Watts takes Porsche Carrera Cup double at Donington

Danny Watts stormed to a fine double victory in rounds 11 and 12 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Donington Park over the weekend (29/30 July). Meanwhile, title contenders Damien Faulkner and Tim Harvey each took a second and a third place to keep their championship contest very evenly matched.

Round 11

Despite a strong challenge from Faulkner (Co Donegal) and Harvey (Blackthorn, Oxford) in the opening race, Watts was able to edge away over the second half of the race to score an emphatic victory.

Over the opening laps, the leading three ran neck and neck as Watts (Buckingham) led from Faulkner and Harvey. A fabulous start by Faulkner catapulted his car between those of Harvey and Michael Caine (Newmarket) into second and onto Watts’ tail. “For once, my start was very good,” said Faulkner after one of the best starts of the season.

Over the first ten laps, there was little to choose between the three cars. “Damien pushed me very hard but then he started to drop back,” said Watts. Harvey, meanwhile, had run strongly over the opening laps but soon knew he was in trouble. “By lap seven or eight the car was really working its rear tyres hard,” said Harvey. “In the closing laps I was having to be as careful as I could to get to the finish.”

With his rivals dropping away, Watts was able to take the flag with an eight-second advantage over Faulkner. “That wasn’t as easy as Croft, but the car was very consistent. This is my last weekend in the Carrera Cup as Richard Westbrook returns to the series from the next race, and I want to go out with a bang and win both races.”

With Caine tumbling down the order after a first-lap moment, it was Jason Templeman (Nottingham) who came through strongly to take a fine fourth and was closing on Harvey at the flag. Into fifth overall went Phil Quaife (Tonbridge) to score another Pro-Am victory. Mid-race, Quaife worked ahead of Richard Williams (Bromley-by-Bow, London) and consolidated the place when Williams suffered a late race puncture. “The car has been fantastic this weekend; I’m very happy,” said Quaife after extending his Pro-Am points lead.

The rest of the Pro-Am podium positions were the subject of some tremendous battling and it was Alex Mortimer (Worcester) who emerged from the action to take sixth overall and second in Pro-Am to record a fine 2006 Carrera Cup debut. He had a mighty contest with Andy Purdie (Maidstone) and Nigel Rice (Beverley, East Yorkshire) and it was Rice who ran in second for the first half of the race. Then, going into Redgate on a defensive line, Rice ran wide and dropped places to Mortimer and Purdie. “There was no grip and as I went wide they both went by me,” said Rice.

Purdie’s strong race came to an end with a puncture and instead it was Sam Edwards (Aylesbury) who took third in Pro-Am from Rice and Mike Richards (Knutsford). However, into ninth overall at the flag went Caine after a recovery drive that was hindered by another spin.

Round 12

Once again Watts was able to break clear as title contenders Harvey and Faulkner battled for second place, while Mortimer claimed Pro-Am spoils after an excellent drive.

There was drama on the run to the first corner as the car of Edwards was pitched into the air after contact with the car of Quaife. Both cars were forced out and with Quaife’s car stranded in the gravel at Redgate, the safety car was deployed while it was removed.

From the re-start, Watts again took control and Harvey moved ahead of Faulkner into the Old Hairpin. The cars touched, and each driver had their own view of the incident. “Tim pushed me out of the way. It just messed up the whole race,” said Faulkner. “He went very defensive down the Craner Curves and then moved across,” countered Harvey. The outcome was that Harvey ran second to the flag, with Faulkner seldom more than half a second behind.

Up front, Watts reeled off the laps to score his sixth win on the trot. “That was pretty straightforward. The circuit was very slippery and dirty and I had to adapt to that,” said Watts. “I was determined to win this weekend!”

Behind Harvey and Faulkner, Templeman had a relatively lonely but strong run to fourth, staying clear of Mortimer who took a fine fifth overall and won the Pro-Am category by a convincing margin. “I’d have liked to have a race with Phil Quaife,” said Mortimer. “But it was just brilliant for Team RPM to come back to Carrera Cup with this result,” he said.

For many laps, Williams chased Mortimer, but increasingly he hit tyre problems and fell back into the clutches of the following group. First to move past was Caine who came through strongly from well down the grid. His fighting recovery drive earned him the ‘Driver of the Weekend’ award. Then, on the final lap, Richards was able to move into seventh and second in Pro-Am as the struggling Williams gave his team mate room into the chicane. “That was worth missing my flight home for,” said Richards of his result in a race delayed by incidents in earlier races.

Jason Young (Oakham) had been right with Richards and Williams into the final corner but spun on the exit of the chicane as he tried to dive ahead of Williams. Young still recovered to take third in Pro-Am by crossing the line before David Ashburn (London) and Rice arrived. Rice had been badly delayed at the first corner when clipped into a spin by the spinning Quaife.

Journalist and former GT racer, Owen Mildenhall, driving the car entered by Porsche Cars in association with Vertu - the world’s first and only manufacturer of luxury handcrafted mobile phones – mixed it with the Championship regulars and finished 12th, improving by two places his result in race one.