Donington Park hosted the opening rounds of Porsche Club Motorsport’s two race championships, and the day saw a host of new race winners. Tom Andrew and Jonny Lovell took a Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup win apiece on their debuts in the series.
Race One
Jonny Lovell took his first ever pole position in his first ever Boxster Cup qualifying session, and then led the field away with fellow new face Tom Andrew in close attendance. Ashley White was into third at the end of lap one from sixth on the grid, Vikram Sudera fourth.
The lead pair pulled away, Andrew looking for a way past Lovell’s Boxster and on lap ten got on the inside into the first corner. Lovell wasn’t giving up the lead easily though and the two were side-by-side down through the Craner Curves and Lovell was back in front at the Old Hairpin – only for the duo to catch a backmarker coming onto the pit straight at the end of the lap and Andrew kept more momentum and was into the lead.
Andrew went onto make his series debut with a win, Lovell second while White had been chased down by a flying Sudera and slipped to fourth, only to gain the place back in the results as Sudera was hit with a ten-second start line penalty.
“That was a great battle, it was really cat and mouse,” said Andrew. “We had a great door to door battle down the Craner Curves and once I was ahead it was just about controlling the gap. It’s a great start to the season, can’t get much better.”
“It was a hectic race,” said Lovell. “He got past me through Redgate but I thought I had to stay with him so chased him down the hill and I was brave into the Old Hairpin. It was my first pole, first time leading a race and first podium.”
Race Two
On pole again for race two was Lovell, and once more he made a clean start to take the early lead, White second ahead of Andrew and Faye Noble-Evans into fourth. Andrew was keen to take second and chase after the leader but it took him until lap seven to get past into the first corner, with Lovell now over four seconds ahead.
The gap slowly closed but Lovell was in control even through the backmarkers this time, and he still had an advantage of a second as they competed the 25-minute race, Lovell delighted with is first ever race win. Behind, Noble-Evans had been holding off Sudera for almost the entire race but Sarah Thomson was closing on them and when both went wide at the Old Hairpin swept past and into fourth.
“What a day, that was my first win and I felt a bit robbed in race one so really wanted this,” said Lovell. “I got the car away well at the start and he was coming back at me but I could see him there - it seemed a really long race and it was so good to see that chequer flag.”
“I lost ground at the start and was bottled up behind Ashely – a good battle,” said Andrew. “One past I was getting in some good laps and I’m really looking forward to Brands Hath now, racing with everyone there is going to be great.”
White had been a lonely third but Thomson was lapping rapidly and was right with him in the second half of the final lap, only to half spin exiting the chicane which saw White take his second podium finish of the day, while Thomson had enough in hand over Noble-Evans to recover and take fourth, her best finish in the series.
Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One: 1 Tom Andrew (Boxster S) 19 Laps
2 Jonathan Lovell (Boxster S) +2.017s
3 Ashley White (Boxster S)
4 Vikram Sudera (Boxster S)
5 Faye Noble-Evans (Boxster S)
6 Sarah Thomson (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Andrew 1m19.664 (89.43mph).
Race Two:
1 Jonathan Lovell (Boxster S) 19 Laps
2 Paul Andrew (Boxster S) +0.981s
3 Ashley White (Boxster S)
4 Sarah Thomson (Boxster S)
5 Faye Noble-Evans (Boxster S)
6 Vikram Sudera (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Andrew 1m19.226s (89.92mph).