Podium success for Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline keeps Smalley in title contention

Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline enjoyed further podium success in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at the weekend (14/15 May) when Adam Smalley claimed a third-place finish in race two despite heavy rain at Brands Hatch.

Using the short 1.2-mile Indy circuit configuration, the drivers started Friday’s Free Practice sessions under clear skies. Setting the pace with the quickest time in both sessions, Porsche GB Junior Driver Adam went into Saturday’s qualifying session optimistic of holding onto the top spot. Unfortunately, Will Martin had other ideas, claiming pole position by just 0.020s over Adam, while team-mate Oliver White was happy with his performance as he continued to adapt to the 510bhp, 992-style Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, securing the tenth fastest time, just 0.267s off pole position.

The weather threw a curveball for the drivers on Sunday with light rain falling as the cars left the grid for the formation lap ahead of race one. Losing a place off the start on the tricky, sloped Brands Hatch grid, Adam held onto third place for the majority of race until the rain intensified and, catching him unawares, he spun on lap 19 of the scheduled 34, dropping to 16th place. With half a dozen cars also heading off the circuit, the race was red flagged to allow the cars to change onto wet tyres. Having struggled with the car in the early stages of the race, Oliver was beginning to make progress and claw back lost places when the race was halted. When it restarted with a six-lap dash to the flag, he was able to gain a further position to finish tenth in the Pro class, while Adam battled to eighth at the flag.

After the changeable conditions earlier in the day, the track was fully wet for race two, but both drivers were happy that at least the track was consistent one lap to the next. This allowed them to score two solid results with Oliver once again finishing tenth in Pro, while Adam drove well to make his way into second position and started to close the gap to leader Kiern Jewiss, before the Safety Car was called, closing the field up. On the restart, he had to try to find a way past the leader but came under pressure from Martin, ultimately crossing the line third for a hard-earned podium finish. He now sits third in the championship standings, just two points off the top spot with four of the 16 scheduled races complete.

The drivers and the Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline Racing team will now enjoy a four week break before battle resumes at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the weekend of June 11/12, for rounds five and six of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season.

Adam Smalley, #21

Round 1 - Grid: 2, Race: 8

Round 2 - Grid: 8, Race: 3

Championship: 3 (26 points)

I had a really good Friday and Saturday. I was quickest in both practice sessions but it's so tight around Brands Indy that I was second in qualifying by just two hundredths, but the car felt good. That is about the blink of an eye, so I was confident in what we could do going into the races.

In race one I got boxed in a little bit at the start and dropped down to third. I was pushing to try and catch the leaders and the rain was coming down, we were on slicks, and I just misjudged it going in Graham Hill Bend. I caught the entry kerb, which sent me spinning, so I've only myself to blame for that one. I'm sorry to everyone at Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline as it could have been a solid result. I dropped back to 18th overall and came back to ninth, which wasn't the result we wanted but at least we got a point.

I think I redeemed myself a little bit in the race two. I started eighth and the first lap was tough as it was so hard to see anything in the rain, and just managed to muscle my way through the grid. I got up to second, which was great, but the Safety Car restart was tough and I dropped back to third. Nevertheless, it was a good result and we finished off the weekend on the podium.

Oliver White, #2

Round 1 - Grid: 10, Race: 13

Round 2 - Grid: 13, Race: 11

Championship: 11 (0 points)

Friday practice went well and I was hovering around the top ten fastest times. I still wasn't 100% comfortable, but I definitely made progress overnight after looking at the data, and I was really happy with how qualifying went. It’s the closest to the pace of the front runners I’ve been so far, just over two tenths off the pole time, and I was in the top ten, which was really good.

Race one was a disaster. It's the first time I've driven the car when its spitting rain and on slicks. I was a bit rubbish to be honest. I made bad decisions, I didn't do anything right, but the pace wasn't as bad as it looked. The second race was much more positive and I had much better pace. It was raining hard, and the visibility was non-existent, it was just a wall of spray. Despite that, I was actually held up by the guys in front and I picked a few people off. It's just a shame I didn't start higher up the grid. It's all a good learning experience though and we're making progress - you can see from the times this weekend just how close things are.