Classy Cheetham Double as Wilkins and Morris take Porsche Club wins

The Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli made its first visit to the Snetterton 300 circuit on Saturday 22nd of August – and while Craig Wilkins and Pete Morris shared the wins at the front, it was Class Two racer Steve Cheetham who really benefitted taking his first ever double class win. Wilkins and Morris had been closely matched at the front all day – although race two went to Morris after the pair clashed on the final lap.Qualifying Mark McAleer set the early pace in the morning’s qualifying session, running right behind Wilkins on track and one one occasion reclaiming pole after Wilkins had held it for barely a second. Morris was up to pace by mid-session and went quickest, only for Wilkins to emerge after a pit visit and set a time the others could not touch.“We came in after three or four laps and the rear tyres had ballooned a bit so we checked the tyre pressures,” said Wilkins, “the guys gave me a gee up, and we did the time. It’s a good start to the day, I’m not sure we will go quicker once the temperatures go up”Morris claimed second with McAleer sharing the second row with Kevin Harrison. Chris Dyer was fifth – and first non-996 in his Strasse Cayman S – with Mike Johnson sixth. In Class Two Jonathan Evans was the pace setter, with Cheetham second as the Boxsters set the class pace. Richard Higgins was quickest front-engined car, this in his 968 CS.Race One Morris’s car jerked forwards as the red lights lit up, and when they went out he was a length in front of the poleman but slotted in behind Wilkins and gained no advantage.  Wilkins led from Morris and McAleer, with Winter fourth at the end of the opening lap ahead of Harrison, Dyer and Johnson. Morris was looking for a way past, but McAleer was at this point the quickest car on the track and moved up to be right with Morris. The order shuffled on lap six when McAleer came through second with Morris a few seconds back in third – the championship leader having eased off as his engine temperatures rose in the baking weather. However hard he looked for a way past Wilkins never offered McAleer a clear opportunity and took his third win of the season, with Morris third – after putting in a brace of quick laps near the end to claim the point for fastest lap.“Pete moving really put me off, I thought I had missed the start!” said Wilkins. “I knew he would give me the place back, but I was really pleased that we had improved the car from this morning. That was really hard and hot work, a good race and I can get used to winning, but I think I need a lie down now!”“That was a good race – especially considering I had a slow puncture at the rear,” said McAleer. “Craig seemed to have just a little bit extra getting out the corners, but a good enjoyable race, we have to try to do that again later.”“I just had a moment at the start, thought I’d go on red!” said Morris. “I let Craig go so I didn’t get a penalty, then I was chasing him but it is a hot day and my temperatures got really high and I didn’t want to damage the engine so I backed off – I even put the heater on as it is still fitted. I wanted to get fastest lap and got it near the end.”Winter came under pressure from Harrison and Johnson, who had got past Dyer, in the final laps but held on for fourth, the trio together into the first corner with a few laps to go. Class Two poleman Evans lost dropped to the rear of the field on the opening lap with no ABS, handing Cheetham a lead at the front of the class and he slowly opened a gap on Tim Speed as the race progressed to take his second win of 2015. Speed claimed second, while Andy Toon passed Higgins for fourth on lap nine to take the final class podium slot, Evans recovering to fourth and 11th overall by the end of the race.“Everything went my way,” said Cheetham, “it would have been harder if Jonathan had been in the mix. I could see the car behind and when he closed I was able to respond and pull away again, then I was able to relax in the final laps, the car is handling like a dream.”Race Two This time Morris made a good start and headed Wilkins into the first corner, with McAleer into third. As the front two traded fastest laps, McAleer retired at the end of lap four with a car problem elevating Harrison to third – though already a little way back from the leaders. For lap after lap the lead pair ran nose-to-tail, Morris never offering Wilkins a clear opportunity and noticeably more defensive in the final laps. As they reached the infield section of the Snetterton 300 layout on the final lap, Wilkins saw a gap as they went through Hamiltons – a move he later admitted was possibly optimistic –and dived inside Morris, the two cars touching, Wilkins out on the spot and Morris losing time but holding onto take the win, his fifth of the season.“My car was quick and there were places where I was quicker than Craig,” said Morris, “and places where he was quicker than me. He saw a gap and next thing I knew I was spinning. I got a decent start and took the lead, it’s just a shame it had to end like that.”That saw Harrison move up another slot to take second, with Paul Winter, who had gained places on the opening lap, coming in third having survived a battle with Chris Dyer earlier in the race.“I was a bit despondent after the first race as I made such a bad start,” said Harrison, “so I am so pleased to have taken second in this race, the car felt really good and didn’t miss a beat.”“This weekend has been good,” said Winter. “We didn’t get to test here but it has been a good weekend even though it is such a technical track, very pleased to take third.”Speed led Class Two at the end of the first lap but Cheetham quickly moved to the front with Evans running third, again with no working ABS on his Boxster. Cheetham eased away as the race progressed, but Speed felt his tyres coming good again in the final laps and pushed hard to halve the gap to the leader – but Cheetham had enough in hand to hold on for his first double-win in the series.“That was a tough race,” said Cheetham, “Tim Speed was pushing me and towards the end the tyres were finished and I felt I was fighting the car for the last few laps. It feels like a perfect weekend, and the next races are at our home circuit so hopefully we can keep it rolling!”Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli Race One: 1 Craig Wilkins (996 C2); 2 Mark McAleer (996 C2) +0.712s; 3 Pete Morris (996 C2); 4 Paul Winter (996 C2); 5 Kevin Harrison (996 C2); 6 Mike Johnson (996 C2); 7 Chris Dyer (Cayman S); 8 Steve Cheetham (Boxster S); 9 Tim Speed (968 CS); 10 Andy Toon (968 CS). Class Winners: Wilkins; Cheetham; John Gilmore (944 S2). Fastest Lap: Morris 2m07.240s (83.99mph).Race Two: 1 Pete Morris; 2 Harrison +5.492s; 3 Winter; 4 Dyer; 5 Cheetham; 6 Speed; 7 Jonathan Evans (Boxster S); 8 David Botterill (964 C2); 9 Toon; 10 Hugo Holmes (968 CS). Class Winners: Morris; Cheetham; Gilmore. Fastest Lap: Wilkins 2m06.111s (84.75mph).Next Races: Oulton Park, Cheshire, September 12th.


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