Team Parker Racing led the way in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill with driver Euan Hankey produced a superb performance in Rounds Twelve and Thirteen, taking a win and a second place, though there was disappointment for team-mate Stephen Jelley as he lost the championship lead.
24 year old Hankey qualified second fastest for race one and sat in that position early on. Stuck in a tough position of trying to challenge for the win while also defending from third, the Somerset-based driver did a good job in holding second throughout. He backed this up with a superb performance in race two, a blistering start catapulting him into the lead from pole, before he cleared off into the distance for his third win of the season.
Hankey said: “It's never straightforward, but I wish every day was like this. After the battle in the first race I knew I'd be in for a tough fight. But I got an awesome start – starts like that come once in a blue moon – and it was all about consolidating it from then on. It was consistency, consistency. I've got to take my hat off to the team for giving me such a great car.”
Team-mate Jelley came into the weekend as championship leader, but left the Scottish circuit in second place in the rankings. The Leicester based driver was fastest in Friday testing, but suffered over the weekend with a stomach bug.
The former BTCC race winner went sixth fastest in qualifying and finished in the same finish at the beginning of race one, before working his way into a fifth place finish in race two.
Carrera Cup rookies Sam Tordoff and Richard Plant both impressed at Knockhill, with Tordoff in particular using his previous experience of the circuit to good effect. Knockhill debutant Plant went tenth fastest in qualifying, one spot ahead of Tordoff, but the latter impressed most in the race, the Leed's based racer charging through to fifth, with Plant eighth. Race two saw Tordoff lead home Plant in a battle for eighth place.
There was delight for the teams Pro-Am1 outfit, with Dextra JD Pierce by Parker driver Derek Pierce taking his maiden class victory, finishing ninth overall on his home circuit. In race two he was part of a tough battle for second place, eventually ending up fourth. Pierce's usual team-mate Alex Martin was forced to skip the meeting after being advised to rest a bad back, while Team Parker's Pro-Am 2 runner John Taylor finished fifth and sixth in class in the two races.
Team principal Stuart Parker said: “Euan had a cracking weekend, but it's frustrating, if that makes sense. Stephen and Euan were first and second in testing, but we gave it away in qualifying. Stephen was held up in traffic, had a spin on his second set of tyres but still improved.
“Come the racing Euan was the meat in a sandwich in race one – should he attack or defend? In race two he had a blinding start, probably the best he's ever had, and controlled it thereafter.
“Stephen was not his usual jovial self this weekend but now he's put his bogey circuit behind him and he can concentrate on trying to win the championship, while Euan is on really good form and can definitely pick up the pieces.
“Sam was excellent in the test on Friday, so we were quietly confident, but both of them lost the best of their tyres trying to find a gap in qualifying. Sam drove a fantastic first race, and made the most of every opportunity that was presented to him to end up where he should have been in the first place!
“'Planty' got stuck behind people in both races on a track where it's probably easier to defend than anywhere else.
“Derek put in his strongest qualifying performance of the year. In the first race he made a perfect start, survived a harpooning at the hairpin and then got a result he thoroughly deserved. His second race was a bit harder, and he got a nudge and struggled a bit from then on.”
