Round 19
While Gelzinis blasted clear on a wet and slippery track to take his first Carrera Cup race win, Sam Tordoff battled through to second with Rory Butcher completing the overall podium. Derek Pierce turned in one of the best drives of the race to take the Pro-Am1 category, while Will Goff had a great race to claim Pro-Am2.
Despite difficult track conditions, Gelzinis (Lithuania) held onto the lead from pole position and drove a beautifully-controlled race to take his first victory in the Carrera Cup GB and keep in contention for the runner-up position in the final Championship standings. “If I had finished the season without a win I would have been very disappointed,” said the Lithuanian racer. “We set the car up for a drying track and the conditions were perfect for our set-up,” he added, jubilantly.
While Gelzinis pulled clear at up to a second a lap, there was some tremendous battling over the other podium places as Sam Tordoff (Leeds) fought ahead of his Team Parker Racing team-mate Richard Plant (Sheffield) to take third and then set about chasing second-placed Rory Butcher (Kirkcaldy). In a tight run down the start-finish straight, Tordoff dived down the inside into Paddock Hill Bend to take second spot, only to lose it back again and then get ahead for good under braking for Surtees.
“I did what I had to do and just kept working forwards,” said Tordoff after taking second place. Butcher held off the fast-closing Daniel Lloyd (Huddersfield) for third. “That was tough: the car went off a bit over the second half of the race and Dan had better pace then me later on,” said Butcher. Lloyd drove a great race to take fourth from seventh on the grid, battling ahead of Ben Barker (Cambridge) in the process, while Andy Meyrick (Chester) came through to sixth and finished close behind Barker.
Pierce (West Kilbride) was the star of Pro-Am1 with one of the best drives of the season. He had to overhaul class rival Ahmad Al Harthy (Oman) as well as Pro racers Michael Meadows (Banbury) and James Sutton (London) on his way to eighth overall. “That’s the best podium result I’ve ever had,” said Pierce. “It was a superb race, and the car was amazing.” Al Harthy took second in Pro-Am1 with team-mate Victor Jimenez (Spain) third.
Up among the Pro-Am1 pack for much of the race was Pro-Am2 winner Goff (Dereham) after the best drive of his career to date. He then slid off the track at Surtees and briefly lost the class lead to Richard Denny (London), but went back ahead when Denny had his third spin of the race. “I loved that,” said Goff afterwards.
Round 19 results:
Pro category: 1 Jonas Gelzinis; 2 Sam Tordoff; 3 Rory Butcher.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 2 Derek Pierce; 2 Ahmad Al Harthy; 3 Victor Jimenez
Pro-Am2 category: 1 Will Goff; 2 Richard Denny.
Round 20
In some of the toughest conditions experienced in the 10-year history of the Championship, Sam Tordoff drove a superb race to win the final round of the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. While Tordoff shot ahead from the start to control the race from the front, Barker battled home second to secure the runner-up position in the final standings. Jimenez drove a fine race to win Pro-Am1 while Goff completed a double win in Pro-Am2.
Track conditions were truly challenging as the pack lined up for the 20th and final race of the season and visibility was very limited as the cars threw up clouds of spray around the circuit. “I got the best start and I was able to get away,” said Tordoff, who was then able to take advantage of a clear view ahead over the opening laps. Gelzinis slotted into second place, but was soon under attack from Barker and the places changed under braking for Surtees on the lap two.
Three laps later, with Butcher and Lloyd on his tail, Gelzinis slid off at Surtees and dropped well down the order. While Tordoff and Barker consolidated their positions, Lloyd battled ahead of Butcher and set off after second-placed Barker. Lloyd set the fastest lap of the race, but then also slid off at Surtees and dropped to sixth behind Plant and Sutton.
Tordoff turned in a faultless drive to wrap up his season with a win. “I just got my head down and Gelzinis helped me get clear,” he said. Barker, too, raced well to second place. “That was really tough out there,” he said after staying clear of Butcher and Plant, while Lloyd regained fifth with a bold move around the outside of Sutton at Sheene Curve. “You couldn’t see a thing: it was like driving into a wall of water,” said Butcher. “That’s a good way to finish the season,” added Lloyd. Tordoff took third in the final standings as Gelzinis battled home in tenth place to end the season fourth.
In Pro-Am1, Jimenez drove superbly under constant pressure as Al Harthy and Pierce challenged relentlessly. Al Harthy then spun at Surtees and later spun out of the race at Paddock after clipping the back of Oly Mortimer (Edinburgh). Pierce then took up the challenge on Jimenez, but the Spanish racer held on for a deserved win by eight-tenths of a second. “That was very, very tough with the spray,” said Jimenez. Mortimer took third place, but lost second in the final standings to Pierce on a tie-break.
In Pro-Am2, Goff got a poor start, but worked ahead of category rival Denny to take his second win of the day. Goff’s progress was aided when Denny had a mid-race spin.
In the Teams’ Championship, the drives by Tordoff and Plant for Team Parker Racing saw them close the gap to Redline Racing to just eight points – but Redline held on to triumph. This was the fifth team title in 10 years for the Cleveland-based Redline team, which has won the crown in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. Already this season, Redline has won the overall Drivers’ and Pro-Am1 Drivers’ titles with Michael Meadows and Ahmad Al Harthy. With a Championship total of 72 wins, Redline remains the most successful team in the history of the Carrera Cup GB.
Round 20 results:
Pro category: 1 Sam Tordoff; 2 Ben Barker; 3 Rory Butcher.
Pro-Am1 category: 1 Victor Jimenez; 2 Derek Pierce; 3 Oly Mortimer.
Pro-Am2 category: 1 Will Goff; 2 Richard Denny
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