Team Parker Racing continued its superb performance in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at the weekend (June 26/27), claiming three victories and a further five podiums in changeable weather conditions on Brands Hatch’s Indy Circuit.

Ryan Ratcliffe showed his racecraft to claim a win and second against his Pro-Am competitors, while it was another dominant weekend in the Am class, as Justin Sherwood extended his lead at the top of the standings after leading team-mate Justin Armstrong to one-two finishes in both races.

Meanwhile, in the Pro category Kiern Jewiss kept himself on the heels of the championship lead with another podium, while Harry King bounced back from retirement in race one to also claim second position later in the afternoon.

The opening race of the weekend, held on Sunday morning, was a frenetic affair as changeable weather made conditions tricky on track. Reigning champion Harry made a strong start off the front row, chasing pole-sitter Dan Cammish and went for a bold move on the second lap to gain the lead. However, a coming together with Lorcan Hanafin at Druids sent him into the barriers and retirement, which benefited Kiern who crossed the line in second place.

Joining their stablemate on the podium were Ryan Ratcliffe who took second place in the Pro-Am class, Justin Sherwood, who delivered yet another commanding drive in the Am class, and Justin Armstrong who made it a one-two with his third consecutive podium finish.

Ryan went one better later in the afternoon as he led from the start to claim victory and the lead of the Pro-Am championship. In Am, Justin Sherwood maintained his perfect record of four straight wins to open the season, while Justin Armstrong also maintained his good start to the year with another second place.

Up front, Harry was determined to make amends for race one, getting a lightning start to make up six places on the opening lap. He then dispatched rivals to climb to second, which he settled for to ensure a good haul of points for the championship. Rookie Championship leader Kiern also drove well, holding on to fourth place despite pressure in the closing stages.

Team Parker Racing will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in five weeks’ time as the series travels to Oulton Park in Cheshire, for two races on the undulating Island circuit, where it will defend its lead in the Pro-Am, Am, Rookie, and Teams’ Championships, while also trying to claim top spot in the Pro class as well.

Kiern Jewiss, #26, Pro

“I didn’t get a great start and almost stalled it on the line in the first race, but I just managed to grab the clutch in time. It was a tough race, but it was good points for the championship, and we still managed to get on the podium. We know what we need to work on going forward, but I think we'll be okay. The championship is close, but we’ve still got work to do. We just need to unlock that little bit extra that we’re looking for. All the time that we're not quite achieving that, it’s not really where you want to be. We just need to get to that stage. We should be strong on pace at Oulton Park.”

Harry King, #19, Pro

“It was a rollercoaster weekend with some lows, but we redeemed ourselves with race two. I just missed out on pole in qualifying, which was hard to take, so I wanted to rectify that in race one but a 50-50 racing incident put that to a close, which didn’t make my life easy.

“Coming from 12th I knew it would be difficult, Brands Hatch is difficult for overtaking, and everyone was close on pace, I knew I had to make an impact on the opening lap, so I am delighted with that. There was lots of pressure to soak up from Dan [Cammish] and Lorcan [Hanafin], the championship contenders, so I didn’t make any mistakes and held off the guys behind. Will [Martin] was a bit too far ahead, so I settled for second which makes a change for me, but I’ve learned my lesson. I was a little bit disappointed with myself for letting the team down, but I’m pleased that I managed to repay them with a podium.”

Ryan Ratcliffe, #33, Pro-Am

“Overall, it was a really good weekend. I think the only disappointing part was qualifying. There are things to work on, but I was glad I figured it out, and it’s something we can work on going forward which is always good.

“Both races were really enjoyable, plus it’s nice to have a strong grid this year and to have some real good competition. It helps to liven the championship up as I’m really having to work for these podiums and wins. Performance-wise it’s making me drive a lot better as well. I need to trust the new tyre a bit more and push a little bit earlier in qualifying. It’s always been my Achilles heel – I’ve always been better in the races. That’s going to be my main thing to focus on now.”

Justin Sherwood, #7, Am

“A very positive weekend again. Qualifying was great and I was happy with the lap for pole position. I got a good start in race one and there were quite a few Pros and Pro-Ams between myself and Justin [Armstrong] so I could run at their pace for the first half of the race. It settled down after that and they started nibbling at me and moving past. It was just a run to the end after mid-distance. “The second race was pretty much the same. I could see Justin just behind [Archie] Hamilton and I wasn’t pulling away, so you can see that it’s close between us both now. There are very small margins in it. It’s great competition and I’m really enjoying it.”

Justin Armstrong, #6, Am

“Second again! It was a good weekend; we had good pace on Friday, and we managed to carry that through to qualifying. That was the fastest that I’ve been around here.

“The weather was a bit iffy in race one. We softened the car a little which didn’t help at the end, and we were struggling but still managed to get second, though it was a bit of a lonely race really as I just held station. Race two was a bit different as we had more pace. We pretty much matched Justin lap for lap but we had a Pro-Am between us so I couldn’t take the fight to him. Again, I think we certainly closed the gap this weekend.”

Team Parker Racing Teams’ Championship: 1 (116 points)

Photo credit Dan Bathie, Kiern Jewiss, Jakob Ebrey Photography