Graham Johnson had a poor end to his racing season at Brands Hatch on 17 and 18 October 2008. From sixth on the grid in the first race, the PMW Expo driver was fighting for the lead until a puncture left the 34-year-old with no option but to replace the damaged rubber in the pits, dropping him a lap behind the pack. A strong fight-back drive in the remaining 15 minutes could only net him 18th position at the finish line.

The PMW Expo driver’s bad fortune continued in the second race. With two laps remaining, Johnson was again fighting for the top spot on the podium when an ambitious move by a fellow competitor pushed him off the track. Johnson rejoined the race with the car relatively undamaged, but there wasn’t enough time to move up through the field. He crossed the line in 13th, a result that left him sixth overall in the Caterham Roadsport A Championship in 2008.

Johnson commented, “The weekend was frustrating as my car felt perfect, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. I keep getting so close to winning, then disaster strikes me every time - I'm beginning to wonder if my luck doesn’t gel with motor racing! 2008 obviously wasn’t my year, but like I’ve said at the end of the previous two seasons, next year…!”

Donington Park was first time out for Johnson in his rebuilt Caterham following the accident that all but destroyed his car at Silverstone (see report below). His weekend was hampered by numerous teething problems, including a fuel-delivery issue during testing and a steering rack that broke free from its mountings, however, despite the problems, Johnson, managing director of UKIP Media & Events, the company which publishes PMW magazine, brought the car home in seventh position in race one.

The race was equally challenging for the 34-year-old, with torrential rain leaving visibility and grip at a premium. More mechanical woes occurred towards the end of the round, with the gearbox breaking just before Johnson crossed the finish line, costing him fourth place. The car trickled past the chequered flag to take fifth spot. Johnson said of the race, “I had a terrible weekend and had hoped for much more. I was glad when it was over!”

PMW Expo’s Caterham driver Graham Johnson started the first race at Silverstone, Northampton-shire, on 9 August 2008 in 20th position on the grid. He made a good start in the first race, gaining five places on the first lap.

However, at the beginning of the second lap, the driver one place ahead of Johnson, Andrew Walton, spun. With nowhere to go, Johnson crashed into the back of Walton, and that was the end of the race for the UKIP Media & Events’ managing director. The car was so badly damaged that it could not be prepared for the next race.

The 34 year old summed up the race perfectly when he said, “The weekend was terrible!”.

The 34 year old made a good start in the first race, challenging for the lead. He finished third with only three seconds between himself and the race leader.

The managing director of UKIP Media & Events, the company behind Professional MotorSport World Expo said, “After a poor weekend at Castle Coombe on 26 May, I was very pleased with my result this weekend and I look forward to getting back in the car at Silverstone on 10 August 2008!”

A fourth place finish in the second race leaves Johnson sixth in the Roadsport A Championship.

The tight, twisting nature of Cadwell Park makes it a unique racing environment, and Caterhams always offer a great spectacle for the crowds. Rounds 5 & 6 of the Caterham Roadsport championship saw massively oversubscribed grids result in split qualifying sessions. After the complex qualifying, Johnson came through to finish the first race in 8th place.

Another strong performance in race two saw him cross the line in 6th position, although a red flag incident meant that final finishing positions were counted back to the previous lap. Johnson was therefore eventually classified in 7th position.

“It’s a tough circuit and it was very crowded out there, but I raced well nevertheless.”

The fast, open nature of Castle Combe in Wiltshire always makes for exciting and incident filled racing. Not Johnson’s favourite track, his weekend was made all the more challenging by a qualifying session that was red-flagged very early on. Caught out by the incident, Johnson only managed a couple of sighting laps before the session was ended, thus leaving him in an uncharacteristically lowly 28th place on the grid.

A wet race then followed that saw Johnson climb 13 places to finish a respectable 15th overall. He commented: “I was pleased with my race pace and the conditions suited me, but ultimately I’m pretty disappointed with the result. It’s a shame qualifying was cut so short.”

The second race saw Johnson come through from 15th to finish 10th, capping off a difficult weekend’s racing.

Graham Johnson, our Caterham Roadsport driver, started the first round of the season 11th on the grid at Croft, North Yorkshire, on 27 April 2008.

Having not driven at Croft before, Johnson said, “It was a frustrating weekend because of a gearbox problem although I was pleased with my performance.”

Unable to find a gear at the start of race one, Johnson lost four places but, he fought back to finish 10th. Following a gearbox change, Johnson started the second race on the 10th row of the grid. Happier with the car’s setup, the 33-year-old managing director of publishing at UKIP Media & Events, which organizes PMW Expo, crossed the line in sixth place.