Nick Tandy (Photo Credit: Porsche)
After topping the series testing the day before Nick Tandy continued his strong run on his visit to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB by setting the fastest time in qualifying for the deciding meeting at Silverstone.
Tandy set the lap early on in the half hour session, putting the no.27 Porsche top of the times with an offering of 55.939.
Unlike the Touring Cars before them Porsche times immediately fell below the 60 second mark, Tandy and the SAS/Redline teammates leading the way. The Redline run pair will line up second and third on the grid for the series' first race (scheduled for 12:25 tomorrow).
Michael Meadows, who enjoys a tiny advantage in the championship points will start second after beating teammate James Sutton by just 0.004 seconds. The pair are reversed for the grid for the second race, set by second fastest qualifying times, Sutton sharing the front row with Tandy.
Sam Tordoff will start the first race from fourth. The Clio Cup graduate was one of only a handful of drivers to improve in the second half of qualifying after coming in for a second set of tyres from his Team Parker Racing crew. While most of the top order opted to stay in the pits and hope their early times would withstand scruting Tordoff left the pits to try and improve on ninth. He initially beat Pro-Am 1 driver Rory Butcher to move to eighth before another lap pushed him up to fourth, one place ahead of Pro-Am 1 pace setter, predictably Jonas Gelzinis – already crowned class champion.
Tordoff will only start the second race from seventh place, fourth spot instead going to Ben Hetherington, Gelzinis again in fifth at the head of Pro-Am 1.
Former Touring Car driver Stephen Jelley – who is fighting Sutton and Meadows for the title had endure a relatively dismal session. After reportedly being held up by a slower car he will start the first race from seventh place, the later race from ninth. His Parker with Juta teammate Euan Hankey will start eighth and sixth in the two races. Richard Plant will line up tenth for both races.
The Pro Am 2 class is also to be decided with weekend. Celtic Speed driver George Brewster leads from Redline Racing's Keith Webster. However, it was Webster who scored the class pole by just five-hundredths, after being another of the few drivers to improve upon his time once new tyres had been fitted to his Porsche.
The first race of the final Porsche Carrera Cup GB weekend of the year is scheduled to start at 12:25pm Sunday, the second at 3:45pm.
