Porsche Series Combine ...

for Brands Hatch Race Action

The Porsche Club Championship and Porsche Open series combine at Brands Hatch this weekend to provide a huge grid and action-packed racing as a support race to the circuit's A1GP season finale. The Open cars will be sent away first in the two races on the full Grand Prix circuit, with the Porsche Club field set off after a delay, the Club drivers battling for championship points in their third meeting of the season.

The Porsche Open runners will provide their usual thrilling battle, powerful older models taking on the more modern and nimble GT3 Cup cars that have been in action in championships such as the Porsche Supercup and Carrera Cup GB. The balance between sheer power and more refined handling often sees the cars at the front evenly matched, and the visual spectacle of the rapid front runners lapping slower cars engrossed in their own battles is always a spectacle.

The 993 GT2 shared by Paul McLean and Peter Fairbairn heads the Porsche Open power car line up, taking on a selection of the latest 997 GT3 models driven by Mike Donovan, Bob Lyons and Steve Rance. Donovan and McLean had a finely matched duel at Donington on Easter Monday, the former coming out on top, but Mclean won at Oulton Park two weeks and the 993 is always quick at Brands Hatch.

Steve Rance won Class Two in the open and recently contested the Porsche Carrera Cup GB round at Brands Hatch, and will be keen to show his pace in a 997. In Class Two the 996 GT3s will be quick, Paul Winter the 2008 pacesetter.

In the Porsche Club Championship Ian White won at Oulton Park last time out, the 2008 season looking a battle between his 964 C2 and a host of chasing 968 CS models. White was the Club champion in 2006, and has been battling hard with last year's champion Yorkshireman Mark McAleer. The rear-engined 964s always get off the line well, the 968s a match for them in race conditions.

Brian Robinson is one of the stalwarts of British motorsport and is as rapid as ever in his 968, setting fastest lap at Oulton Park, and won at Brands Hatch last year, while another rapid 968 pilot will be 2007 Class Two champion Ben Demetriou. A driver to watch will be John Williams, taking on much newer machinery in his 1972 Carrera RS.

Trevor Lewis and Charles Winterhalder should set the Class Two pace, while Sarah Bennett-Baggs has twice won Class Three this season.

There is a race each day of the weekend for the runners, with the first on Saturday morning at 10.15, and Sunday's 30-minute race scheduled for 17.55.


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