Oulton Park next for Porsche Carrera Cup GB
After a brief break
in the
schedule, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB resumes next weekend (5/6 June)
for rounds seven and eight at the glorious parkland circuit of Oulton
Park in Cheshire. A capacity field of 28 cars is due to contest the
weekend.Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) has taken an early grip on the title race with five wins from six races, but Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) is chasing hard and victory in round five at Brands has set Caine up for a major challenge on Harvey at Oulton Park. Both drivers know the Cheshire track well and both know that it has been a pivotal venue in title contests of recent seasons.
Just 12 points currently split Harvey from Caine and one non-finish for either driver will make a massive difference to the contest. Caine will need no reminding that a tangle with a backmarker at Oulton Park a year ago took a major toll on his title bid.
However, this is by no means a two-horse race and a gaggle of rapid young drivers are chasing the two most experienced drivers in the championship. Teenager Glynn Geddie and Carrera Cup Scholarship racer Euan Hankey – both from Team Parker Racing - are currently battling for third, and need to start pegging back the 40-point gap to Harvey if they are to get into the title race over the middle part of the 20-race season. After modest weekends at Thruxton and Rockingham, Geddie showed much improved pace at Brands and should be very strong at Oulton Park.
Meanwhile, Tom Bradshaw (JHR) starred at Brands with an overall podium and will fly at his home track of Oulton Park. Tom matched the pace of Harvey and Caine at Brands Hatch and will want to bring that form to the track where he cut his racing teeth in single-seaters.
Other strong contenders in the pro category include Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance), Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and all three are podium contenders. Jelley has shown strong pace in his first taste of the Carrera Cup and is due some better fortune after several non-finishes over the early races.
In the pro-am1 category, Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) has taken the early advantage but faces tough opposition from Tony Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing) and the increasingly impressive Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), who faces another tough learning challenge on his first sight of Oulton Park. Jackson will arrive at Oulton Park with a 12-point lead, but Gilham and Gelzinis both have the pace to close that margin, while Ahmad Al Harthy and Archie Hamilton – both from Red Line Racing – are getting quicker and quicker as they build experience at this level.
In pro-am2 the top four drivers are very close on points as Mark Hazell (JHR) heads Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase), Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) and George Brewster (Celtic Speed) while Cheshire teenager George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) is chasing hard after a fine second place finish at Brands. However, the arrival of John Gaw (Kinfaun Racing) for the first time this season could really upset the formbook in pro-am2. Over the first six races of the season, the battle for pro-am2 spoils has been a highlight of several rounds and that great competition should continue at Oulton Park.
Carrera Cup qualifying is on Saturday at 12.00, with the first race at 12.55 on Sunday and the second race at 17.45. The first race is due to be shown live on ITV4 in the extensive BTCC race day programme, which starts at 11.30am.
