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Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2013 Race 15 & 16 Rockingham

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Rockingham next for Porsche Carrera Cup GB

Michael Meadows holds points' lead after 14 races
Jonas Gelzinis heads the chase of Meadows
Victor Jimenez tops Pro-Am1 pack


Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire is the spectacular setting for rounds 15 and 16 of the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup GB (14/15 September) and it is defending champion Michael Meadows who has re-taken the points' lead as the season heads into the closing stages.

By his own admission, it has been an up and down season for Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) in the 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup cars, but after a perfect weekend last time out at Knockhill, he is back in the driving seat.

'At one stage in the championship I had a 23-point lead, then it went down to zero and now I've got it back," said Meadows at the end of the Scottish weekend. His pace has never been in doubt, for Meadows has taken 12 pole positions for 14 races to date and won seven times, more than he did on his way to the 2012 title.

Yet a range of dramas and misfortunes, sometimes at the hands of others, had pushed him back into the reach of his main rival, Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing). After Gelzinis took three wins on the trot, including a double victory at Snetterton, they went to Scotland level on points. But at Knockhill, Gelzinis had a tough weekend and was unable to match Meadows for pace. Two poles, two wins and two fastest laps was just the result that Meadows wanted.

Now comes the Rockingham race weekend and Meadows knows he has to keep scoring big points. 'I need to keep pushing," he said. 'We've still got six races to go and Rockingham is going to be another big weekend. It's about keeping calm when you are having those stressful weekends and I've had a couple recently. I was glad to come out of Knockhill with a couple of wins."

Equally, talented Lithuanian racer Gelzinis knows that he needs to come back strongly at Rockingham and close the gap once more. But this is not just about the championship top two. Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) both claimed podium finishes in Scotland and have Carrera Cup race wins in their racing record. Meanwhile relative championship newcomer James Birch, the reigning Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge champion, is showing increasingly strong form since joining Meadows in the Samsung squad mid-season.

Of course, the battle for overall victory in the Pro category is only part of the story. In Pro-Am1, the sporting rivalry between Redline Racing team mates Spaniard Victor Jimenez and Milton Keynes-based Dan De Zille is a real developing story of the season.

Across the first half of the year, Jimenez had the advantage as he drew on his experience from his 2012 Carrera Cup campaign. However, De Zille has tigered away and got quicker and quicker to win the second race at Snetterton and both races at Knockhill to complete a hat-trick. Jimenez still has a handsome points' lead, but the battle for Pro-Am1 in Sunday's pair of races will be another highlight.
 

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Stoneman to serve two race ban in Porsche Carrera Cup GB

Dean Stoneman will sit out the next two rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Rockingham (14/15 September) after a suspended ban imposed by the championship stewards was implemented following round 14 at Knockhill.

Stoneman (Redline Racing) attended a hearing of the championship stewards in July following on-track incidents at Thruxton (round five), Oulton Park (round seven) and Croft (round 10).

The championship stewards imposed a two-race ban, which was suspended until the end of the 2013 season.

Subsequently, another on-track incident occurred at Knockhill (round 14) and Stoneman was penalised under regulation C.1.1.5. This penalty now invokes the two-race ban. In addition, in relation to round 14 at Knockhill, Stoneman was penalised nine championship points and given a five-place grid penalty, which will be applied to his next race in the championship.
 

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Meadows tops Carrera Cup GB test at Rockingham

Michael Meadows tops the testing times at Rockingham
Dan Lloyd is second fastest by eight-hundredths of a second
Victor Jimenez tops Pro-Am1


Michael Meadows headed the times in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Rockingham during testing today (Friday 13 September) but by only a tiny margin from Dan Lloyd as drivers tackled the unique challenge of the partly-banked speedway circuit.

The track was still damp in places for the early test session as Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) set the pace, but the later session was fully dry despite a few spots of rain in the air. Once he went out on new tyres, Meadows was able to edge to the top of the times, but only by 0.083s from Lloyd (Team Parker Racing), who's run on new tyres was interrupted by a fuel problem.

Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) was a strong third, half a second adrift of Lloyd while Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), the main title challenger to Meadows, was fourth fastest. However, Gelzinis elected not to use new tyres and is confident of finding more time in qualifying on Saturday.

Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) headed the Pro-Am1 category with fifth fastest overall, but his chief rival and team mate Dan De Zille missed testing due to work commitments. De Zille will go straight into qualifying on Saturday. Rounding out the top six was James Birch (Samsung Smart Motorsport).


Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) fastest overall:
'That's not too bad. The track seems to be very low grip at the moment and it is difficult to judge where we are. Against last year's times, a 20.4s is quite slow."

Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) third overall:
'That was a bit of a scrappy session. I didn't quite hook a lap together and there is certainly more time to come."

Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) fourth overall:
'The tyres we used were from the Knockhill race. I think another second on new tyres is easy to find, so we are in good shape. I'm not sure if it will be wet for the races so we saved some tyres."

Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) fastest in Pro-Am1:
'I had no new tyres today and we ran on very old tyres. It was okay, and the track was very slippery this morning. There was more grip in the second session. I have a good feeling for tomorrow."
 

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Lloyd takes double Carrera Cup GB pole at Rockingham

Dan Lloyd tops qualifying at Rockingham
Michael Meadows is second fastest from Rory Butcher
Victor Jimenez tops Pro-Am1 from Dan De Zille

Dan Lloyd starred in Porsche Carrera Cup GB qualifying at Rockingham today (Saturday 14 September) when he swept to a double pole position ahead of rounds 15 and 16 at the Northamptonshire track.

Lloyd's first pole positions in the championship came as the pace got very hot on a track that was fully dry by the time qualifying started. The Team Parker Racing driver led the charge through the 1m20s barrier to run very close to the fastest ever Carrera Cup times at Rockingham and fend off championship leader Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport). Right in contention for pole was Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) as less than a third of a second covered the top three. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) was next up in the Pro category, but will start behind Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) for the opening race.

In Pro-Am1, Jimenez headed the times for both races as his team mate Dan De Zille chased. Despite missing Friday's test sessions due to work commitments, De Zille lapped within half a second of Jimenez by the end of the half-hour session.

Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) fastest overall:
'The pace was really quick and the car felt really good. I learnt a lot from the first run and I knew where the time was for the second run. It was nice to do three laps at that pace and have a bit of a margin. That's my first Carrera Cup pole, which is good news."

Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) second overall:
'I was surprised the times were so quick. The first run was good but on the second run I just didn't hook it up. Dan pulled out a couple of good laps. The points for pole would have been nice and that's our first race weekend this season without a pole."

Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) third overall:
'I was P1 on the board mid-session and I was expecting a battle. Dan did a good job there. But grid position isn't as critical here as at some tracks and it looks like it will rain tomorrow. My car was really good."

Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) fastest in Pro-Am1:
'I was very happy with the car today. I have more feeling with the car and the track. But for sure it will rain tomorrow and it will be a very different track."

Round 15 grid:
Pro category: 1 Dan Lloyd 1m19.664s; 2 Michael Meadows 1m19.907s; 3 Rory Butcher 1m19.981s.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez 1m20.753s; 2 Dan De Zille 1m21.449s.

Round 16 grid:
Pro category: 1 Dan Lloyd 1m19.732s; 2 Michael Meadows 1m19.912s; 3 Rory Butcher 1m20.007s.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez 1m21.085s; 2 Dan De Zille 1m21.517s.
 

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Jimenez wins Michelin award in Carrera Cup GB

Victor Jimenez is the eighth Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer of the 2013 season to win a set of tyres as part of Michelin's long-standing support of the championship. Jimenez's name was drawn from a hat ahead of rounds 15 and 16 at Rockingham this weekend (14/15 September).

The Spanish racer commutes to the UK for each race weekend and is competing with Redline Racing for his second season in the Carrera Cup GB. Starting the Rockingham weekend, Jimenez had a 52-point lead in the Pro-Am1 category and is the clear favourite to win the title.

Having been the control tyre supplier for the Carrera Cup GB since the championship was created in 2003, Michelin is once more supporting the teams and drivers with the award of a complete set of slick racing tyres at each event. Before the start of testing at each race weekend, a name is drawn from a hat to receive the tyres, with a value of more than £1200.
 

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Butcher takes Carrera Cup GB thriller at Rockingham

Rory Butcher takes dramatic victory at Rockingham
Michael Meadows spins out as Jonas Gelzinis takes second
Victor Jimenez tops Pro-Am1 in fierce battle with Dan De Zille


Rory Butcher and Jonas Gelzinis were the big winners in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Rockingham today (Sunday 15 September) in a dramatic round 15. As championship leader Michael Meadows spun out, Butcher won the race and Gelzinis grabbed second to slash Meadows' championship lead from 23 points to just five.

Although the track was dry at the start there was a threat of rain in the air and Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport), who dived ahead of poleman Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) at the first corner, was the driver who had to set the pace. On lap 12, Meadows was caught out at Gracelands and ran a wheel onto the kerb. With light rain falling, the kerb was getting more slippery each lap and Meadows spun across the track, hitting the barrier and ending his race.

That was great news for Butcher (Celtic Speed), who took over at the head of the race and drove superbly in increasingly tricky conditions to take victory. Lloyd, having lost second place to Gelzinis (Juta Racing), later slid off into the gravel at Gracelands as Gelzinis went after Butcher. However, knowing that championship leader Meadows was out, Gelzinis wanted to make sure of second in what was a vital race for his title bid.

The Pro-Am1 battle raged all race as Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) fought to get ahead of his fast-starting team mate Dan De Zille. After a tremendous battle, which also involved Pro racer James Birch (Samsung Smart Motorsport), Jimenez finally took victory in the challenging conditions.

Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) first overall:
'I'm delighted with the first win of the year. The team has done a great job. Michael got caught out by the kerbs and I was just trying to stay off the kerbs. It was getting really slippery and I actually hit the wall at Turn One half-way through the race. It was tough after the safety car as we lost tyre temperature. I just kept pushing."

Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) second overall:
'It was getting very slippery. I saw Michael out of the race and Rory was taking risks, but I couldn't take so many risks. It is a good result for the championship."

Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) did not finish:
'I just lost it on the wet kerb: I used the kerb the lap before and it was okay. I was the guinea pig because I was leading. It was a good race until then."

Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) Pro-Am1 winner:
'I lost out to Dan at the start and I pushed a lot after that. After the safety car it was very slippery and it was horrible."

Note: After the race, the cars of Meadows and Birch were excluded due to a technical infringement.

Round 15 result:
Pro category: 1 Rory Butcher; 2 Jonas Gelzinis.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez; 2 Dan De Zille.
 

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Butcher takes Carrera Cup GB double at Rockingham

Rory Butcher completes double win at Rockingham
Daniel Lloyd and Jonas Gelzinis take podium finishes
Victor Jimenez wins Pro-Am1 from Dan De Zille

Rory Butcher made it two wins in quick succession in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Rockingham today (Sunday 15 September) in another race of ever-changing fortunes. Butcher fended off a race-long challenge from Daniel Lloyd as Jonas Gelzinis completed the podium and Victor Jimenez won Pro-Am1.

The track was wet as the field started on treaded tyres, but with no more rain falling the track dried out as the race developed. However, Butcher (Celtic Speed) drove a mighty race under constant pressure from Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) as they moved clear of Gelzinis (Juta Racing). The places never changed, but Lloyd maintained a relentless pressure on Butcher as they battled against tyres that struggled more and more in the changing conditions.

Gelzinis made sure of a safe third as he closed the championship points' gap to Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) and it was a strange race for the championship leader. Meadows ran third initially, but was struggling with poor handling in a car that had been quickly repaired after accident damage in the first race. After a pit stop to change to change to slick tyres, Meadows claimed fourth to salvage a much reduced championship lead.

In Pro-Am1, Jimenez scored a topsy-turvy win over Redline Racing team mate Dan De Zille, but only after they both made pit stops to change tyres after an early clash. Jimenez lost a lot of time in the pits, but charged back to grab the lead on the last lap as De Zille struggled with handling dramas.

Butcher was confirmed as the 'driver of the weekend', while Celtic Speed won the 'Drift team of the weekend' award.

Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) first overall:
'There was only one racing line out there as the track was drying out. Dan put a lot of pressure on me and I just had to place the car carefully. It was good fun racing against Dan and this is a great team effort."

Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) second overall:
'Half way through the race the tyres really started to suffer. I had no grip left in the rear tyres and Rory's tyres looked to be in a bit better shape than mine at the end. When Michael came through to un-lap himself, I thought he had won. It was a great race and fair play to Rory; he drove very well."

Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) third overall:
'I saw Meadows dropping a lot of time. The track was drying out and the tyres were going off. I could keep pace with the two leaders but I did not want to take so many risks."

Michael Meadows (Samsung Smart Motorsport) fourth overall:
'We lost some points to Jonas this weekend, so it's not been perfect like Knockhill. The aim for the second race was just to get the car on the track. But it wasn't right, so I pitted for slicks to see if it would be any better."

Victor Jimenez (Redline Racing) first in Pro-Am1:
'That was a crazy race and I had to make up a lot of ground after the pit stop. I lost a lot of time in the pits and then I had to push 100%."

Round 16 result:
Pro category: 1 Rory Butcher; 2 Dan Lloyd; 3 Jonas Gelzinis.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez; 2 Dan De Zille.
 

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