Team Redline Racing have continued their fantastic run of form in the Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB with another great podium haul at Oulton Park on Saturday (3rd July).
Following a fantastic collection of ten podium finishes across the opening three events, the Teesside squad were in high spirits as they kicked off the second half of the season with a busy day of competition in Cheshire, with qualifying and two races fitted in within a seven hour spell.
Jack Bartholomew was in great form heading into the meeting, having scored a race win in each of the last two outings at Brands Hatch and Silverstone. He started the day in style in qualifying, with a blistering final lap in wet conditions securing him pole position for a second consecutive weekend.
Behind the wheel of his YESSS Electrical and Ecosphere backed Porsche Cayman, Bartholomew impressively led a large portion of the opening race before settling for second at the finish. A repeat performance in race two secured him a sixth podium of the season to continue his title challenge.
After joining the team at Silverstone last time out, Alex Malykhin led the challenge in the Am class across the day. From third in class on the grid, the Belarusian ran second throughout the opener and then briefly led race two at one stage before completing a podium double in third.
Nigel Rice and Pete Chambers have been front-runners in the Am class across the season so far with Redline, and they were once again in the mix at Oulton Park. Proving fairly inseparable across the day, it started with Rice qualifying fifth in the Am ranks, just one place ahead of Chambers.
The duo were involved in some great wheel-to-wheel competition as part of a multi-car battle in race one, with Chambers finishing fifth and Rice seventh. The latter got the upper hand in race two though, taking the chequered flag in fifth, one place ahead of his team-mate.
Simon Leonard – Managing Director: “These one day events are always present a unique challenge as a team and for the drivers, whilst the changeable weather conditions added more intrigue to the day. Everyone did a fantastic job though and we’re delighted with the results on track.
“Considering it’s his first season in the series with limited pre-season testing, up against drivers with a year’s more experience with the car, Jack is doing an incredible job. Back-to-back pole positions show his speed and the podiums keep him in the mix for the championship.
“Alex made a big step forward today compared to Silverstone and richly deserved his two podium finishes, while Nigel and Pete enjoyed some great racing out there. After a busy few weeks, we’re looking forward to catching our breath and getting everything prepped for maximum attack in the closing months of the season.”
The 2021 Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB enters a summer break now before returning to action alongside the BTCC at Thruxton (27-29 August). In the meantime, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB goes racing at Oulton Park (31 July-1 August).
Image from Porsche GB.