After a cracking first round of the season at Oulton, the Toyo Tires Porsche Championship descended on the home of the British Grand Prix for a triple header. Qualifying could not have been better for the team and Hammond and Johnson lined up 1st and 2nd on the grid, and as with Oulton Park - under the previous lap record.
In race 1, both drivers made good starts, but Johnson got caught behind the Production Boxster and was dropped back in the pack. While Hammond pulled away a gap to the others, Johnson worked his way through back up to 2nd after a string of daring overtakes, This was the team's first 1-2 of the season. Both cars were working well, and after a late night on Friday, it seemed that the rest of the weekend might be a bit more relaxed for the mechanics after a winter of hard work!
Race two had a similar result to the first, but served up another thriller for the podium as Johnson again moved through the field to 2nd after missing a spinning Boxster in the early running. Karl Rossin again drove hard to 3rd, so the podium matched the first race completely.
In the unseasonably high temperatures, Johnson’s car split a water hose in the garage post-race. Fortunately, the team rallied around quickly to change the hose and re-pressurise the water system with plenty of time to spare. The cars were checked out for wear and tear before being sent back out for race 3 on the reverse grid. Johnson would start 7th with Hammond 8th.
Off the line Hammond rocketed into the lead by the first corner, having hooked up his start perfectly. Johnson made a similar getaway but was pinned back by another car was shuffled back - facing another race-long fight to the front. He made his way through to 4th, which became 3rd after a penalty for Steve Potts - this result putting Gavin into the lead of the championship after the first 5 races! With Pip moving up to 2nd, this makes for a PDC Racing 1-2 in the championship.
Both cars will go through routine maintenance for the next round at Cadwell Park on May 6/7. We hope to see you there! In the meantime, Jason Wood will be competing at Snetterton on April 23rd in the Nova, returning to the scene of his first ever race and looking to extend his lead in the Novice Championship standings. Good luck Jason!
