Race report - Rounds 13 and 14: Spa-Francorchamps, 9/10 October 2004
Richard Lambert moved closer to the overall title with a brace of class two wins, but it was Ian White who claimed a double victory as the Michelin Porsche Club Championship headed to Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend (9/10 October).
Fighting a gearbox problem, White just fended off Lambert in the opening race and then had a mighty battle with Peter Morris in the second race. After 47 minutes, White won by two-tenths of a second! Fraser Robertson and race debutee Paul Goldman shared the class three wins.Race oneMissing from the grid was Chris Egginton after a heavy accident at Radillon in qualifying left his 968CS out of action for the rest of the weekend. White (3.2 Carrera) started from pole but was briefly headed off the line by Morris (968CS). However, Morris was racing without second gear and could not keep White at bay.
Then, with gearbox dramas of his own, White was reeled in by Lambert (Carrera 3) and they diced hard for the race lead over the remaining laps. White just held on for a narrow victory as Lambert added to his championship lead with a commanding class two victory.
Morris battled home third, while Marcus Holden drove one of his best races to date to just keep his 3.2 Carrera ahead of class two racer Rob Williams (Carrera 3).
Having suffered engine dramas in qualifying, Adam Egar (911SC) bought an engine from a German team in time for the race and rewarded his team's efforts by taking sixth and third in class. Robertson (944) stormed to class three victory from David Fissenden (911E) after Paul Goldman (911SC) hit gearbox dramas off the grid.Results - race one (10 laps):1 Ian White (3.2 Carrera) 29m38.637s (141.155kph); 2 Richard Lambert (Carrera 3) 29m38.866s; 3 Peter Morris (968CS); 4 Marcus Holden (3.2 Carrera); 5 Rob Williams (Carrera 3); 6 Adam Egar (911SC); 7 Mike Clapham (968CS); 8 Richard Harrison (3.2 Carrera); 9 David Botterill (924 Carrera GT); 10 Colin Ingram (911SC). Class winners: White; Lambert; Fraser Robertson (944). Fastest lap: Lambert 2m55.162s (143.332kph).Race twoWith their respective gearbox dramas resolved, White and Morris turned on a marvellous contest in the second race on Sunday. In a superbly clean battle, they were seldom more than a few yards apart for the 16-lap duration. Eventually, White scored a famous victory by just two-tenths of a second!Lambert again drove a faultless race to take third overall and win class two, while Mike Clapham (968CS) fought through to fourth after suffering suspension failure in the opening race.Another having suspension drama was David Botterill (924 Carrera GT) who managed to drag his car across the line on three wheels to take third in class two after losing a complete corner in the closing moments of the race!
With Robertson excluded when his car was deemed to be underweight, Goldman took class three honours to bring his first weekend of racing to a successful close.Results - race two (16 laps):1 White 47m05.514s (142.169kph); 2 Morris 45m05.724s; 3 Lambert; 4 Clapham; 5 Rod Carman (3.2 Carrera); 6 Williams; 7 Holden; 8 Harrison; 9 Botterill; 10 Paul Goldman (911SC). Class winners: White; Lambert; Goldman. Fastest lap: Morris 2m54.439s (143.926kph).The Michelin Porsche Club Championship concludes at Donington Park on 23/24 October.
