Andrew Rackstraw qualified on pole for the first time in his Porsche Carrera Cup GB career before going on to extend his Pro lead in the UK’s fastest single-make series after two hard fought races in his Rosland Gold by Century Motorsport team Porsche Carrera 911 GT3 Cup car at Thruxton Circuit.
The 23-year old Capetonian driver was in a class of his own as drivers jockeyed for grid positions – with Andrew’s best qualifying time of 1:11.737 (an average speed of 118.23mph) the fastest a Porsche Carrera 911 GT3 Cup car has ever lapped the 2.35-mile Hampshire circuit.
Andrew made a perfect race start, launching his Rosland Gold/Investchem/Sparco-backed Porsche off the line to lead for 20 of the 22 laps. In what became a two-horse race for victory, he had been punching a hole in the air for Will Martin to follow in and, with just two laps remaining, his rival overtook – leaving Andrew to settle for second.
The reserve grid for race two saw Andrew start from fifth. He made another great get-away from the inside of row three, but with the lead cars evenly matched there were very few overtaking opportunities during the 22-lap encounter, leaving Andrew to finish in the position he’d started.
The Porsche Carrera Cup GB now takes a summer break before it resumes at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire for Rounds 7 and 8 on 2/3 August – where Andrew will arrive with a 13-point Pro series lead.
There is no slowing down for Andrew, however, who will attend this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, continue his in-demand driving coaching work and prepare hard to make sure that he’s fitter, stronger and faster for the second half of the Porsche Carrera 911 GT3 Cup!
“Last year I got my first Porsche Carrera Cup GB race win at Thruxton and this year I got my very first pole position there,” says Andrew.
“And what an incredible feeling that was – the fastest a Porsche Carrera 911 GT3 Cup car has ever gone around the ultra-fast circuit!
“I gave it my absolute all in race one but just couldn’t get the win. P2 it was, but valuable points gained nonetheless.
“I want to dedicate that race to the bravest young kid I have ever known, a brother I’ve always wanted who’s going through a tough time. That race was for you buddy.
“For race two I started P5 and finished P5. It’s definitely not what we wanted, however, we still scored great points and came out of the race weekend extending our championship lead.
“We’ve got a big break now until the next race, and we’ll be working harder than ever during the off time to make sure we are better than ever when we get back into the car.
“And I must say an enormous ‘thank you’ to everyone at Century Motorsport and Rosland Gold Racing for all the hard work they are doing behind the scenes. It’s been a great first half to the season.”
Published by: Paul Evans
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