The Porsche Club Championship visits Thruxton for the first time in several seasons this coming weekend, August 15th and 16th, and the high-speed Hampshire circuit sees the overall championship battle going strong. Jez Clark heads Class Two and the series overall, the 2008 champion having stepped up a class and still showing his pace, while closest challengers Ben Demetriou and Mark McAleer have shared the Class One wins between them – providing great racing but allowing Clark to open a gap in the points.
Class One is numerically the biggest, with the lead drivers usually racing for the outright win. The 968s of Demetriou and McAleer have been the cars to beat so far this season, the battling pair taking a win apiece in the season opening meeting at Donington and that setting the scene for their seasons to date. Demetriou holds sway with six wins – but consistent finishing by McAleer, the 2007 Champion, sees him just 15-points behind.
The tried and tested 968 has been doing the winning in the races, but behind, the rear-engined models are gaining pace as the season progresses. New to the series for 2009 is the 993 C2, and the cars of Gary Duckman and Scott Kavanagh have been gaining pace as the drivers learn their new mounts, and a reduction n the minimum weight for the most powerful model in the Porsche Club Championship prior to the previous round at Oulton Park should see the 993s in contention at Thruxton.
A feature of the rear-engined cars is their speed off the line, and Kevin Harrison has been the master of that at some circuits, his 964 C2 blasting into the lead from the second row of the grid at Brands Hatch. Third in the Class One points, Harrison should be a contender this weekend along with the similar car of Marcus Carniel, a Porsche Club regular who is always in the thick of the action. Others who could impress include Richard Higgins and former champion Richard Lambert.
Although the series has not been to Thruxton for some time, historically the Class Two cars have always run well there and that could see Clark on for an upset in the two races. A front row qualifier when the Porsche Club Championship visited Anglesey earlier in the year, Clark’s 944 S2 usually declines to battle too hard with the Class One runners in his chase for class, and overall points, but the lure of a strong finish may just prove too strong at Thruxton. Unbeaten in class this season, Clark has stayed clear of the pursuing Chris Dyer, John Gilmore and Ian Balaam.
With qualifying at 11.05 on Saturday morning, the first of the weekend’s two 10-lap races is at 15.00 that afternoon, with the second race at 12.15 on Sunday.
