Sebastian Hopkins (Team Parker Racing) converted pole position into overall victory in the first Porsche Sprint Challenge GB race of the Oulton Park weekend. There was a new winner in Rounds Five and Six, as Thomas Bradshaw (Toro Verde GT) delivered two lights-to-flag wins, launching his championship bid.
Also driving the new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, Matthew Kyle-Henney (Clean Racing) and Jacob Tofts (Graves Motorsport) were RS Am category winners in Cheshire. Mastering the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, came CS Pro victors, Samual Harvey (Xentek Motorsport) and Oskar Dix (Team Parker Racing). And Jonathon Beeson (Graves Motorsport) and Darelle Wilson (AALCO with JWB Motorsport), who shared CS Am category honours.
The friendly and supportive nature of the competitive Porsche paddock was underlined at Oulton Park. When Toby Trice (Clean Racing) suffered an incident in Friday’s practice session, several rival teams offered assistance in rebuilding his damaged car. Trice missed qualifying, but following a 25-hour overnight rebuild, led by newcomers Clean Racing, the RS Pro category racer was able to take part in all three races.
Qualifying
Saturday’s 30-minute qualifying session got underway in dry and warm conditions. Following an incident in Friday practice, Trice did not take part. Championship leader Hopkins was the early pacesetter, soon improving from a time of 1:23.372 to a lap of 1:22.797, both set in the first 10 minutes of qualifying. Meanwhile, Edward Stanton (Toro Verde GT) was ahead in the RS Am category, Ben Mulryan (Race Car Consultants) topped CS Pro, and Wilson led CS Am.
In his quest to take pole position for the weekend’s first and second races, Hopkins improved twice in the latter half of the session, however, his best times were deleted for exceeding track limits. Hopkins ended qualifying with pole position for Round Four, while Bradshaw took the top spot for Round Five – the maiden pole position of his Porsche racing career. Tofts remained quickest in RS Am, Mulryan headed the CS Pro category, with Beeson top in CS Am.
Race one
The weekend’s first race took place on Saturday afternoon in dry and sunny conditions. With his car repaired overnight, Trice took the start from the pit lane following an issue on his lap to the grid. When the lights went out, Hopkins led Bradshaw and Jenkins into the first corner. Kyle-Henney moved into the RS Am category lead as Tofts slipped backwards. Harvey was ahead in CS Pro, while Wilson leapt Beeson to head CS Am.
On lap four, Karim Sekkat (Breakell Racing) left the circuit and made contact with the barriers at The Avenue. He made a pit stop to check the condition of his car before continuing his race. On lap five, Dix overtook Harvey for second in CS Pro and, one lap later, a recovering Trice continued his advance through the field, passing Wilson for P18. At the midpoint of the race, Hopkins enjoyed a 1.8-second lead over the chasing Bradshaw. A train of six cars in close formation stretched back behind Stanton in seventh, including Oliver Cottam (Xentek Motorsport), Tofts, Robert Cronin (Parker Classic Works), Reece Somerfield (Breakell Racing) and Oliver Meadows (Parker Classic Works).
In the final five minutes of the race, Coates, Ethan Hammerton (Team Omologato with Graves Motorsport), Beeson and Stanton each received five-second time penalties for abusing track limits. On corrected time, RS Am category leader Kyle-Henney was promoted to an impressive fourth place overall. Hopkins took the chequered flag to record his third win of the season, he was joined on the overall rostrum by Bradshaw and Jenkins. Kyle-Henney, Tofts and Stanton formed the RS Am category podium. Harvey, Dix and Mulryan created the CS Pro podium. Wilson, Beeson and Paul Porter (Team Parker Racing) were the top three in CS Am.
Race two
The second race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon in warm and sunny conditions. Bradshaw got away well at the start to lead into Old Hall Corner, but Jenkins slipped from second to fifth. Hopkins – now second – set after the leader, Bradshaw, while Hammerton came under attack from Coates for third. Hammerton and Coates ran side-by-side later into the opening lap, but Hammerton was able to keep the position. In RS Am, Tofts maintained the advantage over Stanton. Mulryan was ahead in CS Pro, while Wilson led in CS Am. Early into the race, Meadows left the circuit and made his retirement. Hopkins soon closed on Bradshaw for the overall lead, and the close battle between Coates and Hammerton for third intensified. Hammerton’s defensive driving allowed Jenkins and Tofts to join the fight, creating a four-car scrap. In his quest for the lead of CS Pro, Dix piled pressure on category leader, Mulryan, and just after the midpoint of the race, Mulryan ran wide allowing Dix to get ahead.
With seven minutes of racing remaining, Hopkins got even closer to Bradshaw – just two tenths of a second now split the pair. Following his earlier off, Mulryan came under pressure from Harvey for second in CS Pro. In the final few minutes of the race, Harvey gained a run into Old Hall Corner, and the pair were close again into Island Hairpin, but Harvey eventually emerged ahead. With two minutes left on the clock, Cronin made contact with the barriers – this brought out the red flag and the race would not restart.
Bradshaw enjoyed a maiden win, with Hopkins finishing second and Hammerton hanging on for third. Tofts, Stanton and Kyle-Henney formed the RS Am category podium. Dix, Harvey and Mulryan created the CS Pro category rostrum. And Wilson, Beeson and Sekkat took to the CS Am category podium.
After the race, Hopkins was given a three-place grid penalty for Round Four, as a result of contact with Jenkins on the opening lap. Dix was handed a one-place penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. Hopkins and Dix were each demoted three category and three championship points. Somerfield was docked two category and two championship points for contact with Meadows. The grid for the weekend’s final race was determined by the finishing positions from Round Five.
Race three
The final race of the weekend took place in hot conditions. Bradshaw got away cleanly from pole position to lead into the first corner, but Hammerton ran wide allowing Coates to snatch second, and Jenkins and Hopkins followed him through. Tofts maintained his advantage in the RS Am category battle, with Stanton second with Somerfield in third. Harvey led Mulryan from Dix in CS Pro, and in CS Am Wilson was ahead of Beeson. Sidhu soon left the circuit at the hairpin before rejoining the race, then Dix suffered an issue at Hislops but he would continue.
On the third lap, Beeson, Wilson and Sidhu ran three wide into Old Hall Corner. As the trio squeezed together there was contact, pitching Sidhu into a spin. He would make his retirement from the race as a result, and he would be joined by George Jaxon (Q Mix Concrete with JWB Motorsport), who retired to the pit lane due to illness. With eight minutes remaining on the clock, Jenkins ran wide at the hairpin and Hopkins overtook for third. Beeson, Wilson and Dix found themselves in a close fight, when Dix got ahead Beeson and Wilson were left in a close battle for CS Am victory.
In the final five minutes of the race, Hopkins closed on Coates for second, which forced the latter defensive at Lodge and Old Hall Corner. Hopkins tried again at Island Hairpin but he could not gain an overlap. On the following lap, Hopkins drove to the inside at Hislop’s where there was contact, ending his race. Jenkins snatched second while Coates limped on in third with a damaged car. On their final lap, Beeson and Wilson swapped places, with the latter adopting the lead in CS Am.
Bradshaw took the chequered flag to take his second win of the season, while Jenkins finished second with Coates in third. Tofts, Stanton and Somerfield formed the RS Am category podium. Harvey, Mulryan and Dix stood on the CS Pro category steps. Finally, Wilson, Beeson and Sekkat created the CS Am podium.
Following the race, for the collision with Coates, Hopkins was given a 10-place grid penalty to be served at Croft, and was also docked three category and three championship points. Sidhu was docked two category and two championship points for his incident with Beeson.
The next stop for the championship is Croft in North Yorkshire on the weekend of 27-28 July. There it is joined by Carrera Cup GB for the first time this season, creating a bumper weekend of Porsche racing action. Follow the latest Porsche Sprint Challenge GB news directly from Porsche Motorsport via Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) – @PorscheRaces_GB – where users can share experiences via the hashtags #SprintChallengeGB.
Championship positions*
RS Pro:
Sebastian Hopkins - Team Parker Racing - 48
Thomas Bradshaw - Toro Verde GT - 44
Max Coates - Team Omologato with Graves Motorsport - 43
RS Am:
Jacob Tofts - Graves Motorsport - 45
Matthew Kyle-Henney - Clean Racing - 44
Reece Somerfield - Breakell Racing - 43
CS Pro:
Oskar Dix - Team Parker Racing - 54
Samuel Harvey - Xentek Motorsport - 45
Caitlin Wood - Clean Racing - 22
CS Am:
Darelle Wilson - AALCO with JWB Motorsport - 33
Karim Sekkat - Breakell Racing - 32
Jonathan Beeson - Graves Motorsport - 29
*results remain provisional
