Cullen took over at the head of the table in late October after a class victory in his Lotus Cortina in a Historic Racing Drivers Club race at Silverstone and was not to be denied first place thereafter with no one inside the top 50 improving following the season-ending Plum Pudding event at Mallory Park on Boxing Day.
However, for over three months of last year, it looked like a different driver would end the season on top. Freddie Slater was proving almost unstoppable in Ginetta Junior and headed the winners’ table from June until mid-September, but his decision to upgrade his licence to tackle some single-seater races meant an early end to his Ginetta campaign and gave the opportunity for others to reel him in.
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But, before Slater had truly hit his stride, it was Mazda MX-5 stars Aidan Hills and Steve Foden who led the way initially (although they ultimately fell to sixth and 11th, respectively).
As Slater moved to the top, Clubmans Sports Prototype dominator James Clarke soon became his closest rival.
United Formula Ford 1600 champion Lucas Romanek was another to have a spell in second before Slater was finally toppled from the lead by Scottish Legends ace Ryan McLeish.
Cullen then joined both McLeish and Slater on 16 wins in mid-October, meaning the battle to finish the year on top was still wide open heading into the final 2023 events, only for Cullen’s HRDC class win at Silverstone a week later which enabled him to move into first.
Clarke enjoyed some success at the November Walter Hayes Trophy weekend to return to second and join Cullen on 17 wins but two of his triumphs were class victories compared to Cullen’s one, crucially keeping the Clubmans driver behind.
Source: Autosport