The two Porsche Club Great Britain race series combine at the Silverstone Classic race meeting this weekend as the three-day historic racing event celebrates Porsche as its featured marque for 2007. The Apex Tubulars Porsche Club Championship and Apex Tubulars Porsche Open series runners will share the track for two 20-minute races, each race named after a legendary Porsche racer, and will become the first contemporary cars to race on Silverstone's historic GP circuit layout.
Saturday's race is named in honour of Mark Donohue, who claimed the 1973 Can-Am title in a fearsome Porsche 917-30, while Sunday's event bears allegiance to multiple Le Mans winner Derek Bell who also won World Sportscar Championship driver's titles in 1985 and 1986 driving Porsches, and who will be representing the prizes after the race. With over forty entries for the weekend the track action should be exciting, the event an addition to the 2007 schedule for the two series and non-points scoring for Club Championship runners.
The Open runners will see a continuation of the season-long battle at the front between the powerful 996 GT2 R cars and the nimble 997 GT3s that have appeared in the series this year. Heading the horsepower brigade will be Rupert Lewin's GT2 - developing around 700BHP - and the car shared by Peter Fairbairn and Paul McLean, both cars usually go well at Silverstone which lets them really stretch their legs round the full circuit.
Series sponsor Jim Geddie heads the 997 ranks, already with a Silverstone race victory under his belt this year. Nick Staveley, Tommy Dreelan and the increasingly rapid Andrew Tate also pilot 997s, while rapid in the Class Two 996 GT3 ranks will be multiple class winner Steve Rance and returnee Mark Sumpter.
Also in the mix at Silverstone should be two of the classic 935 Porsches, Richard Chamberlain having entered his car that has dominated Open races in the past, and John Griffiths will be out in his Financial Times-backed example. A car to watch for will be the 996 GT3 of Mike Johnson - the jovial Yorkshireman has dominated Class Three of late and is making his debut in the new car.
Tim Bryan and Mark Chilton will add variety with their Class Three 928s, Chilton already a class winner this season.
Heading the Porsche Club runners should be James Neal, his 964 right on the pace this season and a front runner in every race. Neal's main challengers have come from the 968 CS-mounted runners, and Alex Eacock and Chris Dyer could be chasing their first Club wins of the season.
From Class Two Trevor Lewis has been running with the leaders, returning to racing this season after a lay off in the ex-Tom Segrue 944 S2 and immediately quick. 944 S2 models dominate in Class Two this weekend; Cieran Brewer, Alan Newbold and Tim Bevan also out in the cars.
Qualifying is on Friday (July 27th) at 11.30, with the Open and Club runners mixed according to qualifying time on the grid. Saturday's Mark Donohue Trophy for Apex Tubulars Porsche Silverstone Invitation race scheduled for 11.25, with Sunday's Derek Bell titled race due to start at 12.40.
