The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge makes its first visit to Rockingham this Saturday, July 16th, the series providing a racing home for the 400BHP Porsche GT3s formerly eligible for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and similar series across the world. The opening rounds at Brands Hatch in April were dominated by Oly Mortimer, but the young Scot retired from round three at Croft while chasing the experienced Nigel Rice, before then taking second behind Rice in the second round at the North Yorkshire venue.

Mortimer’s Croft non-finish promoted Graeme Mundy to the head of the points table for the Driver of the Year award, but Mortimer struck back with two wins at Donington Park in May putting him back in contention. The consistent Steven Liqourish is well up in the points, while ex-BTCC racer Simon Blackley took his first podium finish at Croft and another driver to watch is Yucel Ozbek, who has raced Porsches on the continent but is learning the UK circuits.

Peter Smallwood took the 2010 Driver of the Year crown and has now stepped up to Class One in a 997 GT3, taking on his 2010 title rival Bertie Carruthers. Smallwood and Liqourish took the opportunity open to GT3 Cup Challenge runners to race in the Porsche World Cup on the full Nurburgring in June – though both were eliminated on the first lap in the appalling conditions.

The GT3 runners qualify at 9.00 on Saturday morning, with their two 25-minute races scheduled for 11.50 and 15.10.