SUPER SIX GET SET FOR TITLE SHOWDOWN

Whilst a dominant Dan Zelos wrapped up the JCW title with a round to spare, things couldn’t be more different in the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy as the Cooper field heads for Brands Hatch this weekend.

Sam Gornall leads the way for Westbourne Motorsport heading into three races around the short Indy circuit, and whilst a 31 point lead over team-mate Harry Hickton sounds sizeable, the fact that 174 are still up for grabs means no fewer than half a dozen drivers could still emerge victorious.

In his second season in the series, Gornall has been a contender from the opening round of the year at Snetterton, where he qualified on pole and won race one before mechanical issues opened the door for Hickton to win races two and three.

Since then, the pair have been embroiled in a huge battle at the top of the points, sharing a total of seven wins and with a combined record of 18 podium finishes.

Hickton appeared to have the upper hand in the title race but a challenging run of form since the summer break opened the door for Gornall to make his move to the head of the standings.

The battle between the two team-mates promises to be one full of intrigue, but the chasing pack will be keen to spoil the Westbourne party – led by Graves Motorsport’s Alex Solley.

Solley is the most experienced of the title contenders and has once again based his campaign around consistency, having only failed to finish in the top eight twice all season.

Currently eleven points behind Hickton, Solley will need to go on the attack this weekend if he is to stand any chance of overhauling the pair ahead and it’s a similar story for team-mate James Black at his home circuit.

Black has also been a model of consistency in his second year in the series and took a popular maiden win at Silverstone last time out to bring himself into title contention although like Solley, he will need an element of luck on his side to overturn a 57 deficit to top spot.

Like Black, Gabe Fairbrother scored his maiden win in the series this season, picking up a double success at Croft, and it means he continues to fly the flag for EXCELR8 – the team that took top honours last season with Tom Ovenden.

Fairbrother is arguably the in-form driver on the grid with five podium finishes in the last seven starts and is one of only two drivers to have a 100 per cent finishing record – although it remains to be seen whether his impressive run of results have come too late to steal the title.

Mathematically at least, Alex Keens rounds out the title contenders in sixth spot heading to a circuit where he took victory last season. Keens however sits more than 130 points off the championship lead – leaving him needing an unlikely set of results to stand any chance of grabbing championship silverware.

Although the focus will be on the battle for the overall title, all three class titles are also still to be won, with Ronnie Smith leading the fight for the Rookie Cup crown.

Smith has been the class of the field amongst the first year drivers for Chandler Motorsport and takes a lead of more than 100 points into the weekend over Leo Purches; the youngest driver on the grid this season.

Whilst Smith has been a top ten regular throughout the year, Purches took slightly longer to get fully up to speed but arrives at Brands Hatch on the back of his best weekend yet – results he will be keen to try and build on in the finale even if the class title is likely to be a step too far.

The Graduate Cup battle features the same names as the overall title battle, with the exception of Solley, with the lack of bonus points meaning Gornall’s advantage over Hickton sits at 43 points, with Black in third just two further back.

The tightest battle is the Directors Cup, with just two points between Mannpower Motorsport’s Paul Manning and EXCELR8’s Ben Taylor.

Taylor has actually outscored Manning before drops are taken into account having finished every race, but his 30 point drop means he is two points behind his rival going into the final three races.

John Castle can mathematically overhaul the pair but, having switched to Graves Motorsport for the finale, would need to pick up a highly unlikely haul of points to make up the ground lost having missed a number of events.

Away from the various title fights, the grid this weekend features a number of drivers looking to end their seasons on a high – such as Rhys Hurd who has scored no fewer than five wins so far but finds himself out of contention after a rough start to the year.

Hurd will hope to add to his win record, with the likes of Luca Marinoni Osborne and Reece Lycett hoping to make it onto the top step having shown podium pace already this year.

David Tan is the only newcomer for the finale having agreed a deal to join up with EXCELR8 although Steven Chandler returns with his team for the season finale and there is an outing for former Junior Saloon champion Lewis Saunders in a second Ashley Gregory Racing entry after he stepped in to contest one of the three races at Silverstone.

Gregory, who missed qualifying and the opening race at Silverstone due to illness, will switch into a new build car for the finale.