Porsche Motorsport GB enters what could be its most exciting season to date with two established championships welcoming a mix of familiar names and exciting newcomers – including two new teams. Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the fastest single marque GT racing championship in the UK, enters its 19th season which also marks the final year of the 485 hp second-generation ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup. A battle royale looks set to rage for title glory between reigning champion Porsche GB 2020 / 2021 Junior Harry King and one of the championship’s most successful drivers, 2015 and 2016 champion Dan Cammish.
Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB enters its second season following a successful introduction in 2020 and will continue to showcase an important level in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Both Am and Pro categories look set once again to provide close, exciting racing while new circuits will pose fresh challenges to team and drivers alike.
Despite the continuing global situation, both championships have full calendars of racing that will run between May and October 2021.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB
Porsche Carrera Cup GB retains its traditional position as a key part of the TOCA package, running in support of the British Touring Car Championship. Racing gets underway at Snetterton on 12 / 13 June when a grid of over 20 second-generation ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 Cup cars will begin a season spread across 16 rounds and eight race weekends.
2021 calendar
12 / 13 June Snetterton Rounds 1&2
26 / 27 June Brands Hatch (Indy) Rounds 3&4
31 July / 1 August Oulton Park Rounds 5&6
14 / 15 August Knockhill Rounds 7&8
18 / 19 September Croft Rounds 9&10
25 / 26 September Silverstone (National) Rounds 11&12
9 / 10 October Donington Park Rounds 13&14
23 / 24 October Brands Hatch (GP) Rounds 15&16
Pro category
Leading the charge in 2021 is the reigning champion, Porsche GB 2020 / 2021 Junior Harry King (Team Parker Racing). King enters his second – and final – season as Porsche GB Junior following a sensational debut year, continuing with 2020 Team champions Team Parker Racing. In 2020, the 20-year-old from Maidenhead took 12 wins from 16 races, seven pole positions and 13 fastest laps en route to making the most successful start to a Porsche GB Junior career of any driver to date.
Taking the fight to King in what promises to be one of the most exciting title clashes yet will be one of the championship's most successful drivers of all time. 2015 / 2016 champion Dan Cammish (Redline Racing) returns to Porsche Carrera Cup GB following three seasons in the British Touring Car championship, two of which saw the Leeds driver battling for title honours. Cammish returns to his championship-winning team, Redline Racing, the most successful team in the championship’s history. In his quest to become the first driver to win three Porsche Carrera Cup GB titles, Cammish will aim to topple a number of records. He is just four wins away from overtaking Tim Harvey who sits at the top of the table with 36 outright wins, and four fastest laps away from usurping record holder Michael Meadows.
Lewis Plato (Valluga Racing) is another familiar name making his return in 2021. The Essex-based racer joined the championship in 2016 but took a season away from competition in 2020. A regular front-running competitor throughout his Porsche career, Plato has tasted the winner's champagne on three previous occasions and has been a consistent podium finisher – he is keen to reestablish himself as a genuine title threat with Valluga Racing.
With a full season under his belt, Will Martin (Richardson Racing) returns to Porsche Carrera Cup GB with experience and hunger. Four times a podium finisher in his debut season, including a race win at Thruxton in 2020, Martin already knows what it takes to win. Lorcan Hanafin (JTR) showed his speed in 2020 with four appearances on the Pro category podium and two overall fastest laps. The 18-year-old from Leeds makes his return to 2019 Team champions JTR, owned by 24 Hours of Le Mans winner for Porsche, Nick Tandy.
Leading the charge for a number of exciting newcomers to the championship is 18-year-old Kiern Jewiss (Team Parker Racing). Jewiss makes his sports car racing debut in 2021 following a highly successful career in single seaters. The former British F4 and British F3 champion is familiar with the TOCA package and will hope to benefit from having Porsche GB Junior King alongside him under the Team Parker Racing awning as he adapts to the demands of the 911 GT3 Cup.
Pro-Am category
Ryan Ratcliffe (Team Parker Racing) became a strong Pro-Am category title challenger in the second half of his debut Porsche Carrera Cup GB season in 2020. The 27-year-old Welshman took six category wins last season as he developed his title challenge and returns to reigning Team champions Team Parker Racing as a category favourite.
Ratcliffe will, however, have a challenge in the shape of returnee Jake Rattenbury (Redline Racing). Rattenbury adapted well to Porsche Carrera Cup GB in his two races at the end of 2020, making his 2021 credentials clear. In addition come four newcomers; Josh Caygill (Redline Racing), Nathan Harrison (Team Hard), Charles Rainford (CCK Motorsport) and Josh Stanton (Team Hard). While Caygill joins established outfit Redline Racing, Harrison and Stanton will drive with championship returnees and renowned BTCC squad Team Hard, fronted by Tony Gilham who competed in Porsche Carrera Cup GB between 2008 and 2010. Rainford arrives with new team CCK Motorsport, regulars in historic motorsport circles.
Am category
Justin Sherwood (Team Parker Racing) scored back-to-back Am category titles in 2019 and 2020, and enjoyed his most successful season to date last year netting 10 category wins. Sherwood returns in 2021 as category favourite, although a group of fellow returnees will want to upset his run to a third title. Lucky Khera (Simon Green Motorsport) broke his podium duck towards the end of 2020 taking a category podium at Snetterton, while Adam Knight (Valluga Racing) and Justin Armstrong (Team Parker Racing) have also tasted the podium champagne in the past and will always pose a threat.
2021 regulations
In 2018, the championship introduced reverse grids for the second race of each weekend, a feature that remains for 2021. Following the first race, a number between four and six is selected at random. This number determines whether the first four, five or six drivers across the line for the first race will have their grid positions reversed for the second. All other competitors will form on the race two grid according to their finishing position in race one. Introduced in 2019, should a competitor fail to finish in race one, they will take up a grid position for race two immediately behind the last finisher in their category from race one. Both races continue to feature a standing start.
The points structure remains unchanged across all three categories. A weighting for Pro category drivers in the first race rewards qualifying performance and partially offsets any penalty for a reverse grid placing in the second. In a similar spirit, fastest lap in each category during qualifying at each race weekend will be awarded two championship points. An overall points table calculated on the same basis as in 2020 will determine the Team and Rookie championships.
Follow the latest Porsche Carrera Cup GB news directly from Porsche Motorsport GB via Twitter – @PorscheRacesGB – where users can share experiences via the hashtag #CarreraCupGB.
Porsche GB 2022 / 2023 Junior
The search for the Porsche GB 2022 / 2023 Junior begins this summer. The Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior programme aligns with similar support programmes offered internationally by Porsche – all are designed to nurture the racing careers of young drivers, fostering their entry into the Porsche Motorsport pyramid. In its search for prospective talent, the Junior programme offers one of the largest prizes in UK motorsport. This opportunity has already been a significant contributing factor to the racing careers of several professional drivers – over half of the current roster of Porsche factory drivers are former Juniors.
Current Porsche GB Junior Harry King was crowned 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion in his debut season, only the second Porsche GB Junior to have achieved this, and in 2021 enters his second year of the programme. Former Porsche GB Juniors Dan Harper (2018 / 2019), Charlie Eastwood (2016 / 2017) and Josh Webster (2014 / 2015) each took title honours before furthering their careers on the international motorsport stage. Applications for the Porsche GB 2022 / 2023 Junior programme will open this summer ahead of a Junior Shootout later in the year with details being published in due course on the championship’s website: https://www.porsche.com/uk/motorsportandevents/porschecarreracupgreatbritain/
Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB
Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB enters its second season in 2021 having successfully taken up a place in the Porsche Motorsport pyramid in 2020. The championship for both amateur and professional drivers uses the 425 hp Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport which, unlike the 911 GT3 Cup, offers drivers switchable ABS, traction control and stability control. Though optimised for racing, the car bears close similarities with its road-going counterpart comprising a high percentage of carry-over parts.
Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB occupies a unique position in British motorsport, running alongside the two biggest domestic championships in the UK as well as keeping in touch with its club racing roots. A full calendar of 12 rounds will take place across six weekends running in support of the British Touring Car Championship, British GT Championship and Porsche Club GB Motorsport packages.
2021 Calendar
8 / 9 May Thruxton Rounds 1&2 (TOCA)
15 / 16 August Brands Hatch (Indy) Rounds 3&4 (British GT)
26 /27 June Silverstone (GP) Rounds 5&6 (British GT)
3 July Oulton Park (Int) Rounds 7&8 (Porsche Club GB)
27 / 29 August Thruxton Rounds 9&10 (TOCA)
16-17 October Donington Park Rounds 11&12 (British GT)
Pro category
Theo Edgerton (Total Control Racing) returns to the championship following a successful 2020 season. The 17-year-old from Worcester took a maiden win at last season's final weekend at Silverstone, one of eight podium visits which mark him out as one to watch this year. Kent-based Ethan Hawkey (Redline Racing) made two appearances on the Pro category podium in his maiden season and secured one pole position. The 18-year old brother of 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am category champion, Esmee Hawkey, proved his pace throughout 2020 and now has the experience to mount a serious title challenge in 2021.
Among the exciting Pro category newcomers – several of which are yet to be announced – come Matthew Armstrong (Team Parker Racing) and Jack Bartholomew (Redline Racing). 22-year-old Bartholomew arrives with a wealth of sports car experience having previously competed in Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
Am category
In 2020 the Am category provided spectacular racing and 2021 looks like delivering more of the same. Ian Humphries (Valluga Racing) and Nigel Rice (Redline Racing) were regulars on the podium steps during 2020 – both make their return in 2021 to mount title challenges as do fellow podium finishers Peter Chambers (Chambers Runfold) and Carl Cavers (Valluga Racing).
Charles March (Team Parker Racing) and Charles Clark (IN2 Racing) both made their championship debuts at the final weekend of 2020 and return to mount a full championship attack in 2021. Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara, more commonly known as Charlie March, is the son of The Duke of Richmond and continues his move from historic racing into sports cars with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Clark makes a move up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, progressing from the Porsche Club GB Motorsport championship where he competed in a Porsche Boxster.
Title sponsorship
The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) remains title partner of the championship – now known as Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB.
In addition to the available prize pot of £32,000, the championship-winning driver in each category receives a seven-night luxury holiday for two to the Cayman Islands. The winners of last year’s championship – James Dorlin (Pro) and Ambrogio Perfetti (Am) – will be welcomed to the Cayman Islands when restrictions relating to the global pandemic allow.
2021 regulations
The rules introduced in 2020 remain unchanged, with a consistent points structure across both categories. One additional point will be awarded in each category – Pro and Am – for the fastest lap during qualifying, and one additional point will be awarded in each category – Pro and Am – for the fastest lap during the race. Three championship awards will be made at the end of the season: Pro, Am and Team. An overall points table calculated on the same basis as in 2020 will determine the Team championship.
Round one is scheduled to take place on Saturday 8 May at 16.40, round two on Sunday 9 May at 15.15 with live coverage on ITV4.
