News: Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 2006, 3rd September

Two victories for Motorbase in Scotland

Wins for Tim Harvey and Phil Quaife made it a successful trip to Scotland for Motorbase Performance during the Knockhill rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB (2/3 September).

On Thursday evening, Quaife represented the Carrera Cup GB in the 'BTCC Live Edinburgh' event, when he demonstrated his racing Porsche on a section of closed public roads just beneath the famous castle in the heart of Edinburgh.

"It's really weird driving the car on a public road," said Quaife after his first demonstration run. "But the atmosphere is great and the course is packed all the way up the hill," he said.

In testing at Knockhill on Friday, Harvey was third fastest and Caine fourth quickest, while Quaife headed the pro-am category. Typically changeable Knockhill weather hit the test day, with a dry first session followed by an afternoon session that started very wet but dried progressively.

Caine was pleased with his day's running. "In the morning, I did 24 laps in the 51s bracket, which I reckon is a good race pace," he said. Harvey, meanwhile, was content to be third fastest having not pushed for a quick time in the final moments of the afternoon session when the track finally dried out.

Harvey then judged the wet qualifying session superbly to take pole, while Quaife was third in the pro-am category, only a tenth of a second behind Andy Purdie and Sam Edwards. However, disaster struck Caine when an engine problem developed before the start of qualifying and he was destined to start the race from the back of the grid.

The opening race proved to be one of the most exciting races of the season as a steadily drying track made tyre choice crucial. While the rest of the field opted to stay on wets, Harvey and Caine both dived into the pits from the parade lap to change to slicks.

It was a bold gamble, as is meant that they rejoined the race dead last and for the first 19 laps they slithered around waiting for the track to dry out. But, lap by lap, their times improved and they started catching the tail enders. However, at one point, Harvey was almost 40s behind race leader Damien Faulkner. Then, over the final 10 laps, the slicks really came good and Harvey and Caine were able to scythe through the field into third and fourth and would probably have finished one-two if there had been just one more lap.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the race," said Harvey. "Every single lap was on the edge and it was a cracking fun drive. I'd rather race from the back on the right tyres," he added. Caine had driven an equally impressive drive during an enthralling race. "It was the right choice from where I was on the grid," said Caine.

For Quaife, meanwhile, it was a tough race as his car's set-up proved unsuited to the steadily drying track. But he battled on to salvage fifth place in the pro-am category and maintain his championship lead.

On Sunday, the race was all about tyre choice once more as a heavy rainstorm swept across the track just before the start. The grid was split on tyre choice, with Caine opting for slicks while Harvey and Quaife went for wets. As the race developed, wets proved to be the right choice and Harvey was peerless as he battled ahead of Faulkner to take a commanding victory.

"It's good to make up for yesterday," said Tim. "I thought I'd made the right choice, unless we got a safety car. From the word go, my car was better than Damien's!" Quaife also capitalised on making the right tyre choice to finish an excellent fourth overall and first in the pro-am category. "Before the race it was wets, slicks, wets, slicks and wets again! But the decision to go on wets paid off."

Unfortunately, Caine's gamble on slicks did not work so well and he battled home in ninth place, with the slicks only coming good in the closing few laps of the race.

Next comes a return to the team's home track of Brands Hatch for the weekend of 23/24 September and rounds 17 and 18 of the Carrera Cup GB.

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