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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.
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.