Dorrington and Kyle-Henney win at Donington

The opening rounds of the Porsche Club GB Sim Racing Club Championship were held on Sunday, 31 May with a strong field of 26 competitors taking on the challenge of Donington Park. Matthew Dorrington and Matt Kyle-Henney were the winners of the two 20-minute races, which saw both experienced sim and regular track racers racing identical 911 GT3 Cup cars.

Kyle-Henney was on pole for race one, but was beaten off the line by the fast-starting Ryan Parkins who blasted through to lead into the first corner from the second row of the grid, only to go wide and allow Kyle-Henney back in front, Dorrington also taking advantage to move into second. Dorrington was keeping the pressure on the leader and dived down the inside at Coppice on lap three as they encountered a back-marker, and things got worse for the early leader a lap later when he spun exiting the Fogarty Esses, dropping to fourth behind Dorrington, Parkins and Carl Sharkey.

The lead four were clear of the rest and as the race progressed Parkins closed in on Dorrington, the two running together before a small mistake at Coppice saw Parkins fall back by a few lengths, Dorrington going on to take the first Porsche Club GB virtual race win. Behind, Kyle-Henney had been inching back towards Sharkey lap by lap and was less than a second behind the third-placed car at the end. Marc Bow and Ryan Ratcliffe rounded out the top six.

Race two was always going to provide some entertainment for the healthy on-line audience as it featured a complete reverse grid – race one winner Dorrington thus starting at the very back. There was drama on the opening lap as cars went in all directions, including upwards in one case, as the pack descended the Craner Curves, the chaos allowing some of the quick cars from race one to gain places very quickly, Kyle-Henney coming round third behind Amreek Sachdev and Gavin Halls.

Kyle-Henney was into the lead on lap two with Halls now second and Sachdev third, with Austin Greatorex, Parkins and Dorrington next up. Over the next few laps Kyle-Henney was able to open a gap with some consistent laps, Halls second while a highlight of the second half of the race was the Greatorex, Parkin and Dorrington battle, Sachdev having spun on lap nine.

As Kyle-Henney took the win, although the Hampshire racer looks to be unable to complete the full season, behind it was a drag-race out the final hairpin for second, Parkins just heading Halls across the line by a tenth of a second to claim another second-place finish. Dorrington was fourth ahead of Greatorex, with Bow a distant sixth.

The series continues on June 7 when the field heads to California to take on the challenge of the Laguna Seca circuit and the infamous Corkscrew.
 
Race One Results
1 Matthew Dorrington
2 Ryan Parkins +0.559s
3 Carl Sharkey +10.412s
4 Matt Kyle Henney +11.040s
5 Marc Bow +37.749s
6 Ryan Ratcliffe +38.110s
7 James Cummings +43.217s
8 Austin Greatorex +50.828s
9 Gianluca Elia +54.883s
10 Angus Archer +59.364s
 
Race Two Results
1 Kyle-Henney
2 Parkins +3.167s
3 Gavin Halls +3.266s
4 Dorrington +6.825s
5 Greatorex +10.818s
6 Bow +49.628s
7 Mark Baxter-Jones +52.759s
8 Elia +58.275s
9 Ian Hannon +58.716s
10 Amreek Sachdev +1 Lap 

Watch the replay here.