Frank Wrathall ended his maiden season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on a high note at Silverstone today, confirmed as the championship’s top rookie and also as the BTCC fans’ favourite driver of 2011.

Not only that, but the Dynojet Racing Toyota driver put in the performance of the day to storm from 25th on the grid in the championship finale through to ninth place at the chequered flag in a virtuoso display on his way to claiming his second top-10 finish of the weekend.

Frank, 25, went into the last of the day’s three races buoyed by having received the BTCC.net Forum Fans Trophy in recognition of his stellar performances during his maiden season in the UK’s most popular race series.

Organised by members of the fan forum on the championship’s official website, the prize is richly coveted by all BTCC drivers, not least because each of the fans voting contributes towards the cost of the handsome trophy.

The award was handed to Frank during the Silverstone pit lane walkabout by one of the contest organisers, David Hughes.

“It was a bit of a shock when I first heard that I had won,” said Frank. “I am more than pleased to accept the award, which I see as being not just for me but for the whole team. It really shows that people appreciate what we have been through this year and what we have achieved. It’s been an incredible journey from start to finish.

“It’s great that the fans feel a part of what you are trying to achieve. The support we have had from day one, when we were struggling to finish races, has meant a lot not just to me but to everyone in Dynojet Racing. Even on your worst days the fans’ support seems to give you a little lift.”

Race 1
A technical problem at the start of the first of today’s BTCC races left Frank and his Dynojet Racing Toyota Avensis with a mountain to climb. After a very slow green flag lap Wrathall took up ninth spot on the start grid with an overheating engine, and that hampered his pace when the lights flashed out.

“I had a problem at the start,” said Frank. “Basically I couldn’t get full power until Becketts Corner, and by that point I was down in 19th.”

There followed a gutsy drive back into contention, the Toyota man picking off rivals with every lap to move up to 14th by mid-distance. “I had to push really hard, made some good moves, and then I got caught up in a scrap with Paul O’Neill. Where my car was stronger he was holding me up but where he was stronger I wasn’t able to get past.”

The pressure told eventually on O’Neill, his Chevrolet expiring on the 17th lap, and Frank then profited from others’ misfortunes to claw his way up to 10th by the end. It was nearly ninth: Wrathall passed Andy Neate’s Ford on the final bend, only for the Focus man to power back ahead and cross the line ahead by two-hundredths of a second.
“I’m a bit disappointed,” added Frank, “but to bring it home in the top 10 is good damage limitation.”

Race 2
A first-lap incident dashed Wrathall’s hopes of a top-10 finish in the second race of the Silverstone BTCC weekend. A clash between Wrathall’s Avensis and the Ford of Tom Chilton resulted in damage to the nearside door of the Avensis which required two pit stops to patch up, leaving Frank trailing the field.

Wrathall started 10th on the grid and had picked up several places when it all went wrong: “I made a good start, passed a couple of people around Becketts,” said Frank, “and I was right behind Andy Neate when he just lost it at the left-hander at Brooklands. I had to go on the grass to avoid him and when I came back on to the track I made contact with Tom Chilton. He had already committed to turning in and there was no avoiding it. It’s all very unfortunate because the car was good.”

His nearside door flapping in the breeze, Wrathall had no option but to pit for attention. Unfortunately his first stop failed to cure the problem and Frank had to call again for the application of yet more tank tape.

Just how well suited to the conditions was his Dynojet Avensis was evidenced by Wrathall setting the third-fastest lap of the race on his way to 25th place, two laps behind the winner, Gordon Shedden.

Race 3
Frank went on to put in a brilliant performance in the final round, more than making up for the disappointments of race two.

It was a brilliant against-the-odds drive, one which underlines his and the Dynojet team’s superb second-half pace in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Frank made a great start, claiming five scalps on the opening lap to move into 20th place and making up a further six places on lap two. On the fifth lap he passed Rob Collard’s BMW for 12th and then got the better of a long battle with Oliver Jackson (Vauxhall).

A drive-through penalty for Vauxhall independent James Nash promoted Wrathall to 11th, and then Frank moved into 10th when Mat Jackson’s Ford pitted with bodywork damage. That put Wrathall on to the tail of the championship front-running Hondas of Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal, and Frank managed to steal past Shedden at the final corner to snatch ninth from the Scotsman’s grasp.

“I’m smiling now,” said Frank. “I was so determined to end with a decent performance. It was always going to be hard to get into the top 10 from 25th on the grid, but I made a good start, the car was brilliant, getting stronger and stronger, and towards the end of the race it felt like I was one of the quickest people out there. To pass Shedden at the final corner was pretty sweet.

“We’ve had a tough day but we’ve definitely ended on a high with that performance. The whole team can be proud of that after fixing the car so quickly after the second race. To reflect on the job that they have done all year for me, I can’t fault them; they’ve been absolutely fantastic. The Toyota has been far better than I ever imagined, and that’s all thanks to the team.”

Frank ends the year 12th overall in the championship, the best-placed newcomer in the series, and 10th in the Independents Trophy. The highlights of Wrathall’s season came at the Knockhill and Rockingham circuits, at which he secured four podium finishes, with a best result of second.

Toyota’s young independent BTCC racer Frank Wrathall swapped the touring car track for a hillclimb course and his race suit for a dinner jacket at the weekend. It was all in aid of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, of course, to which the 24-year-old was a fascinated first-time visitor. Frank and his Dynojet Racing Toyota Avensis joined famous cars and drivers from the past and present of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in a special display at the world-famous festival, and also demonstrated the fire-breathing Toyota twice a day up the Goodwood hill climb course.

Dynojet Racing’s Frank Wrathall has fulfilled a boyhood dream to appear on the pitch at Preston North End - but he surprised the home fans by bringing with him the Toyota Avensis he races in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Lifelong PNE supporter Frank, 24, was invited along to the Deepdale Stadium not only to show off his BTCC Toyota but also to help dish out the end-of-season awards to the club’s players and staff at the final home match of the season. He thundered up the touchline pre-match to herald a 3-1 win for Preston over Watford.

It was surreal finally to be on the pitch,” said Garstang-based Frank. “I used to watch from the stands as a lad and longed to be out there playing, back in the days when I wanted to grow up to be a footballer and not a racing driver.

"The Toyota sounded awesome with the reverberations around the stadium - it completely drowned out the singer. I helped with the pre-match presentations and was interviewed at half time, then drew the raffle. It was a great game, too, and a superb way for the club to end the season.”

Frank’s appearance at the match was aimed at drumming up local support for him and the BTCC ahead of the team’s next track appearance, at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire on 5 June. PNE fans booking tickets for the event are being entered into a draw to win a VIP tour of the Dynojet Racing team pit.

Wrathall followed up his Saturday stadium duties with a visit to the Croft circuit, near Darlington, yesterday to help promote the BTCC’s 19 June visit to that circuit.

 

Frank Wrathall and the Dynojet Racing team endured a character-building weekend at Thruxton, venue for the latest rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

For although Frank and his Dynojet Toyota Avensis showed flashes of strong pace, reliability problems prevented the team from claiming any hard results with which to reward their hard work with the all-new machine.

A broken suspension component set the scene in Saturday’s free practice, and then a drama-filled qualifying session left Frank 19th on the grid. It was very much a case of what might have been for the 24-year-old from Garstang, whose hopes of a grid slot nearer the sharp end were frustrated by a leaking fuel line half way through the session.

Earlier in the day Frank posted a best lap time of 1m 20.680s in free practice and he was confident that there was at least a second more to come given a clear run.

Alas Frank’s chance to prove his point was robbed from him by the fuel leak which manifested itself after just eight laps around the super-fast Hampshire circuit. Wrathall’s best up to that point was a lap of 1m 21.655s.

“It’s so frustrating to go out in a car which you know is capable of great things, and then to not be able to get a decent lap,” said Frank. “However, we have to be grateful it was a problem which was not too hard to fix; things could have been worse.”

Sunday’s first race started well enough, with Frank gaining places on the opening lap and beginning to relish the prospect of picking off some more rivals as the race wore on. Alas, on lap three, there was an overheating problem and Frank was forced to the pits.

“It was going really well,” said Frank. “I was making up places and setting my sights on the cars ahead, and then the engine temperature shot up and it went into ‘limp mode’.”

The problem was traced to a blown gasket - not the work of a moment to repair, and Frank was forced to sit out race two while work continued under the bonnet.

Hopes were high for a clean run in the final race of the day, and again there was an initial flash of speed, several places gained and then a third-lap retirement with a repeat of the overheating issue.

Wrathall’s second lap saw him post a time of 1m 19.727s - his best of the weekend, and a top-12 lap time for the race as a whole. “That was a good time, but it was not a good lap,” said Frank, “because I was caught up in traffic. The frustrating thing is that I know the Toyota is capable of even better, and I am just longing for the opportunity to prove the point.”

Dynojet Racing now have the relative luxury of a month’s break in the BTCC calendar before the next rounds, at Oulton Park in Cheshire, in a month’s time (5 June).

Frank Wrathall and the Dynojet Racing team enjoyed an encouraging weekend in the second meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Donington Park, the team heading away from the East Midlands circuit yesterday having made more progress than could have been hoped for.

Changes to the car throughout practice and qualifying on Saturday saw Frank’s lap times drop by a second and he qualified 20th on the grid, less than a tenth of a second behind the S2000 BMW of Dave Newsham, putting the Dynojet car in a good position for race day.

“We still have a few little things that are holding us back,” Frank said after the session, “but we’re so close to being in a position where we can get into the middle of the pack, which would be amazing this early.”

In the opening race, Frank was able to climb to 15th place on the opening lap before dropping back to 17th after an issue with the exhaust manifold on his car, which then needed to be changed. While that meant Frank was unable to take the start of race two with the rest of the field, a series of strong lap times when he joined the track saw him go quicker than at any other stage during the weekend.

“I was happy to get out on track after a lot of effort from the boys and the laps we did were very useful,” he said. “We had a cracked exhaust manifold after the first race that caused me to lose time, and it isn’t a quick job to fix; we could just have done with another half an hour.

“We made some changes and treated the race like a test. I lapped half a second quicker than in race one and it was positive for us ahead of the final race.”

On his way to the grid to start the final race from 20th, Frank was forced to return to the pits when a gear linkage broke on the green flag lap; it appeared that his weekend was going to come to a disappointing conclusion. However, the Dynojet Racing team was able to replace the part in time to get him into the race, albeit late, where he once again showed the potential of the all-new ‘Next Generation Touring Car’ Avensis.

Despite running in traffic, Frank set a fastest lap which was quicker than a number of cars ahead and kept pace with the drivers around him on track, which included double BTCC champions Jason Plato and Matt Neal.

“The progress we made is more than we could ever have imagined,” he said. “Realistically, we are under a second off the race pace and that is a lot closer than I thought we would be at this stage. I thought we would have to wait until the middle of the season to be in this position and it’s incredible.

“Thruxton is going to be a very different circuit to Brands Hatch and Donington for the next round but we know the potential in the car and should be strong everywhere we go. We are learning all the time and the team has done a fantastic job so far.”

The unrelenting BTCC calendar will see the teams in action at Thruxton, in Hampshire, in a fortnight’s time (1 May).

? Frank Wrathall and Dynojet Racing are backing the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal by carrying logos on their Avensis. Donations can be made at www.redcross.org.uk/japantoyota

 Frank Wrathall Jnr and the Dynojet Racing team endured a problem-filled maiden weekend in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, but came away from the Kent track optimistic about their prospects for strong performances later in the season.

With the team’s Toyota Avensis having run for the first time only on Thursday, and with little opportunity after that to iron out the inevitable new-car teething problems, the opening BTCC rounds were always going to offer a steep learning curve.

And so it proved in Saturday’s free practice sessions, when a number of niggling issues conspired to prevent Frank from claiming the track time he so badly needed. There were better fortunes in qualifying, however, when Wrathall was able to complete a total of nine laps, and to secure 20th place on the grid for round one.

“It was good,” said Preston-based Frank, “and I really enjoyed the session. Given that we were running with the power turned well down so as not to stress the engine, which is completely new, I managed to get in a couple of really good laps that I am well pleased with. I think it has shown the potential of the car.”

Sunday’s opening race saw Wrathall put in his longest stint yet at the wheel of the Avensis, but the car did not alas make the chequered flag. Frank was forced to pull into the pits after an unlucky 13 laps, while holding 18th spot. “There did not seem to be much point carrying on because the car just did not have the pace out of the corners,” he said. “We think it is an engine electronics issue, one we hoped we had sorted. It was a shame because the car felt good, was handling well given the lack of set-up time we have had, and was great under braking.”

Unfortunately, investigation of the electronics revealed further issues which prevented the Dynojet Toyota from getting to the grid for races two and three.

Though disappointed not to have seen the chequered flag, 24-year-old Wrathall said he was encouraged by many aspects of his BTCC debut. “It’s been a really tough weekend for the whole team, but we have taken a lot from it,” he said. “It was a massive achievement for us even to get to Brands Hatch, even more so given that the Toyota looks as professionally turned out as it does. We’ve worked well together as a team and I’ve had a glimpse of the car’s potential, which is enormous. A difficult weekend for everyone, just as we expected.”

There’s no rest in sight for Dynojet Racing: fault-tracing and development work will fill their days between now and their next BTCC outings at Donington Park in a fortnight’s time.

The Brands Hatch BTCC race winners were reigning champion Jason Plato, who triumphed twice for Chevrolet, and Honda’s Matt Neal, who claimed victory in race three.

Frank Wrathall and Dynojet Racing are backing the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. Donations can be made at www.redcross.org.uk/japantoyota

BRDC Rising Star Frank Wrathall, who recently celebrated his 24th birthday, has enjoyed a sensational year in Ginetta G50 with five on the road wins, 11 maximum scores (when taking into account non-scoring victorious 'Guest Car' drivers) and a total of 19 podiums to end the season as 2010 Champion.

Heading into the final weekend, at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Frank held a 60 point advantage at the top of the championship. Frank had been locked in battle with ex Formula Renault Champion and BTCC driver Carl Breeze all year, and with a possible 108 points up for grabs the championship was Franks to lose and Carl’s to win. So the pressure was placed firmly on young Franks shoulders.

Approaching the first race with caution, Frank scored a solid 4th place finish, after qualifying 6th on the grid. The Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch is a notoriously difficult place to overtake, and with many drivers being handed negative championship points for racing contact throughout the season, Frank had to be certain he made no driver errors.

In the second of the three races, a podium finish would be enough to clinch the title. Biding his time in fourth place for the majority of the race, Frank made his move with a calculated pass on Chris Dittman into clearways. The championship winning move meant Frank crossed the line in 3rd place, securing the title with a race to spare.

Wrathall’s team mate Adam Morgan had a weekend to forget after a collision in the first of the weekend’s three races ruled his car out of both Sunday’s races. Franks sterling performance on both Saturday and Sunday also ensured that his Dynojet Race Car Team also secured the team championship.

Frank Commented:

'This season has been incredible. Having finished 2nd last year, there was only ever one aim - to win the title. Everyone in the team has worked hard to achieve our goal. My car has been the best prepared, best presented car in the paddock, without a doubt. This has been another learning curve in my racing career and I am now ready to move on to the next level. We have grown as a team and are really looking forward to next year. In theory, all the cars are exactly the same, so the best driver should win the championship. In practice, it would be impossible to win the championship without a great team behind me. I am extremely grateful to every member of the team for their hard work and dedication. A special mention must be made to my chief engineer Jonny Westbrook and Frank Snr for their tireless efforts trawling through set-up data and working on the car throughout the night. This gave me the best possible car at every track. I would also like to thank all my sponsors and supporters, without their encouragement and assistance none of this would have been possible. Thank you.'

2. Frank Wrathall        +0.409

3. Phil Broad                 +0.810

 

Race 2

 

The second race of the day was declared wet, as heavy rain showers had left the Snetterton circuit in extremely difficult conditions. Starting from the front row, Wrathall slotted into second off the start. The race leader, Breeze made a mistake at the end of the Revett straight, handing Wrathall the lead. However Breeze used a slip road and returned to the track at the Bomb Hole with a commanding lead. Showing his wet weather car control, Wrathall reeled in Breeze. Looking for a move, Frank tagged the rear of Breezes car and was sent into a spin. Dropping back to 14th position, Frank set a series of fastest laps and fantastic maneuvers to finish the race in a very creditable 5th place.

 

Race 2 Result

1. Carl Breeze             24.46.677            

2. Tom Sharp                +10.543

3. Adam Morgan           +10.638

5. Frank Wrathall        +12.274

 

Fastest Lap: Frank Wrathall 1.21.522

 

Race 3

 

The dry, sunny weather conditions had returned for the third race of the weekend. Starting from 2nd on the grid, Frank made a poor start, slipping back to third position. However, after only a few corners, Wrathall emerged in the lead of the race and started to build an advantage. Setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 6, Wrathall was able to pull over 1.5 seconds on the chasing pack. Following an incident on lap 10, involving team-mate and guest driver Adrian Newey, the race was red-flagged, declaring Wrathall the race winner. 

 

Race 3 Result

1. Frank Wrathall       14.32.768

2. Carl Breeze                 +0.823

3. Freddie Hetherington    +1.954

 

Fastest Lap: Frank Wrathall 1.12.916

 

Frank Commented: ' This has been an up and down weekend. I was unlucky in the wet race, and had the pace to win comfortably. It's a mega feeling to round the weekend off with a win, and close the gap in the championship, I'm very close to getting the lead back. The team has worked very hard on all the Dynojet cars this weekend so I'm glad I could give them something to cheer about! I wish Adrian all the best after his accident and thank him for being a great guest driver.'

Qualifying

Drama during the Friday test sessions saw the Dynojet team change the engine in Frank Wrathalls car, after issues following a trip into the gravel at Sheene Curve. With the new engine on board, Wrathall headed out for qualifying around the dry Brands Hatch circuit. He clocked a best time of 1.32.403, which put the Dynojet driver on pole position, only to be beaten by 0.021 at the very end of the session. This meant a front row starting position however, a credit to the team who had worked so hard to get the car prepared overnight.

Qualifying Times

1.	Carl Breeze	1.32.382
2.	Frank Wrathall	1.32.403
3.	Chris Dittmann	1.32.540

1.	Carl Breeze	21:49.542
2.	Tom Sharp	+0.208
3.	Ben Hetherington	+5.475

1.	Frank Wrathall	31:13.222
2.	Ben Hetherington	+1.441
3.	Chris Dittmann	+2.339

1.	Frank Wrathall	1.23.561
2.	Carl Breeze	1.23.637
3.	Ben Hetherington	1.23.811

1.	Frank Wrathall	18.10.359
2.	Carl Breeze	+1.1251
3.	Ben Hetherington	+3.620

1.	Carl Breeze	25:42.593
2.	Frank Wrathal	+0.923
3.	Adam Morgan	+8.322

1.	Frank Wrathall	22:56.297
2.	Carl Breeze	+3.064
3.	Ben Hetherington	+13.049

Qualifying

The 20 minute qualifying session marked a chaotic start to the 2010 season, as changable weather and track conditions came into play. As the cars headed out onto the circuit, the track was damp, but with a drying surface all competiotors opted for slick tyres. The tricky conditions however soon claimed the first victim as Frank's Dynojet team mate, Adam Morgan, left the circuit at Church, bringing out the red flags. With the state of the track, Frank changed to wet tyres as the session restarted. With the circuit now drying, Frank pitted for slicks, leaving a small window of opportunity for a fast lap. Frank however rose to the challenge, putting the Dynojet car on the top of the timesheets on his first lap. Hitting traffic on his second flying lap though would cost him dearly, as team mate, guest driver Rob Huff claimed pole position with Frank completing the front row.

Qualifying Times

1	Rob Huff	1.18.230
2	Frank Wrathall	1.18.872
3	Tom Sharp	1.19.785

Race 1

Prior rain showers meant the first race of 2010 would take place in wet conditions. The front row pairing of Huff and Wrathall pulled off the line in unison as all the cars headed towards the first corner. Side-by-side, it was Huff who got the initial advantage with Frank on his tail in second place. Happy to run with Huffs pace, and leave the pack chasing, Frank settled into the race as the pair pulled clear. Such was the Dynojet drivers early advantage, they had pulled an incredible 12.2 second gap over 3rd place man Chris Dittman by lap 4. Huff went onto take the victory with Frank a comfortable 2nd, safe in the knowledge that with the guest driver ineligable for championship points, this meant a maximum point haul.

Race 1 Result

1	Rob Huff	16.24.240
2	Frank Wrathall	+5.015
3	Chris Dittmann	+20.148

Race 2

As the sun came out for the two Sunday races, it meant perfect dry conditions. Again sharing the front row, it was Huff and Wrathall who took up the early advantage with Huff leading the way. Driving in formation, the pair eased away from the chasing pack, pulling 6.2 seconds over 3rd place by lap 5. Further down the field, Dan Denis suffered a heavy crash, resulting in a 7 lap safety car period. With the race restarting, Frank set the pace, smashing the lap record by a stunning 0.5 sec. Frank closed up on Huff but a shortened race distance put an end to a potential victory challenge.

Race 2 Result

1	Rob Huff	24.53.884
2	Frank Wrathall	+0.826
3	Carl Breeze	+4.999

Fastest Lap

Frank Wrathall

1.17.165 (record)

Race 3

Under the new regulations for 2010, the top six finishers from race two were reversed to form the grid for the final race of the day. This saw Frank on row 3 in 5th place. Frank was unable to make a lightening start pay, as he was mixing for position through the first set of corners. As the car rounded to the faster section of the circuit, Frank had maintained his 5th place, tucked up behind Carl breeze. However, when Breeze and Hetherington made contact, Frank had to sweve to avoid the cars, dropping a wheel onto the grass. Wrathall lost control of the car as he was sent spinning down the wet grass. Frank was able to rejoin the race in last (18th) place, some 20 seconds behing the leaders. Building momentum, Frank started consitanly lapping the circuit over half a second quicker than the leaders, catching the cars ahead hand over fist. Once on the back of the pack, and effectivly back in the race, Frank was able to perform a stunning comeback drive, gaining 10 places in 11 laps. This saw the fastest man on circuit come through to 7th place, just 6 seconds shy of a podium.

Race 2 Result

1	Rob Huff	21.09.317
2	Matt Bell	+4.776
3	Chris Dittmann	+11.441
7	Frank Wrathall	+17.306

Fastest Lap

Frank Wrathall

1.17.692

The title deciding final rounds for the Ginetta G50 Cup Championship moved to the undulating Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent. Five new drivers joined the grid for this final showdown.

Qualifying (Saturday) Ginetta's were the first cars of the day on the track for their 20 minute dry but blustery qualifying session. The cold morning conditions showed up some small handling problems with the car, and although only one second separated the top seven drivers, the Dynojet driver was very consistent qualifying 3rd, 2nd and 2nd for the three races of the weekend.

Race 1 (Saturday) A clean getaway from Frank's second row start behind Nathan Freke and Fulvio Mussi, kept the formation with Tom Sharp adding to the blend. Frank made a positive pass in the Dynojet car, on the inside line at Surtees to take second spot on the track. Before the start of lap two the safety car was deployed for the next three laps due to a mid pack collision at Paddock Hill bend between Joachim Ritter and Colin White. Frank maintained his safe second place, and continued to press Nathan but was unable to force a mistake. He settled for second over the finishing line, and his 21st podium visit of the season.

Frank: "I made a good start and got onto the back of Nathan from the off. I pushed as hard as I could, but Nathan (Freke) was ultra quick and although I was closing towards the end of the race, I had to settle for second"

Race 2 (Sunday) Frank and pole setter Nathan Freke got an even start from the front row of the grid, but Nathan had the inside line into Paddock Hill Bend and held onto his lead. The battle for second place intensified with Fulvio Mussi snapping at the heels of the Dynojet car, Fulvio made the move on Frank into Druids on the 10th tour. Frank pressed Fulvio all the way to the chequered flag, but he held on. Frank finished in 3rd spot, and added another podium appearance.

Frank: 'We gambled to save our tyres for the final race and it meant that I lacked that extra grip from mid race distance and I slipped back to third. Still its great to get another podium"

Race 3 (Sunday) From the start of the last race of the season Frank was in determined mood to grab the lead from Nathan, but the pole setter held on. By mid race Frank was closing the Dynojet car on the leader and looking menacing. There was absolutely nothing separating the pair, but Nathan managed to defend well enough into Clearways to pip the post by less than 10th of a second. Frank had a total of 23 visits to the podium, more than any other competitor in the championship.

Frank: "Obviously, Nathan's such a good driver and there's no shame at all in finishing second in the championship to him. I was absolutely gutted not to win that race. We were side by side at the end, but I just couldn't quite get ahead. This has easily been my best year so far, and the team has been fantastic. I feel that I have really improved over the season and to have had more podiums than anybody else is a great achievement. I would like to give a big thank you to Jonny and Frank Snr for giving me the best car on the grid, roll on 2010! "

The penultimate round of the season moved onto Rockingham Speedway. It's open paddock and free access to the pit garage roof offers fans the opportunity to get close to the all action.

Qualifying (Saturday) The 20 minute dry qualifying session produced a hectic competitive dash with only one second separating the top six drivers. Frank put the Dynojet car on pole for race one and two, and 2nd for race three.

Frank: "The car was handling brilliantly and I just pushed as hard as I could. The times we were posting were incredibly quick and it feels great to be on pole position."

Race 1 (Saturday) The initial 10 lap race was held in dry, sunny conditions. Frank kept the lead off the line, keeping the pack jostling behind him. A flawless race from start to finish kept the championship leader, Nathan Freke behind the Dynojet car. Frank crossed the finishing line in top spot taking maximum championship points.

Frank: "It was very close at the start but I knew how important it was to be first into the first corner. I went for the inside line, managed to hold it, and kept it under control from there. I didn't make any mistakes and I knew as long as I kept my head I could get the win"

Race 2 (Sunday) Once again Frank's pole position paid dividends, as he sprinted the Dynojet car cleanly off the line. He stamped his authority on the race as he cruised to a 13 second win to back-up his previous success from Saturday.

Frank: 'I think I had it pretty easy in this race. Early on, the car was moving around a lot but as soon as Nathan (Freke) dropped back, I could get into my rhythm. It's great to take another win, and great for the team who have all worked so hard to give me the car to do this."

Race 3 (Sunday) Frank's front row start along side Nathan, saw a nail biting sprint with both cars side by side. As the pack headed for turn one off the oval, Fulvio Mussi made contact with the rear of the Dynojet car culminating in a spin and further contact to the front end, ruling the multiple race winner out of the race.

Frank: "I knew nothing about the crash until I was facing the wrong way. I am extremely disappointed, as we had been dominating the meeting up until this point. I really wanted to give the team a perfect set of results and that has to be the aim for Brands Hatch."