While Richard Westbrook claimed victory in round 18 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Silverstone yesterday, second place was enough to confirm Damien Faulkner as provisional 2005 champion.In another action-packed race, Westbrook was able to edge clear for victory as Tim Harvey, Faulkner and Jason Templeman battled for second. While Harvey and Templeman clashed on the final lap, Faulkner took second place. Subject to technical checks, he will be confirmed as 2005 champion, having only needed to finish in the top three to put the title out of Westbrook’s reach with two races to run at Brands Hatch in early October.For much of the race, Harvey defended against Faulkner as they ran nose-to-tail for lap after lap. However, into the closing stages, Templeman was able to close in and he dived through ahead of Faulkner to take third as they braked for Becketts on the final lap. In the process, Templeman made contact with Harvey and pushed him wide. Then, under braking for Brooklands, Harvey made contact with the back of Templeman’s car, which slid into the gravel and out of the race. Faulkner carefully picked his way through the drama to finish second. Harvey was later excluded from the results over the incident, while Templeman received a fine.Westbrook, meanwhile, had taken a commanding victory. “I wanted to go out and prove a point and I enjoyed every lap of that race,” he said. “Damien did what he had to do and he’s been consistent all year. You can’t fault him for that.”“I’m just overwhelmed really,” said Faulkner of his title. “The race didn’t go as well as I expected, but I’m so delighted for everyone, including Team Parker Racing and my sponsors.”With Harvey out of the results, Scott Mansell moved up to third in the Porsche Cars with Team Autosport entry after a strong race. He enjoyed a major battle with Stephen Shanly and Nigel Rice and when Shanly went out with a broken gear linkage, Rice took up the battle with Mansell. Rice also earned the driver of the day award for his efforts. “I’ve learnt a lot about driving a very different type of car and I’ve really enjoyed the weekend,” said Mansell.Just adrift of Rice, another battle between Jason Young and Steve Clark finished in that order as Michael Corridan completed the finishers.Provisional results (20 laps):1 Richard Westbrook (Red Line Racing)           19m48.198s2 Damien Faulkner (Team Parker Racing)          19m55.890s3 Scott Mansell (Porsche Cars Team Autosport)   20m08.580s4 Nigel Rice (Red Line Racing)                  20m10.710s5 Jason Young (Red Line Racing)                 20m12.197s6 Steve Clark (Team RPM)                        0m14.556s7 Michael Corridan (Team Parker Racing)          18 laps