Pirelli motorsport weekend round up

Back-to-front win for Chamberlain in Pirelli-supported GT Cup

Richard Chamberlain overcame race one disappointment for a hard-fought victory in the latest GT Cup Championship round – supported by Pirelli – at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Chamberlain (Porsche 935) led race one from pole before a clash with Phil Burgan (Audi R8 LMS Ultra) on lap two put him out and left the latter with a puncture. That let Paul Bailey (Aston Martin Vantage GT3) through into the lead. Bailey, who is leading the GTO standings with team-mate Andy Schulz, then had an untroubled run to victory ahead of GTB class winner James Greenway (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) and GTC victor Marcus Hoggarth (Ferrari 458 Challenge), with the lead GTA car of Tom Hibbert (Ginetta G55) in eighth place.

Chamberlain then fought back from 17th on the grid for his first pit-stop race win of the year in the second event, which included two safety car periods, one after polesitter Bailey clashed with Burgan, with the latter recovering to finish second.

The race was red-flagged after Stephen Fresle’s Ginetta hit the barriers exiting Surtees. Hoggarth/Tom Ingram scored another GTC win in third overall, with GTB winners Colin Paton/Rory Butcher (Porsche 997 GT3) in fourth and GTA winner Rob Gaffney (Ginetta G50) ninth overall.

Rounds 18-20 of the series will take place at Donington Park on September 19-20.

Two in the bag for Cheetham in Pirelli Porsches

Title contenders Craig Wilkins and Pete Morris claimed the outright wins in the latest Fuel Protect Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli races – although Class Two racer Steve Cheetham led the celebrations after scoring his first double victory.

Wilkins (996 C2) qualified on pole on the series’ first visit to Snetterton, where the weather proved changeable, and led from Morris and Mark McAleer’s similar cars at the start of race one. McAleer then passed championship leader Morris for second before pressuring Wilkins, but to no avail. In Class Two polesitter Jonathan Evans (Boxster S) dropped back with ABS problems, leaving fellow Boxster driver Cheetham to take his second win of 2015 in eighth overall from Tim Speed (968 CS).

Cheethan went even better in race two to claim another class win and fifth overall, once again ahead of a battling Speed, while up front Morris got a better start to pass poleman Wilkins. After a tense fight Wilkins tried to pass Morris on the final lap, but the pair clashed leaving Wilkins out of the race but Morris able to continue for the win ahead of the 996 C2s of Kevin Harrison and Paul Winter.

The next races take place at Oulton Park on September 12.

Palmer pushes ahead with Pirelli in BRDC F4 Championship

Title favourite Will Palmer was a double winner as the Pirelli-supplied Duo BRDC Formula 4 Championship also visited Snetterton last weekend.

The HHC Motorsport driver qualified on pole for race one at the Norfolk track and fended off a challenge from Omar Ismail (Chris Dittmann Racing) at the start to eventually win by just over eight seconds from team-mate Harri Newey, with CDR’s Tom Jackson in third.

Akhil Rabindra (Douglas Motorsport) secured pole for race two ahead of title contender Rodrigo Fonseca (Lanan Racing), but both were hit by the fast-starting Faisal Al Zubair (Hillspeed), prompting a safety car period. After the restart Chris Mealin (Lanan) led but was later excluded for a clash with Palmer, leaving Jackson to take victory ahead of Newey and Al Zubair.

Palmer took pole for race three courtesy of his race one fastest lap but was passed by Jackson at the start. But Palmer moved ahead again at the end of lap one and then broke the lap record en route to another victory, this time by 11 seconds over the consistent Jackson with Newey third.

Palmer now leads Jackson in the standings by 74 points with the penultimate round due to take place at Donington Park on September 12/13.Brookes unbeatable on Pirelli tyres in British Superbikes

Series leader Josh Brookes was once again the man to catch as the Pirelli-backed MCE British Superbike Championship visited Cadwell Park last weekend.

The majority of riders chose the (SC0) Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike rear tyre for optimum grip in high temperatures at the demanding Lincolnshire circuit, while using the softer SC1 compound at the front.

Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) was dominant throughout. He qualified on pole and then led race one from the start, closely followed by Superbike rookie Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki). Danny Buchan (Be Wiser Kawasaki) wasn’t far behind, but a timing error on the Mountain approach led to a spectacular accident from which he walked away. Peter Hickman (RAF Reserves BMW) moved up to second before Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing BMW) passed Mossey for his maiden Superbike podium.

Once again Brookes led the pack in race two, winning with a five-second margin. Behind him Mossey, Hickman and Tommy Bridewell (Tyco BMW) all competed for the podium, with Hickman eventually claiming second and Bridewell third.

Brookes now leads the series on 316 points ahead of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (277) and James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki, 147). The next round is at Oulton Park on September 4-6.King and Bernstorff raise British hopes in Pirelli-backed GP2 and GP3

Britain’s Jordan King finished on the podium in the second race of the Pirelli-backed GP2 Series at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium last weekend.

With the field choosing from Pirelli’s hard and soft tyres, Racing Engineering driver King claimed a point for eighth in the feature race, which was interrupted by a lengthy safety car period following Daniël De Jong’s crash. The 21-year-old then finished second to team-mate Alexander Rossi in Sunday’s feature race, while Britain’s Alex Lynn scored a point in eighth after a frustrating weekend for the DAMS driver that nevertheless saw him maintain fifth place in the standings.

In the sister GP3 Series, where Pirelli’s medium compound tyre was used, British hopeful Emil Bernstorff went one better than King with victory in the first race at Spa – after on-track winner Esteban Ocon was handed a five-second penalty for breaching the virtual safety car speed limit. Ocon, who had led from the start, dropped to second as a result behind Arden International driver Bernstorff. The 22-year-old, who retired from the second race, is fourth in the GP3 standings, just 13 points behind ART Grand Prix’s Marvin Kirchhöfer.

Both the GP2 and GP3 series will next race alongside Formula One in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 4-6.


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