Team Parker Racing warms up for British GT Championship season with Brands Hatch visit

Team Parker Racing is set to roll out two of its Porsche machines in anger for the first time this year as it takes part in the second round of the GT Cup Championship at Brands Hatch, this coming Saturday, May 1.

It will be a dual weekend for the team, as the GT racers will be joined by a pair of Caterhams in the 7 Race Series, with Anthony Barnes and Stewart Calder competing for the second time this season in their Caterham 420R machines.

Taking part in the GT Cup will be Nick Jones and Scott Malvern, who will debut the stunning SD Team Porsche 911 GT3 R ahead of the British GT Championship season opener, which takes place at the Kent circuit later in the month. Joining them will be father and son pairing of Justin and Matt Armstrong, who will race together for the first time, competing in Matt’s Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 Clubsport, that he will enter in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB this year.

For Anthony and Stewart, Brands is a second chance to claim an early season podium. Anthony finished fourth and 11th at Oulton Park at the start of April, while Stewart took 11th and seventh, in the two races at the Cheshire circuit. It will be a busy visit for everyone involved, with qualifying and racing taking place over one packed day of racing but will provide valuable feedback and experience for the GT racers, while the Caterham competitors get a second chance at silverware.

Nick Jones
“It should be a good day of racing and I am looking forward to it. It will be more of a test day for us because we want to get the track time for British GT coming up a few weeks afterwards as you don’t get many chances to properly run on the Grand Prix circuit in a race car. “It will be good to get out there racing again after the winter. Testing is one thing but you’re obviously working through things and trying stuff out, whereas going racing with your mates is one of the reasons why we do this. I don’t care what the weather is like, this car is mega in the wet or dry!”

Scott Malvern
“The 911 GT3 R is a finished product and what you'd expect from Porsche. We've had a few days in the car but lots of that has been system checks and things like that, however, I am really happy with the car and where we are. GT Cup will be a busy day with a lot of cars on track and we need to maximise our track time as you don’t get on the GP circuit at Brands Hatch very often, so this is an ideal situation with similar BoP and the same tyres we usually race on. It’s a great warm up for the first round of British GT in a few weeks’ time. “We’ll be there with the same guys we’ve worked with in the past, doing what we love, so what a way to spend your Saturday! We are extremely lucky to be able to get to drive racing cars, especially something like this Porsche. It’s a great opportunity, so we’ll enjoy it and make the most of it.”

Justin Armstrong
“The decision for us to do this race is that it gives Matt the chance to drive on the GP circuit for the first time as he’ll be racing here himself later in the year. For me, well why why wouldn’t I take the opportunity to race on the track as well! It will be great to do a race together as a team to see what we can do and hopefully, as Matt progresses, we could look to do British GT or some other form of endurance racing together as a pair in the future. “I have driven the Cayman for a shakedown, but I haven’t really turned any laps in anger in it, so it will be interesting, but it is a well-balanced car, and I am looking forward to it.”

Matt Armstrong
“It should be great experience. It is pretty cool to be racing with my dad for the first time and it is something we want to be able to do more together in the future. We are looking a few years ahead to see if we can race together more often, as that has always been the plan for us. “My dad hasn’t driven the car much so it will be helpful for our experience levels to have time behind the wheel. We will try to have some fun while we’re at it and I am really excited to get out there and see what we can do.”