It was a Porsche themed day at Brands Hatch with some great Porsche Club Motorsport racing backed up by a great display of road cars from Porsche Club GB members. In the Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli and Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli races it was double wins for two drivers who hit mechanical issues last time out, Simon Clark and Shiraz Khan winning in style. In the Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup, Scott Evans took race one, while Max Watt was pushed hard in race two but claimed his first ever win in the series.
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli &
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One
Clark was on pole and led into the first corner, fellow front row starter Jake McAleer initially looking to have made the better get away but having to settle for second. Jim Bryan was third at the end of lap one and was soon under pressure from the similar 997 of Jonathan Evans, making his season debut.
The lead pair ran close in the first part of the race, opening a gap to the rest as Bryan held off Evans, who seen had the flying Mark McAleer close right in having started 10th on the grid. Mid-race Clark and Jake McAleer were trading fastest laps, the gap around half a second while Mark McAleer got past Evans on lap five and then dived down the inside of Bryan at Graham Hill Bend two laps later.
Jake McAleer was pushing hard into the final lap and closed right up on Clark, but the leader didn’t offer an opportunity to get past and claimed his first win of 2025. Mark McAleer took third, with Bryan crossing the line just clear of Evans, Kevin Harrison in his 996 right with that pair at the end.
“He pushed me hard, and had a couple of nibbles out the back,” said Clark. “It was one of those situations where one missed gear change or one little slide and he would have had me.”
“I didn’t mess the start up for once!” said Jake McAleer. “Had a really great battle with Simon all race long, it was just flat out for 25-minutes, I maybe missed an opportunity on the last lap but all in all a great race.”
“It was really enjoyable, I just picked them off one by one,” said Mark McAleer. “The car felt really good, and it was great racing.”
Shiraz Khan got away well in his Boxster S and took the early lead, Richard Forber slotting into second only to head into the pits on lap three to retire. Andrew Porter had initially run second but lost out to reigning champion Darren Labbett, who thus moved into third with the demise of Forber, Porter third from Brian Richardson and Wayne Gregory.
By mid-race Khan had a good lead, several seconds clear of Labbett, who in turn had a gap over Porter, the lead cars lapping at similar pace. Khan duly stayed clear to take his second win of 2025, Labbett and Porter round out the podium positions with Gregory fourth from Richardson.
“I got a really good start, then went round the outside of everyone at Druids and got in front of some of the championship class cars,” said Khan. “That gave me a gap over the other AM Championship cars, and I pushed to extend it. I eased off for a bit and then managed the gap for the rest of the race, the team had sorted the car so well after the disappointment of Anglesey – it’s been a rocky road, but that win was so pleasing.”
Race Two
Clark again got away well at the start of race two, Jake McAleer bogging down off the line and tumbling down to the bottom of the field before getting up to speed. Pete Morris was second at the end of lap one with Evans running third, Bryan next up.
This time there were two McAleer’s working their way back up the order, Mark up to fifth at the end of the first lap as they were greeted by the safety car with a Boxster off in a gravel trap at one of the quick corners. Once free to race again Clark began to open a gap, Evans passing Morris on lap eight at Druids, Jake McAleer gaining paces and fourth on lap eight having passed Father Mark.
By lap ten Jake McAleer was into second and set about closing in on Clark, who proved out of reach and duly claimed his second win of the day. Jake McAleer crossed the line second but was given a 10-second penalty linked to the restart that dropped him to fourth, Evans thus second and Mark McAleer third.
“I was lucky Jake didn’t get away well, if I he made a good start, I think he had the pace to make life hard,” said Clark. “It was fairly straightforward, but I could see that he had made it through, I didn’t want to overdrive but I also wanted the point for fastest lap. It is great to come back with two wins after the disappointment of Anglesey.”
The second AM Championship race followed a similar script to the first, Khan taking the early lead from Porter, Gregory in third from Steve Clark. The early safety car bunched the field back up, Khan getting away well at the restart as Porter had to hold off Gregory as they headed onto the Grand Prix loop section of the circuit.
This time it was harder for Khan to open a gap, Porter staying a second behind the leader, Gregory close in third and Clark starting to close in on that pair. Khan stayed clear to control the race and take win number two of the day, Porter continuing his run of podium positions with second, Gregory and Clark less than a second behind as they crossed the line.
“Again, I got a good launch at the start and I was side by side with Darren Labbett down the long straight but he went off as we braked,” said Khan. “This time I couldn’t really pull away, they were always just a second behind and I was just able to stay clear. So pleased for everyone to leave with two wins.”
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Simon Clark (997 C2S) 16 Laps
2 Jake McAleer (997 C2S) +0.341s
3 Mark McAleer (997 C2S)
4 Jim Bryan (997 C2S).
Fastest Lap: Clark 1m37.569s (89.78mph).
Race Two:
1 Simon Clark (997 C2S) 14 Laps
2 Jonathan Evans (997 C2S) 5.734s
3 Mark McAleer (997 C2S)
4 Jake McAleer (997 C2S)
Fastest Lap: Jake McAleer (1m38.065s (89.32mph).
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Shiraz Khan (Boxster S) 16 Laps
2 Darren Labbett (Boxster S) +4.500s
3 Andrew Porter (Boxster S)
4 Wayne Gregory (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Khan 1m42.105s (85.79mph).
Race Two:
1 Shiraz Kahn 14 Laps
2 Andrew Porter (Boxster S) +1.756s
3 Wayne Gregory (Boxster S)
4 Steve Clark (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Steve Clark 1m42.027s (85.85mph).
Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One
Max Watt was on pole for the first Boxster Cup race of the day, but from the second row a superb start by Graham Heard saw him drive round the outside of his rivals at Paddock Hill bend and take the lead, only to drop to third behind Watt and Bertie Bream before the end of the first lap. A spin for Heard saw him lose places on lap two, Bream going past Watt as behind Scott Evans and Mike Thompson disputed third.
Over the next few laps, the lead pair eased away, taking turns setting new fastest race laps as they pushed each other hard. On lap ten they were right together at Druids, Watt looking for a way past down the inside at Surtees, but Bream held on.
Two laps later Watt tried again at Surtees and this time made it stick, and aware he had a five second track limits penalty pushed hard – spinning as he exited Paddock Hill Bend allowing Bream back past. Behind, Evans had pulled clear of Thompson with Barrington Darcy running third, ahead of a gaggle of cars led by Matt Gough.
Bream took the flag ahead, but his car was excluded for being under weight, while Watt’s penalty saw him behind Evans in the results who duly claimed his first win of 2025. Watt had to settle for second with Thompson third, Darcy less than a second behind.
“The car is quick this weekend, but that was a hard race,” said Evans, “for about ten laps it was a great battle with Mike Thompson.”
“I knew I had a penalty and knew if I got ahead, I had to push it – I just pushed it a little bit too much,” said Watt. “I got past him into one of the blind corners out the back.”
Race Two
It was Bream and Watt on the front row for race two, Bream getting away well as Watt just had some wheelspin, Thompson looking to find a way past Watt at Surtees, but at the end of the lap it was Watt just ahead of Bream at the front. The field were greeted by the safety car due to a car off at Hawthorns that required recovery.
They were racing again as they started lap five, Bream setting fastest race laps on the next two tours, though only by a fraction over Watt, as he fought to put the leader under pressure. Thompson ran third, just clear of Darcy who had Perry Darling closing in.
It was a great battle at the front as again the lead pair were right at the limit, the gap fluctuating lap by lap. The red flags were out to stop the race on lap 11 with a car off and stopped by the track on the grand Prix loop, and with the circuit’s noise deadline fast approaching the result was declared giving Watt his first win, Bream having to settle for second, Thompson third and Darling fourth.
“That wasn’t easy, but was great fun,” said Watt. “We were pushing each other, I wasn’t going to be that quick running n my own! Really excited for the rest of the year now.”
“I made a mistake on lap one and he went past,” said Bream. “I think I could have kept him behind if I had stayed in front, but we were identical on pace, a good race.”
Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One:
1 Scott Evans (Boxster S) 15 Laps
2 Max Watt (Boxster S) +0.291s
3 Mike Thompson (Boxster S)
4 Barrington Darcy (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Watt 1m43.763s (84.42mph).
Race Two:
1Max Watt (Boxster S) 10 Lap
2 Bertie Bream (Boxster S)+0.528s;
3 Mike Thompson (Boxster S)
4 Perry Darling (Boxster S)
Fastest Lap: Max Watt 1m42.780s (85.22mph).
Next Races: Oulton Park, Cheshire, 28th June 2025.