JAMES CATER hopes to end the season with a trophy after he failed to finish both races in the latest round of the Ravenol Formula Vee Championship at Silverstone.
Confident of claiming a top three finish in Class B in only his second appearance at the Northamptonshire circuit, the Bromsgrove racer qualified 23rd out of 38 cars despite some miscalculations with the suspension settings.
With an almost dry track in front of him, Cater was confident the conditions would suit his driving style and he made up eight places before the first corner.
His sublime start moved him towards the fringes of the Class B podium places before a 120mph spin dropped Cater back down the order at the start of the second lap.
Red flags for another accident caused a restart but with the engine sounding off, he set off from the pit lane and the problems got worse on track, forcing Cater to retire from the race.
Despite a valiant effort from Alvechurch mechanic Glenn Hay to repair the engine, he ran out of time before the start of the second race meaning the weekend ended in disappointment.
Cater said: “We should have qualified better. We completely stripped and rebuilt the gearbox but that meant we weren’t concentrating on the conditions on the track.
“From the start of the first race I thought I was on course for my first podium but it wasn’t to be and it was really disappointing as friends and family came to watch me.
“If I can end the season with a trophy and break into the top ten that would be great news.”
Cater returns to racing action at Snetterton on Saturday, September 24 for the final race of the season.
