The Formula BMW UK Championship headed north of the border for the weekend of 2^nd/3^rd September for the penultimate event of the season. The tight curves, steep gradients and completely unpredictable weather of Knockhill, some 20 miles north of Edinburgh, present challenges very different from the other circuits in the calendar. Furthermore, the track had been resurfaced in the last 12 months, as well as widened by 3 metres in places, so data from last year was not going to be as relevant as usual.

Free practice on the Friday started well for Ross Curnow who dominated the morning dry session and headed the field by 0.35 sec, a huge margin for this short 1.3 mile circuit. The rain started just before the afternoon session, however, and Ross struggled with severe understeer and finished 10^th fastest. ‘We’re very disappointed’, said Ross afterwards. ‘The morning session gave us a lot of confidence but we just couldn’t find a good set up in the wet. The forecast is rain for the weekend so it doesn’t look good…..’

As predicted, the first qualifying session was wet and Ross improved marginally to finish 7^th, about a second off the pace. The track started to dry for the afternoon session but Ross was sent out on a full wet setting and did well to manage 10^th fastest, again about a second off the pace.

Race 1 on the Sunday morning started in atrocious conditions and Ross held his position, chased by Greg Mansell for the first few laps. Visibility was bad but he then found a way past Chris Holmes on Lap 18 to take 6^th and maintained this to the finish.

The weather then brightened and a brisk wind dried most of the track for Race 2. Whilst this change in conditions would favour Ross, he was starting from 10^th on the grid and faced a huge task on a circuit where passing is difficult - all the more so with a wet surface remaining at the overtaking points.  After a good start, Ross got by Niall Quinn on the first lap. On Lap 3, Greg Mansell spun out of the race and Ross also took Jonathan Legris, only to lose the place a lap later. By Lap 7, both of them had passed Daniel Murray and began a battle which lasted until the last lap. As they approached the hairpin for the final time, Legris dived for the inside to try to take Henry Arundel, drifted a little wide and Ross got a faster exit to pass him on the run up to the line to take a well earned 6^th.

Ross was reflective afterwards: ‘The car was excellent but it was very difficult to get through the traffic from so far back on the grid. I feel we’ve done well to get the points we have but, having won twice here in the wet, it’s a great shame I didn’t have a good wet set up this weekend.’

With two more races to go, the championship title is now out of Ross’s reach and he faces a big challenge for 2^nd place from Euan Hankey (11 points behind) and Oliver Turvey (15 points behind). The next meeting of the season will be at Silverstone on 14^th/15^th October and promises an exciting finish to the season!

 (Photo 3  courtesy of MJP Media Images Ltd)