Porsche Carrera Cup GB set for Thruxton thriller

The fastest track on the calendar is the next destination for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for rounds three and four at Thruxton, near Andover, Hampshire on April 25/26.

With average lap speeds of over 110mph and a maximum speed around the back of the circuit approaching 170mph, the challenging course is a real high-speed test for man and machine, and is renowned for producing close and exciting racing.

The Thruxton weekend will mark the return to racing for Winchester driver Ben McLoughlin, who will be getting his first taste of the 420bhp 911 GT3 Cup race car, driving the Porsche Cars GB entry. In 2009, this car is carrying the colours of the Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone, which is appropriate for the former front-running GT racer is now a Porsche Driving Consultant.

Like many racing drivers, Ben started in karts and then progressed into Formula Vauxhall Junior and won in Caterhams, before really making his mark in GT racing. His last GT race was in 2003 when he won the Empire Trophy race at Silverstone with Piers Johnson and Shane Lynch. Since then, lack of funds has curtailed his racing, but McLoughlin would jump at the chance to return to racing regularly.

“I love the fact that I’m going to be racing a Porsche,” he says. “The 911 GT3 Cup is a proper race car and to be racing under the Porsche banner makes it all the more special. This is a clean sheet of paper for me, and I’ve got a lot of cobwebs to blow away!”

The main man heading for Thruxton with the early Championship advantage is Tim Bridgman (Team Parker Racing), who could not have had a better start to his second year in the Carrera Cup than at Brands Hatch at the start of April. Two pole positions, two race wins and two fastest laps gave Tim (Stansted, Essex) a perfect 44-point weekend as he proved unstoppable.

Bridgman now heads to Thruxton determined to maintain that early momentum and showed his pace by heading the times in official pre-race testing on Tuesday (14 April). "We're just taking it one race at a time," he said of his approach to the season, though a repeat of his Brands results would give him an incredibly strong start to his Championship campaign.

Currently, Tim Harvey (Red Line Racing) and Michael Caine (Motorbase Performance) are taking the fight to Bridgman and they bagged the other podium places at Brands. They both know how important it is to stop Bridgman making it four wins in a row, and Harvey and Caine both have good reason to expect strong showings at Thruxton. Harvey (Oxford) rates the track as one of his favourites and relishes the high-speed challenge, while Caine (Newmarket) was sensationally quick there last year and set a searing pace during recent testing.

But this is not just a three-horse race, as a gaggle of quick racers are working to narrow the gap to Bridgman, Harvey and Caine. In particular, championship newcomer Tom Bradshaw (Team Parker Racing) showed great potential at Brands and will be strong once again at Thruxton. Bradshaw (Blackburn), along with Winchester's Lewis Hopkins, won the Carrera Cup Scholarship for 2009, and started his campaign with a fine fourth place at Brands. Also showing strong form in testing was Hertfordshire-domiciled American Jake Rosenzweig (Team Parker Racing) and he will be another podium contender.

The Pro-Am1 category is shaping up for a tremendous season among a clutch of quick and determined racers. Aberdeen’s Glynn Geddie (Team Parker Racing) emerged from Brands with an early points' lead and will try to extend that margin as he races at Thruxton for the first time. With Irish driver Michael Leonard (Team Parker Racing) missing Thruxton due to business commitments, Geddie still has plenty of opposition including testing pacesetter Tony Gilham (Red Line Racing) from Dartford, Ollie Jackson (Motorbase Performance) from Reigate, and JHR team mates Robert Lawson (Richmond, Yorkshire) and Derek Pierce (Ayrshire). Adding yet more strength to the Pro-Am1 field are RSS Performance team mates Graeme Mundy (Salisbury) and John Quartermaine (Buckinghamshire).

After qualifying at 2.30 pm on Saturday afternoon, the first Carrera Cup race will start at 12.15pm on Sunday, with the second race at 5.30pm.