Team Redline Racing scored a superb pair of class victories to kick off the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season, with Dan Cammish and Micah Stanley taking to the top step of the podium at Snetterton this past weekend (12/13 June).
The Teesside team, the most successful in Carrera Cup GB history with ten drivers’ and teams’ titles to their name, have an exciting five car entry for the new campaign, with Cammish and Stanley joined by James Dorlin, Jake Rattenbury and Josh Caygill.
The biggest news in the championship over the winter was the return of two-time champion Cammish after three years away in the BTCC. The 2015 and 2016 victor came back in style at Snetterton, winning the opening race and securing the early championship lead.
In his eye-catching new Duckham Oils backed Porsche, Cammish laid down a marker by setting the pace in Friday practice. A great lap secured him second in qualifying the next day, a position he went on to hold from start-to-finish in the opening race on Sunday morning.
Cammish was promoted to victory post-race however following a time penalty for the on-the-road winner, making it five Carrera Cup GB wins in a row at Snetterton for the Yorkshireman. In the partial reverse grid final race, he impressively fought through from sixth on the grid to second.
Joining Cammish on the top step of the podium over the weekend was Stanley in the competitive Pro Am class. It marked a stunning debut for the young talent, who had missed out on a lot of pre-season testing due to travel restrictions from his home in Monaco.
The 20 year old lit up the timesheets in qualifying to secure the Pro Am pole position, which set him up perfectly for a faultless lights-to-flag win in the opening race. He led away from pole again in race two and whilst he lost some ground early on, he still completed a great double podium of his own in third.
Team Redline Racing’s line-up for the Carrera Cup GB was bolstered mere days ahead of the season opener with the signing of reigning Porsche Sprint Challenge GB champion Dorlin. He faced a tough challenge at Snetterton, with only two test days in the car ahead of the meeting.
The former tin-top champion qualified a strong eighth fastest, having lost a top six effort to track limits, and made a fantastic start to race one to climb up to fifth. He eventually slipped back to seventh by the chequered flag, a result he followed up with ninth in race two.
Tackling a full season in the championship following an impressive debut in the 2020 season finale meanwhile was Rattenbury. After scoring a podium finish that weekend, he had more silverware in his sights at Snetterton and boosted his chances by qualifying a great third in Pro Am.
The Welshman moved up to second in the early stages of race one and was firmly in podium contention until an unfortunate moment at the first corner dropped him back to sixth. He backed that up with another strong showing in race two, coming home seventh in class.
For Caygiill, Snetterton marked a long awaited Carrera Cup GB debut after having to sit out the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Qualifying seventh in the Pro Am class, progress forwards was the focus across the opening two races of the season.
The former BTCC racer was left frustrated by seventh in the opening encounter, but a great run in the second race saw him climb from 21st to 14th overall as he picked up a fifth place Pro Am finish to complete a strong double points finish for the weekend.
Team Redline Racing leave Snetterton with the championship lead in both the Pro and Pro Am categories, with Cammish and Stanley leading their respective classes by five points and one point respectively with 14 races of the 2021 season remaining.
Simon Leonard – Managing Director: “What a fantastic start to the season! To win the opening race of the year in both the Pro and Pro Am classes is a brilliant feeling and a great reward for every member of the team for their hard work across pre-season and this weekend.
“You know exactly what you’re going to get from Dan, he is a true professional and he slotted straight back into the team and the car like he’d never been away. It was no surprise to see him back on the podium from the start and there’s a lot to be excited about this season.
“James jumped in at the deep end with limited running, but he got into the thick of the action and with more seat time, he’ll be a force in the Pro ranks. Micah was absolutely brilliant all weekend and richly deserved his two podium finishes. We’ve got high hopes for what he can achieve this year.
“Both Jake and Josh are making good progress and learning every time they’re in the car. It’s early days for both and as they get more time in the car, we’re confident they’ll both be picking up their fair share of Pro Am silverware across the campaign.”
Next up for Team Redline Racing is a busy double header on June 26/27, with the Porsche Carrera Cup GB competing at Brands Hatch on the same weekend as the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB returns to action at Silverstone.
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.