Tim Harvey scored one of the most important wins of his 2010 title campaign when he clinched round 15 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill (Sunday 5 September).
While Harvey battled ahead of early leader and title rival Michael Caine, some tremendous battling all the way down the field led to victories for Tony Gilham in pro-am1 and guest racer Rory Bucher in pro-am2. But the biggest winner was Harvey, who maintained his title lead with five races left to run.
Off the line, Caine (Motorbase Performance) got the lead as Harvey (Red Line Racing) settled into second place. Behind them, Glynn Geddie and his Team Parker Racing team mates Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelley battled for third and initially Geddie went after the two leaders.
On lap four, the fierce battle between Hankey and Jelley came to a head as they dived into Duffus Dip and contact pitched Jelley onto the grass. "It was a wild ride trying to get it stopped on the grass," said Jelley. While Hankey retired with a damaged radiator, Jelley rejoined well down the order and faced a tough race now that the car was missing its front splitter.
Up front, Harvey shadowed Caine for 15 laps and could easily have settled for a safe second place and important championship points. But Harvey had other ideas and saw where Caine was struggling before attacking on the run out of the Hairpin to take the lead as they sprinted past the pits. Once ahead, Harvey steadily eased away for a very significant win. "That was about pride," said Harvey. "It would have been easy to follow Michael but I wanted to win for the team. It was a special win."
Caine accepted that he did not have the pace to re-challenge Harvey. "Out of the hairpin was a real struggle; the engine was flat and Tim just drove past me," said Caine who took a secure second place while Geddie bagged third after a strong drive on his home track. "After a few laps I was struggling for traction," said Geddie, as Charlie Bateman (Motorbase Performance) battled into fourth. "Hankey and Jelley made it easier for me, but I struggled in the last part of the race," said Bateman.
A tremendous fifth overall went to Butcher (Celtic Speed), who was the leading pro-am2 racer although not eligible for points. "I'm just delighted," said the local ace. "The car was working so well." Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing) and the recovering Jelley were next up before pro-am1 winner Gilham (Collins ReDesign Racing), who dived ahead of Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) in the final two laps. "I had the pace all race and it was a now or never move into the Hairpin," said Gilham. Ollie Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) completed the pro-am1 podium, with Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing) right on his tail at the finish.
While Butcher dominated pro-am2, maximum points went to George Brewster (Celtic Speed) after he fought ahead of George Richardson (Motorbase Performance) as Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) chased throughout. "Excellent," said Brewster. "It worked out perfectly and George kept it absolutely clean."
