Will Martin (Eden Race Drive) conquered the UK’s fastest race circuit, with a lights-to-flag victory in Round Five of Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton extending his advantage in the UK’s fastest single-marque championship, featuring the flat-six, rear-engined 911 GT3 Cup race car. Newcomer Andrew Rackstraw (JTR) replicated Martin’s success in Round Six, becoming the third driver to take a maiden win this season.

Martin converted his impressive pole position in qualifying into a dominant victory in the weekend’s first race. Angus Whiteside (Century Motorsport) got ahead of Ross Wylie (Toro Verde GT) to take his third Pro-Am category win of the season. Meanwhile, Lee Mowle (Team Parker Racing) returned to the top step of the Am category podium.

Rackstraw started the second race at Thruxton from reverse grid pole position. The South African racer resisted pressure from George Gamble (Rosland Gold By Century Motorsport) on the 160 mph circuit, driving to the first win of his short Porsche racing career. Whiteside was back on top of the Pro-Am category podium, while Mowle was ahead again in Am.

Qualifying
Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session took place in warm conditions. Martin was one of the early pacesetters, his lap time of 1:12.339 was chased by Hugo Ellis (Team Parker Racing) and Charles Rainford (Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport). Whiteside was the Pro-Am driver to beat, while Mowle was the best Am. At the midpoint of the session, Rainford went quickest overall with a 1:12.320.

In the closing stages, Martin became the first driver to break the 1:12s barrier and his impressive 1:11.745 would be enough to clinch the fourth pole position of his Porsche racing career. Meanwhile, Gamble did enough to secure a front row starting slot. Wylie qualified ahead of his Pro-Am category rivals, and Mowle ended the day quickest in Am.

Race one
Martin made a clean getaway from pole, and he fended off an early challenge from Gamble. Harry Foster (Eden Race Drive) looked around Gamble but settled for third. Wylie maintained his advantage in Pro-Am, and Mowle also stayed ahead in Am. On the second lap Richard Hosking (Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport), and newcomer William Paul (Team Parker Racing), made contact at the chicane, the former continued but the latter made his retirement.

On lap six a fight between Will Aspin (Eden Race Drive), Ellis and Whiteside ignited. Ellis got ahead for ninth, and Whiteside quickly followed him through. Aspin was soon involved in a new battle with James Wallis - the Carrera Cup GB 2024 / 2025 Junior racing with JTR - Stephen Jelley (Parker Classic Works) and his team-mate Sid Smith. Wallis attacked on the outside line at Campbell, Jelley went to the inside but ran wide leaving the Junior ahead in twelfth. Dan Lloyd (Toro Verde GT) soon caught Rainford, in their fight for fifth, Lloyd attempted a pass at the Campbell, Cobb and Seagrave complex, but he could not find a route through.

At the front of the race, leader Martin looked to have everything under his control. Just behind, Foster appeared quicker than Gamble as their fight for second overall intensified. However, attentions soon shifted to Ellis as he overtook Wylie at Club for eighth place overall. And, at the midpoint of the race, Wylie slipped further back when Whiteside adopted the Pro-Am category lead. Mowle remained the leading Am.

As Martin further extended his advantage at the front, Aspin came under attack from Smith and Oliver White (Eden Race Drive), Jelley was not far behind. On lap 20 White almost snatched the position from Aspin but he was denied. Aspin then found a way through Wylie for what was now eleventh, he left White attempting to replicate the move. As the cars bunched up, Jelley was able to make a move, passing Smith for fourteenth on the final lap of the race.

At the flag, Martin took the tenth win of his Carrera Cup GB career. He was joined on the overall podium by Gamble and Foster. Whiteside took his third Pro-Am category win of the season, Aspin finished second, and Wylie third. Mowle and Hosking formed the Am podium. As part of the podium procedure, winner Martin selected at random the number four ball, which reversed the grid positions of the top four overall finishers from Round Five. Following the race, Rainford was demoted one place behind Lloyd for gaining an advantage.

Race two
The weekend’s second race took place in dry conditions on Sunday afternoon. Rackstraw started from reverse grid pole position and got off the line well to lead into the first corner. Gamble slotted into second with Foster in third. Whiteside headed Pro-Am, and Mowle led in Am. There was an early change when Paul overtook Hosking for second place in the Am category order. Into the final corner, Smith missed the chicane before rejoining to continue his race.

On lap six, White attacked Aspin for second in Pro-Am. Two laps later, Jelley and Wylie engaged in an equally close scrap for sixteenth, just behind Josh Stanton (JTR) challenged Abbie Eaton (Rebelleo Motorsport) for P18. Rackstraw locked his wheels into the Club chicane as he came under growing pressure from Gamble. On lap 12 Rackstraw was forced to go defensive at Allard, but Gamble could not gain an overlap. The leaders got closer as Rackstraw led Gamble, Foster and Martin in a four car battle.

Rackstraw regrouped and pulled clear of Gamble before another lock-up, and traffic, closed the gap again. On lap 21 Lloyd went to the outside of Matthew Rees (Team Parker Racing) at Campbell, that gave him the inside line at Cobb ensuring he got ahead. Race leader, Rackstraw, kept Gamble behind to become the third driver to take maiden win this season – joining Whiteside and Ellis. Foster finished third with Martin in fourth. Whiteside, Aspin and White formed the Pro-Am category podium. Mowle, Paul and Hosking stood on the Am category steps.

Following the race, White was handed a two place grid penalty for crowding Smith, he was demoted three championship and three category points. One second was added to Smith’s race time for gaining an advantage at the chicane in the early part of the race.

The championship’s next stop is Croft in North Yorkshire on the weekend of 27-28 July. There it will be joined by Sprint Challenge GB for the first time this season, creating a bumper weekend of Porsche racing with the Championship featuring the 718 Cayman GT4 joining that for the 911 GT3 on the race card.

Follow the latest Carrera Cup GB news directly from Porsche Motorsport via Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) – @PorscheRaces_GB – where users can share experiences via the hashtags #CarreraCupGB.

Championship positions*

Overall:
Will Martin - Eden Race Drive - 54
George Gamble - Rosland Gold by Century Motorsport - 44
Charles Rainford - Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport - 35

Pro-Am:
Angus Whiteside - Century Motorsport - 42
Sid Smith - Parker Classic Works - 40
Ollie Jackson - JTR - 35

Am:
Lee Mowle - Team Parker Racing - 36
Justin Sherwood - Team Parker Racing - 35
Richard Hosking - Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport - 28

*results remain provisional