Morris and McAleer To Renew Battle at Silvertsone The Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli runners head for the wide open expanses of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit for rounds three and four with the battle at the front already looking to make this a classic year for the long-running series. Reigning champion Pete Morris took one win at Brands Hatch last month in his 996 C2, with Mark McAleer hounding him all the way in race one and taking a win of his own later in the day, but the rest are close behind and the racing should be intense.
Morris took his maiden title last season in his well-sorted Strasse-run 996, after numerous class wins, and the experienced racer has gone well at Silverstone before and will be determined to keep scoring points – it took until the final meeting of 2014 before his run of podium finishes was curtailed, and consistency wins titles. Morris and McAleer were seldom more than a few yards apart all day at Brands Hatch, and former champion McAleer will again be keen to be right at the front and their battle should be worth watching.
Also on form at the opening races were Kevin Harrison and Paul Winter, the pair taking a third place apiece and leading the chase of the flying front-runners. Harrison has a reputation for fast starts that sees him gain places early on, while Winter is a welcome returnee to the series and his Dorset Sportscars team left Brands delighted with their pace.
Former international GT racer Craig Wilkins should be a factor, as should the always quick Mike Johnson, both had mechanical issues at Brands, typical ‘new car problems’ on their 996s.
Providing variety in Class One are the Cayman and Boxster runners with Chris Dyer setting the Cayman S pace and due a podium finish. Also out in Caymans are Gary Sullivan and Mark Cowne, along with Nathalie McGloin, her example running hand controls and a PDK automatic gearbox for the disabled racer who made her track debut at Brands. AFF Racing’s Jonathan Evans runs a Boxster S, joined in the 3.2-litre Boxster ranks this weekend by the always quick Gary Duckman.
Class Two saw two cracking races in the season opener, Dorset Sportscars’ Tim Speed coming through in each to take the win with his 968 CS. Any of a number of drivers could be set for a win at Silverstone, Andy Toon will be keen to put his season back on course after car issues at Brands, while the hugely experienced Dave Botterill will be right in the mix once more, though keen not to repeat his experience here last year when his 964 caught fire during a race.
The Boxster S can also be run at a higher weight in Class Two, and Steve Cheetham and Jake McAleer will be out this weekend, while the 968 CS ranks are filled out by Richard Higgins, Hugo Holmes and Paul Seagrave. Stephen Radcliffe will be out in Class Three – a control class running on different tyres etc. to reduce costs and provide an entry route in the series.
The 20-minute qualifying session is at 09.00 on Saturday morning, with the two 25-minute races at 12.35 and 17.30.
