Porsche Club Motorsport bring their race series to Oulton Park‘s Supercar Pageant this Saturday, July 1st, with six races across the busy race day for the Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli, the Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup and the combined Eden Race Drive Porsche Open Cup and 911 Challenge fields.
Steve Woods heads the Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli class one points in his distinctive yellow, so should be a factor today. Former double champion Pete Morris is next up and is another with a win to his name so far in his 997, the most modern 911 variant allowed in the championship and the most powerful, but also the heaviest.
Chris Dyer, team mate to Morris, sits third in the rankings and heads the Cayman S title challenge, and has traditionally gone well at Oulton Park. Father and son duo James and Bill Caley have been closely matched all season, a highlight of which was Bill taking his maiden outright win in his Cayman at Brands Hatch in April, while James was on the pace here last season.
Others to watch for should include Mark McAleer, another former double champion returning to the series after missing 2022, Neil Delargy, a podium visitor last season but chasing is first top three finish of 2023, and 2022 Boxster Cup champion Pete Evans, adapting to slicks and getting up to speed in his 996.
Championship leader Chatham took his second win of the season last time out at Anglesey in May, but it is tight at the top with triple race winner Paul Simpson just six points behind and second overall. Class two is in dominated by the Boxsters and the closely matched cars provide a battle the equal of that at the front of the field.
Also a winner this year has been Andrew Porter, who has been quick but suffered mechanical issues when well placed in other races. Another in the mix has been Ross Morris, a former outright champion and son of class one’s Pete, a regular podium visitor so far this season.
In the Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup the driver in form so far this season has been Jonny Lovell, with five wins under his belt already having only lost out in the opening race of the season at Donington Park. That first meeting saw him making his Boxster Cup debut, and although he only took second in the opening race, set him on course for a series of wins that sees him head the point table.
A number of drivers have been podium visitors over the six races so far with Vikram Sudera reminding everyone of his pace with two second place finishes, while he has also been caught up in some entertaining race long dices, and should fare well at Oulton in what is virtually the home race of the Unique Racing team who look after his Boxster. Mike Thompson has twice come second in the series and is another who should feel close to home, his car running under the Porsche Centre Bolton banner.
Eric Bridges claimed his first top three finish with a second place in the results at Anglesey last month, his car one of those still wearing a livery linked to Porsche’s extensive racing past, as was required on the cars in the early days of the championship. Also still running with a classic livery is Sarah Thomson, who was Lovell’s closest challenger in the second race at Anglesey and was only denied the runner up slot by a technical issue.
Faye Noble-Evans, wife of 2022 Boxster Cup champion Pete Evans, is another with race pace to spare, and has been one to spar with Sudera in several races this season, their battle at Donington Park a highlight. Back at that Donington meeting Ashely White took two third place finishes in the Porsche Centre Nottingham car, and is back in action this weekend, a feature of the series being that drivers can share a car, the points accruing to the car not the individual.
Oulton Park sees the second outing of 2023 for the Eden Race Drive Porsche Open Cup and 911 Challenge, the Porsche Open label returning to Porsche Club Motorsport’s portfolio of races having been a stalwart of British motorsport for many years. The Open Cup and 911 Challenge is a series of races rather than a championship, so although no points are scored drivers will still be competing for race honours just as competitively as ever.
At Anglesey in May Archie Hamilton was the star of the show in his 992 GT3 Cup, going quick enough to set one of the quickest laps ever laps by a car with a roof round the testing North Wales circuit. Tim Bates was the star of the 911 Challenge field despite chasing a misfire for much of the weekend, his 911 and getting amongst the GT3s on occasion.