The 2010 Porsche Club Championship made its annual visit to Castle Combe’s Bank Holiday Monday raceday for the penultimate meeting of the season, and in-form man Marcus Carniel kept up his winning ways with another two victories. The Cheshire racer has now won six of the previous seven rounds, and was also voted ‘Driver of the Day’ for the whole Castle Combe race meeting.
In two exciting 20-minute races Carniel came home clear of Scott Kavanagh and Mark McAleer early in the afternoon, before heading a train of cars race long in race two to win from Richard Lambert and Mark Sumpter. Chris Dyer took Class Two in race one, Richard Bennett winning later in the day after Dyer retired.
Qualifying
Carniel claimed pole with his final lap of Monday morning’s 20-minute session, half a second clear of the rest of field which was headed by the similar 964 C2 of Richard Lambert. The rear-engined cars were leading the field with Mark Sumpter’s 911 SC third quickest, with Pete Morris quickest of the front engined runners in his 968 CS.
“I’m pleased to have a decent gap to the rest!” said Carniel. I felt I could go quicker in a few places, and I set the time on my very last lap – I saw the flag and was hoping it was a good lap.”
Tim Bates was quickest Class Two runner, an impressive eighth overall in his 911 SC, again showing the qualifying domination of the rear-engined cars at Combe
Race One
Sumpter was the man on the move as the red lights went out to start the first race, bursting through between the front row starters to run side-by-side with Carniel on the run down to Quarry. The poleman had the inside line into the corner and held on, Sumpter tucking into second ahead of Kavanagh, Lambert, Morris and McAleer.
Lambert departed the front group at Quarry on the next lap, going off and into the barriers, as Carniel started to open a gap and McAleer found a way past Morris. Sumpter set a fastest race lap on lap five to move closer to the leader, McAleer then Morris following suit as the lead pack pushed hard to close in.
Kavanagh looked inside Sumpter at Camp at the end of lap nine, then got past at Quarry, McAleer following through to further demote Sumpter.
McAleer moved into second at Camp, the group fighting over second now three seconds away from leader Carniel, but Kavanagh regained the slot at Quarry on lap 13, and help on till the end to take second behind Carniel. McAleer claimed third, ahead of Kevin Harrison and Miles Maserati, the latter having come through from the back of the grid after damper problems in qualifying.
“That was a real fight at the beginning,” said Carniel, “I thought I had got a better start than Richard Lambert, then Mark Sumpter came bursting though! We were neck-and neck at Quarry but I had the inside, then got away from there. It felt like there was less grip than qualifying, I had to manage the tyres as the race went on. I was able to hold the gap constant, it was a case of not taking risks and bringing it home.”
“I was losing the brakes,” said Kavanagh. “I didn’t think I was going to finish the race as there was smoke coming into the car, I backed of a bit, then picked up the pace again as the car felt alright. Thankfully it held together and that was some great clean racing with Mark McAleer and Mark Sumpter.”
“A good race,” said McAleer, “it is really close round here and I had to work my way through them.”
Chris Dyer and Richard Bennett fought over the Class Two win, qualifying pace setter Tim Bates losing time early on. An off track excursion for Bennett on lap 10 lost him ground, but he worked his way back to Dyer, and was less than two tenths of a second behind as they took the chequer flag.
“It was close, Richard has really come on,” said Dyer, “A good race, and it’s nice to battle all the way, it’s more fun to have to work to win, I don’t like just driving off into the distance.”
“That was great fun,” said Bennett, “I went off at one point, I’m not really sure why, but the guts have done a great job rebuilding this car after Oulton Park. I started to get back at Chris but he really knows what he is doing and I was one lap short.”
Race Two
Sumpter repeated his demon start in race two, but once more Carniel was just able to fend him off and led the field out of Quarry corner. Lambert was third, ahead of Kavanagh, Harrison and McAleer. The front six pulled clear of the rest in the early laps, circulating as a high-speed train of cars, each looking for an error from any of the others.
McAleer three times set fastest race laps when running sixth, but was unable to take advantage of his pace as all the leaders were right on the limit. With Sumpter unable to find a way past Carniel, Lambert looked to go round the outside of the second placed car at Camp on lap four, but couldn’t make the move stick at the very quick corner.
Lambert finally got past Sumpter on lap nine, and edged towards the flying Carniel, as Kavanagh spun down the order. Through Camp at the end of lap ten he was close the leader, who looked to get momentarily loose, Lambert backing off slightly which let Sumpter carry more speed through the corner and regaining the position.
Closing on the top six was Pete Morris, who had got past Richard Ellis for seventh, and then ducked under the existing lap record in his chase of the lead group. He took fifth from McAleer, who was falling back with brake problems, but was unable to progress further, Carniel taking his second win in an exciting race ahead of Lambert, who claimed second on the final lap, Sumpter, Harrison and Morris.
“That was hard work,“ said Carniel. “I was leading train of cars, and I am sure I wasn’t the quickest of them. My lap times were quicker that the first race, but I could feel the car getting tired. Great to take another pair of wins!”
“I like an exciting race,” said Lambert, “I was still having the same hard brake pedal I had problems with in race one. I could see Mark Sumpter coming at me to take second after Marcus held me up in Camp. I didn’t see the last lap board, but a close and exciting – and very fair – race.”
“I think we had the speed to win,” said Sumpter, “but between the top three it was all about positioning. A fantastic race, and if you started battling then you just got caught from behind, a really enjoyable race- I’d like to have won but it was entertaining!”
“That was good fun, we all right on the edge the whole time and you are hanging on through every corner,” said Harrison. “Aall you could do was wait for someone to make a mistake.”
“Fastest lap and a lap record – I’ll take that,” said Morris.
In Class Two Bennett headed home Bates to take his first class victory on the road after Dyer, who had challenged Bennett early in the race, went off.
“I got away well,” said Bennett, “got in front, and when the others were scrapping I pulled away. I think a wheel bearing is going so the car started getting noisy, and I could see Tim was getting closer so I had to just hope the car held together. Nice to take a proper win – a good day!”
Porsche Club Championship Round 11: 1 Marcus Carniel (964 C2) 16 laps in 20m58.345s (84.68mph); 2 Scott Kavanagh (993 C2) +2.455s; 3 Mark McAleer (968 CS); 4 Kevin Harrison (964 C2); 5 Miles Maserati (968 CS); 6 Peter Morris (968 CS); 7 Richard Ellis (993 C2); 8 David Botterill (962 C2); 9 Chris Dyer (944 S2); 10 Richard Bennett (944 S2). Class Winners: Carniel; Dyer. Fastest Lap: Morris 1m16.998s (86.49mph).
Porsche Club Championship Round 12: 1 Carniel 16 laps in 20m55.791s (84.85mph); 2 Richard Lambert (964 C2) +0.689s; 3 Mark Sumpter (911 SC); 4 Harrison; 5 Morris; 6 McAleer; 7 Ellis; 8 Maserati; 9 Paul Follett (968 CS); 10 Kavanagh. Class Winners: Carniel; Bennett. Fastest Lap: Morris 1m16.671s (86.86mph).
Final Rounds: Silverstone, Northants. October 1st and 2nd.
