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Motorsport

01 Jul 2024

Photos by Gary Hawkins

Porsche Racers Star at Supercar Pageant

Porsche Racers Star at Supercar Pageant  

Porsche Club Motorsport’s three race series were the stars of the show at Oulton Park’s annual Supercar Pageant with big grids and great racing. Father and son duo Mark and Jake McAleer took a win each in the Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli, while Jamie Callender and Jason Brown were first time winners in the Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli, and Mike Thompson claimed both Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup victories.
 
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli& Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
 
Race One
The opening race for the Club and AM championship racers started the afternoon’s race action, though it was a dramatic start as an incident before the first corner that took out four cars saw the race immediately halted and recovery operations started. The race resumed once everything was clear but minus Pete Morris and Pete Evans from the Club Championship field and AM Championship front runners Andrew Porter and Shiraz Khan.
 
Simon Clark made the best start from pole to lead into the first corner in his 997, with the Cayman S of Ed Hayes into second from James Caley and Jake McAleer. Clark’s lead was short-lived as he pulled off at Druids, Hayes now ahead and Jake McAleer already pressuring James Caley for second, Mark McAleer now fourth and closing in.
 
Jake McAleer was into second on lap five and set about closing the gap to Hayes out front, setting the fastest race lap to be with the leader heading into lap nine, and past at Hislop’s to take the lead. Behind, Mark McAleer was right with James Caley and took third on lap eleven, the top three finishing in that order.
 
“That’s my first win for far too long in this championship, 2019 I think!” said Jake. “I had to work hard, made the best start of my life, going round the outside of the first corner worked out well, It’s a new car, only its fifth race, amazing thanks to Dave at Car Tech & Care for building the car, and for Hartech for a great engine.”
“It was quite a battle, it was all falling into place and then Jake arrived on the scene,” said Hayes. “It was really enjoyable, I was pleased to be racing at the front and great to be on the podium.”
 
In the AM class with the demise of the lead pair on the grid in the original start it was Jamie Callender’s Boxster S who led from Darren Labbett and Angus Archer, those three-running close in the early part of the race. Around half distance Callender had opened a gap, and Archer was right with Labbett but unable to find a way past.
 
Archer finally got past Labbett on the very last lap though Hislop’s and even managed to close on Callender, but the leader stayed clear to take his first AM class win – on his birthday.
 
“It was so close at the end, I lost an arch liner which meant I lost a bit of grip and they closed in,” said Callender. “I was able to bring it home, pole and a win on my birthday, a good day.”
 
“That was a lively race, managed to dodge everything in the first start,” said Archer. “I had a great battle with Darren, I think he missed a gear on the last lap, but it was good fun.”
 
Race Two
Clark was on pole again in his repaired County Classics 997, but it was Mark McAleer, from the second row of the grid, who made the best start and driving round the outside of the first corner emerged ahead of Clark. Mark McAleer crossed the line at the end of the opening lap leading a six-car train of Porsches, heading Clark, James Caley, Chris Dyer, Hayes and Jim Bryan, with Jake McAleer next up.
 
The lead duo had just opened a gap after three laps, while the driver on the move was Jake McAleer, into fifth by that point and third after four laps in his flying 997 C2S. A great lap five from Jake McAleer saw him pass Dyer and James Caley to move up to fourth, and also close in on the lead pair, Clark now with an RVR UK Racing/Car Tech and Care 977 in front and behind.
 
The lead three eased away, but with five laps left light rain began to fall, the pace barely easing despite the field being on slick tyres. Mark McAleer held onto take his second win of 2024, Clark second with Jake McAleer third.
 
“That was a proper workout,” said Mark McAleer. “That was a good, clean, flat-out race, and at the end I really didn’t want to be seeing the rain, it was getting slippery out there.”
 
“I didn’t make a great start,” said Clark, “and this is a difficult circuit to get past on and then Jake caught us up. I was hoping for even more rain – and a big thank you to Mark and Jake as they lent us the suspension arm, we needed to get out in that race.”
 
Bill Caley came through a battling mid-field gaggle to claim fourth, and looked to be closing on the leaders at the end, with father James fifth.
Daren Labbett headed the AM Championship runners at the end of lap one, with the Boxster of Jason Brown in second from the quick starting Jess Wilkinson.  Angus Archer was fourth and closing on the lead trio, as Labbett started to come under pressure from Brown.
 
Lap six saw the order shuffle, Brown going past Labbett in the first corner, while Wilkinson tumbled down the order as Archer moved into third. Race one winner Callender was now moving quickly and into the top three, but picked up a track limits penalty that was to drop him down the order at the end, Brown taking his first AM Championship win from Labbett and Archer.
 
“We have been working hard to get up to the front,” said Brown, “I was losing pace a bit when the rain started coming in – that’s my first ever outright race win.”
 
“It was tricky towards the end as it got more slippery,” said Labbett. “I’ll take second, I’m working hard on consistency but that is six podiums in six races.”
 
Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup

Race One

Perry Darling led the Boxster Cup field away for the opening race of the day with Ryan Charters and Mike Thompson in close company, but they were greeted by the Safety Car at the end of the first lap with a car stopped on the run down to Cascades. They were racing again after three laps, the lead trio close together.
 
Thompson had a long look at Charters heading into the Brittens chicane on lap six, and a lap later Darling dropped a wheel onto the grass at the same corner and Charters was into the lead. Into lap ten Darling was challenging for the lead and left a gap that saw Thompson slot into second, Darling retiring later that lap with a brake issue.
 
Thompson was now challenging for the lead, and a last lap move saw him head Charters home. Darren King came through for third, Ben Grewcock just holding off Wayne Gregory to take fourth, Sarah Thomson in sixth.
 
“I was good out the back of the circuit all race, and that paid off right at the end,” said Mike Thompson. “I almost lost it at the first corner at one point when the tyres were aging, but I was having to work hard to find a way past Ryan. A brilliant race – and they are always good when you win!”
 
“I had no peace all race, and at the end we were both so close and he got past at the chicane,” said Charters. “An enjoyable race, so close all the way.”
 
Race Two
Darling again led the field away in race two, Charters losing ground as Mike Thompson moved into second, and the lead before the end of the opening lap. King was second from Darling and Charters, Gregory in fifth, Sarah Thomson next up but with Ben Grewcock closing in.
 
At the front Mike Thompson was determined to take a second win on the day and was able to open the gap lap by lap, King a second clear of Darling who had Charters right with him and was trailing his rear spoiler from lap four before it detached itself two laps later. As Darling lost ground, closing in on Charters was Gregory, who moved into third when Charters spun on lap eight.
 
Thompson duly reeled off the remaining laps to take his first double win in his time in the Boxster Cup, King second for his first ever double podium. Gregory was third from Charters, Grewcock passing Sarah Thomson on lap ten to take fifth.
 
“It’s my first ever double win,” said Thompson. “I pushed hard early on and was losing my brakes and tyres towards the end, I could see what gap I had in my mirror.”
 
"That was a battle, but Mike was the fastest man all day,” said King. “This is my home circuit and I have customers, friends, and family here so a great time to do it. I had to work hard for it.”
 
Porsche Club Motorsport Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Jake McAleer (997 C2S) 11 Laps
2 Ed Hayes (Cayman S) +0.793s
3 Mark McAleer (997 C2S) +0.263s
4 James Caley (997 C2s).
Fastest Lap: Jake McAleer 1m48.935s (88.96mph).
 
Race Two:
1 Mark McAleer 14 Laps
2 Simon Clark (997 C2S) +0.491s
Jake McAleer (997 C2S)
4 Bill Caley (Cayman S)
Fastest Lap: Jake McAleer 1m50.155s (87.97mph).
 
Porsche Club Motorsport AM Championship with Pirelli
Race One:
1 Jamie Callender 11 Laps
2 Angus Archer (Boxster S) +1.006s
3 Darren Labbett (Boxster S)
4 Jason Brown (Boxster S)]
Fastest Lap: Darren Labbett 1m55.360s (84.00mph).
 
Race Two:
1 Jason Brown 14 Laps
2 Darren Labbett
3 Angus Archer
4 Jamie Callender.
Fastest Lap: Jamie Callender 1m54.944s (84.31mph). 
 
Woods Foodservice Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup
Race One:

1 Mike Thompson 12 Laps (Boxster S)
2 Ryan Charters (Boxster S) +1.372s
3 Darren King (Boxster S)
4 Ben Grewcock (Boxster S).
Fastest Lap: Perry Darling (Boxster S) 1n58.234s (81.96mph).
 
Race Two:
1 Mike Thompson 13 Laps
2 Darren King +2.75
3 Wayne Gregory Boxster S)
4 Ryan Charters.
Fastest Lap: Wayne Gregory 1m58.070s (82.08mph).
 
Next Races: Anglesey, Gwynedd, Wales. 13th July 2024