Redline Racing Take Double Carrera Cup GB Class Victory At Thruxton

Redline Racing’s John Ferguson recorded a superb pair of class race wins as the team encountered some high-speed thrills and spills in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Thruxton this past weekend (19/20 September). With top speeds of 164mph and an average lap time of over 110mph, Thruxton certainly lives up to its title of the ‘fastest circuit in the UK’ when the Carrera Cup GB comes to town with its pack of 485bhp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The Teeside squad headed into the meeting in positive spirits after Matty Graham secured their first overall race win of 2020 last time out at Knockhill, and this time around it was Ferguson on the top step of the podium as he enjoyed his best weekend of the season. The Irishman had starred at Thruxton twelve months ago with two Am class wins and he was immediately back up to speed to finish second in class in qualifying. Trading the class lead in the early stages of race one, he made a decisive move at mid-distance to take the win. From the class pole in race two, Ferguson initially slipped to second but fought back to the lead. A superb defensive display in the closing laps ensured he completed the double, while in a race full of dramatic punctures for others, he finished a stunning fifth overall. Graham and Scott McKenna meanwhile had aspirations for overall podium silverware in their Eighty-One Powerdrink backed machines. It was Graham who led the charge in qualifying in fourth overall, with his team-mate two spots behind. A grid penalty carried across from Knockhill meant Graham started race one in seventh though. He gained two places on a good opening lap and was challenging for fourth when unfortunate contact - for which the other driver was penalised - led to a retirement. McKenna meanwhile slipped to eighth in the early stages, but he ironically benefited from his team-mate’s incident to move into the top six. That crucially secured him the reverse grid pole, continuing the record of a Redline car starting race two on pole in every meeting this season. Settling into fourth after an action-packed opening few laps, he then moved back into the podium places before suffering a race-ending puncture. Graham had earlier endured a tyre failure too, but he was able to return to the track for a sixth place finish in class. Simon Leonard – Team Boss: “We’re absolutely delighted for John! He’s shown all season that he’s capable of producing a weekend like this and he delivered with a superb performance. To take four class wins in a row at Thruxton is an impressive achievement. “It’s a real shame that Matty and Scott had such tough race days. Neither deserved the bad luck they encountered, with Matty’s contact in race one and then both coming off badly in the lottery of the punctures in race two. “They’ll both come back strongly at Silverstone though. Knockhill showed just how good these two are, with Matty getting his first win and Scott being only two corners away from his, and we’re confident they’ll be back on the podium alongside John this weekend.” The 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season continues this weekend at Silverstone (26/27 September).

Image from Dan Bathie / Porsche GB.