Joe Tandy, David Epton or Stuart Prior will go home from the weekend as the 2005 FPA champion but first they have to get through the final two 30-minute races of the weekend – and it’s anyone’s guess which of them will take the crown.

The three British drivers have been battling right from the start of the season, with Hampshire man Epton drawing first blood by winning the opening race of the season. Since then, though, Bedford ace Tandy has ruled the roost following several mid-season wins while Prior has been superbly consistent and stayed at the sharp end of the points table, scoring more podiums than anyone else so far.

Now though, as the trio go into the final race meeting of the season on the full-length, 2.6-mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix track, there are just 17 points separating them all, with Tandy holding the slenderest of leads.

It promises to be a tense and edgy affair, especially as there are several other drivers who could win races and add another dimension to the championship contenders’ battle. Spaniard Emilio de Villota has really found his feet in the second half of the season and has won four of the last five races.

Icelandic Viktor Jensen is also in the hunt for wins, having recovered from a disappointing start to the season. He scored his only victory of the year so far on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit back in May so will be out for a repeat performance.

But as far as the championship is concerned, it’s all about Tandy and Epton, and both drivers know it’s all to play for.

“It’s going to be tense, to say the least,” said Tandy. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams to be where I am now anyway. I’m optimistic, and I know we’ll be quick enough to win races, just like I have been all year. The worst I can take is third place in the championships, but it would be nice to take the title.”

Ex-Mini racer Tandy admitted that racing in front of the huge crowd expected for the world debut of the A1 Grand Prix series, which FPA will be supporting this weekend, will be intimidating. “It will be very daunting but a good experience. But I just need to keep my focus. Qualifying will be what it’s all about, and I’m sure there will be a lot of psychology going on. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Epton reckoned that the big occasion would not phase him, and that the way to approach this weekend is exactly the same as every other race weekend of the season. “Technically, it’s just like going into the first race of the year,” he explained. “There’s still two qualifying sessions and two races to get through. I’m just going to be trying to focus on what I’m doing and not worrying about what anyone else is doing.

“This season, it’s been about who has made the least mistakes. I made one at Brands Hatch in May and again in the second race at Monza – if it wasn’t for those mistakes, we might have been this close all season.”

Epton admitted that he struggled more than Tandy to set his car up in the first half of the year but reckons that he has now got well and truly to grips with the 300bhp FPA machine. “I’m in a lot better position with the car now,” he explained. “It took a few races for us to work out what everyone else was doing but now I reckon I should be quicker than Joe. It’s come at the right time for me and it’s just going to be a case of having two good, clean races.

“Qualifying is not going to be as vital this weekend as it is when we race on the Indy circuit, although I would like to be on the front row for both races. I know the car is going to be quick like it was at Monza and Silverstone so it’s like I said, I just need to keep my focus.”

Source: Formula Palmer Audi Press Office