The Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli kicked off in style at Donington Park on April 2nd, with two exciting races, the second livened up by a sudden rain shower as the field were out on slicks. Pete Morris and Simon Clark claimed the outright wins, while class two honours were shared by James Coleman and Colin Tester.
Morris and Chris Dyer locked up the front row for both the opening two Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli races of the season, the Strasse duo setting the pace and Morris quickest at his favourite circuit.
Morris headed Dyer into the first corner in the opening race, with Clark third, having his first race in his new 996 C2 having won the class, and the 2020 title, the previous two years in a Cayman S. James Caley was third, and under pressure from the 996 of Kevin Molyneuax in the early running, and these two were with Clark early in the race.
With Morris a second clear at the front, Clark started to close in on Dyer, James Caley fourth and Molyneuax out with an engine problem. They finished the race in that order, Dyer holding off Clark in the final laps; the chequer flag coming out early with a car stranded at the side of the circuit.
In class two, series returnee James Coleman set the pace, having taken pole despite going off on oil late in the qualifying session. Swift work by his team saw his Boxster ready to race and in the early laps he stayed amongst the class one runners in the top ten overall as he opened a gap on his class rivals.
Coleman duly took the win, and Colin Tester took second on his class two debut - Angus Archer coming home third. Paul Simpson had run as high as third but pulled off with five minutes left with his accelerator pedal detached, bring an early end to the race.
Morris headed them away in race two at the end of the afternoon, but the field were greeted on the first lap by a sudden rain shower that created havoc amongst the slick shod field. Morris was just one of the drivers caught out and he dropped down the order, it was Clark from fifth on the grid who led at the end of the opening lap.
Dyer was leading the chase and visibly pushing hard only to spin on lap two, class two leader Coleman following suit seconds later at the same part of the track. Dyer’s spin saw Bill Caley, making his class one debut in the Cayman formerly campaigned by Clark, into second, only to lose out to the recovering Morris and Dyer.
Dyer spun again on lap eight from second and into retirement, Morris now into second but unable to match the pace of the leader. Bill Caley was third with Richard Ellis fourth, ahead of the recovering James Caley, another to lose ground in the early laps having dropped out of the top ten.
Bill Caley was pressuring Morris as father James moved into fourth, and it was James who was at that point the quickest car on the circuit and passed Bill on lap 14 and closed on Morris. Clark was the dominant winner, Morris holding off James Caley in the final laps with Bill Caley a fine fourth.
With Coleman having to climb back through the field after his spin, it was Tester who headed class two, Simpson, having borrowed a new accelerator pedal, running second as Coleman picked cars off one by one.
At the end Tester took the win at his first Porsche Club Championship meeting, while Coleman recovered to third and Archer pipped Simpson for third.
The Porsche Club Championship is next in action at Brands Hatch, Kent, on April 30th
Results:
Race One:
1 Peter Morris (996 C2S) 16 Laps
2 Chris Dyer (Cayman S) +0.806s
3 Simon Clark (996 C2)
4 James Caley (997 C2S).
Class Two:
1 James Coleman (Boxster S)
2 Colin Tester (Boxster S)
3 Angus Archer (Boxster S)
4 Oliver Chatham (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Kevin Molyneux (996 C2) 1m15.107s (94.85mph).
Race Two:
1 Clark 19 Laps
2 Morris +20.868s
3 James Caley
4 Bill Caley (Cayman S).
Class Two:
1 Tester
2 Coleman
3 Archer
4 Paul Simpson (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Simon Clark(996 C2) 1m15.260s (94.66mph).