Tom Sharp will exit the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2017, and make the transition to the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Sharp has contested two seasons of the GB championship with standout moments being his dice for the Rookie award in 2015 with Dino Zamparelli and his victory on the Brands Hatch GP circuit during the same year.
IDL Racing will make their international Porsche debut for a full-season campaign, expanding to a two car outfit to accommodate Mark Radcliffe who is also making the step-up from the Carrera Cup GB.
Sharp joins double British champion Dan Cammish, who is teaming up with Walter Lechner’s eponymous squad for his maiden assault on the world series, in moving to the Supercup in 2017. Cammish will continue in Carrera Cup GB in an effort to claim a historic third title, with Sharp set to exit the series on a permanent basis.
Supercup 2017 will see the introduction of the Generation 2 Type 991 GT3 Cup, with the whole field starting from the same base level. This should give Sharp a chance to fight on equal terms with the international contingent, although circuit knowledge will be a key question mark over his prospects next season.
Speaking about his new deal, Sharp commented, “A massive thank you has to go to our loyal sponsors, as their continued support is what has made this happen. We should remain realistic about what we can achieve, but our accomplishments back in July at Silverstone [during the British GP support race] will be our benchmark.”
Comment: “Tom Sharp moving into the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup is, on face value, simply a logical move from a national level to an international campaign. However, there is more to it than simple logic. Since his move from Ginetta racing to Porsche competition Sharp has consistently demonstrated his potential in GT racing and beyond that, the potential of a small and tight-knit family team to achieve some incredible results. There is no reason to believe that both team and driver cannot transpose this David and Goliath play to the Supercup, and if they do, heads will certainly be turned within the Formula 1 paddock. Achieving that would be both team and driver’s greatest success so far.”
