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Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2013 Race 5 & 6 Thruxton

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Thruxton next for Porsche Carrera Cup GB

Dean Stoneman heads the title race
Michael Meadows and Jonas Gelzinis lead the chase
Victor Jimenez holds Pro-Am1 lead

The fastest track on the schedule is the setting for rounds five and six of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB as the focus switches to Thruxton in Hampshire (4/5 May). Southampton's Dean Stoneman heads the points going into his home event, but Michael Meadows and Jonas Gelzinis in particular are chasing very hard.

After four of the season's 20 races, Stoneman (Redline Racing) has an eight-point lead after a stunning start to his Carrera Cup campaign. A double win at Brands Hatch and then two podiums last time out at Donington Park have put Stoneman ahead, but there is a very long way to go and Thruxton is one of those tracks likely to throw up drama and excitement.

'I'm just doing the best job I can," said Stoneman after a sensational start to his sports and GT career. Now he will relish racing at his home track. 'Thruxton is 20 minutes up the road for me."

Right now two drivers are shaping up as the big challengers to Stoneman, and Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) and Gelzinis (Juta Racing) head to Hampshire tied on 69 points to the 77 of Stoneman. Meadows scored an emphatic double win at Donington to fight back from a mixed weekend at Brands Hatch, while Gelzinis is consistently bagging good scores.

However, when the Carrera Cup cars tested at Thruxton earlier in April, it was Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) who set the pace. Dan took a stunning victory at Thruxton last year in truly challenging conditions, but has had a difficult start to 2013 and will be determined to get his title bid firmly on track. Richard Kent (Samsung Smart Motorsport) and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) are both chasing podiums, with Kent getting stronger and stronger each time out. Butcher, meanwhile, has lots of natural pace and was another star of Thruxton in 2012.

The Pro-Am1 category looks like being a straight contest between Redline Racing team mates Victor Jimenez and Dan De Zille. The Spanish racer has enjoyed a great start to his season, taking two wins, a second and a third from the four races to date. He was strong in testing and says he is a fan of the Thruxton challenge. 'This track is very fast and very difficult: I like it a lot," said the Spanish racer. De Zille, meanwhile, joined the Pro-Am1 category at Donington and showed excellent pace in the second race to head Jimenez on his way to second in Pro-Am1. Bath-based De Zille is getting stronger and stronger as he builds experience in this type of car and a first Pro-Am1 win will be his target.

The story in Pro-Am2 is likely to be the return to racing of Liphook's Keith Webster (Redline Racing). Webster hopes to be fit to race after suffering a broken arm in a cycling accident in March. That injury forced him to miss the first two race weekends, but he is hopeful of being ready for his home event.

With average lap speeds of well over 110mph, Thruxton is the fastest track on the calendar. If conditions are good for qualifying, the first 115mph lap for a Carrera Cup car is a possibility as the current best qualifying lap stands to James Sutton from 2011 in a time of 1m13.813s, an average speed of 114.90mph.

After qualifying on Saturday (4 May) at 12 noon, round five of the Carrera Cup GB will start at 11.10 on Sunday (5 May). Round six will start at 16.25 and will be broadcast live on ITV4.
 

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Meadows takes Carrera Cup GB double pole at Thruxton

Michael Meadows dominates to take two pole positions
Dan Lloyd heads the chase of Meadows
Dan De Zille and Victor Jimenez share the Pro-Am1 poles

Michael Meadows was the star of Porsche Carrera Cup GB qualifying at Thruxton today (Saturday 4 May) after taking a brace of pole positions for the Samsung Smart Motorsport team. While Dan Lloyd and Dean Stoneman headed the pursuit of Meadows, Dan De Zille and Victor Jimenez shared the Pro-Am1 poles.

After earlier rain, the track was fully dry for qualifying but a strong breeze was blowing across the Hampshire circuit. While Meadows set about winning the extra points for poles, things went wrong for Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) who went off on the exit of Allard and hit the front of his car against the barriers. Jonas was unharmed and reported that the car will be ready for the race as his team set about the necessary repairs. From the five laps Gelzinis completed, his best two laps were still good enough for fourth on the grid for both races.

After a stoppage while the Gelzinis car was retrieved, Meadows stormed back to record two laps in the 1m14.3s bracket to take an impressive double pole. 'That's exactly what we wanted," said Meadows. 'We did minimal laps to conserve the tyres for the races. The team has worked really hard to get the car spot on."

On both grids Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) pipped Stoneman (Redline Racing) for second place, although Meadows has a margin of nearly half a second on the times for race two. 'That's my best qualifying of the season so far," said Lloyd, with two second slots. But he thought it could have been better. 'I went off at Goodwood on what would have been my best lap," said Lloyd after his car was caught by a gust of wind at the critical moment. Championship leader Stoneman was a bit frustrated to be P3 for both races at his home track.

With Gelzinis salvaging fourth place for both races, Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) and Richard Kent (Samsung Smart Motorsport) completed the top six, with Butcher suffering a little as the only leading driver not to have tested at least once at Thruxton this season.

In Pro-Am1, a fine contest is in prospect as less than a tenth of a second split Redline Racing team mates De Zille and Jimenez, with De Zille taking pole for round five before Jimenez reversed the positions for round six. 'That went really well, but I've never raced at Thruxton before so there is still a lot of learn," said De Zille. Jimenez was pleased to be right on the Pro-Am1 pace at a track he enjoys, while Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) completed the top three in the category.

Round 5 grid:
Pro category: 1 Michael Meadows (1m14.303s); 2 Dan Lloyd (1m14.532s); 3 Dean Stoneman (1m14.741s).
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Dan De Zille (1m16.022s); 2 Victor Jimenez (1m16.037s); 3 Yucel Ozbek (1m18.395s).

Round 6 grid:
Pro category: 1 Michael Meadows (1m14.354s); 2 Dan Lloyd (1m14.800s); 3 Dean Stoneman (1m14.929s).
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez (1m16.140s); 2 Dan De Zille (1m16.209s); 3 Yucel Ozbek (1m19.191s).
 

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Lloyd wins Carrera Cup GB thriller at Thruxton

Dan Lloyd scores monster victory in Thruxton thriller
Jonas Gelzinis and Dean Stoneman complete the overall podium
Victor Jimenez edges Dan De Zille for Pro-Am1 victory


Dan Lloyd scored a mighty victory in round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton today (Sunday 5 May) after a race full of incident and drama. Jonas Gelzinis and Dean Stoneman battled to second and third while Victor Jimenez claimed a hard-earned Pro-Am1 win.

Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) got a superb start from P2 on the grid and dived around the outside of poleman Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) to take the lead. After a poor start, Meadows was soon in even bigger trouble as Stoneman (Redline Racing) pulled alongside on the rush to the Complex. The cars touched as Meadows ran wide onto the grass and spun.

Meanwhile, Lloyd took control at the front of the race from Gelzinis (Juta Racing) and Stoneman (Redline Racing) but it was Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) who made the most of the opening lap dramas as he scythed through the field from the back of the pack. Having taken new tyres for the race after a high-speed spin in qualifying, Butcher started at the back of the grid but was fourth before the end of the first lap. 'I just knew I needed to make my bid early," said Butcher.

Butcher then stormed up to second and took the place from Gelzinis with a stunning move around the outside into the chicane for the fifth time. Butcher quickly moved onto the tail of Lloyd and started to attack, but Lloyd kept it cool and fended off his rival. As they started to edge clear of Gelzinis and Stoneman, Butcher began to hit tyre trouble as he picked up a slow rear puncture.

As Butcher lost pace, Lloyd went clear and Butcher now came under attack from Gelzinis and Stoneman. 'The car went away and I knew I had a puncture for four laps. I was just trying to nurse it home," said Butcher. However, having dropped to fourth, Butcher then ended his race when the puncture pitched him into a spin and off the track at Goodwood.

Up front, Lloyd was driving superbly and responded to the challenge of Gelzinis over the closing stages. 'It's absolutely fantastic to get the first win of the season under my belt," said Lloyd. 'Towards the end I had a lot of oversteer and I was tip-toeing round," said Lloyd as a warm day at Thruxton took its toll on tyres. Gelzinis repaid his team's efforts to repair his car after his accident in qualifying with second place. 'I had a touch with Butcher at the chicane and my steering wheel was not straight," said Gelzinis. 'I decided not to risk too much and I was happy to finish second."

Stoneman struggled home third in a car with compromised handling after the first lap incident, while Jimenez won a long battle with Redline Racing team mate Dan De Zille to win Pro-Am1. 'It was a tough race and we were fighting a lot," said Jimenez. 'I am very happy: that is my best overall result," said Jimenez. 'Victor had a little bit of pace on me," said De Zille.

Finally, Meadows had a torrid race with tyres that were flat-spotted after the first lap incident. 'I had to back off by about five seconds a lap," said Meadows after battling home in sixth place.

Round 5 results:
Pro category: 1 Dan Lloyd; 2 Jonas Gelzinis; 3 Dean Stoneman.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez; 2 Dan De Zille; 3 Yucel Ozbek.
 

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Meadows wins Carrera Cup GB round 6 at Thruxton

Michael Meadows dominates second race
Dan Lloyd heads the chase to complete a great day
Victor Jimenez takes second Pro-Am1 victory

Michael Meadows shot back to the top of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with victory in round six at Thruxton this afternoon (Sunday 5 May) as Dan Lloyd and Jonas Gelzinis completed the podium. In Pro-Am1, Victor Jimenez made it a perfect day with a second win but only after Dan De Zille hit tyre problems.

Tyre management was the major issue of the race as the combination of warm weather and the notoriously abrasive Thruxton surface tested tyres to the limit. However, there were no dramas for Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) who drove an impeccable race to lead from lights to flag. In the early stages, Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) headed the chase but Meadows was able to edge clear in a stylish performance.

'The worry was having to race in the later stages of the race, so I got my head down and built the gap," said Meadows. 'It was a perfect race strategy." Lloyd was suitably pleased to back up his earlier win with a strong second after seeing off challenges from Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) and Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing). However, Butcher was later delayed by another puncture, so Gelzinis completed the overall podium.

'I was hoping to catch Michael, but he did a very good job," said Lloyd. 'I'm really happy: it's been a great weekend and a good result going into the break before Oulton Park." Gelzinis, meanwhile, had driven a nicely-judged race to move into the overall championship lead by a point from Meadows. 'I saw the tyre problems, so I just wanted to get to the finish," said Gelzinis.

It was a race to forget for Dean Stoneman (Redline Racing), who ran fifth until a front tyre failed and damaged his radiator. Instead, Richard Kent (Samsung Smart Motorsport) moved through to fourth as Butcher took seventh after a pit stop.

For many laps, De Zille (Redline Racing) headed his team mate Jimenez in Pro-Am1, but then De Zille found the car starting to feel very loose and backed his pace right off to make sure of a finish. Jimenez moved ahead and Yucel Ozbek (Redline Racing) later edged his team mate back to third. 'I love it here," said Ozbek. 'I'm not afraid of the track anymore!"

Round 6 results:
Pro category: 1 Michael Meadows; 2 Dan Lloyd; 3 Jonas Gelzinis.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez; 2 Yucel Ozbek; 3 Dan De Zille.
 

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Just 9 cars on the grid - not a single ProAm2 entry - what is going on with Carrera Cup GB this season? A friend of mine is intending to do it next year but I have to wonder if he'd be better off staying with Britcar and GT Cup.
 
spyderman said:
Just 9 cars on the grid - not a single ProAm2 entry - what is going on with Carrera Cup GB this season? A friend of mine is intending to do it next year but I have to wonder if he'd be better off staying with Britcar and GT Cup.

ProAm2, in most races, just turning up got you 1st place, which is a shame since it is not attracting any competition. :dont know:

It's the final year of the 997 Cup cars, so teams and drivers have moved on to other race series, in the 1st 3 years of the 997 Cup, there wa susually a full 20+ car grid.

The new 991 Cup car should bring back the entries to the PCCGB.
 

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Porsche News said:
The new 991 Cup car should bring back the entries to the PCCGB.

I can see it going to a single class next season.
 
spyderman said:
Porsche News said:
The new 991 Cup car should bring back the entries to the PCCGB.

I can see it going to a single class next season.

Whereas the GermanY Carrera Cup is a regular 34 car grid for year the UK Motorsport for Porsche lacks the that coverage, as a result the ProAm categories will still be around next year.
 

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