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For more details on Phil Quaife please visit www.philquaife.com

Hard-charging Quaife takes podium in eventful Snetterton weekend

Phil Quaife scored a race 1 podium with a through-the-field drive, but was denied a race 2 repeat by a combination of bad luck and a bizarre late-race Safety Car incident in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Snetterton.

The weekend began in fine style for the Kent-based racing driver on Friday as excellent pace in testing saw him go second fastest, just a couple of hundredths of a second behind championship leader Michael Caine. But a qualifying session ruined by traffic meant he had to rely on all his race craft to salvage third place in race 1.

Starting from seventh, Quaife made a superb getaway from the grid and was fourth by the end of the first lap having passed Caine, Jake Rosenzweig and Tim Bridgman on the opening tour. Bridgman re-took the position later in the race as Quaife battled to get temperature into his tyres, but the BRDC Rising Star fought back again in the dying stages and nipped past both Bridgman and Charles Bateman in the latter part of the race when the two had a coming together while fighting over third place.

A podium finish was just reward for a battling drive and Quaife admitted he was pleased to join Jota Sport team mate Sam Hancock and race winner Tim Harvey on the rostrum. “I think that was probably the best start I have made all season,” he admitted afterwards. “The car felt good and we were coming into our own towards the end of the race. I was right with Tim and Charles when they touched and went off, so to get third position was a very good result after what happened in qualifying.”

A problem in the closing stages of race 1 meant the team replaced the gearbox on Quaife’s Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car for race 2, but he suffered the worst possible start when a problem with the clutch on the grid saw his car begin to creep before the lights and then stall completely when he touched the brake pedal.

After eventually getting away, Quaife began to fight his way up the 18-car field to seventh by lap 12, only for more bad luck to halt his progression. Having passed Porsche VIP drivers Sarah Franklin and Jack Clarke, Phil was the unfortunate victim of an incident between the two which saw Franklin swerve into him and cause him to puncture.

A pit stop for a new tyre once again dropped him to the back of the field, but he had clawed his way up into the top ten when a Safety Car period was called. Unusually, the Safety Car missed the race leader and instead picked up Quaife and RSS Performance’s George Mackintosh, losing both drivers a full lap. After realising the mistake, the clerk of the course allowed them to pass the Safety Car and catch up the back of the field, but bizarrely then restarted the race before they had the chance to do so. Having lost around half a lap, Quaife had to settle for ninth.

“I don’t seem to be getting any luck at the moment,” said Quaife after the race. “Usually the rule is that the Safety Car doesn’t come in until everyone is in a line behind it. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and it meant I had no chance of making further progress through the field as there were only a few laps left. I think it has definitely cost me some important championship points.

“Overall it’s been quite a frustrating weekend because we had the pace on Friday to challenge for wins. But qualifying didn’t go my way because of the problems I had in traffic and that left us facing an uphill task.

“While I’m happy with the podium in race 1, I’ll be glad to put this weekend behind me and look ahead to Oulton Park where I am sure the results will be better.”
 

Frustrating FIA GT3 weekend for Quaife at Oschersleben

Phil Quaife’s first-ever visit to German circuit Oschersleben didn’t bring him much fortune as the Kent-born racing driver and Apex Motorsport suffered a luckless weekend in the FIA GT3 European Championship.

The BRDC Rising Star, who missed the last round of the series at Monza due to a clashing Porsche Carrera Cup GB commitment, returned to the Apex line up to race one of their Jaguar XKRs alongside Stuart Hall. Unfortunately technical problems early in the weekend limited the pairs’ running in practice and left the duo playing catch up, with just a 24th place race 2-finish to show for their troubles.

Having lost the entire first practice session with a driveshaft problem and much of the second with a fuel-feed issue, Quaife did a sterling job in qualifying to line up 16th on the 41-car grid. A fine start propelled him to 10th in the opening stages where he found himself embroiled in a four-car scrap for seventh. Unfortunately, disaster struck on lap 11 when the Tonbridge-based racer hit some oil at the fast Triple left hander and spun into the gravel and retirement.

“We lost so much time in practice that I was still learning the track during qualifying,” Phil said. “Nevertheless 16th wasn’t bad and I made a good start to fight in the top ten. Unfortunately there were a few incidents ahead which resulted in some liquid being spilled on the track, but there were no red and yellow flags waving, so I didn’t slow down. When I hit the oil I was just a passenger.”

Team mate Hall qualified 26th for race 2, just a few tenths of Quaife’s earlier qualifying time. A good start moved the Jaguar through the field and the pair looked set to challenge for a top-ten finish when the Safety Car was called just as Hall pitted to hand to Quaife.

Sadly, as Phil emerged from the pits, the red light came on at the end of the pit lane as the Safety Car appeared at the top of the start/finish straight, meaning his Jaguar was trapped and lost a lap as the pack cruised by.

It was a stroke of bitter luck for the team and although Quaife posted a string of quick consistent lap times during the remainder of the race, he could only recover to finish 24th.

“It was a tough break on what was a tough weekend for us,” reflected Quaife. “Stuart and I didn’t know the circuit and, despite all the team’s hard work, we were always playing catch up due to the amount of time we lost in practice.

“But Oschersleben was never going to be easy for us as the Jaguar XKR is better suited to fast flowing circuits. But now we’ll have a test before the next race and hopefully have much more success at Brno in September.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain

Quaife nets Pro Class podium at chaotic Croft!

Kent-based racing driver Phil Quaife followed up a sixth place Race 1 finish, with fourth overall and third in class in a chaotic Porsche Carrera Cup GB weekend at Croft.

Conditions varied from blazing sunshine to torrential rain at the North Yorkshire circuit, but the Jota Sport racer managed to avoid trouble and score some precious championship points, which included a fantastic through-the-field drive in race 2.

Having gone third quickest in Friday’s practice session, Phil was in confident mood for qualifying on Saturday. However, with temperatures significantly higher on Saturday morning and track conditions completely different, his car’s set up didn’t prove to be as quick, leaving him slightly frustrated at fourth on the grid for race 1 and fifth for race 2.

In Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Quaife got too much wheel spin off the line and lost places to team mate Sam Hancock and championship leader Michael Caine by the first corner. He immediately closed the gap to Caine in the opening laps, but couldn’t maintain the pressure and settled for sixth, and fifth in class, at the chequered flag.

Race 2 was far more eventful as the heavens opened on Sunday. The entire field lined up on wets, but with a dry line forming, several drivers, including Quaife, dived into the pits after the warm up lap to change to slicks.

Starting from the back of the queue in the pit lane, after his Jota Sport mechanics got delayed by the previous BTCC race’s cars in parc fermé, Quaife proceeded to produce a superb drive through the field. He passed Tommy Dreelan, Bob Lyons, Tony Gilham, team mate Hancock and Tim Bridgman in the opening laps to run fourth, and was right on the tail of the second place battle between Caine and Tim Harvey. After battling hard with the experienced duo, and attempting several passing manoeuvres, he touched a kerb and had a grassy moment, losing him a few a seconds, and couldn’t close the gap in the remaining laps. With race winner Stefan Hodgetts competing in the invitation class, Quaife tasted the podium champagne with a third-in-class finish.

Quaife said: “I didn’t make a good start to race 1 and then suffered with high speed understeer and mid speed oversteer meaning I couldn’t do better than sixth. In race 2 we were all looking at each other after the warm up lap to see who was going to go for slicks. I went for it, but the team had a problem getting all their equipment to the car in the pit lane because the BTCC race had just finished and the cars were parked everywhere! That meant I was right at the back, so to get a podium from there is very pleasing. It’s slightly frustrating not to have been challenging further up the field after the great pace we showed in Friday’s test, but the main bonus of the weekend is that I’ve scored more points than a couple of the guys ahead of me in the championship.”

Quaife happy with solid points haul from tough Thruxton visit

Phil Quaife left the high-speed Thruxton with a strong tally of points following rounds seven and eight of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, despite a weekend besmirched by misfortune.

A slow puncture during qualifying, which was only diagnosed after the session, left the Kent-based driver fifth on the grid for the two races and then contact in race 2 cost him a shot at a podium. Nevertheless, fourth and fifth places gave Phil a haul of 26 points from the weekend and still firmly in the title hunt ahead of the next round at Croft on 1 June.

In race 1, Phil made a strong start from the inside of the third row and inherited fourth place at the end of lap 1 when race leader Michael Caine went off at the chicane and dropped down the field. Quaife defended superbly in the opening stages from Charles Bateman behind, the two drivers battling nose to tail at speeds well in excess of 120mph. The fight came to an end as Bateman made a late lunge at the chicane, outbraked himself and ended his race in the tyre wall.

With the pressure from behind having eased, Quaife quickly closed the gap to the top three and was just 0.6 seconds from a podium finish at the chequered flag as he just failed to make his way past Tim Harvey.

Phil said: “It was a very good battle with Charles because his car was slightly quicker in the faster corners and I had to defend very hard. He made his move late on and I gave him enough room, but he ended up in the tyres. Fourth was a decent result and we were just behind the front three which was pleasing.”

Phil started from fifth again in race 2, but this time suffered off the line as he got boxed in and was passed by Bateman, Duncan Tappy and Nigel Rice. On lap 3 he pulled off a fine manoeuvre around the outside of Rice to recover seventh, but was hit in the side and into a spin by the Red Line Racing driver.

Having rejoined in tenth, Quaife immediately picked off Matt Blyth for ninth and was eighth as Rice retired with accident damage. Tony Gilham was passed for seventh and retirements for Harvey and Tappy saw the charging Jota Sport driver up to fifth. In the dying stages he cut the gap to fourth placed Caine from more than 20 seconds to nothing, but couldn’t force his way past the championship leader despite concerted pressure in the final two laps.

“I made a really bad start,” Phil admitted, “but things got worse when Rice hit me. I’d got the move done and he just hit me in the side and spun me round. For the rest of the race my tracking was way out, which made it very interesting driving down the straight!

“We’ve not had much luck this weekend. The slow puncture in qualifying meant we were further down the grid than we should have been and then the incident in race 2 stopped us being right up there with my team mate Sam Hancock who won the race.

“Having said that though, I’ve never had much fortune at Thruxton in the past. I was taken out in a big accident in the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2006 and also had an engine failure in the Radical Enduro Championship the same year, so it’s safe to say his isn’t one of my favourite circuits! To take good points from both races is a huge positive though and I can’t wait to get to Croft, a circuit I love, in two weeks time.”

Brilliant victory denied after Quaife penalty imposed at Donington

Phil Quaife pulled out all the stops in round six of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Donington Park as he flew home to victory, only to be stripped of it minutes later, once a two-second penalty was applied by the Clerk of the Course, dropping him to third. 

The 22-year-old had a difficult start to the weekend as too much wheel spin off the line from seventh on the grid in race one saw Quaife quickly passed by Nigel Rice. But he soon fought back delivering the Red Line Racing driver a dose of his own medicine and with everyone else staying out of trouble, he sat tight from there to finish sixth behind MacLeod. 

But race two was a different story. He made a stunning start, passing Tim Harvey, Charles Bateman and Michael Caine on the first lap to sit comfortably in second behind Bridgman. He remained there, despite the challenges posed by the rain, and finished the race off with a courageous move past Bridgman in the final chicane, to take the win. Unfortunately his debut victory was short-lived as a penalty imposed by the Clerk of the Course for overtaking under a yellow flag dropped him down the order to third. 

Quaife reflects on his day: "Race one wasn't too good for me as I had a lot of wheel spin off the line and Nigel Rice passed me on the first corner. The second race was great, though, and it's a real blow to receive a penalty, but I respect the Clerk of the Course's decision. In the heat of the moment it was really difficult to see because we were jostling for position, but that's racing. The team did a fantastic job today, the car was faultless in the race and consistent all the way through, so a big thank you to the guys. I'm just looking to Thruxton now, boosted by our overall performance and hoping to make amends. We've made excellent progress with the set up this weekend so that bodes well for the rest of the season."

Quaife stays third in championship despite testing Rockingham weekend

Phil Quaife held onto his third place in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB drivers’ championship, despite a frustrating weekend in rounds 3 and 4 of the 2008 season at Rockingham.

A gearbox failure left the 22-year-old Jota Sport driver stranded on the grid in race 1 and, while a strong drive in race 2 secured fifth place and some crucial points, the trip to Rockingham was tinged with disappointment.

Things looked to have started on a positive note for the former Pro-Am champion when he showed superb pace in Friday testing, topping the timesheets in the wet, but sadly that proved to be the highpoint of the weekend.

Qualifying seventh for both races, Phil’s race 1 woes were tempered by a fine drive in Sunday’s afternoon encounter. He nailed both Dean Smith and Charles Bateman on the first lap to take fifth and began to close rapidly on the podium fight between teammate Sam Hancock and championship leader Michael Caine. Despite suffering from high speed oversteer after the mid race point, Phil maintained his position to finish behind Hancock at the chequered flag.

Quaife was philosophical afterwards and explained why he thought both he and Hancock had been unable to match their impressive Friday pace on Saturday and Sunday. “The weather was strange all weekend,” he said. “Sam and I were really quick in both the wet and the dry on Friday, but it rained heavily overnight, washed all the rubber off the track and meant the conditions were completely different on Saturday. The set up we thought we’d perfected the day before wasn’t as effective as the track was so green and that hampered us in qualifying.

“Race 1 was obviously very disappointing, but sometimes these things happen and the boys in the team worked really hard to get my car ready for race 2 where I was able to score some good points. It wasn’t our best weekend, but there’s a long way to go this season and we’ll be keeping our chins up, working hard and looking forward to Donington in two weeks time.”

Quaife returns with double podium at Brands Hatch

Phil Quaife marked his return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with a pair of podium finishes at the season-opening double header at his home circuit Brands Hatch, to leave him third in the drivers’ championship.

The Jota Sport driver survived slippery race 1 conditions to take fourth overall and third in the Pro category, and drove a strong race 2 on Sunday, despite suffering with understeer, to take third and his second podium of the weekend.

Quaife started 4th for both races after a solid qualifying performance on Saturday afternoon and lined up the weekend’s first race on dry tyres on a damp, but drying track. In a Safety Car-interrupted race, Phil enjoyed a sterling battle with those on wet tyres, eventually overhauling Steve Rance for fourth overall and third in the Pro category.

“It was a difficult, but thoroughly enjoyable race,” said Quaife. “It was seriously slippery out there, but I think we made the correct decision to go with dry tyres, despite the Safety Car periods causing us a lot of problems. Every time it came out, we slowed right down and lost all the temperature in the tyres. When it pulled in it was a matter of defending furiously from the guys on wets until we could get the tyres back up to temperature and pull clear again.”

Race 2 saw Quaife plagued with high speed, mid-corner understeer as he battled to keep pace with leading trio Michael Caine, Tim Harvey and Tim Bridgman. The leaders pulled out a small gap in the opening stages, but a determined drive saw Quaife closing rapidly on Bridgman in the second half of the race, before the Formula Palmer Audi champion had a huge off at Paddock Hill Bend to hand Phil third place.

“Michael and the two Tims were very strong at the beginning of the race and with the understeer I was suffering I had to drop back,” Phil revealed. “However, what pleased me most was that my lap times were very consistent throughout the race. When I looked at the data at the end there was only about four tenths difference between my quickest and slowest laps. That consistency meant I was able to catch the front three towards the end and I was only a couple of car lengths behind when Tim Bridgman went off.”

32 points leave Quaife third in the drivers’ championship, behind Caine and Harvey, and Jota Sport second in the teams’ championship on what was a very satisfying weekend for all concerned.

“I really enjoyed the whole weekend,” Phil said. “I can’t complain about two podium finishes and whilst there is still some more time for us to find, the team have done a phenomenal job in a very short space of time. We’ll knuckle down before the next round at Rockingham to perfect our set up, and I’m very confident we can go there and be challenging for race wins.” 

 
For more details on Phil Quaife please visit www.philquaife.com