Awards Round Off Porsche Club Championships's Season
Prize giving honours star drivers
The Porsche Club Motorsport Award Dinner on November 11th saw the official finale to the Club's two race series in 2006 as the leading lights in the Porsche Club and Porsche Open series' received their awards. In addition to the prize giving, the night also saw the announcement that Porsche GB will once again offer a one-off prize drive in the Porsche Cup to leading drivers from each series in the 2007 season.
Held at the Hilton Puckrup Hall Hotel in Tewkesbury, Glos. it was Ian White who scooped the overall crown in the Porsche Club Championship and the one-off Porsche Carrera Cup drive on offer to the winner at a TOCA meeting in 2007. The points and class structure for the Club series saw White, Richard Lambert and Chris Berry take the honours for their respective classes. The Team award went to Harvey Racing who ran cars in Classes One and Two, scoring in excess of 1200 points.
The Driver of the Series award for the Porsche Open went to Mike Johnson, who combined speed and racecraft with a hugely positive attitude and ever-present smile to dominate Class Three in his self-run 911SC. Mike contested every event and took 10 wins -a highlight being his drive in the one-hour Bill Taylor race at Brands Hatch in July when he coasted into the pits after a first lap incident damaged his bonnet and ripped off his master switch - only to borrow a new switch, rejoin the race and claim second in class.
In the Porsche Open the Carrera prize drive for the best performing Class Two driver in a Porsche 996 GT3 went to Peter Morris, who also won the Spirit of the Series award for his support and contribution in 2006. Rookie of the Year in the Porsche Open went to Malcolm Spendlove, who had his very first race in the season opener at Snetterton in April, and rapidly progressed to scoring a podium finish at Silverstone in September.
The 911 and Porsche World 944 Driver of the Year accolade went to Charles Winterhalder, who was having a superb season until a car-destroying incident at Brands Hatch, but returned in a new mount to take in some of the final races. The Team award in the Porsche Open went to ABG Motorsport, Peter Hignett collecting the prize on behalf of his team, who had run the leading three cars battling for the Carrera Cup prize drive, amassing over 1300 points.
With the aim of building on the success of 2006 - a season which featured a 50-car plus entry for a combined race at Silverstone - plans are already well advanced for 2007 to keep the two Porsche Club of Great Britain race championships as star performers in British club motorsport.
