Toro Verde GT kicked off its 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign at Donington Park at the weekend (April 22/23), with podium success and an impressive show of competitiveness and pace.

After two busy test sessions on Thursday, it was straight into qualifying on Saturday where both drivers felt their lack of seat time hindered their efforts. Unable to hook up a successful lap, Frazer and David qualified at the back of their respective classes, setting up both races to be a challenge.

With heavy rainfall for most of Sunday morning, the track was damp but drying as the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars were lining up to begin the first race of the 2023 season. The question of whether to run on wet or slick tyres created a further challenge for first time Porsche racer Frazer McFadden and David Fairbrother, embarking on his first season in the series since 2018, with both cars ultimately opting for wets.

It was a solid start for Frazer who gained one position, with a gap of only three tenths to the next Pro-Am class car ahead. However, when attempting a pass at the Old Hairpin, he ran wide and re-joined the track down several overall positions, before an error from a driver in front allowed both he and David through and up two places respectively.

Frazer was then in the midst of a three-car Pro-Am battle, emerging away ninth in class, before later gaining a further two places. On the final lap of the race, he charged forward, passing Ollie Jackson for sixth position, having gained an impressive ten places after his untimely trip into the gravel. Behind him, after namesake David Stirling also took a trip into the gravel, David sailed through into second in the Am class, where he crossed the line for an impressive podium on his return.

With heavy rain on the opening lap of race two and more treacherous conditions, Frazer struggled at the start, falling back to tenth in class. Almost four seconds behind the next competitor, he had work to do to make up the lost places and sadly, he would finish the race 11th. Keeping his head down to navigate the tricky weather, David managed to stay out of trouble for a clean race two, claiming his second podium finish of the day to cap a memorable Porsche return.

Despite of a disappointing race two for Frazer, his impressive performance on his debut Porsche Carrera Cup GB race shows his potential, with the long season ahead providing plenty opportunity for both he and David to continue to improve. Toro Verde GT now sets its sights on the next round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB due to take place at Brands Hatch over the weekend of May 6/7.

David Fairbrother #9 (Am)

G1 – 3, R1 – 2
G2 – 2, R2 – 2

“The car only arrived three days before we headed out for testing on Thursday, so I was quite fresh going into qualifying. I didn’t really hook it up, but it’s a case of getting more time in the car and getting myself more familiar, then I think we’ll see the potential. The car is brilliant, the team know how to set it up, it’s me that has to catch up.

“Despite that, we had two second place finishes this weekend, which will do just nicely. I’m pleased that I managed to bring the car home in one piece in such treacherous weather. I’ve raced all over the world in all conditions, but that was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. I was coming through the Craner Curves on the second lap and couldn’t see the Old Hairpin ahead. It didn’t feel much like racing, it felt like survival. To have gotten through it, and bagged two trophies in the process is a successful weekend to me.”

Frazer McFadden #77 (Pro-Am)

G1 – 11, R1 – 6
G2 – 6, R2 – 11

“For qualifying, I classified 11th out of 12 Pro-Ams, because I just couldn't get on top of it. That meant we were starting near the back of the grid, but it was my first qualifying in the car, so it's still a learning game. In race one I managed to go from 11th in class to sixth, so that was a brilliant race overall. To be within the top fifteen, especially coming from the back end of the grid, was really promising. I'm happy with how it went.

“Race two was in difficult conditions. We tried running an older tyre in the hopes that the track would dry out, but it didn't, so that hindered me a little. The car felt great, it's the start of a long season, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we progress as the year goes on. Going forward, I know I need to work on our qualifying and getting up to speed straight away.”