A DOBLE QUEST

After five consecutive years atop the throne in the Nankang Tyre BMW Compact Cup paddock, all-time great Steven Dailly elected to step aside from a full-time season of domination to pursue other priorities. Upon hearing this, the rest of the Compact Cup grid not only breathed a sigh of relief but also assessed their chances on becoming his successor. There were a good few candidates up to the task, but as it turned out only one of them had the pace to step up. Scott Woodwiss explains.

Mikey Doble staked his claim to become 2022 champion from the outset, heading to Brands Hatch for the opening races of the year and keeping the rest of the field at bay to claim a pole and then both victories and a fastest lap in what was almost the perfect start. His three closest pursuers all day were Lee Dendy-Sadler, Ian Howes and Guy Davis, all of them ready to keep Mikey in their sights over the season.

They had a tougher time at Snetterton next time out, as Doble overcame third on the grid from qualifying and couldn’t be stopped from clinching three more wins to make it five from five after two meetings. Dendy-Sadler and Howes owned second and third all weekend too.

However, it was at Anglesey where Doble’s winning streak was brought to a halt, when a new winner was crowned in Guy Davis. Having been part of the paddock for a few seasons, Davis was yet to take a victory but had been getting faster and more competitive over time. In Wales, everything seemed to click as from third in qualifying, he chased down and passed Doble for the win with less than five minutes to go to deny Mikey his sixth win. Davis then benefitted from a rare mechanical problem for Doble late into race two forcing him to retire, along with Howes and Dendy-Sadler after they collided early on. It left Davis to win again ahead of Gareth Claydon and Gordon Macmillan, before he completed a perfect triple later in the day as Doble retired once more.

Quickly putting his Welsh turmoil behind him, Doble got back on form at Oulton Park by dominating race one by over 11 seconds and then pipping Howes to victory in the second race later in the day, taking his win total to seven for the season after only four meetings. This was then extended to eight in the first race at Cadwell Park a few weeks later as he resisted pressure from Davis all race long, but couldn’t hold him back the next day as Davis won the race to the first corner and was never headed, securing win number four in the process from Doble and Howes.

Knockhill hosted the penultimate weekend of the season and produced three different winners from racing around both directions of the Scottish circuit. Ian Howes took a long awaited first Compact Cup win in race one from Doble and Davis, followed by a ninth top step visit for points leader Doble ahead of Howes and the returning Steven Dailly, before the five time champion then stormed to victory, but was invisible for points as a guest allowing Doble to take the maximum score instead.

Then came the final weekend of the season at Silverstone International, where Doble set himself up for a unique feat. Using a motorcycle ridden by his father Mike Doble Snr as a taxi between Silverstone and Donington Park, Mikey aimed to win both the Compact Cup and Ginetta GT5 Challenge titles on the same day. Thankfully, an 18th place in race one was enough to gain him back enough points from dropped scores to allow him to miss the final two races and clinch the BMW Compact Cup title and indeed win the Ginetta GT5 crown too - a phenomenal achievement! This now left the scrap for second and third behind him to settle.

Two podiums and a fifth helped Ian Howes to move up into the runner up spot on the final weekend, his best final standing in the championship to date and proof that he’d made giant leaps in his pace and consistency. It would also be a double Doble delight as third in the points was taken by Mike Doble Snr, who also picked up the Masters honours at a canter ahead of Jim Barratt and Gordon Macmillan. Another sublime season of BMW racing, as 2023 awaits for more of the same!

The wildest single-seater racers in Britain returned in 2022 and, for the second year running, the British Superkart Championship was back on the calendar under the auspices of Motorsport UK with assistance from Superkarting UK. Gary James brings the insight.