Smalley retains championship lead as Duckhams Yuasa Racing once again climb onto the podium
Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Team Parker remain on top of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB standings after Adam Smalley had his third podium visit of the season, as the series travelled to Brands Hatch in Kent at the weekend (6 & 7 May).
After celebrating a double podium at Donington Park, including a race two victory, Adam and teammate Harry Foster were in a positive frame of mind. That carried through into Friday’s free practice sessions which took place in dry conditions but come qualifying on Saturday afternoon however, the weather had turned, and the drivers had to contend with a wet track, negating the learnings from the previous day.
That didn’t stop Adam though as he put his iconic yellow and blue Duckhams-liveried Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car third on the grid, just 0.054 off pole position and, agonisingly, 0.001 from second place. Despite this the Lancastrian declared himself happy with his performance, while teammate Harry set the tenth fastest time in the Pro class as he continues to build his knowledge in the car.
The weather again changed for race day, with the drivers once greeted by a dry track. Adam had a good start to jump into second place, before James Kellett went off, requiring the Safety Car to be deployed. Once the race resumed, Adam pressured leader Robert De Haan, but with overtaking so difficult on the tight track, settled for second place and championship points. Behind, Harry also found it difficult to progress but made up three places on his overall starting position.
Adam started race two from third once again but lost out to De Haan when he made an ambitious overtaking manoeuvre on the exit of Druids, just millimetres before the Safety Car boards were shown. Unfortunately, from then onwards it was a processional race as Adam and Harry held position until the flag.
The Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Team Parker drivers will now have a four week break before resuming their Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaigns on the weekend of the 3 & 4 June at Thruxton in Hampshire.
Adam however will not have that long to wait as he will be testing at Silverstone on the 9th of May in preparation for his Porsche Supercup debut during the British Grand Prix in July.
Adam Smalley #21 Pro
G1 – 3, R1 – 2
G2 – 3, R2 – 4
Pro Championship: 1 (38 points)
“It was a good weekend all in all. We were third in qualifying, although I was frustrated to not get pole because it was so close, but it was pretty decent. In race one we got second which was good, and we've maximised our points. Then in race two, it's so hard around Brands Indy to overtake, as it's so tight and twisty, that if you sit in the middle of the road, you can't get through. That was the story of race two as well, so I'm happy with the result – P2 in the first race and P4 in the second – which means a good haul of points heading into the next meeting.
“I'm out on Tuesday at Silverstone for the Porsche Supercup test, so I'll be up against the big boys there. It will be good fun against those guys, in preparation for the British Grand Prix weekend. It's been a pretty good visit to Brands, so a big thank you to Team Parker and all my sponsors and I’m delighted we leave still top of the championship.”
Harry Foster #16 Pro
G1 – 10, R1 – 9
G2 - 13, R2 – 10
Pro Championship: 9 (7 points)
Rookie Championship: 1 (21 points)
“Qualifying didn't go that well as unfortunately, I didn't quite hook up the lap in the wet. I think I pretty much did the best that I could, given the nature of Brands Indy, because it's really difficult to overtake. We got a couple positions in race one, and a couple of positions in race two, which is good.
“I think we're showing progress, but I want to see a bit more. It’s still only my fourth race in this car but we want to be further up and really fighting for more points. The aim for the next couple of weekends is to qualify higher up, not having to make a recovery as much, and getting good results.”
