand Prix track. The stakes? Getting higher! This is the penultimate round, with each race now really upping the ante.
It’s Eddie O’Shea (WAM) who arrives in the points lead, although the gap is small as former leader Franco Bourne (Franco Bourne Racing / SP125 Racing) is only four points off. Both have been consistent, although O’Shea is the only man near the top to have scored in every race and finished in the top five. That puts him ahead despite not yet having won a race, although at times he’s been within thousandths.
Bourne, though, will likely feel confident looking at this own record. One blip dented his total, but he’s got two wins and another podium, and he’ll want that lead back after holding it for a while. The competition will be fierce from those in the top group though: Charlie Farrer (Victoria House Academy/Mortimer Racing) is only eight points back and he’s been a winner and a consistent presence at the front, and Harvey Claridge (City Lifting / SP125 Racing) will be a man on a mission. After a penalty not taken in time last time out leading to a ride through, he finished the most recent race in P16 – outside the points. And that’s the only time he’s not scored so far this year. Now 21 down on O’Shea, the number 16 will want to fight back quickly and has the added incentive of not having won. Yet…
Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Cresswell Racing), meanwhile, has done nothing but win. The number 72 has three victories to his name… but has taken 0 in the other three. That puts him in fifth overall, and he’s now almost a victory worth of points off the top. It’s not too late though, so can he do it again and get back on the top step? Avoiding any more bad luck and trouble will be his top priority in the last two rounds, starting at Donington.
The likes of Evan Belford (City Lifting by RS Racing), Elliott Dufton (D&D Racing), Corey Tinker (Stauff Fluid Power Academy), Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing) and Wilson Racing’s James Cook and Ryan Hitchcock could complicate life in the fight in the top six too – and then there’s Bailey Stuart-Campbell (151s S-C Racing). Already a podium finisher, he’ll be back from injury and likely looking to pick up where he left off…
Tune in for the Honda British Talent Cup this weekend as Donington Park hosts the penultimate round, with plenty at stake as the clock ticks down towards the season finale. Race 1 starts at 15:05 (GMT +1) on Saturday, before Race 2 at 13:10 on Sunday.