Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli
Race One
Ed Hayes had his Parr Motorsport Cayman S on pole for the first of the two 25-minutes races but it was Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli points leader Jake McAleer who made the better start and took the lead from the outside of the front row. Hayes challenged as they got to Coppice but then lost out to Mark McAleer at the Melbourne hairpin, making it an RVR Racing with Car Tech one-two as the field were greeted by the safety car at the end of the opening lap.
Racing resumed as they started lap six and Jake McAleer pushed hard to open a gap, father Mark under pressure from Hayes who found a way past on lap eight. Jake McAleer stayed clear to take his tenth win of the season, while Hayes went wide at McLeans on the final lap and fell down the order to come home fifth.
Oliver Chatham had run fourth for much of the race in his CCR Cayman but was hit with track limits penalties so was another to lose places at the end, while Pete Morris had battled with Strasse team-mate Chris Dyer for much of the race and claimed third in the final results, Dyer next up.
“I was happy with the start, though maybe Ed’s bad start made mine look better!” said Jake McAleer. “I wasn’t too upset at seeing the safety car as it is hot and the rear tyres were working hard. Have to try to do it again this afternoon.”
“I would have liked to have got second on the road, I’m not sure what happened to Ed it was really unfortunate for him,” said Mark McAleer. “I felt I had the pace but made a couple of mistakes early on, though I’ll take second.”
“I enjoyed that,” said Morris. “I could see Ollie was pushing hard and risking track limits, so when I heard on the radio he had got one I know I could just ease off and follow him.”
Race Two
The second race for the Club Championship runners opened the afternoon’s action and it was again Jake McAleer who made the best start, but Hayes was past before the end of the opening lap with Mark McAleer third. Heading into lap four the lead duo were side-by-side through the first corner, and that gave Jake McAleer the inside line for the next corner and he was into the lead.
Behind, Mark McAleer was running in third just clear of Chatham, as again Morris and Dyer were fighting for position close behind. Out front Jake McAleer kept the pace high and opened a gap of around a second on Hayes, the advantage fluctuating lap by lap and when they met backmarkers.
Jake McAleer stayed clear to make it 11 wins from 12 races, Hayes taking his seventh podium finish of the season. Chatham closed on Mark McAleer in the final laps, pulling Dyer and Morris along with him, and claimed third when Mark McAleer went off at McLeans on the final lap, Dyer just heading home Morris to take fourth.
“That was a good scrap with Ed,” said Jake McAleer. “I was worried about the tyres after race one so warmed them up a bit less, and he made a great move on lap one to get ahead as I didn’t warm them up enough. He was so quick but I got close and was able to use the 997’s torque to get past.”
“I got n front for a little while,” said Hayes. “He got past at the hairpin and he had the grunt out that corner. From then on I was pushing hard and he always looks like he is hanging on for dear life in his car but he just keeps doing it lap after lap. Good race though, and really good fun.”
“I had new tyres on, but the brakes were also going on me,” said Chatham. “I was having to work hard to hold Chris Dyer off, but then could see that Mark McAleer in front looked like his tyres were going. When I thought third on was on it was all about not making a mistake.”
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli
Race One: 1 Jake McAleer (997 C2S) 11 Laps; 2 Mark McAleer (997 C2S) +9.971a; 3 Pete Morris (997 C2S); 4 Chris Dyer (Cayman S). Fastest Lap: Jake McAleer 1m40.082s (89.47mph).
Race Two: 1 Jake McAleer 15 Laps; 2 Ed Hayes (Cayman S); 3 Oliver Chatham (Cayman S); 4 Dyer. Fastest Lap: Hayes 1m40.664s (88.95mph).
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One
A good lap from Baz Darcy in qualifying saw him on pole by over a second for the first Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli race and he made a good start to come round ahead in his Stand2 Boxster S at the end of lap one, Jesscia Wilkinson second from Charlie Dye and Brian Richardson. After a few laps behind the safety car racing resumed, Darcy pulling away as the others battled behind.
Dye and Richardson fought over third for several laps, Richardson taking third in his Rindt Boxster once racing resumed, the pair closing on Wilkinson to make it a three-car fight in the latter part of the race. Darcy had a handy lead that he held onto to claim his third win of the season.
Behind, the battle for second was fierce, coming to a head as the trio came onto the pit straight with a lap to got, Richardson and Wilkinson tangling which allowed Dye to sweep by and finish second in his CCR Boxster. Wilkinson recovered to come home third, with Faye Noble-Evans next up, Richardson having to retire.
“I was worried about the engine as it had been smoking during qualifying, “said Darcy, “I’m still worried but we got the win anyway! I got away well then watched them in the mirror, and was backing off a bit at the end.”
“I knew if I waited something was going to happen in front,” said Dye. “I was able to get the positions right at the end and it was well needed points.”
“That was great, I love this track so much,” said Wilkinson. “I was hoping to hold onto P2 but it was a spicy corner with a lap to go….we’ll be ready for race two!”
Race Two
Race two for the AM category field followed a similar script for the early laps, Darcy leading the pack from Wilkinson, Richardson and Dye not that far behind and starting to contest third. As before Darcy had the pace to just open a gap early on, while behind Richardson and Dye closed in on Wilkinson.
Richardson went past Wilkinson for second on lap four, while by lap seven Dye was into third as Noble-Evans closed in to make it a four-car squabble this time round. All the action behind allowed Darcy to extend his lead as the race went on, as the cars behind put on an entertaining show.
On is final lap Darcy showed some clever racecraft by slowing to let the outright leaders pass as he approached the line to save doing another lap and ensuring win number two of the day. Richardson made up for his race one disappointment with a fine second place, crossing the line just clear of Dye, Wilkinson and Noble-Evans next up.
“Two out of two, we were worried about the engine early in the day and we have somehow kept it going,” said Darcy. “I wanted to make sure as well that I got the extra point for fastest lap, then at the end I saw the leaders coming and I didn’t want to do another lap.”
“That was such huge fun,” said Robinson. “After lap two my roof was coming loose so I was having to hold it on at times as well as keeping three cars behind me. I just tried to make an old Boxster and old man as wide as I could.”
“That was a hot battle and really good fun,” said Dye. “I kept the car in one piece which was a target for the weekend and I got close to getting past Brian but I didn’t quite string it all together. Pleased with a podium and the points.”
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One: 1 Barrington Darcy (Boxster S) 14 Laps; 2 Charlie Dye (Boxster S) +2.021s; 3 Jessica Wilkinson (Boxster S); 4 Faye Noble-Evans (Boxster S). Fastest Lap: Dye 1m46.443s (84.12mph).
Race Two: 1 Darcy 14 laps; 2 Brian Richardson (Boxster S) +14.588s; 3 Dye; 4 Wilkinson. Fastest Lap: Darcy 1m45.817s (84.62mph).
Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One
Ethan Hall led the field away in his Classic FX Boxster, Luca Masarati second from Brendan Haffner, Brooklyn Howell slow away from the second row and losing places. At the end of lap two the safety car came out with a car off one the outside of Hollywood, which closed the field up and took some time to remove and realign the barriers.
Racing recommenced at the start of lap eight with just over eight minutes left, Hall pushing hard in the first two laps with a brace of fastest race laps to open a gap on Masarati’s Vision Boxster. Haffner initially lost ground in his Supatune Boxster but started to close in on Masarati, while Howell had worked his way back up and was now running fourth.
Hall stayed clear to add to his win tally, Masarati holding off a determined Haffner to claim second despite Howell diving past into the first corner late on only for Masarati to neatly cut back and reclaim the position. Howell was fourth, while behind a great four car battle for fifth went to Adam Warner, who got past Perry Darling on the final lap.
“Really happy with that, I got a good start but then had to do it again with the safety car,” said Hall. “I’ve done a few safety car restarts now and have also seen how other people do it round here and it worked well. I just wanted to keep the car on the track and bring it home, I could see Luca behind so just did enough.”
“I had such a good fight with Brendan,” said Masarati. “He was really going for it at the end and he was really close to pulling it off, really good fun.”
“I thought it was my past chance to get past!” said Haffner about that late race challenge. “He just got me on the switch back and he was driving well, making no mistakes.
Race Two
Hall was again on pole for race two but a great opening lap move from Masarati at the Old Hairpin saw him go down the inside and lead the field at the end of the opening lap, Haffner right with the lead pair in third. Into the Melbourne hairpin in lap two Hall was back in front of Masarati, Haffner third from Howell, while already up to sixth from eleventh on the grid was Kuba Wozniak in his Project 7 Racing car.
Hall again was able to ease away at the front, Masarati with his mirrors full of Haffner’s Boxster for lap after lap. Wozniak passed Howell at the Melbourne hairpin on lap six, while behind again a multi-car pack were dicing, Tony Levy, Perry Darling, father and son duo Stuart and Adam Warner and David Watts all part of it and trading places.
At the end it was win number ten of the season for Hall, while Masarati and Haffner fought over second until the last corner, an amazing move from Haffner seeing him take the place despite the stout defence of Masarati. Wozniak claimed fourth, a great reward for his team who had only purchased the car less than 48-hours previously, while Howell was fifth ahead of Adam Warner.
“I got caught napping at the start and Luca really made me work early on, said Hall. “I was then able to pull away, right now it is all about keeping the points coming in and it will be all about how we do at Snetterton in two weeks.”
“It always seems to be Luca and me, I was driving what felt like qualifying laps just to stay with,” said Haffner. “At the end I saw a gap and it was too good an opportunity to miss – I’m tired out now, racing these youngsters is hard work!”
“I thought I had left gap but not one big enough and he went for it, fair play though, it was a great race with him,” said Masarati. “Every corner exit I was looking in the mirror hoping he had made a mistake and was further back but we were together all race.”
Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One: 1 Ethan Hall (Boxster S) 12 Laps; 2 Luca Masarati (Boxster S) +7.866s; 3 Brendan Haffner (Boxster S); 4 Brooklyn Howell (Boxster S). Fastest Lap: Hall 1m46.573(84.02mph).
Race Two: 1 Hall 14 Laps; 2 Haffner +10.777s; 3 Masarati; 4 Kuba Wozniak (Boxster S) Fastest Lap: Hall 1m45.716s (84.70mph).
Final Races: Snetterton, Norfolk, October 10th.
Donington trophies were sponsored by PMC Midlands
