Goes Down to the Wire

The battle for the Porsche Club Championship crown goes down to the final two races at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, this coming weekend, with just one point separating Jez Clark and Ian White in the overall points. White was the 2006 champion and an experienced Porsche Club campaigner, but Clark is in his first season of Porsche racing but has dominated Class Three and holds the advantage on overall score – and also has 21-points less to discard once dropped scores are taken into account.

Bournemouth-based White has taken nine wins in the 15-races to date in is 964 C2, while Clark has won 13, but failed to score in two races that he did not start with his 944. That leaves multiple single-seater champion Clark able to count every point he scores at Spa, and White having to discard the two lowest scores with only the best 15-results to count from the 17-race season.

“We’ve got the money now to go to Spa, but I’ve never raced there before,” says 46-year-old Clark from Attleborough in Norfolk. “It will be a challenge, our position looks good with dropped scores but I think only three Class Three cars are travelling to that means I need to win both races to be sure.”

The overall Porsche Club Championship winner gets a one-off ProAm2 class drive in the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, courtesy of Porsche Cars Great Britain.

White has not had it all his own way in Class One, with Mark McAleer, Gary Duckman and Ben Demetriou all race winners in their 968 CS models this season. His 964 is quick off the line, but can be harder on its rear tyres than the front-engined cars and his initial advantage.

A strong Class Two entry sees points leader Chris Dyer at Spa, but Scott Kavanagh has been the driver in form with a run of six wins at the end of the season. In Class Three, Sarah Bennett-Baggs and Adrian Stock provide the opposition for Clark.

The Porsche Club Championship runners combine with the Porsche Open field for a 30-minute race on Saturday and a 50-minute final outing on Sunday. This final meeting also offers a points bonus – making it a key meeting for the duelling title challengers.

Porsche Club Points After 15 of 17 Rounds:

Class One

Ian White                    336

Mark McAleer            293

Gary Duckman          274

Ben Demetriou          272

Ed Hayes                   186

Class Two

Chris Dyer                  290

Scott Kavanagh         222

Tim Bates                  217

Alan Newbold            215

Andy Duncan 214

Class Three

Jeremy Clark             337

Sarah Bennett-Baggs           278

Adrian Stock              236

Dave Roberts            177

Tony Coles                 113