Gary Duckman took his first win on his return to the Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli in the opening race at Brands Hatch, the 200th Porsche Club Championship round, but was denied the double by Craig Wilkins after a comeback drive in race two. Championship leader Pete Morris claimed a second and a third, while in Class Two it was the Boxsters doing the winning as Steve Cheetham took the first race for his maiden class win and Jonathan Evans took race two.
Qualifying Morris took pole in the morning’s qualifying session in his Strasse 996 C2, the first for the series on the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix in several seasons. Having been on pole for the previous two meetings, Duckman’s run of quickest times came to an end as he was second quickest, leading Boxster S, heading a gaggle of 996s with Mark McAleer third ahead of Wilkins and Winter – who suffered a broken windscreen due to an unsecured bonnet – Kevin Harrison, Mike Johnson and Karin Moudi, Chris Dyer leading the Cayman runners in ninth.
“It’s very tight at the top of the timesheets,” said Morris. “I was bedding in some new pads so had to take my time before putting in a quick lap, and did that on old tyres.”
Cheetham had headed the Class Two times for much of the session but was pipped by a late flyer from Tim Speed’s 968 CS.
Race One Duckman matched the quick-starting 996s around him to go into Paddock Hill Bend side-by-side with Morris, his outside line paying off as he led the field into Druids corner. Duckman eased a small gap, Morris in turn pulling clear of the fight for third which saw Wilkins under pressure from McAleer.
As McAleer looked for a way past Wilkins, Duckman and Morris traded fastest laps at the front, the gap fluctuating before Morris started to home in, close enough to look inside Duckman at Paddock Hill Bend on lap eight. Despite his best efforts Morris had to settle for second, Morris bringing his Boxster home ahead at his local circuit.
Wilkins was a safe third, McAleer slowing a lap before the end as his gearbox denied him any ratio other than first. Behind, Winter a solitary fourth as Harrison just headed Johnson over the line to take fifth.
“I got a great start,” said Duckman, “and don’t usually like going round the outside through Paddock Hill Bend but I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Pete tried to cover me but I got such a good run out the corner I was ahead. It’s hard to pass round here and I think if he had stayed ahead I wouldn’t have been able to beat him.”
“That was a hard race, Gary got a good start,” said Morris. “He got round the outside at Paddock and then his car was good in certain parts of the track. I was on new tyres and it took me a while to get them up to temperature!”
“That was close off the line, though I didn’t make the best of starts,” said Wilkins. “We still haven’t got this car quite where we want it and I was a falling away in the latter part of the race. Should be fun in the second race, we start on pole!”
Early on in Class Two Cheetham had Speed and Evans right with him, but he eased away in the early laps, only for Speed in turn to close back in by lap seven. Just as it looked like a lead battle was on the cards Cheetham was able to again eke out a gap, and was comfortably clear when he took the chequer flag for a deserved win.
“Everything went my way,” said Cheetham. “I got a good lead early on but in the last few laps the tyres were going off a bit, I almost lost the rear turning into Clearways near the end. I could see in my mirrors that there was a battle behind and I had enough in hand to take the win.”
Race Two Wilkins and Morris were on the front row for race two and both got good starts, Wilkins holding Morris on the outside through Paddock Hill Bend to take the lead. A storming first lap saw Johnson come through third at the end of lap one from seventh on the grid, Duckman down in fifth.
Johnson got inside on the run up the hill to Druids on lap two and took second, and was soon heading a train of cars with Morris, Harrison and Duckman right with him. A shuffle round on lap four saw Morris back in second and Duckman up to fourth.
A brave move round the outside at Hawthorns corner on the Grand Prix loop saw Duckman pass Johnson and start to close in on Morris. With him by lap seven, and the pair just a second behind Wilkins, a move into Druids a lap later saw Duckman’s Boxster into second.
The top three were nose to tail in the final laps, Duckman taking a good look round the outside of Wilkins into Paddock Hill Bend for the last time, but the leader had enough in hand and led Duckman and Morris across the line. Johnson was fourth ahead of Harrison and Dyer.
“I had a little gap on the rest at one point, but that was a busy race,” said Wilkins. “We have improved the car but are still just a bit off the ultimate pace, though it was more consistent in that race.”
“I made a textbook terrible start,” said Duckman. “The 996s are always good off the line and my car doesn’t get away quite so well and I got boxed in. A few laps in I was able to get up to third, and I finally caught Pete Morris back up, and his rear tyres had gone I think and I was able to get past him. Craig was defending well and there was no way past but another good day’s racing.”
“It is so competitive at the front now that it makes for really close races,” said Morris. “The back end of my car wasn’t really working well in that race I couldn’t do anything about Gary going past, so a frustrating race but I am happy with the points.”
Speed was the early Class Two leader, initially with Jake McAleer and Cheetham in pursuit, but by half distance it was Evans who had worked his way through to second, and was into the lead with two laps to go to take the class win, Speed second ahead of the 968 CS of Richard Higgins.
“That was a great battle with Tim Speed,” said Evans, “he pushes that 968 to unbelievable limits and I was just trying to stay right with him and managed to get past him and open a gap at the end.”
Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli Round Seven: 1 Gary Duckman (Boxster S); 2 Peter Morris (996 C2) +0.284s; 3 Craig Wilkins (996 C2); 4 Paul Winter (996 C2); 5 Kevin Harrison (996 C2); 6 Mike Johnson (996 C2); 7 Karim Moudi (996 C2); 8 Chris Dyer (Cayman S); 9 Steve Cheetham (Boxster S); 10 Jonathan Evans (Boxster S). Class Winners: Duckman; Cheetham. Fastest Lap: Morris 1m39.007s (88.47mph).
Round Eight: 1 Wilkins; 2 Duckman +0.423s; 3 Morris; 4 Johnson; 5 Harrison; 6 Dyer; 7 Moudi; 8 Winter; 9 Evans; 10 Tim Speed (968 CS). Class Winners: Wilkins; Evans. Fastest Lap: Duckman 1m39.547s (87.99mph). Next Races: Snetterton, Norfolk, August 22nd.
