Kent-based racing driver Phil Quaife scored two fifth places in the final round of the 2008 Porsche Carrera Cup GB after a frustrating weekend at his home circuit Brands Hatch.

However, despite his disappointment at being unable to challenge for podiums, the points scored in the two races ensured he finished fifth in the championship, in a year which also saw him score his first-ever pole positions in the prestigious one-make series and only miss out on a maiden victory by a controversial penalty at Donington Park.

At Brands Hatch, the Jota Sport driver had struggled with understeer during testing in the early part of the weekend and while a change in set up brought improved performance, his car was still a couple of tenths off the leading cars’ pace in both races.

Having qualified fifth for race 1, Quaife made a good start and, in the early stages, battled with team-mate Sam Hancock for third, while defending fourth from American Jake Rosenzweig. Unfortunately, he lost out to the Team Parker Racing man on lap 3 and for the remainder of the race was forced to settle for fifth and a solid points haul.

In race 2 Phil started sixth and made a good start to beat Rosenzweig off the line and take fifth. He then closed up to Hancock through Paddock Hill Bend and tried to go around the outside under breaking into Druids. Hancock held on, and although Quaife had a couple more digs in the next few laps, he was unable to find a way past. In the second half of the race he dropped back to sixth when Rosenzweig squeezed through, but then re-took the position three laps from home with a good move into Paddock Hill.

Phil: “It hasn’t been the end to the season we’d hoped for. We suffered badly with understeer during testing on Friday and made some radical changes to the set-up for qualifying, which definitely found us some time. Unfortunately, I think everybody else found a few tenths too. In the race, I had some good battles with Sam and Jake, but was never really able to match the pace of the front guys.”

Quaife meanwhile reflected on his first season back in the Carrera Cup GB having previously won the Pro-Am title in 2006. “Although I was hoping to challenge for the title, I’ve really enjoyed my return to the championship this year. The guys at Jota Sport have been fantastic all year long and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with them.”