Ten of twenty races have been completed in the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup and the season has started to take shape.
Defending champion Michael Meadows (Samsung Sport) made, by his standards, an indifferent start at Brands Hatch but a win double at Donington Park and three victories in a row at Thruxton and Oulton Park put him in charge of the championship and made, him, once again, the man to catch.
“I’ve had eight pole positions and two seconds. We’ve been fast everywhere and that’s when the results come. I have a nice lead rather a big one in the championship so it’s important to be sensible and pick up the points as they come and it all makes a difference in the big scheme of things.”
Newcomer Dean Stoneman (Redline Racing) shook up the established order with a blistering start to his Porsche Carrera Cup career. In a strong signal of intent he won both races at Brands but then struggled to replicate that form.
“It almost went too well at Brands and since then it hasn’t quite gone my way and everybody is expecting me to do to the job I did with Brands but nothing is going to plan.
I have found it quite hard to adapt to the Porsche – it’s the only car where all the weight is in the back.”
After disappointing weekends at Thruxton and Oulton Park Stoneman took a step back and increased his focus on health and fitness. The 22 year old is still recovering from testicular cancer and he has yet to return to the same level of fitness as before his illness.
And the more relaxed attitude paid off as Stoneman made a terrific start to the first race at Croft leaving Meadows and the rest in his rear view mirror. He went on to record his third win of the season.
But the Hampshire driver was blamed for an incident early in the second race at the North Yorkshire track and was excluded from the results. His battles with Meadows and Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) will be a feature of the second half of the season.
Of the chasing pack Butcher catches the eye with his driving style, Jonas Gelzinis (Jita Racing) is Mr Consistency and Porsche scholar Dan Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) won at Thruxton but they are all chasing Michael Meadows who has no intention of relinquishing his title.
Nigel Bidmead