Parker Revs Motorsport continued its dominant form in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux at the weekend (August 5-7) as Harry King claimed his sixth and seventh wins in eight races so far this season.

The team was bolstered by the addition of several new faces as the series travelled to TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands. Rik Koen will finish the year after moving across from PG Motorsport, while Will Aspin, who competes with Team Parker Racing in the GB series, and Lars Poel, replacing Jeroen Kreeft, joined as one-off entries.

It wasn’t all easy going for the team, however, as at the front Harry recorded the fastest time for race two but started P2 for the opening contest. Rik also drove well, comfortably on the pace of the leading pack of drivers, while behind, Will was working hard to master the circuit and Lars familiarised himself with the car.

Slotting in behind Ghislain Cordeel at the start of race one, Harry made his way past with a nice switchback move, before locking a tyre as he pressed on, knowing he would need to build a gap as he was handed a five-second time penalty for moving before the lights went out.

Rik was locked in a solid battle with Xavier Maassen before the Safety Car was called. When racing resumed, Will had a good battle Jan Lauryssen for seventh position, while Rik slipped back to fifth as Cordeel started to hold up the pack behind Harry, finally getting past Maassen when Glenn van Parijs prised the door open.

In the closing stages Jaume Font attempted a pass on the outside of Will at the final chicane, with the pair coming together and falling down the overall order, with the GB racer handed a time penalty by the stewards. Lars was disappointed to spin on the final lap, slipping to tenth in Pro and 19th overall, but out-front Harry claimed the win despite the penalty.

As the lights went out for the second contest, Harry held the lead into turn one, with Rik claiming fifth, Will running seventh, and Lars 15th overall. The race was quickly disrupted by a Safety Car for Tom Boonen who was tipped into a spin at the chicane, with Will gaining sixth from Sam Dejonghe on the restart. Dejonghe tried to retake the position but spun into the gravel, necessitating another SC.

On the second restart, Harry again held the lead while Rik battled with Maassen for fourth, before yet another SC was called as Font once again spun at the chicane. The race resumed with just one lap remaining, but it was a disaster for Will who suffered a puncture and fell down the order, costing an impressive maiden weekend result.

The team will resume Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux action over the weekend of August 26-28 as the series has an away weekend in Spain, competing alongside the European Le Mans Series at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Harry King

“It was my first visit to TT Circuit Assen, so in free practice there was a lot of pressure to learn the track. There were a lot of red flags that hurt our progress, but I was still motivated and ready for qualifying on Saturday. I didn't quite maximise the potential in that session, partly due to a lack of track knowledge, but we still finished P2 for race one and P1 for race two, so I was happy with the result.

“We made the move very early on in race one to gain first place, and then claim the win. It was a smoother race two, where we had a good start and the rest was history. The races featured a lot of Safety Cars, so there was a lot of pressure on me to make sure I maximised each restart, which we did. Looking at the championship, we have quite a few points in the bag, so missing Barcelona in a couple of weeks' time shouldn't hurt us too much, but it'll certainly make the end of the season even more exciting.”

Rik Koen

“It was very nice to spend my first weekend with the team. I learned a lot as the team is so professional. Everyone was so calm as they did everything they needed to at the right moments. I had the pace to be in the top two or three, but I caught [Xavier] Maassen and couldn't get past him. In the second race I caught the leaders again, so fourth place in race one and fifth place in race two was not bad. I think there is more to do in Barcelona because Harry King is not there driving.

“My own quote is, ‘real racers never give up,' and this weekend we didn't give up. We don't have a lot of money to have for racing, so I have to thank my sponsors McDonald’s Nijmegen, GURACORP, Koen Exclusief, Van Houtum Recycling, CNC Team Nederland, Cor Euser Racing, and Jeroen Kreeft for their help and everyone for their support.”

Will Aspin

“It was an up and down weekend, to be honest. We got the hang of the track pretty quickly and qualified P7, but we could have been higher up as we were on a lap which would have probably, until I locked up, put us P3 overall. Race one I drove well below my own standards, and we got a 30-second penalty for the contact, which was, in my opinion, a bit unfair as he tried to get around the outside of me at the chicane and it was never going to work. I wasn't able to find a rhythm, but Sunday made up for it. We were on the way to finishing a really good P6, but my front left tyre went on the last lap which we think was from a piece of debris.

“It was really useful to drive alongside Harry [King]. I enjoyed it a lot and having him as a teammate is a pleasure as he's one of the fastest people in Porsche one-make racing. To go around following him, seeing how he places the car, and going through data, means I've learned a lot and I think we've come out with more confidence and are faster on track, which was the aim of the weekend.”

Lars Poel

“It was quite an active weekend, but I made a quick progression from free practice one to the final race and my pace was getting better and better as I learned the car. I wasn’t very happy with the race results but that is just a question of time and practicing and getting used to everything.

“It was good to learn from everyone in the team, knowing how much later to brake, how much earlier I can get on the gas, but it will come from time in the car. The best thing I can do to become better is feeling more at home for next time I race in the series. I loved the weekend, and it was a pleasure for me to race with Revs Motorsport and Team Parker Racing. They did a great job and helped me to feel confident.”