Porsche Club Motorsport took its race series to the Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire for the first time since 2017 and the testing circuit delivered some great racing, Simon Clark and Oliver Chatham taking two Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli and Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli win each, while Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup wins went to Mike Thompson and Wayne Gregory.
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli & Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One
Simon Clark claimed Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli pole for both races in his 997 C2S and had a lead of well over a second from Jake McAleer and Mark McAleer by the end of the opening lap. Clark eased away in the next few laps, Mark McAleer coming under pressure from the Cayman of Bill Caley.
Jake McAleer started to close on the leader mid-race, before the gap started to fluctuate as the flying lead group reached backmarkers and picked their way through them. Clark had the advantage going into the final laps and led the field home to take his fourth win of the season, Jake McAleer heading home father Mark.
“That was really hard work, I opened a gap early on, but Jake was just as quick, it was like a qualifying session for much of the race,” said Clark. “Happy with the result, have some guests here today and it’s my first visit to Croft – it’s a great circuit.”
“That was a good race, Simon is so good in the opening laps,” said Jake McAleer. “I managed to then keep the gap stable, then I fell back a bit as we caught backmarkers.”
Oliver Chatham has set the pace in qualifying in the Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli field, and was never headed in the race, pulling away lap by lap and cunningly allowing himself to be passed by the outright race leader on the final lap to take the chequer flag on that lap. Behind, the battle for second was intense, Darren Labbett holding that slot with Jason Brown right with him in the first half of the race.
It took until lap eight for Brown to finally get past Labbett’ s Boxster, by which time leader Chatham was well clear, and Labbett followed Brown home to keep up his strong record of podium finishes this season, championship leader Angus Archer claiming fourth.
“It was hard as you are out in front and really don’t want to make any mistakes,” said Chatham. “You also can’t back off too much as you drop out the zone and start making mistakes. Darren got away better I thought, I just had the inside line into the first corner, then I was able to pull away. “
“I was able to put Darren under pressure through the quick corners out the back and that paid off,” explained Brown. “It’s my first time here and I’m still learning the track, and one mistake really costs a lot of time but enjoying it.”
Race Two
When Simon Clark led the field away again in race two it looked like it may follow the same script as the opening encounter earlier in the afternoon, but this time Jake McAleer stayed with him in his 997. That led to a great battle at the front as for lap after lap they circulated less than a second part, and frequently much closer.
Jake McAleer looked stronger on the brakes into corners while Clark appeared to have good traction out of corners and while the gap briefly grew to over a second as they worked their way through backmarkers, Jake McAleer was quickly right back with Clark. Heading onto the pit straight to end lap 14 Jake McAleer got a good exit and was looking one side and the other heading into the first corner, and then on the very last lap the cars came out the final Hairpin side-by-side, both out of shape, Clark, just holding on in the drag race to the line to end a memorable race.
Behind, Mark McAleer held off the challenge of Bill Caley to take third.
“I am sure Jake was quicker, if I ever opened a gap he came straight back at me,” said Clark. “A very different race, very full on, great fun, and I was pleased to see the flag come out!”
“At the end I think we both had cooked tyres we were pushing so hard,” said Jake McAleer. “I felt I had an advantage, but I couldn’t make it stick. Good clean racing.”
Chatham was once more the quickest car in the AM Championship field, his race very much going the same way as race one as he opened a gap and was never headed, and again let the race leaders past on the final lap to take the flag just behind them. Brown claimed second from Labbett late in the race, the chasing pair this time much closer to Chatham, while Andrew Porter, who had missed race one, took fourth.
“The guys were much closer behind in that race,” said Chatham. “Then I saw the leaders coming and they were having a great battle so let them past. This is an amazing track, really enjoyed racing here.”
“I got past Darren at the same place as the first race in the quick stuff out the back,” said Brown. “More than happy with the day, two second places are a great result.”
Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One
With virtually all the field racing at Croft for the first time it was Ben Grewcock on pole for the opening Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup, but he lost out at the start, and it was Wayne Gregory and Darren King who led the field at the end of the opening lap. Mike Thompson was up to fourth from the third row of the grid by the end of lap one, and into third a lap later.
As Gregory opened a gap at the front, King held off Thompson until lap seven with Grewcock, Sarah Thomson and Graham Heard, the latter up from 12th on the grid. It took until lap seven for Thompson to get past King, and he then started closing in on Gregory who had opened a four second lead.
It took until the very end of the race for Thompson to finally get past after a great tussle with Gregory to take his fourth win in the last five races. Behind the first two a great drive from Heard was rewarded by third, as he picked off the cars ahead and held off Ryan Charters in the final laps.
“I can’t believe I won that,” said Thompson. “I wasn’t convinced we had the pace today, but I just went as quick as I could, made every move I could, and managed it. I had to pick them off one by one, had a couple of moments on the grass, but came through in the end.”
“Mike was good today!” said Gregory. “Some fluid went down which lost me a bit of time and I could see him coming. I once came into the Hairpin with Mike behind and four backmarkers in front of me – but I was able to stay with him.”
Race Two
Gregory led them away again in race two later in the afternoon, Thompson slotting into third from King and Perry Darling. Gregory opened a small gap, as behind everyone was lapping quickly, Darling past King on lap four.
At the end of lap six Gregory was greeted by the safety car, out in response to two cars off in different parts of the circuit, and they did several laps at slow speed. Finally released to race with time for just three laps left, Gregory held on for the win, his third of the season, Grewcock second from Thompson.
“I needed that win,” said Gregory. “The track was great, and everything went well, although when the safety car came out, I was sort of hoping it would last to the end! We restarted with everyone right behind me, but I held on – this is a great circuit, never been here before so great to take a win.”
“Wayne was quick and just too far out ahead,” said Grewcock. “It’s only my second season of racing and my first drive round here was only yesterday morning and I couldn’t believe I got pole for race one, so very happy with how it has gone.”
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Simon Cark (997 C2S) 17 Laps
2 Jake McAleer (997 C2S)
3 Mark McAleer (997 C2S)
4 Bill Caley (Cayman S)
Fastest Lap: Clark 1m29.078s.
Race Two:
1 Simon Cark (997 C2S) 17 Laps
2 Jake McAleer (997 C2S)
3 Mark McAleer (997 C2S)
4 Bill Caley (Cayman S).
Fastest Lap: Clark 1m28.547s.
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Oliver Chatham (Boxster S) 16 Laps
2 Jason Brown (Boxster S)
3 Darren Labbett (Boxster S)
4 Angus Archer (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Chatham 1m32.883s.
Race Two:
1 Chatham (Boxster S) 16 Laps
2 Brown (Boxster S)
3 Labbett (Boxster S)
4 Andrew Porter (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Chatham 1m32.629s.
Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One:
1 Mike Thompson (Boxster S) 16 Laps
2 Wayne Gregory (Boxster S)
3 Graham Heard (Boxster S)
4 Ryan Charters (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Thompson 1m36.414s.
Race Two:
1 Gregory 13 Laps
2 Ben Grewcock (Boxster S)
3 Thompson (Boxster S)
4 Perry Darling (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Gregory 1m35.780s.
Next Races: Donington Park, East Midlands, 15th September.