Michael Caine was peerless in round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch (Sunday 2 May) as he romped to victory in soaking conditions. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) drove a superb race to take his first pro-am1 victory, while Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase) was equally impressive as he blitzed the pro-am2 category.
With steady rain falling, the 27-car field plunged into Paddock Hill Bend with Caine (Motorbase Performance) leading away from pole position and Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) slotting into second as the pack ran cleanly around the opening lap. Caine was quick to press home his advantage and pulled clear at around a second a lap as Harvey consolidated second place. That set the standard for the race and Caine was able to build a 10-second lead as he romped to a commanding victory. "The car was fantastic and it was just a case of hanging on for the first five or six laps," said Caine after his first win of 2010. "We're pleased to get that first result."
Although Harvey ran a secure second race-long, he accepted that Caine had the advantage. "Michael was just the class of the field and I didn't have anything for him at all," said the championship leader. "I expected several safety cars and so initially I wasn't too concerned, but that never came." In fact, the standard of driving through the field was excellent in some truly challenging conditions and there was no need for a safety car.
Initially, Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) held third place but a storming opening salvo from Tom Bradshaw (JHR) took him from seventh to fourth and then past Geddie as they braked for Druids on the fifth lap. Just as he was about to chase after Harvey for second, Bradshaw got tagged as Surtees as Geddie re-challenged and the JHR car spun down the order. Geddie was later penalised three championship points over the incident.
Meanwhile, Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing) made good progress to overhaul Geddie for third as Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing) battled up to fifth and challenged Geddie over the second half of the race. "It was one of those races where you had to be careful at the start and then get on it," said Jelley after an excellent podium finish. Behind Hankey, Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) completed the top six after Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance) ended his race in the gravel trap at Druids.
Gelzinis was highly impressive on his way to pro-am1 victory, although it could have been a lot tougher had Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) not had two spins at Surtees. "It was very difficult conditions and I just tried to avoid the accidents," said Gelzinis, who took seventh overall from the recovering Bradshaw. "There was a river across the circuit at Surtees and it just picked the front of the car up. But I can't believe I did it twice," said Jackson, who eventually finished fifth behind Tony Gilham (Collins Redesign Racing), Archie Hamilton (Red Line Racing) and Michael Leonard (Team Parker Racing).
In amongst the pro-am1 racers was Parish, who drove a brilliant race to win pro-am2 by a commanding margin. "I've never driven in the rain like that before," said Parish. "Fortunately, I got away and the guys behind me were mixing it. It was brilliant; I loved it!" Through to second in pro-am2 came Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) after he battled ahead of class rival Mark Hazell (JHR). "I'm pleased with that from fifth on the grid," said McMenamin.
