Tim Harvey scored a fine victory in the second round of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton today (Sunday, 11 April). In a thrilling contest, Harvey fended off Chris Cooper and Nigel Rice during a race full of action and close racing.
“I had a mega start and there was no way they were going to beat me once I was in front,” said Harvey. Meanwhile, first race winner Richard Westbrook dropped to fifth after a gearbox problem and Jason Templeman (Team VLR) went out on the second lap with a clutch problem when leading.
Templeman had made a storming start, but his lead was short-lived when a problem with the clutch set in on lap two and forced him to retire to the pits. That put Harvey (RPM Motorsport) into the lead from fifth on the grid, with Cooper (Team Parker Racing), Rice (Red Line Racing) and Westbrook (BEAST Racing) on his tail.
The leading quartet made a superb spectacle, running virtually nose-to-tail, while Jonathan Fildes (TCR) tigered his way to the front of the next pack of four cars.
Cooper, on his Porsche debut, was driving superbly and kept the pressure on Harvey as Westbrook tried to find a way through Rice’s defences. Into the chicane for the seventh time, Cooper made a huge effort and ran side by side with Harvey into the corner. But Harvey held the inside line and was able to start easing away when Cooper lost the splitter from the front of his car after clattering the kerbs.
“I just love driving these cars,” said Harvey on the top step of the podium, while Cooper was equally delighted with second. “Fantastic! It’s all down to Team Parker Racing,” he said. Meanwhile, Rice had an easier time in the closing stages as Fildes moved through to attack Westbrook. With Westbrook hampered by the loss of second gear, Fildes was able to grab fourth.
Matthew Marsh drove a fighting race to take sixth in the VIP entry from Porsche Cars GB, while Andy Britnell (Motorbase Performance) just beat Jonathon Cocker (Red Line Racing) and David Pinkney (BEAST Racing) for seventh after another mighty battle.
Provisional results (14 laps):
1 Tim Harvey (RPM Motorsport) 18m30.073s
2 Chris Cooper (Team Parker Racing) 18m31.662s
3 Nigel Rice (Red Line Racing) 18m32.702s
4 Jonathan Fildes (TCR) 18m33.289s
5 Richard Westbrook (BEAST Racing) 18m38.612s
6 Matthew Marsh (Porsche Cars GB) 18m39.235s
7 Andy Britnell (Motorbase Performance) 18m40.015s
8 Jonathon Cocker (Red Line Racing) 18m40.594s
9 David Pinkney (BEAST Racing) 18m41.177s
10 Mark Hazell (Team Parker Racing) 19m04.836s
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