Hugo Ellis (Team Parker Racing) from Bournemouth, Dorset, overtook pole-sitter Will Martin (Eden Race Drive) to win the first race of Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Croft. Rookie racer Mathew Rees (Team Parker Racing) from Cardiff, Wales, took a maiden victory in Round Eight. Following the championship’s visit to North Yorkshire, Will Martin, from Hailsham in East Sussex, has significantly increased his points advantage at the top of the standings at the season midpoint.

Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session took place in damp conditions. George Gamble (Rosland Gold By Century Motorsport) and Carrera Cup GB 2024 / 2025 Junior, James Wallis (JTR) were among the early pacesetters on a drying track, but as conditions improved, Martin and Ellis made bids for pole position. Martin was the quickest driver at the flag, securing his fifth pole of the season.

Martin led into the first corner at the start of the weekend’s first race, with Ellis slotting into second and Gamble in third. Ellis didn’t wait long to pass Martin – he found a gap to the inside at the hairpin, leaving Martin exposed to an attack from the chasing Gamble. As Martin tried to defend into Clervaux there was contact with Gamble. The latter made his retirement, and the Safety Car was scrambled as a result.

After the restart, Ellis led Martin from Charles Rainford (Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport). Harry Foster (Eden Race Drive) was running fourth until he received a time penalty for exceeding track limits. In the final few minutes of racing, Foster was handed another five-second penalty, relegating him further down the order on corrected time. Ellis took the flag for his second win of the season. As part of the podium procedure, the winner selected the number four ball, reversing the grid positions of the top four overall finishers for the next race.

Rees made a good start to lead the weekend’s second race, while Rainford followed with Martin sitting in third. Andrew Rackstraw (JTR) soon encountered trouble, slowing before returning to racing speeds at the back. The top four drivers broke clear of the chasing pack, with Ellis hunting the final podium spot. In the second half of the race, Ellis forced Martin to defend, but he could not gain an effective overlap. At the flag, Rees became the fifth different race winner, and the fourth driver to take their first-ever Porsche Carrera Cup GB victory, this season.

Whiteside increases category advantage in Pro-Am
Abbie Eaton (Rebelleo Motorsport) and Sid Smith (Parker Classic Works) diced for Pro-Am honours in the early part of qualifying, with Smith coming out on top – he finished the session an impressive sixth overall. The weekend’s first race saw Smith running as high as fifth while fighting Pro category racer, Foster. Ollie Jackson (JTR) was second in the category, with Angus Whiteside (Century Motorsport) running third. The order changed when Smith was spun around at the hairpin following the Safety Car period – he would rejoin at the back of the pack. Jackson was able to inherit the category lead, going on to take Pro-Am glory.

The second race at Croft saw Jackson and Whiteside engage in a close fight for Pro-Am honours. However, attentions soon turned to Smith as he moved up the order, overtaking Pro-category racer Gamble before setting after Ross Wylie (Toro Verde GT) for fifth in Pro-Am. On lap 10, Eaton spun at Clervaux from a potential Pro-Am podium position – that allowed White to inherit third. Whiteside took his fifth category victory of the season.

Mowle enjoys a perfect weekend in Am
Lee Mowle (Team Parker Racing) was the quickest Am in qualifying and would start the weekend’s first race ahead of rival, William Paul (Team Parker Racing). The pair survived the Safety Car period and maintained their original order to the flag after 17 laps. Mowle stayed ahead again in the final race at Croft, making it a clean sweep of category wins in North Yorkshire, and increasing his championship advantage.

The championship makes its annual visit to Knockhill in Scotland on the weekend of 10-11 August, kick-starting the second half of the 2024 season. 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 - 72
Charles Rainford - Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport - 51
George Gamble - Rosland Gold by Century Motorsport - 44

Pro-Am:
Angus Whiteside - Century Motorsport - 60
Ollie Jackson - JTR - 53
Sid Smith - Parker Classic Works - 49

Am:
Lee Mowle - Team Parker Racing - 59
Justin Sherwood - Team Parker Racing - 35
Richard Hosking - Cognition Land & Water with CCK Motorsport - 28