Andy Purdie was the star of the day at Donington Park on Sunday (19 June) during the Michelin Porsche Club Championship. On his first visit to the circuit, Purdie won both races from pole and set fastest lap in the double-header.

Championship leader Ian White twice had to give best to the 21-year old student who had missed the recent Spa and Oulton Park races because of exams. Frazer Robertson ruled in Class 2 while Ben Demetriou did likewise in Class 3.QualifyingPurdie took his 911SC round in a time of 1m22.655s to clinch pole on Sunday morning as the ambient temperature rose fast. “I though I was outside the top ten, it was so slippery out there,” he said. White was only a tenth of a second slower in his 3.2 Carrera and then came the 968s of Lewis Tootell and Mark Lillington as just half a second covered the front two rows of the grid.Robertson was fifth fastest and 1.5s quickest than anyone else in Class 2. “Donington really suits the 944,” he explained. “Also I learned to drive here in a 924. I went out at 9am full of petrol and came in at 4pm!” However, things were not so good for Class 2 pacesetter Tom Segrue. Brake problems left him down in 16th place with a lot of work to do in his 944S2.Race oneWhite got the better of the first lap and led the field through Goddard for the first time. Tootell was second into the chicane, but just left his braking too late and ran wide across the grass loosing places in the process. Purdie duly went through to second and when White locked a wheel at Goddard on lap four Purdie began to close in. White used his experience to his defend advantage, but on lap ten Purdie dived down the inside at the Old Hairpin and took the lead. White held on but couldn’t get by again and Purdie took his first win. “That was the longest race of my life. I want to go and have a beer now but I can’t,” he said, thinking about the second race to come.Lillington took third from Robertson at the end of lap two and held it under pressure from Tootell until a last corner sort out saw Tootell dive through to third.Robertson ran very strongly amongst some of the Class 1 cars and finished fifth overall, well in command of Class 2. Segrue, with his brake problems solved, came through to finish second in class but was hampered by a misfire in the closing stages. Meanwhile, Demetriou (911SC) finished well clear of his Class 3 rival Chris Stewart (911E).Race two“I’ve got to work on my starts,” surmised Purdie after White again beat him into Redgate at the start of the second race. Tootell passed Lillington on lap two and an excellent three-car fight for the lead began. It came to a head in McLeans on lap five as White ran wide and fell to third. Purdie went on to his second victory of the day while White got back up to second when Tootell was hampered by a backmarker, but White was frustrated at losing the lead. “Andy came at me sideways, I got on the grass to keep out of his way,” he explained. “It was quite close,” admitted Purdie. Behind Tootell, Lillington finished in a secure fourth and Mike Clapham (968CS) was fifth.Robertson finished sixth overall once more and completed a fine Class 2 double, although this time had to contend with a challenge from the 944 of Andy Duncan. Duncan just held on to second in class as a last lap charge from Marcus Carniel (911 SC) failed by the tiny margin of 0.046s. In Class 3 Demetriou again pulled clear of Stewart.Results race one – 15 laps:1 Andy Purdie (911SC) 21m05.620s (83.42mph); 2 Ian White (3.2 Carrera) +0.753s; 3 Lewis Tootell (968CS); 4 Mark Lillington (968CS); 5 Frazer Robertson (944S2); 6 Mike Clapham (968CS); 7 Richard Harrison (3.2 Carrera); 8 Tom Segrue (944 S2); 9 Marcus Carniel (911SC); 10 Andy Duncan (944S2). Class winners: Purdie; Robertson; Ben Demetriou (911SC). Fastest lap: Purdie 1m22.690s (85.21mph). Results race two – 11 laps: 1 Purdie 11 laps in 15m23.991s (83.76mph); 2 White +1.766s; 3 Tootell; 4 Lillington; 5 Clapham; 6 Robertson; 7 Duncan; 8 Carniel; 9 Segrue; 10 Harrison. Class winners: Purdie; Robertson; Demetriou. Fastest lap: Purdie 1m22.367s (85.54mph)The next rounds of the championship are at Rockingham on 2/3 July.