Porsche News
Moderator
- Joined
- 8 Feb 2008
- Messages
- 7,361
Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2011 Race 7 & 8 Oulton Park
Oulton Park challenge for Porsche Carrera Cup GB
The fabulous circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire is the setting for rounds seven and eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup over the weekend of 4/5 June.
With a field of 24 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup cars on the grid, the pair of Carrera Cup races will make a mighty spectacle around the challenging three-dimensional parkland track and it is James Sutton (SAS/Redline) who heads to Cheshire with a useful points' lead after the opening six races. With a clean sweep of podium finishes this season, including a double win last time out at Thruxton, Sutton has gone 19 points clear at the head of the points. But he knows it is too early to start thinking about the title and is just determined to carry on chalking up strong finishes.
Three drivers currently stand out as the major challengers to Sutton and any of them could be on top at Oulton Park. Both Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelley concluded late deals to race for the Parker with Juta squad this season, but were both right on the pace from the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, where they shared the race wins. Hankey won again at Donington Park and they now head to Oulton Park with the clear target of stopping Sutton extending his points' lead at the head of the championship.
The other member of the current big four is Michael Meadows, team mate to Sutton at SAS/Redline and, like Hankey, one of the 2010 Carrera Cup Scholarship winners. Meadows showed by winning at Donington Park that he is now firmly established as a Carrera Cup pacesetter and will be as eager as Hankey and Jelley to peg back Sutton's advantage.
In the strongest Pro line-up the championship has ever enjoyed, other leading contenders include promising youngsters Richard Plant and Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing), the rather more experienced Michael Caine (Nationwide/Motorbase) and current Carrera Cup Scholarship racer Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline), who is aiming for a strong showing on his home track. Meanwhile, young single-seater ace Kieran Vernon joins the grid with the Nationwide/Motorbase squad in the car driven by Tim Harvey over the opening races.
Currently fifth overall and a clear leader in the Pro-Am1 category is Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), and the rising star from Lithuania is now aiming for an overall podium finish as well as more Pro-Am1 success. Four Pro-Am1 victories from six races have taken Gelzinis to a 39-point lead in the category and he was spectacularly fast at Oulton Park a year ago. However, three drivers in particular are fighting hard to match the pace of Gelzinis.
Leading the chase of Gelzinis is young Scot Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) after an excellent start to his debut Carrera Cup season and he was the closest threat to Gelzinis last time out at Thruxton. Butcher knows Oulton Park from his single-seater racing and should be strong, while Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) is also having a great season in Pro-Am1. Al Harthy will be buoyed by a recent trip to the Dijon circuit where he contested two rounds of the Carrera Cup France and immediately showed front-running pace. The fourth of the prime contenders in Pro-Am1 is Derek Pierce (Team Parker Racing).
In Pro-Am2 the title race is finely balanced just now as Andrew Shelley (Redline Racing) heads George Brewster (Celtic Speed) by a single point and they have shared the wins so far with Brewster taking four wins to the two of Shelley over the opening six races. Other leading runners in Pro-Am2 include Keith Webster (Redline Racing), Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) and Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance).
Oulton Park challenge for Porsche Carrera Cup GB
The fabulous circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire is the setting for rounds seven and eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup over the weekend of 4/5 June.
With a field of 24 450bhp 911 GT3 Cup cars on the grid, the pair of Carrera Cup races will make a mighty spectacle around the challenging three-dimensional parkland track and it is James Sutton (SAS/Redline) who heads to Cheshire with a useful points' lead after the opening six races. With a clean sweep of podium finishes this season, including a double win last time out at Thruxton, Sutton has gone 19 points clear at the head of the points. But he knows it is too early to start thinking about the title and is just determined to carry on chalking up strong finishes.
Three drivers currently stand out as the major challengers to Sutton and any of them could be on top at Oulton Park. Both Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelley concluded late deals to race for the Parker with Juta squad this season, but were both right on the pace from the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, where they shared the race wins. Hankey won again at Donington Park and they now head to Oulton Park with the clear target of stopping Sutton extending his points' lead at the head of the championship.
The other member of the current big four is Michael Meadows, team mate to Sutton at SAS/Redline and, like Hankey, one of the 2010 Carrera Cup Scholarship winners. Meadows showed by winning at Donington Park that he is now firmly established as a Carrera Cup pacesetter and will be as eager as Hankey and Jelley to peg back Sutton's advantage.
In the strongest Pro line-up the championship has ever enjoyed, other leading contenders include promising youngsters Richard Plant and Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing), the rather more experienced Michael Caine (Nationwide/Motorbase) and current Carrera Cup Scholarship racer Ben Hetherington (Oman Air/Redline), who is aiming for a strong showing on his home track. Meanwhile, young single-seater ace Kieran Vernon joins the grid with the Nationwide/Motorbase squad in the car driven by Tim Harvey over the opening races.
Currently fifth overall and a clear leader in the Pro-Am1 category is Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing), and the rising star from Lithuania is now aiming for an overall podium finish as well as more Pro-Am1 success. Four Pro-Am1 victories from six races have taken Gelzinis to a 39-point lead in the category and he was spectacularly fast at Oulton Park a year ago. However, three drivers in particular are fighting hard to match the pace of Gelzinis.
Leading the chase of Gelzinis is young Scot Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) after an excellent start to his debut Carrera Cup season and he was the closest threat to Gelzinis last time out at Thruxton. Butcher knows Oulton Park from his single-seater racing and should be strong, while Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman Air/Redline) is also having a great season in Pro-Am1. Al Harthy will be buoyed by a recent trip to the Dijon circuit where he contested two rounds of the Carrera Cup France and immediately showed front-running pace. The fourth of the prime contenders in Pro-Am1 is Derek Pierce (Team Parker Racing).
In Pro-Am2 the title race is finely balanced just now as Andrew Shelley (Redline Racing) heads George Brewster (Celtic Speed) by a single point and they have shared the wins so far with Brewster taking four wins to the two of Shelley over the opening six races. Other leading runners in Pro-Am2 include Keith Webster (Redline Racing), Richard Denny (Parr Motorsport) and Steve Parish (Motorbase Performance).