Porsches Combine to Provide Huge Silverstone Field
The Porsche Club Championship and Porsche Open fields combine for Silverstone’s 24-Hour race meeting to provide two exciting races with a capacity grid this coming weekend, September 19th and 20th. While the Club runners are battling for championship points, the dramatic Open cars will be going for outright race honours in some hugely powerful racing Porsches on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
Ian White heads the Club points table, the 2006 champion returning this year with a 964 C2 and leading Class One with eight wins in the thirteen races to far. Class rivalry has come from Mark McAleer, the 2007 champion, Ben Demetriou and Gary Duckman, who have all taken race wins in their front-engined 968 CS models. The 964 is quick off the line, but the 30-minute races round Silverstone could prove hard on White’s rear tyres and the 968s should be coming on strong by the end
Class Two has been equally closely fought, with Chris Dyer well clear in the points, but Scott Kavanagh having won the previous four races. The 944 S2 is the dominant model in class, and expect Charles Winterhalder and Cieran Brewer to be in the mix, with Tom Bates bucking the trend in his 911 SC.
Jeremy Clark has dominated Class Three, the single-seater veteran having won every race he has finished to be second in the overall points just seven behind White, and on a run of ten consecutive victories going into Silverstone. Class opposition comes from Dave Roberts and Sarah Bennett-Baggs.
The Open Class One battle sees a battle between the latest GT3s and the hugely powerful 993 GT2s. Heading the GT2s is the silver machine of Paul McLean, already a winner on the Silverstone historic GP circuit this season, when he battled the 996 GT3 of Mike Johnson, the pair taking a win apiece at the Silverstone Classic meeting.
A clutch of the latest 997 GT3s feature in the class, with Andrew Tate in a GT3 RSR and the rapid Paul Hogarth and Mike Donovan joined in the GT3 Cup ranks by former Porsche regular Jim Geddie. Dominic Lesniewski is also out in an unusual 968 Turbo RS.
A welcome returnee in Class Two is Peter Morris, who also sponsors the races putting up the PMC Midlands Trophy. He will be up against 2008 class specialist Paul Winter who has shown he can be quick round Silverstone. Providing some variety in Class Three will be the 928 GTS of Adrian Clark.
Qualifying is at 9.00 on Friday morning, with the first race being at 14.05 that afternoon. Saturday’s race is scheduled for an 11.00 start.
