Redline Racing's Scott McKenna and John Ferguson battled the elements to pick up podium trophies from the third meeting of the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season at Oulton Park (22/23 August). The Teeside squad, who remain the most successful team in Carrera Cup GB history with ten drivers’ and teams’ titles to their name, headed to Cheshire with a four driver entry of McKenna, Ferguson, Matty Graham and Dorian Mansilla. After tackling wet weather during free practice on Friday, a damp but drying circuit greeted them for qualifying the following morning. With conditions improving as the session wore on, it came down to the final few laps of the session to set the grid for race one. A promising display from Graham in his Eighty One Powerdrink machine saw him secure fifth on the grid, while Mansilla picked up a seasons best seventh. McKenna was one spot further behind in eighth, while Ferguson came away a strong third in the Am class. It was similar track conditions for the opening race that afternoon, with Graham adapting well as he ran fifth for a long spell before moving up a spot late on. In his matching black and gold Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, McKenna came away with a sixth place finish. A grid penalty from the previous round meant Mansilla started 14th, but on a circuit notoriously difficult to overtake around he fought back well to 10th in class at the finish. Ferguson meanwhile finished a great second in class on the road, but a track limits penalty dropped him to fifth. For the third consecutive weekend, the reverse grid draw for race two placed one of the Eighty One Powerdrink cars on pole position. For the second time it was McKenna, who led the field in drying conditions in front of the live ITV4 television cameras. A fast start for Graham meant the team-mates ran one-two in the early stages. While they eventually slipped back a couple of places, McKenna picked up his third podium finish of the campaign so far, while Graham completed a fourth place double for the weekend. Ninth for Mansilla continued his record of finishing in the Pro class top ten in every race so far, while a bold tyre gamble for Ferguson paid off. The only driver to go on slicks, the track came to him in the closing stages and he fought through to a superb second Am class win of the year. Simon Leonard – Team Boss: “It was one of those meeting’s where you never knew what the weather was going to do and the conditions were changing every time we went on track. That made it tough for the drivers, but they all did very well – especially the three rookies. “John [Ferguson] put in the drive of the weekend in race two. He did superbly in the early stages with slick tyres on a damp track, and then he fought through the pack well when the conditions came to him. It was a fantastic win which he richly deserved. “Scott [McKenna] and Matty [Graham] are continuing to progress well in their first seasons and are getting in the thick of the action at the front. We’re confident a win will come their way soon, while Dorian [Mansilla] is continuing to improve in every session and is getting consistent results.” Heading into the next rounds of the championship this weekend at Knockhill in Scotland (29/30 August), Graham lies third in the Pro standings with McKenna fifth and Mansilla tenth. Ferguson is third in the Am ranks, while Redline Racing lie second in the Teams Championship.
Image from Dan Bathie / Porsche GB.