Two races in a day for powerful Porsches
The Apex Tubulars Porsche Open series provides a home for some of the most exciting Porsches racing anywhere in the UK - and the season opening round at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Saturday April 14th should see the series kick-off in style. The battle at the front of the field features some ferociously-powerful machinery taking on the latest 997 GT3 models, a classic duel of power versus handling around the Oulton Park circuit.
Over 35-drivers have registered for the Open, which is a series of races with no overall points structure or champion. Divided into classes by power and weight, in 2006 the powerful Class One machines were often harried by the well-sorted Class Two 996 GT3s, who were outright race winners on several occasions.
Rupert Lewin's 996 GT2-R is always a centre of attention in Class One, the flame-spitting machine having 700BHP on tap. New opposition for 2007 comes from the ranks of the 997 GT3s, with Andrew Tate (making his race debut), Nick Staveley, Tommy Dreelan and series sponsor Jim Geddie joined by a trio of In2Racing 997s piloted by Paul Hogarth, Darren Knutton and Mike Donovan. 2006 race-winner Gerry Harrison returns in his ex-British GT 996 RSR GT3, while former Caterham-racer George Brewster campaigns a 996 model.
Class Two is the only one with points to be won, the leading eligible 996 GT3 driver winning a prize drive in the 2008 Porsche Carrera Cup at a TOCA meeting. 2006 winner Pete Morris is back in his 996, and won outright a Oulton Park last season after battling with Hogarth's 997. Class opposition comes from the 996s of Mark Albutt, Steven Rance and Robin Clark, while further challenges come from experienced Porsche racer Tony Brown's 964, and from 2006 Porsche Club Champion Ian White, who has entered a 993 RSR.
Mike Johnson was dominant in Class Three last season, spending his time racing cars from the more powerful classes and on one occasion taking third overall. For 2007 he has a rage of class rivals, but the ever-cheerful Yorkshireman should be the man to beat. Tim Bryan and Mark Chilton add variety to the series with a pair of 928s, with Peter Jarman and Anthony Oliver running 993s and Hampshireman John Fraser a 964.
Porsche Open qualifying is at 11.15am with the first of the two 20-minute races at 2.04pm and the second scheduled to start at 5.21pm.
