It was a case of what might have been for Xentek Motorsport in the final round of the 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge GB at Brands Hatch this past weekend (07/08 October), with Danny Dwyer cruelly denied a trip to the podium to end the campaign.
The South Yorkshire team concluded their first campaign in one-make Porsche competition with a total of five Am class podium finishes, as Dwyer pieced together an impressive campaign behind the wheel of his Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit played host to the final weekend of the season, with Dwyer getting reacquainted to the world-famous layout during free practice on Friday. Great progress that day led into a really positive qualifying session on Saturday, as he posted the fourth fastest time in class.
Dwyer went on to run in fourth throughout the opening race that afternoon, impressively piling pressure on the driver ahead as he narrowly missed out on a podium result. Another brilliant charge followed in race two on Sunday morning, as he shot up two places to third in the opening few laps.
The London-based racer held onto third through the race and looked to challenge for second on the final lap, however a robust defence from the driver ahead led to him being forced off circuit. Losing traction on the grass, he was pitched into a spin and unfortunately ended his race in the barriers.
As well as losing a podium result in that race, there was double frustration as that incident left him towards the back of the grid for the final race. Good progress in the early laps saw him move into the top six and after just grabbing fifth place, his race sadly ended in the gravel trap.
Sarah-Jayne McKenna, Team Manager: “We’re gutted that Danny didn’t get up onto the podium this weekend, as he gave it everything out there and after just missing out in race one, he really deserved to take away a trophy after his drive in race two.
“Overall, we’re incredibly proud of his performances this season. It’s been a very competitive championship and he’s been right in the mix for class podiums every weekend. As a team, we’ve enjoyed being in the Porsche paddock this year and hope to expand our presence in 2024.”
Xentek Motorsport have one race weekend left in their 2023 season, with the Ginetta campaign concluding at Donington Park in two weeks' time (21/22 October).
Image from Porsche GB.