18-year-old Porsche GB 2018 / 2019 Junior Dan Harper (JTR) led both Friday Free Practice Sessions at Silverstone as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB kick-started its blue riband weekend in support of the 2019 / 2020 World Endurance Championship (WEC). Both morning and afternoon sessions featured a close battle between Porsche GB Junior Harper and 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Josh Webster (Team Parker Racing) – in the afternoon session the pair were separated by just 0.057 seconds around the full 3.6-mile Grand Prix circuit. Championship title challenger Lewis Plato (Motorbase Performance) finished both sessions in P3.
Esmee Hawkey (GT Marques) topped the Pro-Am category runners in both practice sessions. An on-form Hawkey had an answer for rivals Sam Brabham (Team Connect It), Karl Leonard (Team Parker Racing), and returnee Adam Hatfield (Valluga). Am category championship leader Justin Sherwood (Team Parker Racing) started his weekend in style by heading both Friday sessions, though his main category rival John Ferguson (Redline Racing) was in touch throughout. Returnee Adam Knight (JTR) was also a feature in both sessions alongside the experienced Peter Kyle-Henney (IN2 Racing).
The Porsche Carrera Cup GB heads into tomorrow’s qualifying session in front of an international audience, the weekend also sees the racing debut of the 2019 Porsche 911 RSR. Porsche Carrera Cup GB’s grid of mechanically identical 485 hp ‘Type 991’ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will race on Saturday and Sunday – viewers will be able watch both races via the dedicated livestream: https://www.porsche.com/uk/motorsportandevents/porschecarreracupgreatbritain/
Session 1 – 09:00 to 09:40
Track temperature: 18.7 degrees
The first drivers taking to the track in each category were 18-year-old Porsche GB 2018 / 2019 Junior Dan Harper (JTR) – Pro, Karl Leonard (Team Parker Racing) – Pro-Am, and Adam Knight (JTR) – Am
In dry and sunny conditions all 19 drivers began to familiarise themselves with Silverstone’s full 3.6-mile Grand Prix circuit
Porsche GB Junior Harper, Josh Webster (Team Parker Racing) and George Gamble (Amigos Redline Racing) were involved in an early battle at the top of the timesheet, the order Harper, Webster, Gamble
As the rest of the field began setting representative lap times, Jack McCarthy (Redline Racing) led the Pro-Am runners from Sam Brabham (Team Connect It) and Adam Hatfield (Valluga)
In Am Justin Sherwood (Team Parker Racing) led the category from Knight and John Ferguson (Redline Racing)
With 18 minutes of the session remaining, Lewis Plato (Motorbase Performance) moved to P1 with a time of 2:04.955 – the first driver to crack the 2:05 second barrier
Now running P5 overall, Brabham became locked into a tight Pro-Am category battle with Leonard and McCarthy before Esmee Hawkey (GT Marques) leaped all three to lead the category
Knight soon headed Peter Kyle-Henney (IN2 Racing) for P2 in Am – 4 tenths separating the pair, Kyle-Henney then posted the fastest time in category before being usurped by Ferguson, then Sherwood
With six minutes of the session remaining Porsche GB Junior Harper set the fastest time of the day – a 204.373 – the Pro order being Harper, Plato, Gamble until Webster leaped into second spot
Brabham improved in the final moments of the session to lead Pro-Am, Hawkey immediately improving too, regaining the top spot in category
Pro: Harper, Webster (+0.429), Plato (+0.550)
Pro-Am: Hawkey, Brabham (+0.461), Hatfield (+1.133)
Am: Sherwood, Ferguson (+0.016), Kyle-Henney (+0.294)
Session 2 – 13:50 to 14:30
Track temperature: 34.4 degrees
The first drivers taking to the track in each category were 18-year-old Porsche GB 2018 / 2019 Junior Dan Harper (JTR) – Pro, Jack McCarthy (Redline Racing) – Pro-Am, and John Ferguson (Redline Racing) – Am
Dry and sunny conditions welcomed 19 cars onto the circuit, Porsche GB Junior Harper and Josh Webster (Team Parker Racing) establishing an early battle for P1
Karl Leonard (Team Parker Racing) set the early pace in Pro-Am, Justin Sherwood (Team Parker Racing) in Am
With 25 minutes of the session remaining Webster set a fastest time – 0.399 seconds quicker than Porsche GB Junior Harper in P2, Harper quickly improving to within 0.042 seconds of Webster’s best
With 15 minutes of FP2 remaining, Leonard led Pro-Am from Adam Hatfield (Valluga) and Esmee Hawkey (GT Marques)
At this stage Sherwood led the Am category runners from returnee Adam Knight (JTR) and Peter Kyle-Henney (IN2 Racing)
With less than 10 minutes left on the clock, Webster and Harper traded quickest overall lap times – just 0.057 seconds separating the duo to Porsche GB Junior Harper’s advantage
With less than 5 minutes to go Hawkey jumped to P5 overall, heading the Pro-Am category – making the category order; Hawkey, Leonard, Hatfield
In the final few minutes of the session John Ferguson (Redline Racing) improved to P3 in Am
Pro: Harper, Webster (+0.057), Plato (+0.948)
Pro-Am: Hawkey, Leonard (+0.253), Hatfield (+0.499)
Am: Sherwood, Knight (+0.167), Fergusson (+0.206)
Qualifying for round eleven will take place on Saturday 31 August between 10:10 and 10:40, with drivers fighting for the two points awarded in 2019 for the fastest time posted in each category over the course of the session.
Source. Porsche/Photo. The Editor
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