Oliver Barker heads the leader board by 71 points from Jack Lang after an impressive five wins from the last six rounds. Graduating from the SR1 Cup, Barker has been on stellar form throughout his debut Radical Challenge season, notching up 12 out of 18 podium finishes.
But Barker hasn’t had it all his own way. The championship lead went full circle at Brands Hatch last month. Barker led Lang by just four points heading into the penultimate rounds, a tiny deficit Lang rapidly addressed with race one victory. However, Lang’s further fifth place and non-finish in a feature race decimated by torrential rain versus Barker’s double wins allowed the Nielsen Racing driver to re-take the top spot and extend his lead.
The race to third is far from finished with 13 points separating Dominik Jackson and Steve Burgess. Five out of six podiums, including second and third place finishes at Brands Hatch, saw Jackson jump Burgess in the rankings. By contrast the 2016 Champion has endured a challenging second half of the season, with non-finishes in the last three events damaging his title chances.
Consider, however, that with 166 points on offer both drivers still have an outside shot at the crown and second in the standings is well within reach; it promises to be a thrilling season finale.
With Brian and Tom Harvey already declared Team Challenge Champions, all eyes will be on the four-way fight for the runner-up slot. Only 66 points separate Adrian and Joe Watt and fifth-placed Paul Allen and Jason Redding following a complete re-shuffle in the penultimate round order.
Other ‘ones to watch’ include Jack Manchester and Mark Crader. With four out of six recent podiums earned, Manchester could further upset the championship order, while Crader’s drive to second amid the Brands Hatch drama catapulted him up the table to lie fifth.
A notable addition to the final bumper grid of the season is newly crowned Radical SR1 Cup Champion, Jérôme de Sadeleer, who returns to the circuit where he clinched the title to make his Radical SR3 debut.
For full event and ticket information visit www.snetterton.co.uk