Ignas Gelzinis returned to the TOCA package and Juta Racing returned to the Porsche Carrera Cup of Great Britain with a bang over the Easter weekend, with the youthful Lithuanian the proud leader of the Pro-Am1 series standings.
Qualifying in tricky conditions netted the former Clio Cup UK driver a brace of eighth position for the opening encounters of the new season.
Describing his start to the first race, he quips “It was tricky because I had to hold the brake, throttle and clutch at the same time. That was challenging!”
Having negotiated said tricky procedure, Gelzinis excelled in a race marred by safety cars and a red flag, the consequence of chaos amongst the packed field. He would finally finish one place higher than he qualified and as the second finisher of his classification. “That was something we never would have dreamed of when we arrived here.”
His race two was far more dramatic. Once more the Porsche field proved more than adept at occupying the dedicated marshals, this time Gelzinis was one of the guilty parties after contact.
Yet having been assisted back onto the circuit he made it to the end of the race as the last classified finisher. Yet all of the drama in the race wiped out every one of his other class competitors and thus he was the delighted if bemused victor. “I have to say a big thank you to the race-marshals for helping me out of there,” he adds.
The championship and Juta Racing’s young charge now head to Belgium and the showpiece event of the season at Spa. Gelzinis is certain to be in the hunt for Pro-Am1 honours. Don’t write him off for an overall podium either.
