Parker Revs Motorsport had a tough visit to Hungary in the Porsche Supercup at the weekend (July 30-August 1), but the results belied the positive performances for new drivers Loek Hartog and Garry Findlay. With both drivers new to the team and circuit, and Garry having not turned a lap in the new 992-style Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, the single 45-minute practice session was the only chance to learn the track and get the car set up for the race itself.

Finding a clear lap during qualifying was also a challenge, with 30 cars vying for space on the tight and twisty 4.381 km / 2.722 mi circuit, Loek being disappointed to finish 15th quickest and Garry 24th.

Loek started the 15-lap race well, getting himself straight into the mix, but the race was quickly neutralised as Christopher Zoechling went into the wall after turn three, the Safety Car being called while the marshals removed the machine from the side of the track.

When the race got going once again Loek quickly made up two more places to run ninth, as he did well to avoid the tangling Pereira and Boccolacci, but a spin coming out of the final turn, when he ran over astroturf still wet from the morning’s rain, dropped him down the order to 27th, behind his team-mate.

Garry, meanwhile, continued his steep learning curve as he continued to familiarise himself with the car, but made a slight error attempting a pass into turn one and locked a tyre, losing several places in the process.

From there onwards it was a tough contest for both drivers, but they gained plenty of experience on track and with the intricacies of the Porsche Supercup itself, with the focus now on a two-day test at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the next round of the series at the Belgian venue, which takes place over the weekend of August 27-29.

Loek Hartog, #17

“We struggled in practice and qualifying as both myself and the team had to learn the track. We got a good indication of where we weren’t as strong after qualifying so going into the race, we made some changes, and I could tell they had worked. I had a good launch off the line and positioning through the carnage on the first few corners.

“I explored a bit too much of the track and made a big mistake getting a bit greedy on the astroturf which was still wet and slippery, so I couldn’t catch the slide and carried on with four flat spots. It’s a pity for the team as we pushed all our weaknesses out for the race and should have had a good top ten finish, but unfortunately it wasn’t our day. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but I am looking forward to getting back out and showing our true potential, and thankful for the experience to work with Parker Revs Motorsport.”

Garry Findlay, #18

“You always want a bit more, but I think we did what we needed to, finishing every session, and getting the miles in, because that was always the plan. In qualifying I had my first laps on new tyres, with the idea of putting it together on the second run but people were queueing and going slowly so I had to abort my quick laps, but that’s part of the weekend.

“It was my first standing start since 2010 and I got off the line well but lost a few places. Mid-race the car came on strong and the speed towards the end was comparable to some of the drivers at the front, so we’ll draw on the positives and work on it during the test. I know far more now than I did before the weekend so I can digest it all and I’ll be able to have a proper seat fit too, so we can be ready for the next round.”