Duckhams Yuasa Racing extends Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship lead
Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Team Parker enjoyed another successful Porsche Carrera Cup GB weekend (August 11-13), as it extended its lead at the top of the championship at Knockhill.
Porsche GB Junior Driver Adam Smalley recorded an impressive eighth and ninth visit to the podium in the season’s ten races so far, making his lead on top of the standings 34 points, with six races remaining.
Teammate and current Porsche Sprint Challenge GB champion Harry Foster continued his good form as well, taking his fourth and fifth straight point-scoring finishes with a pair of top six results despite some treacherous weather conditions at the challenging Scottish venue.
Both drivers had an official test day on Wednesday, before two more free practice sessions on Friday, in preparation for the weekend’s action. However, the all-important qualifying period boiled down to just two or three flying laps on Saturday afternoon, as rain swept in across the circuit, ensuring no drivers recorded faster times in the final two thirds of the session.
Thankfully things started out dry on Sunday morning, with Adam running comfortably in second place. He was held up by a backmarker in the closing stages but fended off any advances to score another podium finish, while Harry made a good move to take sixth, and likewise rebutted any rival moves to the flag.
Heavy rain returned ahead of race two, making visibility difficult. Holding his position off the line, Adam attempted a pass on the outside of turn three, but was forced onto the gravel and lost one position. Keeping pace with the cars ahead, he was rewarded when two of them came together, helping him sweep past both and move into third, where he would finish the race. Behind him, Harry had a quieter contest, making sure he had a clean run, and took a fifth place for his efforts.
Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Team Parker will now have under a two week break in action, before the Porsche Carrera Cup GB heads to the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit over the weekend of August 26/27.
Adam Smalley, #21
G1 – 2, R1 – 2
G2 – 4, R2 – 3
Championship: 1 (91 points)
“A massive thank you to everyone at Team Parker Racing as always. We've had a fantastic run this week and it's always a long week coming up to Knockhill, with lots of testing for two all-important laps in qualifying. To be P2 on the grid for race one and finish second was great. The reverse grid race always mixes it up, so to come away with third, scoring a handful of championship points, and sitting on top of the table is everything we could have hoped for.
“In race two no one predicted it to be like a lake at the start and then bone dry at the end! I don't think anyone had the optimal setup for that, but I'm really happy. Pace-wise we've been strong, and I kept myself out of trouble where other people got into strife. I've just got to keep doing that and chip away each round.”
Harry Foster, #16
G1 – 7, R1 – 6
G2 – 6, R2 – 5
Championship: 9 (20 points)
Rookie Championship: 3 (60 points)
“Race one was pretty much all dry. I managed to get a good couple of moves done on the first lap, which was good, and then held that position and defended from Josh Malin for a good portion of the race. It was a bit tricky at times, but I held on.
“Race two started off quite wet and there was a lot of spray. I struggled to keep up with the front pack, especially as the track started to dry, as I couldn't find the time as easily, but kept it on the track and the incident between Burton and Rainford put me P5, so that was convenient. We needed a good weekend of points and we've done that. Especially for the Rookie championship, that's going to be helpful.”