Porsche Carrera Cup GB Gets Ready For Action
Published: 5th April 2005
Porsche 911
The battle for the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup GB bursts into action at Donington Park in Leicestershire this weekend (9/10 April) with the first pair of races in the season-long contest. Four drivers stand out as pre-season favourites, but a clutch of championship newcomers are set to make their mark as the season develops.
Richard Westbrook (Hackney, London) and Tim Harvey (Witney, Oxfordshire) arrived at Donington last September almost inseparable in the contest for the 2004 title. In a weekend of fierce competition and sportsmanship, Westbrook snatched the title by the smallest of margins. Aside from the career kudos of winning the prestigious title, he also collected the keys to a Porsche 911 Carrera road car worth over £60,000!
This weekend, it's back to the start for the third season of Carrera Cup GB. Westbrook and Harvey return for more and, once again, a new 911 awaits the champion at the conclusion of 10 weekends and 20 hard fought races. Both are back with the same teams, and both have newly-built 911 GT3 Cup cars for their respective campaigns.
Westbrook, who leads the driver squad for 2004 champion team Red Line Racing (based in Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland), will come to Donington hotfoot from a fantastic victory in the opening Porsche Supercup race at Bahrain last weekend. Having beaten the best in the world, Richard will be aiming to continue that winning form at Donington. Westbrook threw down the gauntlet to his Carrera Cup GB rivals during the pre-season test day at Snetterton last month by setting some stunning lap times; he means business.
Harvey, meanwhile, leads the line-up at Team RPM, from Worcester,
and is more determined than ever to avenge his championship defeat
of 2004. The TV presenter is a fiercely competitive racing driver,
and he wants nothing less than the Carrera Cup title this season.
As before, Tim will split his race weekends between racing the Porsche
and doing live TV commentary on the BTCC races.
But no one, least of all Westbrook and Harvey, sees this as simply
a two-way contest. In particular, the pairing at Team SAS will surely
have a big impact on the season. In cars tended by Team Parker Racing
– based down the road from Donington Park in Leicester - and
backed by SAS International, Damien Faulkner (Co Donegal, Ireland)
and Jason Templeman (Nottingham) are both potential champions. Jason
has finished third in each of the last two seasons and doesn't want
to do that again, while Faulkner has the biggest opportunity of
his career to make his mark in sports and GT racing.
With experienced Porsche racers Nigel Rice (Beverley, East Yorkshire) and Jason Young (Oakham, Leicestershire), Red Line Racing has strength in depth, while significant championship newcomers include Milton Keynes-based American racer Emmanuel Crouvisier (Team RPM) and Londoner Stephen Shanly (Red Line Racing). Both showed excellent early pace in the Snetterton test day and as their experience of the cars grows, will be chasing podium finishes.
Stourbridge’s Steve Clark (Team RPM) and Michael Corridan (Sudbury, Suffolk) of Team Parker Racing will both build on the experience gained in 2004, while the Trackspeed team’s (based near Goldalming, Surrey) pairing of David Ashburn (London) and Rory Fordyce (Winchester, Hampshire) will make their Carrera Cup debuts this weekend.
The car entered by Porsche Cars GB in association with Team Autosport will be in the capable hands of Norwich racer Dan Eagling and he could be a contender for the podium.
So, everyone starts level as the season begins. Westbrook and Harvey will surely continue where they left off last September, but Faulkner and Templeman will spearhead some serious opposition!
Porsche 911
Our Porsche 911 Guide lists the full specification of the current UK 911 range, including car prices, fuel consumption, dimensions and other vital data.
Price Range: £63,070 - £131,070
Body Styles:
Fuel:
Models in the range: 17
We have road tested the Porsche 911, to read our in-depth car review:
Porsche 911 Review - Sep 2007
Our Car Buyer’s Guide covers all of the UK’s major new cars and includes CO2 ratings and car insurance groups. Data updated on the 6th July 2008
