The Porsche Carrera Cup GB will switch to Brands Hatch this weekend (24/25 April) for rounds three and four on the spectacular Indy circuit at the Kent circuit. Added to the incredibly strong line-up of title contenders will be Perry McCarthy in the Porsche Cars GB VIP entry.
The opening two races of the season at Thruxton demonstrated just how competitive the season is going to be, with six different drivers climbing the podium after the pair of races. Arriving at Brands, a single championship point covers the top three drivers.
Heading the points is Richard Westbrook (BEAST Racing) after a win and a fifth place at Thruxton. A major gearbox problem hampered his second race, but Westbrook has already made himself one of the clear title favourites. With a brand new £55,000 road-going Porsche waiting for the champion at season's end, there is little wonder that Westbrook is determined to win the title he narrowly missed in 2003.
Victory in the second Thruxton race, following a fifth place with a broken damper in the first race, was a strong start for Tim Harvey (Team RPM). The former BTCC ace is splitting his BTCC race weekends between racing the 911 GT3 and commentating on the three BTCC races, but Tim is such a pro that he will undoubtedly be in the thick of the title race. He was born in Kent, so is likely to have an even bigger following this weekend than usual.
The revelation of Thruxton was Chris Cooper (Team Parker Motorsport), who lies joint second on points with Harvey after two races. His racecraft has been well proven in previous seasons, but the way in which he so rapidly adapted to the Porsche has already marked him out as a title contender. The same applies to Jonathan Fildes (TCR), who raced strongly at Thruxton and will use the experience of that weekend to continue a superb start to his Carrera Cup campaign.
A podium finish in the second race at Thruxton was a truly popular result for Nigel Rice (Red Line Racing), following an 18-month break from racing due to injury. His gritty drive showed that Rice has lost none of his fire and determination and he will arrive at Brands stronger than ever.
Championship runner-up in 2003, Jason Templeman (Team VLR) was denied the chance of victory at Thruxton with a clutch problem in the second race but will be a contender for victory at Brands. He is joined in the Vic Lee squad by Marcus Thomas.
Carrying truly local hope is Wrotham-based Motorbase Performance, which is fielding cars for racing brothers Andy Britnell and Gary Britnell. The new squad, headed by team owner David Bartrum is based less than three miles from the main gate of Brands Hatch!
Other leading contenders include David Pinkney (BEAST Racing), Jonathon Cocker, Jason Young and Des Winks (Red Line Racing) and Mark Hazell and Martin Rich (Team Parker Racing), while racing newcomer Michael Corridan should make his Carrera Cup debut for BEAST Racing.
Westbrook and Harvey shared the wins at Thruxton and will be the pacesetters again at Brands. But Templeman, Cooper, Rice and Fildes all showed highly impressive pace at Thruxton, while McCarthy will be an intriguing newcomer to the Carrera Cup mix!
Current provisional leading points:
1 Richard Westbrook 34; 2 Tim Harvey and Chris Cooper 33; 4 Jonathan Fildes 30; 5 Nigel Rice 26; 6 Jason Templeman, Andy Britnell and Jonathon Cocker 18; 9 Jason Young and Mark Hazell 12; etc.
