Young Ross driver, James Sibbet, completed his first season racing Caterhams with two podium finishes in the final meeting, this time at the famous Spa Francorchamps Grand Prix circuit. On the weekend of October 13th and 14th the British Caterham Graduates Championship drivers gathered at the Belgian circuit for their last two races of the 2007 season. A full programme included Formula Renault, Euro Boss ex-F1 racing and the Dutch Supercar championships, but the biggest grids were filled by the Caterhams, with an amazing 65 cars taking the start of each race. "It's a tradition that this British Championship visits a major continental European circuit each year," said James, 19, who works for Dawleys in Ross, "and this was one I was really looking forward to." James went to Spa with the Championship standings still in the balance. First and second would be between Andrew Ennis and Andrew Vickers, but James was in a four-way battle for third place, needing to finish ahead of his rivals in both races. With a strong qualifying performance he secured second place on the grid for his Supergrad class for race one, and third for race two. With so many cars taking the start the organisers decided to employ a rolling start. In both races, the start saw the lead drivers pouring into La Source four or five abreast, dicing for position for the run down to Eau Rouge. It was very close racing, wih lots of slipstreaming and constant swapping of position, all at 120mph plus. Race one produced a close battle between James and Hugh Smith for third and fourth place, whilst Championship leader Andrew Vickers achieved victory in the race and championship standings. Entering the final lap, James dived inside Smith's car at La Source and pulled away through Eau Rouge, continuing to eke out the gap and take the third place. The second race on the Sunday produced an equally frenetic start with surprisingly little contact between the 65 cars. For most of the 30 minute race Ennis, James and Smith raced closely together, with James and Ennis establishing a gap in the final three laps. An excursion onto the gravel on the penultimate lap slowed Ennis, but his brush with the barrier showered the close-following James with gravel and fibre-glass, preventing him from taking immediate advantage. The recovering Ennis held on to the line, with an exultant James clinching second ahead of Hugh Smith. James said: Two podiums at a circuit like this is beyond any realistic expectations I had going into the meeting. Most of the drivers had been here before, and it's a tricky circuit to learn, being so long, but it just seemed to suit my driving style. "To stand on the same podium visited by the F1 drivers just a month or so ago was a wonderful experience!" Just as importantly, the brace of top three finishes sealed James' third place in the drivers championship for 2007, a stunning performance for a driver in his 'rookie' season.
