Duckhams Yuasa Racing delivers record-breaking finish as Porsche series hold final weekend at Brands Hatch

Duckhams Yuasa Racing delivered a spirited performance over the weekend (October 3–5) as Max Coates scored a record-breaking victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch.
 
Arriving at the final meeting of the season, Max and Jacob Tofts in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB were in mathematical contention for their respective titles but ultimately didn’t enjoy the fortune required to secure the silverware this time.
 
Challenging wet conditions dominated Friday’s practice sessions before drier weather arrived on Saturday. In Carrera Cup qualifying, Max produced a late surge to set the fastest Pro-Am time and secure seventh overall on the grid.
 
He started Sunday’s opening race strongly, maintaining his position and the Pro-Am lead throughout a frenetic 17-lap contest. As part of a six-car battle for the podium, he climbed to sixth with four laps remaining, securing his third Pro-Am win of the year. However, with his main rival finishing second in class, sadly the title fight came to an end.
 
Max started the final race from pole position after the reverse grid draw and held the lead through the opening corners. Managing pressure from behind superbly, he built a gap to take a commanding lights-to-flag victory and, in doing so, became the only Pro-Am driver to score two overall race wins in a single Carrera Cup GB season, setting a new benchmark.
 
Jacob faced a tougher Sprint Challenge weekend. Qualifying seventh in class and 13th overall on Saturday, he fought his way into the top ten during race one before becoming stuck in a train of cars fighting for sixth, ultimately crossing the line eighth.
 
In race two on Sunday morning, he gained early positions and joined a close five-car battle for fifth, taking seventh before capitalising on an error ahead to finish sixth. Despite his efforts however, the result meant he slipped out of title contention. He made another strong start in the final race, climbing to fourth before a Safety Car intervention. On the restart he applied pressure to the car ahead but couldn’t find a clean way through, eventually finishing fifth.
 
It was nevertheless a standout season for Duckhams Yuasa Racing, with Max setting a new standard for Pro-Am competitors in Porsche Carrera Cup GB and both drivers taking their respective title fights to the final races of the season. Plans for the 2026 season will be announced in due course.

"It has been a real pleasure to drive in this championship. To follow in the footsteps of Dan [Cammish] and Adam [Smalley] at Duckhams Yuasa Racing has been fantastic, and to end with two overall victories and almost a podium at Croft shows I’m up there with those drivers, which is an incredible feeling.
 
“In the final race I knew there were battles behind, but I wanted to prove my own pace. Will [Martin] has arguably been the fastest driver in the series, so to have him on my tail, hold him off, and then build a gap shows I’ve come of age as a driver this year. The car felt awesome and at the end I could have gone quicker if needed.
 
“This is a brilliant way to thank Duckhams, Yuasa, and all the programme partners, as well as my personal sponsors. So many people have backed me on this journey, and this is the perfect way to end the year."

“It was a tough way to end the year, especially after how strong we’d been through the middle part of the season. We had great pace at Brands Hatch, but qualifying put us out of position and with overtaking so hard, it was difficult to make the progress we wanted. Still, finishing third in the championship after such a big comeback is something to be proud of.
 
I can’t thank everyone at Duckhams Yuasa Racing enough for their support this year. It has been a privilege to win races with these iconic colours, and they’ve helped me grow massively as a driver. We’ll regroup over the winter and come back stronger in 2026.”