Bobby Thompson was in a prime position to be the driver to take the Jack Sears Trophy. He was sitting at the top of the table and with only two race weekend’s left to go, looked to be in a promising position to be the victor.
He has been consistently strong in the running for the trophy all year, battling off competition from Michael Crees, Carl Boardley, Sam Osborne and Jack Butel.
However, the 24-year-old was unable to compete at this past weekend’s Snetterton event on medical grounds.
Thompson was involved in a horrible accident at Croft. His and Senna Proctor’s car went side-by-side on the run out of Tower and through some contact, Thompson went onto the grass sideways before being launched into the air, where the car took a couple of hefty rolls.
Crowdfunding Repairs
Luckily, after the car came to a standstill, Thompson was able to climb out of the car, albeit a bit dazed.
Due to this incident, Thompson had to be assessed by doctors again before Snetterton and they decided he wasn’t quite race ready due to signs of concussion, therefore not clearing him to race.
His car also took a substantial amount of damage with the Romford Recorder reporting that fans of the driver had set-up a crowdfunding page to help with the cost of fixing the car.
He was having a strong weekend at Croft with two eighth-place finishes and was looking on course to gain a fifth-place finish in race three, his highest so far in British Touring Car Championship. That finish would have put him head and tails in front at the top of the Jack Sears trophy standings.
For those that don’t know what the Jack Sears trophy is, it consists of the drivers who have not yet had a top three finish in the BTCC. Points are given out based on the same points system used in the independent drivers’ championship and whoever has the most points at the end of the year, wins the trophy.
Going into Snetterton, Thompson had 280 points and a 27-point lead over his nearest competitor, Boardley. However, that would soon change due to his unfortunate absence. Let’s take a look at how his nearest competitors did over rounds 22, 23, and 24 as the race for the Jack Sears trophy really heated up.
One Weekend Can Turn Everything Around
Crees now holds a firm grip on top of the standings with 303 points after becoming victorious in not one, not two, but all three races at Snetterton.
That gave him a whopping 60 points to walk away with, meaning the trophy is now his to lose.
Going into the weekend, he was sitting in fourth place, so that alone shows how just one weekend can turn everything around.
Failure To Capitalise
Boardley did not move position over the weekend and still sits in second place. He will be disappointed with himself in not being able to capitalise on Thompson missing the weekend. He placed second, ninth and third in the Jack Sears trophy class to gain 39 points, bringing his grand total to 292.
Osbourne took a step back instead of forwards at Snetterton. It all looked like it was going to be a strong weekend for him, gaining third and second in races one and two, but race three took a bad turn.
Osborne did not finish the race after what was believed to be an overheating issue caused by grass in the radiator from going off track, meaning he missed out on gaining any points in the third race of the day.
Going into Snetterton, Butel was 47 points off of Thompson’s tally and sitting in fifth, so would have loved to put on a show over the race weekend to get himself higher up the leader board.
Sadly, the weekend just wasn’t on his side. After qualifying second from last, Butel could only get two fifth place finishes and one seventh, bringing his new total to 264. He still sits in fifth position, but is slightly closer, points wise, to the new front-runner Crees, with just 39 points now separating them.
What Does This Mean For Thompson?
Thompson currently now sits in third place after missing Snetterton and is only 23 points away from front-runner Crees, and 12 points away from second placed Boardley.
With the final round taking place at Brands Hatch on the 14th November and 15th November, there is just a maximum of 60 points left to gain with any one of the top five still able to clinch the Jack Sears trophy.
For Thompson to get himself back on the top spot come the final chequered flag of the season, he really needs to push himself to get the maximum out of his GKR Trade Price Cars Racing Audi S3.
To see how it all unfolds, tune in to ITV4 on the 15th November for what should be a spectacular finale with the overall championship still yet to be decided as well as the teams and manufacturers titles as well as the Jack Sears trophy itself.
(Header image courtesy of BTCC/Jakob Ebrey)
