Catch up time with Brett Castle as Round 4 approaches
At Silverstone dreams came true as you shook off Kumakubo to show him who is boss and why you are the 2007 Champion, how do you rate your chances once again against Kumakubo but more importantly all the drivers as a whole - is Brett Castle on a charge for a double Championship victory?
Driving against the Japanese has been a career long ambition of mine. Battling against Kumakubo was such an unbelievable experience. The Japanese drivers are of an exceptional standard- especially Kumakubo and Tanaka, so it lets us see how much we've improved and how we fair against the best in the world. All of the drivers are improving every round, so I'm trying really hard to keep up with them. I'd love to take the championship victory for 2008 but it will be a real struggle to achieve this after such a set back at Knockhill- you have to try to be in with a chance!
Also a new wildcard to contend with for Santa Pod is NZ Champion Adam Richards in his RB26 powered Cefiro, how do you think he will get on in EDC first time out?
I have only seen clips on you tube but from what I've seen Adam shouldn't have a problem adapting to our championship. It will be good to have another country's involvement and compare the European's standard against that of the top New Zealander. I hope he's looking forward to coming and taking part in the EDC.
Who do you think are the main contenders for this year to watch out for not that the Championship is in full swing, who is the danger to be wary of at this point?
Bon Bon is the biggest surprise this year. Not his driving capability, but the fact his car has been reliable! (excluding demos!!). He deserves a championship win as his car suits his driving style meaning he's always on form. Other drivers to watch out for are Buff who is consistently on the podium, Paul Conlan who has come in this year and really shown potential, Polody who is a very focused and committed to the championship and Phil in his new S15 set to shake things up.
Silverstone saw a remarkable change in performance of your car, did you make any changes to the car setup before that event?
No major changes to the chassis of the car. Abbey Motorsport have made a few minor tweaks and Tein have been working hard to keep up with the ever changing adjustments required of the differing tracks. The main change has been using Toyo tyres, who I am very pleased to have on board. By readjusting the car slightly we have produced more grip and drivability.
I think the car is the most competitive it have been at this stage. Abbey do have plans to fit a new turbo kit for Santa Pod, which should take us well over 500BHP.
With Santa Pod looming, what do you think your chances are, and if you don’t win, who would you put your money on to take the win?
The track at Santa Pod is quite technical but not as fast as some of the bigger circuits. I think Team Orange will be on fire at this circuit and they'll be the people to beat. I'm sure everyone will be keen to take the win as the championship is so close at the moment- we'll have to wait and see!
See Brett in action at Round 4 this weekend (12/13th July) at Santa Pod.