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Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2010 Race 1 & 2 Thuruxton

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Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 2010 - Race 1 & 2 Thruxton

Harvey takes double Carrera Cup pole at Thruxton

Tim Harvey got his Porsche Carrera Cup GB season off to a perfect start with a double pole in qualifying at Thruxton today (Saturday 3 April). However, Tom Bradshaw and Michael Caine were right with the 2008 champion during a wet qualifying. In pro-am1, Ollie Jackson also bagged a double pole, while in pro-am2 Pace twice topped the grid sheets.

Rain just before the start of qualifying sent everyone out on wet tyres and many of the best times were set in the early laps. Initially, Bradshaw (JHR) held pole, but a big push by Harvey (Red Line Racing) grabbed the place by six-thousandths of a second. It was nearly as close for the grid for race two, decided by their second best laps, where Harvey was 26-hundredths of a second faster than Bradshaw. In both races, Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) and Euan Hankey (Team Parker Racing) completed the top four grid positions.


"It was tight," admitted Harvey. "I knocked the front splitter off on the first run and I was concerned about missing the best of the conditions. It's good that the grid is so close, but it's going to be a guess on set-up if the races are dry." For Bradshaw, it was his best Carrera Cup qualifying performance to date. "That's better," said Bradshaw. "It was that greasy that slicks were never an option." However, over the second half of the session, many drivers tried slicks rather than carrying on with wets. The slick times were well adrift of the best times on wet tyres.


Caine had started the session on worn wets and suggested that had been the wrong call for the best of the track conditions. "It probably should have been new wets," he said later. But with the top 10 for race one covered by six-tenths of a second, the top of the grid is extremely evenly matched.


Another great battle is in prospect in pro-am1, where Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) claimed pole for both races from the impressive newcomer Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing). "I'm a bit disappointed not to be further up overall," said Jackson, while Al Harthy continued his good progress as he gained more experience of the car. "I needed to repeat my performance from testing and I did," said the Oman racer.

A tremendous performance to take third in pro-am1 for both races came from Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), who belied his very limited experience of Thruxton to get faster and faster through the session. Archie Hamilton (Red Line Racing) and Tony Gilham (ReDesign PHB Racing) completed the top five in pro-am1.

Another double pole came in pro-am2 as Mace (GT Marques) headed the category. "I could see that the rain was easing, so I came in, cooled the tyres and went again," said Mace of the run that took him to both poles.
 

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Harvey completes Carrera Cup double at Thruxton

Tim Harvey completed a superb double in round two of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton today (Sunday 4 April), but the victory came under constant pressure from championship newcomer Euan Hankey. Ollie Jackson claimed pro-am1 spoils, while Mark Hazell wrapped up a great weekend by winning pro-am2 for the second time.

After 21 laps of the high-speed Hampshire track, at an average speed of almost 110mph, each of the three categories was decided by less than three-quarters of a second.

"If that's the pace that Euan has at this stage of the season, it's going to be hard work," said Harvey (Red Line Racing) after a fiercely competitive race. With Hankey (Team Parker Racing) as a constant shadow and Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) going with them, the lead was always in doubt even though Harvey led from lights to flag. "Euan was all over me and kept me honest," said Harvey.

For his part, Hankey was elated to run so strongly on his debut weekend in the Carrera Cup. "I was pushing my hardest and I'm still learning," said the Carrera Cup Scholarship driver. He also had to contend with muscle pump-up in his right arm over the closing laps and concentrated on keeping ahead of Caine. Having watched Hankey's race from close quarters, Caine joined Harvey in congratulating the championship newcomer. Hankey was declared 'driver of the weekend' for his performances.

Tom Bradshaw (JHR) completed a strong weekend with fourth place, despite early pressure from Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) and Michael Meadows (Red Line Racing). "Our pace was not spot on in the dry, but that's two solid results at my least favourite circuit," said Bradshaw. Geddie claimed fifth, but Meadows dropped to seventh behind Charles Bateman (Motorbase Performance) after losing his front splitter later in the race.

The pro-am1 category once again delivered a great contest as Jackson (Addison Lee Motorbase) led from the start and battled with Bateman for overall position. However, in the closing stages Jackson was nearly caught by Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) and Ahmad Al Harthy (Red Line Racing), who had been battling race-long. At the flag, less than a second covered the three cars. "That was really tough," said Jackson. Gelzinis' team of Juta Racing won the 'team of the weekend' award for it's first weekend in the Carrera Cup GB.

The battle in pro-am2 was another highlight of the race as Hazell (JHR) worked clear of Steve Parish (Addison Lee Motorbase). However, in the closing laps, Parish closed the gap once more as George Brewster (Celtic Speed) and Glenn McMenamin (Red Line Racing) made it a four-car train for the lead. At the flag, just 1.7s covered the quartet. "It's been good fun but very hard work," said Hazell after one of his best weekends of racing for several seasons.
 

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Scholarship winner Hankey stars in Carrera Cup at Thruxton

Euan Hankey became the first Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship winner to feature on the overall race podium when he took a third and then a superb second place in the opening two rounds of the championship at Thruxton on Sunday (4 April).

The 23-year old from Taunton is racing for Team Parker Racing and has marked himself as a fresh new contender for the Carrera Cup GB after battling with standard setters Tim Harvey and Michael Caine during the first two races of the year. In round two, Hankey split Harvey and Caine and pushed Harvey all the way to the flag.

"It's going to get harder and harder," said Harvey of the prospects of battling with Hankey over the balance of the season's 20 races. "Euan was all over me in the second race and certainly kept me honest."

"It was a fantastic weekend and I'm absolutely over the moon," said Hankey as he reflected on his first two races away from single-seaters. "I never thought this would happen in my first weekend in the Carrera Cup and my first races in a GT car. I wouldn't be here today with the Carrera Cup Scholarship. Porsche has given me so much support."

Hankey said that racing the 911GT3 Cup car around the high-speed Hampshire track presented a big challenge. "I've thoroughly enjoyed driving the car and it is seriously tough," he said. "It's very hot in there and I can't imagine what it will be like in the summer. The older guys are going to take some beating because I was really pushing. I got some muscle pump-up in my right arm over the last four laps and I had to change gear with my left hand, which wasn't ideal. By then I wasn't focusing on getting ahead of Tim; I was concentrating on keeping Michael behind me. So I'm planning to get a bit fitter."

Now, Hankey is looking ahead to rounds three and four at Rockingham (24/25 April). "Hopefully I can keep on learning and go one better in the next round," he said.
 

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