Sherwood takes GT3 Cup Challenge GB Donington double
Double victory for Justin SherwoodKelvin Fletcher and Peter Kyle-Henney starTeam Parker Racing takes early teams leadTwo wins for Justin Sherwood and two second places for Steven Liquorish made it a perfect day for Team Parker Racing as the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge GB opened at Donington Park on Sunday. Meanwhile, Kelvin Fletcher and Peter Kyle-Henney starred by claiming podium finishes on their first day of Porsche racing.QualifyingSherwood made his intentions clear in qualifying with a classy performance to take pole position for both races. I was just getting used to the new tyres, said the local ace, 21 years on from starting his racing career at Donington Park. Also focusing his attention were strong winds blowing the across the track, making things particularly tricky down the Craner Curves.Second fastest for both races was Liquorish, but it took a late push in qualifying to dislodge Fletcher (Redline Racing) from second spot. Could do better is the report from qualifying, reported Liquorish. Theres still more time there, he added.Fletcher was very impressive on his Porsche debut to qualify third and then fourth for the two races, but he was frustrated to lose six-tenths of a second at the chicane on his best lap. Just as impressive ahead of his first ever race was Kyle-Henney (Parr Motorsport), who took fourth and then third grid places for the two races. Its incredibly difficult when you go out there with these guys, he said.Guy Riall (Almara Racing), racing newcomer Rob Boughton (Parr Motorsport) and Mark Cowne (Parr Motorsport) packed out the next grid places.Round oneSherwood got the jump on his team mate Liquorish to head the field into Redgate in the opening race, with Fletcher third and Kyle-Henney fourth. While the leading two drivers quickly got into their stride, Kyle-Henney chased Fletcher but then had a spin at the chicane on the fourth lap. He dropped to the tail of the field, before starting a stirring recovery drive.At the head of the race, Sherwood took control and drove faultlessly to work clear of Liquorish. The gap was never too great, but Sherwood was controlling the pace and monitored the gap to his chaser. Its never easy and I was managing the tyres later in the race, said Sherwood. My pit crew was giving me the gap to Steven.Liquorish admitted that he had let Sherwood escape in the early laps, but the gap was still only five seconds after more than 25 minutes of racing. Completing the podium after an impressive start to his Porsche racing career was Fletcher. Thats a great result, he said. Every time I pushed I made a couple of mistakes and it was a big learning curve, said Fletcher. Kyle-Henney fought back from his spin to take fourth. It was absolutely fantastic, but it could have been a lot easier, he said of his debut race. Riall was a strong, if lonely, fifth, while Boughton just fended off Cowne to take sixth.Results: round one:1 Justin Sherwood; 2 Steven Liquorish; 3 Kelvin Fletcher; 4 Peter Kyle-Henney; 5 Guy Riall; 6 Rob Boughton. Fastest lap: Sherwood 1m10.940s (100.43mph).Round twoSherwood made it two wins from two races with a commanding victory in the second race and made his escape on the opening lap as Liquorish battled to overcome the fast-starting Kyle-Henney. Their contest for second, and the pace of racing newcomer Kyle-Henney was the talking point of the race.Up front, however, Sherwood was peerless and quickly established a handy lead as spots of rain started to fall. But nothing was going to unseat Sherwood and he rattled off the remaining laps for a second victory of the afternoon and an immediate championship advantage. I was trying to monitor the amount of rain: Donington has its own weather, said Justin. I enjoyed the race; these cars are superb to drive.Behind Sherwood, things were far from settled as Kyle-Henney fended off Liquorish for the first lap. Into Redgate for the second time, Liquorish dived through, but Kyle-Henney belied his lack of racing experience by staying on the tail of his rival and mounting a series of attacks. Eventually, as the rain increased slightly, Kyle-Henney opted for a safe third and dropped back a little.I got a bad start, reported Liquorish. I thought it was Kelvin coming up the inside of me. It was a good battle, he said of the contest with Kyle-Henney. A mid race brush at Redgate showed how close the battle had been. My apologies to Steven, said Kyle-Henney on the podium. Coming into the first races, we just didnt know where we were going to be, he said after being elated to take a podium finish.Fletcher and Riall had clear runs to take fourth and fifth while Boughton was sixth, but only after a tussle with Cowne in the opening laps. Once he had edged through at Redgate, Boughton was able to consolidate the place.Results: round two:1 Sherwood; 2 Liquorish; 3 Kyle-Henney; 4 Fletcher; 5 Riall; 6 Boughton. Fastest lap: Sherwood 1m10.906s (100.48mph).Provisional points after round two: 1 Sherwood 44; 2 Liquorish 36; 3 Fletcher and Kyle-Henney 30; 5 Riall 24; 6 Boughton 20. Next rounds: Snetterton 11/12 May.