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Porsche Club Championship

McAleer Wins on Track as White Takes Title

Races 13 and 14, Croft, North Yorkshire

23^rd and 24^th September 2006

Yorkshireman Mark McAleer was a double winner as the Porsche Club Championship visited his home circuit of Croft, but caution in tricky conditions made sure Ian White left the North East as Class One winner and the newly crowned 2006 overall champion.

A first and second place in Class Two was enough to see Richard Lambert win that class title and take second overall.

Qualifying

As has often been the case this season, McAleer's 968 CS and White's Carrera battled it out for pole. McAleer finally secured the place by 0.473s, while the next of the Class One cars was James Neal's 964 C2 in seventh.

Richard Lambert's Carrera just edged out Fraser Robertson's 944 in Class Two to score the point for pole and keep the pressure on White in the points table, and Volker Eickmeyer was the only Class Three runner in his 911.

Race One

McAleer and White ran as one until Tower corner on the opening lap, before White decided to back off and conserve his title aspirations.

"I wasn't going to risk anything," explained White, "and Mark got me around the outside of Clervaux at first. When we went into Tower side by side I decided I had better let him go!"

By the end of the 13-lap race the gap had opened to over two seconds, with White well clear of Class Two winner Lambert, who also picked up the point for fastest lap to keep himself in championship contention. Marcus Carniel's 911SC just held off Robertson for fifth and second in Class Two, with James Hilliard's 944 third in that class and rounding off the top six.

"That went according to plan more or less," said White after the race.

With Eickmeyer retiring on the second lap, there were no Class Three finishers.

Race Two

Marcus Holden was absent from Sunday's grid, the race the final round of the season and now the title decider. A heavy shower had made the track extremely slippery and as the lights went out it was Carniel that led the field off the line and into Clervaux, with White second and Robertson slotting in behind.

McAleer moved into third out of Tower after Robertson had the first of many spins on the greasy track, while Lambert, Dave Botterill and Neal led the rest. McAleer started to close on White into Sunny on lap two, and exiting the Hairpin White slowed and let his rival charge past to set off in pursuit of leader Carniel.

Lambert followed through and kept the lead pair in sight as White eased up in fourth and waited to be crowned champion. "All I had to do was finish the race," he explained.

McAleer found his way past Carniel through Clervaux on lap four, but Carniel immediately retook into the chicane. As their lead started to grow, Neal started to make inroads on White for fourth.

With grip at a premium Carniel got sideways out of Tower on lap seven and allowed McAleer and Lambert to close again. But it was the penultimate lap before McAleer found his way through to clinch win number two out of Clervaux.

"I knew Ian didn't want to get involved. If I hadn't had a bad Silverstone this could have been my championship," rued McAleer, who had retired with a driveshaft problem from the Silverstone race two weekends ago.

Neal and Oliver completed the top six, with Botterill and Hilliard completing the top four in Class Two. Eickmeyer once again failed to make the finish in his Class Three 911.

Result Race One: 1 Mark McAleer (968CS) 13 laps in 21m13.059s (77.200mph); 2 Ian White (Carrera) +2.873s; 3 Richard Lambert (Carrera); 4 Marcus Carniel (911SC); 5 Fraser Robertson (924); 6 James Hilliard (944); 7 David Botterill (924 Carrera GT); 8 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera); 9 James Neal (964 C2); 10 Marcus Holden (Boxster). Class Winners: McAleer; Lambert. Fastest Lap: McAleer 1m36.681s (78.195mph).

Result Race Two: 1 Mark McAleer 10 laps in 20m04.486s (62.765mph); 2 Marcus Carniel +2.763s; 3 Richard Lambert; 4 Ian White; 5 James Neal; 6 Ian Oliver; 7 David Botterill; 8 James Hilliard; 9 Chris Milne; 10 Fraser Robertson. Class Winners: McAleer; Carniel.

Race 13, Oulton Park, Cheshire

16^th September 2006

White Continues Run of Success at Oulton Park

Porsche Club Championship leader took another step towards claming the 2006 title with his third win in a row and eighth of the season at Oulton Park. Title rival Richard Lambert won Class Two to keep the pressure on White heading for the final races at Croft next weekend, while Mark McAleer kept his hopes alive with third place overall.

Lambert is now 19-points behind White on 266-points, with Croft offering two races and bonus points for running in the final rounds of the season. A win in Class Three at Oulton Park has seen Chris Berry move into third overall in the points, 258 points and nine clear of McAleer in fourth.

Qualifying

Ian Oliver claimed pole position for the 15-minute race, his first ever in three years of racing.

"It was a bit of a surprise," said Oliver. "I have never started from pole before, but we knew from the times we were there or thereabouts. It was case of hanging back and finding some space."

White was second quickest, and not dismayed at missing pole: "The front row is perfect - you can keep out of trouble from there."

Marcus Carniel headed Class Two and was third overall, ahead of Tom Segrue and Lambert, who was hampered by a vibration from a rear hub. McAleer was another with problems, a down on power engine seeing him only eighth on the grid. Chris Berry headed Ian McLeod in Class Three.

Race

At the start White swooped in front of Oliver to take the lead - but the race was stopped after just a lap due to an incident at Lodge corner. Segrue was nudged into a spin, and collected by Chris Milne, eliminating both cars from the restart.

White repeated his start for the second time of asking, Carniel looking to go outside Oliver into the first corner, only to go wide and spin back across the front of the entire pack - somehow without touching another car.

"I thought I was going to be hit by everyone!" said Carniel, "I went to eh outside and just ran out of space."

Carniel's spin split the field, White, Oliver and Mike Clapham clear of the rest, headed by McAleer, his car now fully back on song.  As Oliver harried the leader, McAleer reeled in Clapham, taking third on lap on lap four.

With the race reduced in time due to the incident at the first start, the front two were out of reach of McAleer, White holding on for the win despite the pressure from Oliver. Lambert came through to take fourth and win Class Two, keeping his championship hopes alive, while Marcus Carniel was closing on Clapham in fifth at the end - having climbed back though the field after his spin.

"My first start was fantastic," said White, "then I had to do it again. "Ian was with me all the way and trying hard - if I do well in the first race at Croft then I'm there."

"I really wanted to beat him off the line the second time," said Oliver, " but he was too quick. I had to choose the moment to go by, but he never gave me a clear opportunity. I really enjoyed that - now we seem to have found some reliability then we can be really on the pace."

"I didn't know if we had really sorted the problem from this morning till the race started," said McAleer, "but the car was good - if it had been right in qualifying then we could have won."

"We still had the noise and vibration in the race," said Lambert, "but when I saw Marcus spin then I knew I had a chance of winning the class."

Chris Berry headed home Class Three: "I had a quite a lonely race - the hairiest moment was just missing Marcus!"

Race - 12 Minutes (6 Laps):

1 Ian White (911 Carrera) 12m11.797s (80.94mph) 2 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera) +0.361; 3 Mark McAleer (968 CS); 4 Richard Lambert (3.0 Carrera); 5 Mike Clapham (968 CS); 6 Marcus Carniel (911 SC); 7 James Hilliard (944 S2); 8 Gordon Matthew (968 CS); 9 James Neal (964 C2); 10 Chris Berry (9111E).  Class Winners: White; Lambert; Berry. Fastest Lap: McAleer 1m59.731s (80.94mph).

Next rounds: Croft, North Yorkshire, September 23^rd and 24^th 

Races 11 and 12, Silverstone, Northants.

9^th September 2006

White Moves Closer to Title with Silverstone Win

Ian White took his seventh win of the 2006 Porsche Club Championship in the PMC Trophy race at Silverstone - and with his title rivals faltering has moved closer to claiming the overall prize. White was chased hard by Mark McAleer until he suffered mechanical failure, and then by Kevin Harrison in the 30-minute race - and now has a 19-point lead over Richard Lambert with McAleer a further 11-points back.

 Marcus Carniel took the Class Two win, ahead of Lambert who was another of White's title challengers to suffer mechanical dramas. Alex Eacock won Class Three ahead of Chris Berry.

Qualifying

The 30-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon 52-cars take to the track, the Porsche Club and Open fields being combined for this race on the wide expanses of Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit.  White was the quickest of the Club runners, with Ian Oliver second and James Neal third, the circuit favouring the 911-style cars in qualifying as McAleer and Harrison lined up fifth and sixth in their 968s.

Ben Demetriou claimed his first class pole to head the Class Two runners ahead of Marcus Carniel and Lambert. Eacock headed Class Three just ahead of Chris Berry.

Race

The Porsche Club field were released 20-seconds after the Open field, and it was White who moved into the lead, with Harrison and McAleer coming through to be second and third at the end of lap one.

The continued to lap in close formation, McAleer looking for a way past, until on lap seven when the Yorkshire racer pulled off at the end of the Hanger Straight.

"I just lost all drive," explained McAleer. "I was really enjoying the race until then, and I just hope we can sort it out before the race next weekend. It's obviously a massive blow to my championship hopes."

Harrison continued to harry White over the remaining laps, but could only briefly find a way past at Stowe corner only for White to regain the lead with a better exit. Neal and Oliver took third and fourth.

"It was the perfect result for me," said White "I pushed hard in qualifying and it was a tough race at a quick pace. I just have to keep doing the best I can do and I'd love to wrap up the title before the final race."

"The race was a bit like our battle at Brands," said Harrison. "I know Ian is fighting for the title and I didn't want to take him out, but I got ahead at Stowe only for him to hold the inside and get me back out of the corner - it was a good race."

In Class Two, Lambert had led for the early laps, but Carniel had gone past on lap eight and held on to take the points for the class win. With White taking maximum points Lambert needed to match his tally, but an unusual car problem meant he had to settle for second.

"The gear lever came off!" explained Lambert. "I managed to get it back on, but from then could only use third and fourth gears and couldn't catch Marcus. I now have to try to score as many points as I can and rely on others having problems."

"I missed a gear at the start - and starts are normally my strong point," said Carniel. "I went past Richard when he was slow through a corner and after that just tried not to make a mistake. It was a fantastic race - I really enjoyed it."

Eacock and Berry kept up their usual close battle for Class Three honours, the former holding on to take the win. "It seemed like we were swapping places every corner," said Eacock. "He was very quick and finally I was able to use the traffic and open a gap."

PMC Midlands Trophy race - 30 Minutes (14 Laps):

1 Ian White (911 Carrera) 32m24.673s (82.86mph)

2 Kevin Harrison (968 CS) +0.533s;

3 James Neal (964 Carrera 2);

4 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera);

5 Marcus Carniel (911 SC);

6 Richard Lambert (3.0 Carrera);

7 Ben Demetriou (911 SC);

9 Gordon Matthew (968 CS);

10 Mike Clapham (968 CS). 

Class Winners: White; Carniel; Alex Eacock (944). Fastest Lap: Harrison 2m15.039s (85.14mph).

Next round: Oulton Park, Cheshire, September 16^th

Another Double for White at Silverstone

Races 5 and 6, Silverstone, Northants.

13^th and 14^th May 2006

It was two more wins for Porsche Club Championship leader Ian White on Silverstone's National Circuit, though class rival Mark McAleer pushed him hard on each day. Tom Segrue and Richard Lambert took a win each in Class Two, while Class Three honours were shared by Alex Eacock and Chris Berry.

Qualifying

McAleer took his first pole of 2006, just heading White's Carrera with Ian Oliver third on the grid. McAleer set his time early in the session then sat in the pits as White lapped quickly without being able to beat his mark. 

"The track and car were good," said McAleer, "and we had no problems. I came in early as we weren't getting any quicker." 

"As far as I am concerned that is a point lost," said White, referring to the point awarded for pole position. "We haven't had time to get the car fully back together after the damage at Castle Combe, but if I can get a good start it should go well in the race."

Tom Segrue headed the Class Two runners in third overall, with James Hilliard next up, second in that class and his best qualifying position in the series. Title challenger Richard Lambert was third quickest, the lead three in the class closely matched on pace. 

"There was lots of traffic out there," said Segrue, "but this track suits my car and I'm aiming to beat Richard away and take the class."

 Alex Eacock continued his run of form in Class Three with the class pole ahead of Alan Newbold and Chris Berry.

Race One

The red flags were out in seconds of the first attempt to start Saturday's race as the slow starting Colin Ingram's 911SC was struck heavily from behind by the unsighted Chris Stewart. With the track blocked the race was halted, both drivers unhurt but both Porsches damaged. "This could end my season," said Stewart, whose 911E had ridden up and over Ingram's rear wing, "it will take the rest of my budget to repair the car." 

White led the field away for the second time, with McAleer close behind in his 968 CS. Segrue tucked into third, but Lambert spun at Brooklands on the opening lap dropping him down the order. 

McAleer was right with White, Segrue closing up and holding a watching brief on the battle for the front, content to lead Class Two with Lambert having lost ground. A fastest lap for McAleer on lap eight that saw him close right up was answered by White a lap later with a fastest lap of his own, with Hilliard pulling off from sixth on that lap with a gearbox problem. 

Into Becketts on lap 11 a touch from behind saw White spin, McAleer and Segrue going past with White rejoining third and on a charge. A series of fastest laps saw White back with Segrue and going past on the inside through Woodcote, and he then closed in on McAleer, regaining the lead by taking his Carrera down the inside into Copse on lap 19. 

White pulled clear to take his fourth win of 2006, with McAleer taking second. Segrue looked secure in third until suffering a suspension failure at Becketts with a lap to go, letting Oliver up to third and handing Marcus Carniel the Class Two lead - Carniel crossing the line with the recovering Lambert less than a second behind. 

"I got tapped going into Becketts and spun round," explained White. " After that, I have never been so determined in my life to get back in front, and I went past cleanly down the inside through Copse." 

"I braked a little late at Becketts," said McAleer of the incident, "then I clipped a kerb which unsettled the ABS, it was just a mistake. After that my front bumper was rubbing on a tyre and it was overheating - the car was understeering and there was nothing I could do to stop Ian going past."

"My tyres were going off and I knew I wasn't going to catch Tom," said Carniel, " so it was a bit of a win by default when I saw him stopped. I knew Richard was catching me but I was just able to hold him off." 

"I spun on my own at Brooklands," said Lambert, "and I just couldn't quite catch Marcus." 

Eacock made it three in a row in Class Three with his 944, heading home Berry and Newbold. "It was a good race," said Eacock, " but I was a bit relieved to finish as the engine was sounding a bit sick - it's a standard road engine and has done 185,00 miles now!"

Race Two

White led the field away in Sunday's 30-minute race, McAleer initially being beaten away by a fast starting Carniel and dropping to third. A lap later McAleer was into second, and closed on White, the two then running close for the remainder of the race.  

McAleer twice looked round the outside of the leader as they reached Brooklands, but White never gave him a clear opportunity and they crossed the line still in close formation in that order. 

"I had to defend all the way," said White. "We even touched a couple of times at Brooklands, but we were close and that is racing. I wanted to do well this weekend as we go to Cadwell Park next and I have never been there before - this gives me a bit of a cushion in the points table."

"That was really close," agreed McAleer, "I went round the outside a couple of times, but then I started to lose my brakes as we were running so close and they were getting no cooling air. I arrived at Copse on one lap and there were no brakes at all." 

Carniel lost third to Lambert, who was storming up the order after losing ground on the opening lap. The Class Two leader recovered from seventh on the first lap to take third by lap eight, opening a gap to the rest as the race progressed. Class rival Segrue came through to take fourth from the back of the grid. 

"I like to make it hard for myself," joked Lambert. "The car jumped out of gear on the line, then I just had to keep going as hard as I could and stay ahead of Tom. This weekend I have had two eventful races - they have both been hard work." 

"I lost ground due to some yellow flags," said Segrue, " but I would have needed at least another 10 or 15 minutes to catch Richard." 

James Neal brought his 964 Carrera 2 home fifth, while another fine drive was that of James Hilliard, who came through to sixth from the back row of the grid after repairing the gear linkage of his 944 overnight.A highlight of the race was the Class Three battle, Chris Berry ending Alex Eacock's run of victories in a close fought dice with his."Alex made me work for that," said Berry. "I actually thought he was in front of me early on so I was pushing hard, then I saw him in my mirrors. He got ahead at one point but I went back past, and it was a good hard, clean, race."

Race 1: 1 Ian White (911 Carrera) 27 laps in 30m.55.737s (85.94mph); 2 Mark McAleer (968CS) +2.962s; 3 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera); 4 Marcus Carniel (911SC); 5 Richard Lambert (911 Carrera) 6 Richard Harrison (911 Carrera CS); 7 Ben Demetriou (911SC); 8 James Neal (964 Carrera 2); 9 Chris Milne (911SC); David Botterill (924 Carrera GT). Class Winners: White; Carniel; Alex Eacock (944). Pole Position: McAleer 1m07.606s (87.27mph). Fastest lap: White 1m07.395s 

Race 2: 1 White 27 laps in 30m58.236s (85.82mph); 2 McAleer +0.236s; 3 Lambert; 4 Segrue; 5 Neal; 6 James Hilliard (944 S2); 7 Oliver; 8 Milne; 9 Carniel; 10 Demetriou. Class Winners: White; Lambert, Chris Berry (911E). Pole Position: White. Fastest lap: McAleer 1m07.223s.

Next rounds: Cadwell Park, Lincs, July 1 / 2

Races 3 and 4, Castle Combe, Wiltshire

1^st May 2006

Dramatic Double for White at Combe

Ian White took two very different victories as the Porsche Club Championship runners had two races on a busy Castle Combe Bank Holiday raceday. White was the fourth driver to take the chequer flag at the end of the first race after an incident on the circuit - but it was shown a lap late and he was awarded the result after leading the previous lap. His second win was more straightforward, while Class Two victories went to Richard Lambert and Tom Segrue, and Alex Eacock took two Class Three wins.

Qualifying :

 Marcus Carniel claimed his first Porsche Club pole on a damp track at Castle Combe, the Class Two runner an impressive margin clear of the rest who were headed by class rival Fraser Robertson. "I was on new dry tyres ands scrubbing them in," explained Carniel, "I knew I was quick as I was staying with people but I've never had a class pole before let alone an overall one!"

Class One runners Mark McAleer and Lewis Tootell filled the second row of the grid in their 968s, while the combination of a slippery track and the high-speed Camp corner caught out several runners, including Snetterton race winner Ian White who slammed broadside into the tyres but continued. "I was off-line passing someone," said White, who ended up eighth on the grid, " and I'm just happy I hit sideways on - this must be my worst qualifying position in years."

Richard Lambert was another to be further down the grid than usual: "My pit crew were comparing my times to Ian White's," said Richard. "We were ahead of him so I thought we were doing fine!" Alex Eacock headed up Class Three.

Race One

Carniel got his 911SC off the line well to head the field away, while a blinding first lap by White saw him come through third. Both McAleer and White went past Carniel on lap two, with Tootell following through two laps later. 

White went ahead on lap four, with Tootell sliding into second a lap later. A series of fastest laps saw White open a gap, but Tootell responded with his own quickest time and closed in. On lap fourteen he neatly boxed White behind a backmarker and went past, White looking to the inside at Camp a lap later and staying close on the run up to Quarry.

Into Camp on the next lap a move from White down the inside saw the two touch and slide wide in unison, White winning the drag race to the line, where the expected chequered flag did not appear. The two touched again at Quarry, White briefly going off and dropping down the order, while the closely following Fraser Robertson went off in avoidance and rolled his 944S2. Tootell took the flag at the end of the lap with Lambert's 911 Carrera in second, only for the official results to be rewound a lap to the 20-minute mark and White awarded the win, ahead of Tootell and Robertson.

"I was past Ian and comfortable when he tried to get past into the pit straight," said Tootell. "I always seem to struggle on the starts and then have to work my way through." His disappointment was obvious when news of the altered result came though: "You must be joking!" he exclaimed.

 "It's poetic justice," was White's verdict.  Lambert was third and took the Class Two win just ahead of Robertson, who took no further part in the meeting after the damage to his car on the lap that never was. Another with dramas was McAleer, who slowed with brake problems.

"Ian and Lewis left me with nowhere to go," said Robertson," and I went off trying to avoid joining in."  "The class win was important for me," said Lambert, "for a moment when I saw everything happen in front of me at Quarry I thought I might get the overall win."

 Alex Eacock brought his 944 home first in Class Three, pulling clear of Chris Berry as the race progressed.

Race Two

In the second of the day's two races the drama was on the opening lap rather than the first, White heading the field away, while behind him Tootell, Lambert and Carniel touched through Folly, Lambert being spun round and the other two receiving damage that ultimately put them out the race.

 White pulled open a gap on second placed Tom Segrue, who headed Class Two, with James Neal closing on Segrue in third. Neal went past on lap seven, but soon came under pressure from a rapidly moving McAleer, up from 17^th on the grid. McAleer took second on lap 13, but White was over 10 seconds clear and took the flag unchallenged. "I'm not sure what happened behind me on the opening lap," said White. "My car is a bit taped up from everything today but the handling was spot-on, it was a good win." "It was good to come through the field like that," said McAleer, "some of the Class Two guys are pretty quick. I've never been here before, but now I feel as if at least I know which way the track goes." 

Neal held on to take third, another to recover from problems earlier in he meeting. "I had electrical problems," he explained, " and missed qualifying and was at the back of the grids for race one. I started this one eighth and enjoyed that race." 

With Richard Harrison fourth, Segrue took fifth and Class Two victory. "I saw Tootell coming at me as it all happened on the opening lap," said Segrue, "and I managed to drive around the lot of them into second. I had lots of Class One cars around me, so I kept out of trouble and let them past." 

Eacock took a second Class Three win of the day, this time ahead of Chris Stewart, the two spilt by the recovering Lambert who finished 13^th overall. 

Results, Race One - 15 Laps:

1 Ian White (911 Carrera) 20m.06.230s (82.82mph); 2 Lewis Tootell (968CS) +0.066s; 3 Richard Lambert (911 Carrera); 4 Fraser Robertson (944S2); 5 Marcus Carniel (911SC); 6 Tom Segrue (944SC); 7 Richard Harrison (911 Carrera CS); 8 James Neal (964 C2); 9 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera); 10 Chris Milne (911SC). Class Winners: White; Lambert; Alex Eacock (944). Fastest Lap: Tootell 1m17.475s 

Results, Race Two - 15 Laps:

1 White 20m06.104s (82.82mph); 2 Mark McAleer (968) +14.345s; 3 Neal; 4 Harrison; 5 Segrue; 6 Oliver; 7 Gordon Matthew (968); 8 James Hilliard (944 S2); 9 Ben Demetriou (911SC); 10 Milne. Class Winners: White; Segrue; Eacock. Fastest Lap: McAleer 1m18.766s.

Next rounds: Silverstone, Northants, May 13^th / 14^th

Races 1 and 2, Snetterton, Norfolk

16 / 17 April 2006

White and McAleer Share Club Honours at Snetterton

Qualifying

White set the pace in qualifying, clear of McAleer's 968CS and the Carrera of Ian Oliver. "It's my first time in the car since last season," said White, his car bearing a 'for sale' sign, "and I'm here because Snetterton is my favourite circuit. I thought I was off the pace as we have been much quicker round here, but the track seems slow today." Colin Ingram's 911SC headed up Class Two while Berry was quickest in Class Three. A casualty of qualifying was the Boxster of Marcus Holden, which was towed in at the end of the session.

Race One

The drama started even before Sunday's 15-minute race for McAleer, a tyre deflating shortly prior to the race and seeing a tyre and rim re-mounted with minutes to spare. He was slow off the line, White taking his 3.2 Carrera ahead and Lambert blasting through from sixth on the grid to be second at the end of the first lap.

McAleer was soon in second and closing on White, as fluid down at the quick Coram corner made life hard for the 22-strong field. White went wide there on lap three and McAleer went past, and the two then stayed close until it was McAleer who went wide and White led once more. Despite setting the fastest race lap just before the end, McAleer couldn't get past into the final chicane and the win was White's. "That was a good hard, clean race," said White, "the fluid down at Coram made things hard, but it got better and it's good to win the first race." 

"It was a last minute thing to get us on the grid," explained McAleer, "and it was a good race but it would have been better to win it. I need a better start tomorrow."

Lewis Tootell worked his way up the order after a poor opening lap to challenge Lambert for third, and went past before a spin dropped him to fourth. Second to Lambert in Class Two was fifth-placed Ingram who finished just ahead of Oliver and Richard Harrison. Class Three went to Berry's 911E, with Stewart second.

Race Two

White led the field away from pole in Monday's race, McAleer and Lambert slotting into second and third. McAleer claimed the inside into Riches at the start of lap two, and moved ahead, setting a series of fastest laps on the way to opening up a winning gap at the front. White was never able to get on terms to challenge, but was secure in second as the race progressed.

"I got a good start today," said McAleer. "My car was strong in the opening laps and I was quick into certain corners all race. It's not a bad result for the first weekend, and even though there is a long way to go, I'm hoping I can be a front runner." He was quick today," said White, "and yesterday it seemed the backmarkers all benefited me, while it was the opposite today. I was only racing this weekend as I love Snetterton, but now I think I'm here for the season."

Lambert had a battle on his hands for third and Class Two honours, reigning champion Tom Segrue briefly snatching the place and running close until losing ground with a missed gear. "It's a perfect to start to the season," said Lambert. "I couldn't have done better and the car is one piece!"

Tootell was again in the thick of the action and survived battles with Oliver and James Neat to take fifth. This time Stewart got the better of Berry to claim Class Three in his 911.

Results Race One - 11 Laps:

1 Ian White (911 Carrera) 15m38.200s (82.39mph); 2 Mark McAleer (968 CS) +0.680s; 3 Richard Lambert (911 Carrera); 4 Lewis Tootell (968 CS); 5 Colin Ingram (911 SC); 6 Ian Oliver (911 Carrera); 7 Richard Harrison (Carrera); 8 Gordon Matthews (968); 10 Ben Demetriou (911 SC), Class Winners: White; Lambert; Chris Berry (911E). Fastest Lap: McAleer 1m21.614s (86.10mph).

Results Race Two - 15 Laps:

1 McAleer 20m34.207s (85.40mph); 3 White +2.953s; 3 Lambert; 4 Tom Segrue (944 S2); 5 Tootell; 6 James Neat (964 Carrera 2); 7 Oliver; 8 Harrison; 9 Marcus Carniel (911 SC); 10 Ingram. Class Winners: McAleer: Lambert; Chris Stewart (911). Fastest Lap: McAleer 1m21.098s (86.65mph).

Next rounds: Castle Combe, Wiltshire, May 1st

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