Donington Park on Saturday April 2nd hosted the opening rounds of all three of Porsche Club Motorsport’s race series, and it was a dramatic day of action which saw sudden showers add to the challenge for the drivers, and some impressive newcomers score great results.

Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli

Peter Morris and Chris Dyer locked up the front row for both the opening two Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli races of the season, the Strasse duo setting the pace and Morris quickest at his favourite circuit.

Morris headed Dyer into the first corner in the opening race, with Clark third, having his first race in his new 996 C2 having won the class, and the 2020 title, the previous two years in a Cayman S. James Caley was third, and under pressure from the 996 of Kevin Molyneux in the early running, and these two were with Clark early in the race.

With Morris a second clear at the front, Clark started to close in on Dyer, James Caley fourth and Molynuex out with an engine problem. They finished the race in that order, Dyer holding off Clark in the final laps; the chequer flag coming out early with a car stranded at the side of the circuit.

In class two, series returnee James Coleman set the pace, having taken pole despite going off on oil late in the qualifying session. Swift work by his team saw his Boxster ready to race and in the early laps he stayed amongst the class one runners in the top ten overall as he opened a gap on his class rivals.

Coleman duly took the win, and Colin Tester took second on his class two debut - Angus Archer coming home third. Paul Simpson had run as high as third but pulled off with five minutes left with his accelerator pedal detached, bring an early end to the race.

Morris headed them away in race two at the end of the afternoon, but the field were greeted on the first lap by a sudden rain shower that created havoc amongst the slick shod field. Morris was just one of the drivers caught out and he dropped down the order, it was Clark from fifth on the grid who led at the end of the opening lap.

Dyer was leading the chase and visibly pushing hard only to spin on lap two, class two leader Coleman following suit seconds later at the same part of the track. Dyer’s spin saw Bill Caley, making his class one debut in the Cayman formerly campaigned by Clark, into second, only to lose out to the recovering Morris and Dyer.

Dyer spun again on lap eight from second and into retirement, Morris now into second but unable to match the pace of the leader. Bill Caley was third with Richard Ellis fourth, ahead of the recovering James Caley, another to lose ground in the early laps having dropped out of the top ten.

Bill Caley was pressuring Morris as father James moved into fourth, and it was James who was at that point the quickest car on the circuit and passed Bill on lap 14 and closed on Morris. Clark was the dominant winner, Morris holding off James Caley in the final laps with Bill Caley a fine fourth.

With Coleman having to climb back through the field after his spin, it was Tester who headed class two, Simpson, having borrowed a new accelerator pedal, running second as Coleman picked cars off one by one.

At the end Tester took the win at his first Boxster Cup meeting, while Coleman recovered to third and Archer pipped Simpson for third.

911 Challenge

Tim Bates was the pace setter all day in his well-developed 911, claiming pole position early in the morning. He led the field down to the first corner at the start of race one, Christian Ayres making a great start in his 964 from the second row of the grid to be with Bates,

They were greeted by a track made wet by an unexpected shower, Bates tiptoeing through while Ayes spun wide and the first Boxsters to arrive who were sharing the track with the 911 Challenge cars, spinning to the inside. Mike Johnson, starting down the order due to fuel issues in qualifying, went off track too but was collected by a spinning Boxster, rejoining at the back of the field.

Bates opened a gap lap by lap, James Neal’s 964 heading the chase while Johnson worked his way back through the field. In the final laps Bates sat behind two Boxsters fighting for position rather than affect their battle, which let Neal close in, but the win was his. Johnson recovered to third with Ayres next up.

In race two Neil Harvey, taking over the 964 piloted by Neal in race one, made a great start and headed Bates for the first part of the lap, only to spin at McLeans corner, skating though the gravel trap without touching anything solid. That left Bates clear at the front from the start, Ayres into second while Johnson pitted at the end of the first lap.

With Bates unchallenged on his way to win number two of the day, Harvey was gaining places and into third by lap nine and past Ayres two laps later. That was the order to the flag, Bates deservedly taking the win after a virtually faultless day.

Boxster Cup

Pete Evans took his first pole at the end of qualifying, half a second clear of the rest headed by Vikram Sudera, another to record his best qualifying performance. In the opening race the wet track at Redgate corner caught most of the field unaware and a clutch of Boxsters spun, Sudera the only one not to be able to carry on after contact.

That saw Darren King, in his first ever race, as the early leader with Simon Ruffell-Ward, from ninth on the grid, in second, but under pressure from Graham Heard and Darren Labbett. It was Labbett on the move and he took the lead at the chicane on lap three, promptly easing away from the squabbling field despite being in only his third Boxster Cup race.

Heard ran second for the middle part of the race, but climbing up the order were Steven Shore and Mike Thompson, both of whom having had car issues in qualifying. Shore dived past Ruffell-Ward and King in one move at the chicane on lap five to take third, Thompson followed through a few laps later.

With Labbett away and taking his first win, Shore was into second on lap 11 and looked set for that position, only for his car to slow in the final laps, allowing Thompson past for second and Heard into third.

In race two it was King who led the field in the early laps, showing no signs of his inexperience in an impressive display. Heard headed the chase before going wide at Coppice on lap five, Thomson then heading the chase with Shore close behind. King held off the close attentions of Thompson for much of the middle part of the race, before it all changed with three laps to go.

Labbett was showing the pace that saw him win race one and had closed on the lead group, and passed Thompson for second before getting inside King for the lead at Coppice. Labbett then got out of shape exiting the chicane, Shore taking advantage to move into the lead, with Thompson second.

Shore took the win with Thomson second, while King lost out with a lap to go to Sudera, who finished third, his first podium finish.

The Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli and Boxster Cup fields are next in action at Brands Hatch in Kent on April 30th, with all three series at Snetterton, Norfolk, on June 18th.

Results:
Petro-Canada Lubricants Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli

Race One:
1 Peter Morris (996 C2S) 16 Laps; 2 Chris Dyer (Cayman S) +0.806s; 3 Simon Clark (996 C2); 4 James Caley (997 C2S).
Class Two:
1 James Coleman (Boxster S); 2 Colin Tester (Boxster S); 3 Angus Archer (Boxster S); 4 Oliver Chatham (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Kevin Molyneux (996 C2) 1m15.107s (94.85mph).

Race Two:
1 Clark 19 Laps; 2 Morris +20.868s; 3 James Caley; 4 Bill Caley (Cayman S).
Class Two:
1 Tester; 2 Coleman; 3 Archer; 4 Paul Simpson (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: 1m15.260s (94.66mph).

911 Challenge

Race One:
1 Tim Bates (911) 19 Laps; 2 James Neal (964) +1.835s; 3 Mike Johnson (911 SC); 4 Christian Ayres (964).
Fastest Lap: Bates 1m19.758s (89.32mph).

Race Two:
1 Bates 19 Laps; 2 Neil Harvey (964); 3 Ayres; 4 Johnson.
Fastest Lap: Bates 1m19.441s (89.68mph)

Boxster Cup

Race One:
1 Darren Labbett 19 Laps; 2 Mike Thompson +21.399s; 3 Graham Heard; 4 Paul Markham.
Fastest Lap: Labbett 1m22.043s (86.84mph).

Race Two:
1 Steven Shore 19 Laps; 2 Thompson +0.550s; 3 Vikram Sudera; 4 Darren King.
Fastest Lap: Sudera 1m21.013s (87.94mph).