Four Champions Heading to Silverstone for Hagerty Radical Cup UK

After the Hagerty Radical Cup UK supported the British Touring Car Championship programme for it’s last two weekends of racing, this weekend close to 40 Radicals will be heading to the home of British Motorsport; Silverstone. An all-star cast including three Radical Champions will be battling on track, plus a special guest and the first sighting of the new Radical SR1 XXR, the entry-level model in the Radical stable which completes the XXR generation line-up.

With Championship leader Daryl De Leon having now stepped up to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), defending Radical Cup UK Champion James Lay will be the favourite for the weekends triple header in his Doris Motorsport SR3 RSX. Lay is currently seven points behind De Leon, with six wins to De Leon’s four, but DW Racing’s Ben Caisley will be keen to add to his victory at Brands Hatch. Caisley has had eight other podium finishers, but is currently third in the Championship, 48 points behind Lay.

Abdelmajeed Khateeb came into the Championship this season. A former Radical Cup Gulf Champion, who has raced Formula Renault, Formula 3 and A1 GP, he was a surprise winner at Oulton, having switched camps to the multi championship winning Raw Motorsports.

The pair of Radical Champions will be joined by Canadian Austin Riley, 2021 Radical Cup Canada and 2022 Radical Cup North America Champion. This weekend he will be piloting the latest generation SR3 XXR. Making his British debut just two weeks after clinching two podiums on the streets of his hometown Toronto alongside the IndyCar series. As a Hagerty sponsored driver, Austin Riley is the first race car driver with autism to win a major championship, and an inspiration for all who’ve met him. His motto is backed by his success both on and off the track...

“Just because you have autism, it doesn’t mean you can’t do great things”

A fourth champion joining the grid is World Superbike Champion and former MotoGP rider, Sylvain Guintoli, racing with North Motorsport in a another SR3 XXR. Guintoli has set his sights on contesting the Le Mans 24 Hours and becoming the first person to win both the two-wheel and four-wheel versions of the French endurance classic, having already won on two-wheels in 2021. The Radical SR3 XXR being identified as the ideal training tool for this ambitious mission.

In the PRO SR1 class Theo Micouris heads into this penultimate weekend with a comfortable lead in the SR1 Championship. The Motorsport UK Academy driver has six wins under his belt already, but has only been lower than second once and that was at Oulton Park. His nearest rival for the title is still GT racer Tom Wood, who with five wins in the University of Derby car, has a 13 point cushion over DW’s Oscar Joyce.

Making up the 16 strong SR1 grid this weekend will be the first SR1 XXR to leave the Cambridgeshire factory, featuring the ‘XXR treatment’ including the latest generation 1,340cc power unit from Radical’s own bespoke engine facility.

James Pinkerton, Radical Motorsport’s Head of Research and Development and double Radical SR1 Cup Champion, said:

“The SR1 will always be special to me, as I’ve witnessed first-hand how approachable it is for drivers wanting to take the step up in their racing careers. When developing the fifth generation RPE engine, we wanted to optimise its potential as much as possible, whilst staying true to what makes the SR1 so user-friendly. Although the entry-level racer, the SR1 XXR offers an outstanding package with unparalleled performance for the money, that will get you on the grid in a professionally administered race series.”

Qualifying is on Saturday morning 11.30, with the first race over 30 minutes at 15.45. Race two is at 10.10 on Sunday, with the finale at 14.05. Watch the races live at YouTube.com/RadicalMotorsport, or follow @radical.uk on social media.