Joe Tandy Racing
2024 News
09/04/2024
PCCGB Media / Launch Day 2024
The 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season got underway this week with the annual media / launch day which was held at a very damp and windy Donington Park, the fastest one make series enters its 22nd season with Joe Tandy Racing having not 3 but 4 drivers on the grid with new Porsche GB Junior James Wallis, South African Andrew Rackstraw and Josh Stanton, they will be joined by ex BTCC star Ollie Jackson. Ollie returns for his second season with the team hoping to build on his success of last year.
Ollie: ‘Great to be back with JTR for a second season in the car and build on lessons learnt towards the end of last year. The drivers in the team are already working well together and pre-season testing has been promising. I’m looking forward to getting out on track at my local circuit for me in a few weeks’ time’.
The drivers and the whole team can’t wait to get started for rounds 1 & 2 back at Donington Park on the weekend of the 27th & 28th April.
12/01/2024
New Year, New Season, New Talent
Its another year with another season of the fastest one-make series in the UK the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Joe Tandy Racing is delighted to announce news of our three drivers Josh Stanton, Andrew Rackstraw & the new Porsche Junior James Wallis for 2024.
Josh Stanton
Josh will be back for his 3rd season with the team, he won the Am championship in his first season with JTR and will continue in the Pro-Am class as he did in 2023.
The Boss “Josh, his family and supporters have become a real part of the JTR team in recent seasons, so we’re all delighted we’ll be going racing together again. 2023 was a transitional year into the Pro-Am class for Josh and whilst results were not as hoped for, the potential is definitely there. 2024 is a new start with new goals”.
Josh “Really excited to be back with JTR this year! The team have been fantastic over the last two seasons, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running together this season! Huge thanks to Evolution and Grayson Pace for their enormous support in getting me here – it’s going to be a great year!”
Andrew Rackstraw
Andrew 22 years old from Cape Town, South Africa is a rising star in South African motorsport with multiple titles under is belt, he started in Karting with regional and national wins including the rising star in 2017, in 2021 he became the South African Formula 1600 national champion, won the Killarney 9 hours in 2022, came 3rd overall in the Global Touring Car Series in 2023 and followed that with 3rd overall in the UK at the Walter Hayes Formula Ford weekend.
The Boss “JTR has a long history with the best drivers from South Africa, Andrew is the latest such talent to come our way. Whilst I didn’t know too much about him before his first test in our 911 at Donington, I knew much more after! His speed, attitude and willingness to listen, learn and communicate with our team meant he was immediately a candidate for our squad of drivers. As a rookie to full season GT racing, 2024 will not be easy but I fully expect him to surprise many and we look forward to having him in the awning”.
Andrew “I am immensely grateful that my childhood dream is coming true! Ever since I started racing my dream was to race overseas and now it’s happening! To be racing Porsche cup with JTR is something I could have only dreamed of! To have Nick Tandy and Jayde Kruger in my corner is something very special. I can’t wait for this year let’s see what we can do! I am definitely going to give it our all and go for the championship. Thank you so much to all my sponsors and everyone who has believed in me. Without all their support this would not be possible”.
James Wallis
James the youngest member of the team at just 18 years of age started his motorsport journey on oval circuits in Junior Nascar winning consecutive titles, he then moved to Junior Saloon racing in Saxo VTR and Fiesta Juniors, in 2021 he came runner up and Rookie champion in the Junior Fiesta championship, for 2022 he made the giant leap to GT racing behind the wheel of a Porsche Cayman in the GT Cup series winning the Group GTH championship for the following year he moved to the British GT driving a Mercedes AMG in the GT3 class. James was named the Porsche junior at the Night of Motorsport awards last November beating off 3 other candidates.
The Boss “James comes to us for 2024 as the new Porsche GB junior driver, a role that is highly regarded within UK motorsport. The fact he won the competition became no surprise once we tested with James at Snetterton. He is still very young but shows a level of thought and maturity behind the wheel of a 500hp racing car most cannot. We have lots of learning to do with James though the start of 2024 but we have all the tools available to us to do this. Our pre-season test program will begin very soon and we aim to hit the track running by the time we get to Donington for round 1”.
James “I can’t wait to get this race season underway; we have lots to learn and I feel I am with the right team to help me maximise my potential. We have lots of aspects to work on over the winter and hopefully we can go into round one at the sharp end”.
The new 2024 season gets underway on the weekend of April 27th.
2023 News
08/10/2023
The Final Rounds for 2023
On a warm sunny weekend, we come to the final two rounds of the fastest one-make series in the UK on the 2.4332 Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for rounds 15 & 16 of another exciting season in Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Qualifying took place in sunny conditions mid-afternoon on the Saturday, it was a session of two halves with minor set up changes and a change of tyres for some, at the end of the 30-minute session Gus was P7 with 1:26.216, Ollie P16 (P5 ProAm) 1:26.723 & Josh P20 (P9 ProAm) 1:27.102 this set the grid for Race 1 on Sunday.
Race 1
Again the unseasonal warm weather made conditions perfect for the opening race of the day, Gus starts P7 Row 4, Ollie P16 Row 8, Josh P20 Row 10, Gus had a great start up to P4 on the opening lap, Ollie up to P15 (P5 ProAm) and Josh also up to P19 (P9 ProAm) it was going to be a race to forget for Gus as an earlier incident left fluid on track at Surtees this caused havoc for the drivers, with Gus being one of them, he couldn’t keep control of the car going off onto the grass and down to P14 (P8 Pro) but instantly makes a place back up to 13th with Ollie P14 (P6 ProAm) Josh P18 (P10 ProAm) on lap 6 Gus & Giddings touch at Surtees Giddings is in the tyre barriers with a big hit, this brings out the safety car, Gus is now down in P19 with Ollie P12 (P5 ProAm) & Josh P16 (P9 ProAm) taking advantage of other drivers mistakes & mishaps, Gus has too much damage and retires, the barrier damage is extensive and taking too long to repair so officials through the chequered flag with 4 laps to go, Ollie takes P12 (P5 ProAm) Josh P16 (P9 ProAm) with Gus a DNF his first with the team.
Race 2
The final race of the season was late on Sunday afternoon, conditions where dry and bright, Gus would start from P11 Row 6, Ollie P16 Row 8, Josh P20 Row 10, it’s another cracking start for Gus up to 10th Ollie is 14th (P4 ProAm) and Josh P18 (P7 ProAm) after the first lap, Gus is fighting for 9th with Aspin and manages to make the place his next target is Stanley for P8 and on the next lap gets the spot, he now goes in search of Ellis but he has to make up 3 seconds, Ollie is still stuck in P14 (P4 ProAm) and Josh P19 (P8 ProAm) Gus sets his fastest lap of the race a 1:27.473 and makes up a second on Ellis just 2.7 the gap with 8 laps to go, he goes faster on the following lap 1:27.296 the gap down to 2.133 meanwhile in Pro Am Josh moves to P18 (P8 ProAm) Gus is still catching Ellis the gap 1.5 seconds by the end of lap 13 Gus is just a second off Ellis, on the following lap the gap is just 0.376 with Gus grinding out pace in his car to try and catch Ellis this he does on the penultimate lap and taking the flag in 7th Ollie is P14 (P4 ProAm) while Josh takes the flag P19 (P8 ProAm).
The curtain comes down on another Carrera Cup GB season we now wait just over 200 days to do it all again at Donington Park in 2024.
Gus: “It was a tough last weekend for me, the car was great but unfortunately, I didn’t get it together when I needed to in qualifying. Race 1 was an unfortunate DNF after contact and fluid was spilled onto the circuit. Race 2 I maximised what was possible coming from P11 to P7. Thank you to JTR for a great car, it’s been a pleasure to race for such a great team and get a couple of wins along the way.”
24/09/2023
Silverstone Glory for Gus & Ollie
Qualifying
It was a dry & bright day for qualifying on the 1.6404-mile short national circuit of Silverstone, the team would see Gus Burton return to the NAPA Racing UK car after Will Martin substituted for the Donington rounds. The 30-minute session was a tight close battle for Race 1 pole, Gus finished P3 with a best of 54.438, Josh P13 (P5 ProAm) 54.786 and Ollie P19 (P10 ProAm) 55.149.
Race 1
It was a damp start to the day for Race 1, all 21 cars went for the Michelin wets, but as the cars lined up in the assembly area Gus and Ollie gambled on the slick tyre, the red lights went out with Gus slow to get away he had no heat in his tyres so fell back to 6th, Josh on wets went to 8th with Ollie up to P19, Josh made a mistake and went off into the gravel and down to 10th with Gus also now in 9th and Ollie P19, on the following lap Josh spins on the greasy track and loses out and struggling at the back of the grid down in 21st, P8 now for Gus the tyres are warming up, on the next lap he moves from P8 to P6 the gamble to go on slicks is paying off, Gus’s next target is Pro Am racer Ross Wylie, Ollie is now P17 with Josh P21, Gus takes Wylie & Aspin and now 4th but this doesn’t last long and on the following lap gets 3rd, Josh enters the pits and changes from wets to slicks as the track is drying, Gus is just 3 seconds behind Rainford and catching fast, 20 laps to go Gus is flying just ½ second the gap but on lap 11 he takes the lead with Smalley following just behind, Ollie moves to P9like Gus he is flying, Smalley is all over Gus but Gus keeps his position this lets Kellett join the party the 3 are together, at the halfway point Gus still leads with Ollie now P10 (P2 ProAm) and Josh 21st back at the front it’s a 3 way battle and leaving the rest of the field behind 10 seconds the gap, Ollie is gaining on white for the pro Am lead with Josh P21 two laps down, Kellett is putting pressure on Smalley for 2nd this gives Gus breathing room and manages to pull away one second the gap, at the flag Gus holds on for his 2nd win of the season with Ollie P9 (P3 ProAm) he finished P8 but had a time penalty for a false start spinning on the green flag lap, Josh took P21.
Race 2
Race 2 had totally different conditions than race 1, the weather was dry and bright, Gus would start P6 Row 3, Ollie P9 Row 5, Josh P21 Row 11, Gus got away well and moves to P5 Ollie P12 Josh P21 after the opening lap, Gus manages to pass Kellett for 4th on lap 6 his next target is Ellis in 3rd with Ollie P12 and Josh moving up one to P20, Gus is now with Ellis and challenging for 3rd he tries the inside at the last corner but can’t make it stick, Ollie takes Dawes for 11th but gets caught out by White and loses the spot back to 12th, up front Gus as lost ground to Ellis while Josh as gone to 19th , then on the next lap he makes a stunning move late on the brakes for p18 15 laps gone 15 to go Gus P4 Ollie P12 Josh P18, Aspin pushes his way past Ollie for P13 Josh is now up to P17 Lap 23 and the safety car is deployed for debris on track, Gus gains another spot this is for track limits on Kellett he receives a time penalty, Gus is now P3 lap 25 the safety car is in and we are back to green racing with 2 laps remaining, Ollie is P10 Josh P16, on the final lap Ollie is P11 (P3 ProAm) and takes the flag for his 2nd podium of the day Josh is P16 (P8 ProAm) Gus gets mugged on the final corner by Graham & Rainford he takes the flag 6th.
Gus: “Another great weekend with JTR, a great call from the team to go slicks in Race 1 allowed for an exciting and successful performance bringing home my second win for the team in 2 weekends. I’m really looking forward to the finale at Brands Hatch in a weeks-time.”
Josh: “An unlucky weekend for us at Silverstone, we had strong pace but a mistake from me in Race 1 and being on the wrong tyre in a 50/50 call put us out of place. We deserved to be higher up but still plenty of positives! Huge thanks to JTR and Adam for a great car as ever and to the amazing support of my sponsors! Last weekend at Brands Hatch now so full focus and looking forward”.
Ollie: 2Bit of luck and a good tyre call salvaged a good weekend from a disappointing qualifying. Great to bring home silverware in both races at a track that has historically been a successful hunting ground for me. Looking forward to Brands GP.
The team now prepare for the final meeting of the 2023 season on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in 2 weeks time.
27/08/2023
Donington Double for Super Sub Will Martin
Rounds 11 & 12 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one-make series in the UK was held for this first time ever on the iconic Donington Park Grand Prix circuit, Gus Burton was racing at Zandvoort in the Porsche Supercup so experienced Porsche racer Will Martin stood in for Gus, Will came 3rd in the championship last year and races in the USA in the same series and currently has 3 wins.
Qualifying was held under brilliant sunshine with Will P11 (P8 Pro) a best of 1:28.945 just outside the top ten, Josh was P15 (P5 ProAm) a best 1:29.210 and Ollie P20 (P10 ProAm) a best 1:29.464.
Race 1
The first race of the day was an early start of 09:40, Will started P11 Row 6, Josh P15 Row 8, Ollie P20 Row 10, the track was damp with spits and spots of rain so all cars chose wet Michelin tyres, the start was somewhat hectic with De Haan off in the gravel at Redgate, Will was up to P9 after the first lap, with Josh and Ollie also gaining places Josh P13 Ollie P18, Wylie is in the gravel this brings out the safety car on lap 2 of the 19, after 2 laps the safety car is in, Josh is close to Giddings for P12 but cant get through, the track has a drying line appearing, Ollie thinks about taking Lockwood and makes his move up to P17, up front Ellis makes a mistake this promotes Will to P7, the rain is starting to fall again making the track greasy in parts and is changing with every lap, Will is now passed Foster and Bird P5 now, he now sets his sights on Matty Graham just 0.361 the gap, on the next lap he makes a great move to pass Graham and into the podium spots, Josh is still P14 (P4 ProAm) Ollie P17 (P7 ProAm) lap 9 of the 19 Will is just 1.951 behind Malin and closing fast, lap 12 Josh is now P13 gaining a place from Stanley, while Will is on his own in 4th, Lockwood retakes Ollie for P17, the rain starts again and is heavy, Smalley goes wide at the last corner, Will takes advantage and gets the position from the Porsche Junior it’s now P3 for Will, then Malin makes an error Will is now 2nd, Josh is P16 while Ollie is P18 at the flag Will takes 2nd a stunning drive from P11 to P2 with 9 places gained, Josh is P16 (P7 ProAm) & Ollie P18 (P9 ProAm).
Race 2
As with all the 2nd races in the series race 2 had a partial reverse grid, the draw saw Will P3 Row 2 with Josh P16 Row 8, Ollie P18 Row 9.
It’s another great start by Will but he gets pushed wide by Kellett, the safety car boards and flags are shown to all drivers as Ratcliffe is in the gravel at Redgate, Josh & Ollie have made places up Josh P13 (P4 ProAm) Ollie P14 (P5 ProAm) lap 4 and its back to green racing, Will is all over Smalley but he goes defensive and manages to pull away Ollie is now P12 (P4 ProAm) while Josh is up to P10 (P2 ProAm) meanwhile at the front Malin makes a mistake and Will gets his 2nd place back and only 0.721 behind the leader Smalley posting his fastest lap of the race on lap 6 a 1:30.037, Josh is in a 3 way fight with De Haan and Foster for 8th 9th & 10th Ollie is also in the mix and passes Josh, at the front Will is under pressure from Kellett 9 laps gone Will is still P2 Josh P11 (P4 ProAm) Ollie P12 (P5 ProAm) lap 10 and it’s all change with Josh P9 & Ollie P12 Ollie takes a trip through the grass but keeps the position Kellett is still with Will and managing to fend him off just 7 laps to go, Josh applies pressure to foster with Wylie just behind, Will is pulling away from Kellett the gap just under a second, Ollie takes Josh for P10 (P3 ProAm) Josh P11 (P4 ProAm) it’s a close battle between the team mates for the final Pro Am podium, lap 17 2 to go both Josh & Ollie are battling for 3rd you can’t separate them, but disaster strikes the tyre bale at the chicane is hit by another car just pushing it out of position, Ollie as nowhere to go and hits it damaging the right side wing and suspension sadly he is out but ok, Josh now as Wylie for company, but at the flag he manages to hold on for 3rd in Pro Am and take his 2nd podium of the season, with Will taking his 2nd runners up spot of the day.
Will: “After getting the invite to race at Donington with JTR in the NAPA racing car it was a no brainer and I am so glad I did.
Straight away we were on the pace at the start of the weekend however, this didn’t show for us in qualifying. The races were a different story, I had so much fun slicing through the field to get the NAPA car on the podium from 11th in very damp conditions. Race 2 was all about consistency and we had plenty of that. Being able to secure a second podium was a great way to end the weekend. I wish JTR and NAPA good luck for the rest of the season and I hope to be back soon.”
Ollie: “A weekend that saw us initially struggle for a bit of pace, only to find it and move through the field in race 2 to a class podium position. Sadly, it was brought to an abrupt end after an unsighted collision with the tyre stack as I eyed up the next overtake after an earlier driver sadly nudged it in my direction. Despite the damage, there is lots of positives and learnings we can take from race 2. Sadly, the car won’t make testing this week at Silverstone but let’s hope my many BTCC laps round there will be enough practice as we move forward in a few weeks’ time. Thanks to everyone at JTR, just sorry the race 2 pace didn’t materialise to silverware at the last minute.”
Josh: "its great to finish the weekend on a high with another podium at Donington Park! Race 1 was wet and threw us challenging conditions, but our pace was great...During race 2 we fought through from 6th to 3rd, after some crazy racing, managed to hold P3 and reach the chequered flag."
We now move on to Silverstone in about a month's time
13/08/2023
Victory & Podium for Gus & Josh
After the summer break the fastest one-make series in the UK returned for Rounds 9 & 10 at the Scottish circuit of Knockhill, it’s the shortest circuit on the calendar at 1.2669 miles in length with 9 turns. The 30-minute session was interrupted by a red flag with New Boy Gus topping the times with a 48.921 Josh 6th 49.336 (P2 ProAm) Ollie 17th 52.884 (P9 ProAm) it was only a short red flag with 21 minutes on the clock remaining, but this was once again interrupted by rain with 15 minutes left, all cars remained in the pit lane, Gus was still on top with a time of 48.583 at the flag his last pole was this time last year at the same circuit 12 months ago. Josh finished P11 (P4 ProAm) – 49.137 Ollie finished P20 (P12 ProAm) 49.599.
Race 1
The first race of the day was an early affair for the team 09:40 and with a fine dry weather, two green flags laps where completed with the lights out and the start of a 32 lap race, Gus got a great start and immediately pulled away, Gus continued his great pace he showed in qualifying and testing building up a cushion, the gap now 1.250, Josh is P12 (P4 ProAm) & Ollie P17 (P9 ProAm) Josh makes another place up now P11 but has now got Lockwood for company, Giddings is in the gravel so the safety car is deployed with 10 laps gone of the 32, Giddings car is recovered so its back to green racing 13 laps completed, Gus has again pulled away 0.763 the gap with Josh P10 (P3 ProAm) & Ollie P15 (P7 ProAm) Gus is flying and posts the fastest time of the race 48.594, 16 laps done 16 to go Gus is now 1.643 ahead of Smalley while Josh is in a fight for the final podium spot with Lockwood & White, Ollie is battling with McFadden, he over cooks the turn and slides into the gravel managing to get back on track but loses a couple of places now P18 (P10 ProAm) Josh is now behind Ellis for P10 but cant get passed, 10 laps remaining Gus's lead is now 2.577 and with each lap pulls steadily away, at the flag he is a staggering 6.283 seconds ahead of Smalley, to claim his first win of the season in the series and his first win for the team and Napa Racing UK, Josh takes his first podium of the year in ProAm with P3 and P11 overall while Ollie is P16 (P8 ProAm).
Race 2
For the 2nd race of the day (Round 10) with the partial grid draw Gus would start from P5 Josh P11 (P3 ProAm) Ollie P16 (P8 ProAm) all the three drivers went to the assembly area on slicks but the heavens opened with an almighty down pour so it was a mad dash to put wets on before they went to the grid, as in Race 1 the cars completed two formation laps, Gus gets a great start and puts pressure on Smalley in 4th, on the next lap he passes the Porsche Junior driver, Josh has been pushed around and finishes in the gravel at the final corner, the safety car is deployed Josh is out, Ollie is P15 (P7 ProAm) its only a short safety car and its back to green racing on lap 6, on the next lap Gus is up to P3 taking Matt Graham on the final straight plus takes the fastest lap 53.182 the gap to Rainford is a second and coming down, Ollie is up to P14 up two spots, 10 laps gone, Gus does another perfect lap a 53.038 on lap 13 he is just 0.615 behind and catching Rainford, the track has dry lines appearing with drivers looking for wet patches to cool the tyres, Gus has caught Rainford and applies pressure the gap 0.280, at the halfway point Ollie makes another pass but immediately loses it back still P14 Lap 21 Gus is still all over Rainford his tyres are going off Gus manages to take the place and the end of the main straight but goes wide at the first corner he comes back on track they touch he takes a trip through the gravel and has damage with broken steering sadly he’s out with 9 laps to go, Ollie is P13 (P6 ProAm) in the final couple of laps he makes up more places and takes the flag P10 and just off the podium for P4 in ProAm, it’s a sad end to the day which had great expectations, Donington Park is up next in 2 weeks-time.
Ollie: “A weekend of ups and downs. Sadly, quali held us back, the quick change in weather and not getting a clear lap before the red flag meant we had a bit of a challenge on our hands on race day, but race 2 saw us come through the field into the top ten and show the pace we had in testing for a positive end to the weekend. Onwards to Donington. Thanks to the JTR guys for a great job in testing weather!”
Josh: “First ProAm podium! Really happy to get the result today! Gutted to be taken out in race 2, but we see the positives, huge thanks to the JTR and to Adam for a faultless car all weekend! Great to have the evolution and GP59 crew here supporting too! Can’t wait for Donington”.
18/06/2023
Safety Car Rules at Oulton
Rounds 7 & 8 of the fastest one-make series in the UK visited the picturesque circuit of Oulton Park set in the Cheshire countryside, the track has three configurations the 2.2260-mile Island circuit is the favourite of the BTCC weekend.
Qualifying
30 minutes of qualifying was first up with spots of rain falling throughout the session, it made it difficult to find good pace and a rhythm, plus with only 3 sets of the new Michelin tyres for the entire weekend drivers had to use them wisely, the session was as usual in 2 halves with drivers pop in and out of the pits to do minor set up changes and swap the tyres round, with 4 minutes remaining the red flag was put out, the clock is automatically paused, once the incident is cleared and with only 4 minutes remaining the cars where released for the final few minutes of the session, just enough time to get 2 flying laps in, at the flag Hugo is P13 (P9 Pro) 1:21.642, Josh P15 (P6 ProAm) 1:21.667, Ollie P17 (P8 ProAm) 1:21.858.
Race 1
With a different format for Oulton Park at the weekend, qualifying and race 1 where scheduled for Saturday with race 2 on the Sunday, so race 1 was later on in the day on the Saturday afternoon with 21 laps, the red lights go out Hugo has a slow getaway and loses two places down to P15, Josh is up to P12 and Ollie up to P14, this doesn’t last long he makes a mistake and goes down the field to P18, Josh moves up to P11 with Hugo P13, Ollie manages to fight back and gets back one spot to P17, on lap 4 the Safety car is deployed, the incident is cleared and its back to green racing with 16 minutes or 13 laps remaining whichever comes first, the cars are bunched together, Josh has Giddings behind him, Hugo is pulling away from Lockwood while Ollie is keeping Ratcliffe at bay behind, Hugo gains a spot ow P12 with a move past Giddings, he now sets his sights on Josh for P11, meanwhile Ollie is wheel to wheel with Ratcliffe he loses out now down to P18, six minutes remaining, the tyres have been through their life with the cars moving and twitching around, Hugo loses out to Graham and is now down to P13, at the flag Josh is P12 (P5 ProAm), Hugo P13 (P8 Pro), Ollie P18 (P9 ProAm).
Race 2
The 2nd race of the day is 20 minutes rather than 21 laps, Josh started from P10 Row 5 with Ollie P17 Row 9, it’s a great start from Josh, but as soon as the cars get to the first corner Old Hall Giddings hits the tyre wall with a heavy impact this brings out the safety car, Josh is 11th with Ollie P15 up two places, the marshal’s recover Giddings car but its took a while as it was deep in the tyres, there’s only 8 minutes of the race remaining, making it a mad dash to the finish, Josh has Foster for company with Ollie still in P15, Josh finally succumbs to Foster’s pressure and he’s down to P14 but he fights back and regains the spot but it doesn’t stick, Ollie joins the party just behind but there is no time left to put pressure on has the flag falls Josh is P14 (P6 ProAm) with Ollie P15 (P7 ProAm).
Josh: "Overall a positive week! Good pace its just a tricky circuit to overtake on really! Car was fantastic all weekend so huge thanks to JTR and Adam. It was great to see Evolution, Grayson Pace and Autobrite Direct too! a little break now until the next one, but i am already looking forward to it!"
The team now have a 6 week break before heading north of the border to the Scottish circuit of Knockhill in August.
04/06/2023
More Points Bagged
Qualifying
Qualifying for Round 5 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB was on the very demanding Thruxton circuit in Hampshire, the longest at 2.4 miles and also the fastest in the UK. Conditions where perfect a bright sunny Saturday afternoon air temp 19’c track temp 40’c, the Porsche is notoriously difficult to drive with drivers building up speed to get that perfect lap and the key thing at Thruxton is to look after the tyres and also complete the minimum laps possible, at the chequered flag Hugo is 13th 1:12.957 Ollie is P11 1:13.132 while Josh is P19 1:13.666.
Race 1
It was another glorious sunny day with temperatures set around 17’c with the track 32’c Ollie starts from Row 6 – P11, Hugo Row 7 – P13 with Josh on row 10 – P19, it’s a great start from Ollie up to 9th (P2ProAm) Hugo loses 4 places down to 15th Josh is up one to P17 after the first lap, Hugo gets a place back up to P14, Josh is P17 with Ollie still 9th 4 laps in the bag, Ollie has Stanley for company as they go onto lap 5 with Stanley just 0.236 the gap, Tyre management is key at Thruxton so drivers need to look after them early in the race, Ollie finally succumbs to the pressure from Stanley and loses a place, Hugo still P14 Josh P17 lap 10 of 22, Hugo is with Ratcliffe for P13 just 0.298 splits the pair, even though they are in different classes its close racing between them, Hugo loses tie to Ratcliffe with Whiteside joining them, Harry Foster spins and drops down the field this promotes Ollie P9, Hugo P13 and Josh P16 7 laps remain, a time penalty for class leader Giddings puts Ollie just ½ second behind so its all to play for, 5 laps to go, Hugo still in 13th Josh 16th, at the flag Ollie is 10th overall (P4 ProAm) just missing out on a podium after his battle with Bird and Aspin he lost two places on the final two laps, Hugo finishes P13 (P8 Pro) and Josh taking the flag P16 (P8 ProAm).
Race 2
The Tack is much warmer than earlier in the day for Race 1 Air temp is 21’c & the track 43’c, as soon as the lights go out De Haan the 16 year old Dutchman has a problem and is stuck on circuit this brings out the Safety car Ollie is P11, Hugo P13, Josh P16, after 3 laps the safety car is back in the pits and its back to green racing, Ollie and Hugo are in a train of 9 cars, fighting through all the different classes Ollie is up to 8th Hugo still 11th and Josh P14 after 4 laps, Ollie is losing touch with Aspin in 7th with Hugo just 0.434 behind Whiteside for P10 while Josh is putting the pressure on Lockwood ½ second separates them, Hugo tries to pass and its side by side action but he can’t keep the spot, the positions change 2 or 3 times but eventually he stays P11 Ollie is still comfortable in P8 with Josh P15, lap 10 of 22 completed, Josh is still battling with Lockwood Josh gets through but Lockwood fights back they touch and loses his front splitter, Ollie is now with Aspin and challenging for P7, there’s battles throughout the field Hugo is still with Whiteside Ollie with Aspin and Josh with Lockwood 8 laps to go, Josh succumbs to Pro class driver Graham he’s now down to P16, Ollie is still P8 with Hugo 11th, at the flag its Ollie P8 (P4 ProAm) just off the podium Hugo P11 (P5 Pro) and Josh P16 (P9 ProAm), during the end of the race Will Aspin jumped the chicane twice for this he received a penalty by the stewards after the race, this gave Ollie 3rd his 2nd podium of the season.
Ollie:" A good weekend, I definitely feel like i am joining up the dots and starting to unlock some pace that was reflected in the results including a podium in race 2. Great job by the boys and girls at JTR, the car was a dream to drive all weekend and hopefully we'll be able to bring back some more silverware at Oulton!
Next up is the Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park in 2 weeks’ time for Rounds 7 & 8
07/05/2023
First Silverware for Ollie
Qualifying
Qualifying for round 3 of the fastest one make-series in the UK was on the fast frantic Brands Hatch short Indy circuit, the track wasn’t wet but wasn’t dry either from an earlier down pour plus rain was forecast during the 30-minute session, so the team chose wets for Hugo, Josh and Ollie. All cars hit the track early to post a quick time re the unpredictable weather, Hugo sets the first time 53.427 with Ollie next 53.217 & Josh 53.380, Hugo immediately goes faster 52.722, Ollie 52.824 and Josh 52.865, 3 laps in the bag, Hugo's putting the times on the board quicker by every lap 52.353 Ollie 52.572 another quick lap from Hugo 52.328 and again 52.261 7/10 off the leader Smalley, the rain begins to fall with 23 minutes remaining, Josh sets his fastest time 52.561 (P3ProAm) Ollie just behind in P4, 20 minutes left of the session & the rain is heavier, the top 12 separated by 9/10, all 3 drivers are back in the pits for a small debrief and minor set up changes, with 11 minutes left of the session Josh his the first back out on track, quickly followed by Hugo & Ollie, they have 10 minutes to improve there time and grid position, Josh improves 52.292 (P3 ProAm) P10 overhaul, Ollie still P6 (ProAm) P10 overhaul, windscreen wipers are on full as the rain falls heavier, Hugo is back in the pits 2 minute remain, Ollie and Josh cant improve, at the flag Hugo is P7 (Pro) P9 Overhaul, Josh (P4 ProAm) P11 Overhaul with Ollie (P6 ProAm) P15 overhaul.
Race 1
After the rain on Saturday and overnight the track is green, the experience of the driver will count today with all the cars being of the same spec, rear wheel drive, 510 BHP with 18” wheels in this the 75th anniversary Porsche sportscars. The race start is delayed by 45 minutes due to an earlier incident in the opening BTCC race, two green formation laps followed by the red lights going out, but no sooner where they out the safety car was deployed Kellett has contact with his teammate Burton causing Burton into the gravel and hitting the tyre barrier, it’s a big hit, Hugo is P8, Ollie P11 Josh just behind in P12, after 5 laps of the safety car its back to green racing on lap 9, Josh has contact putting him well down the field to 23rd, Hugo is catching Edgerton & Wylie for 6th ½ second splits the trio, Josh moves up to 21st, up front Hugo is still with Edgerton & Wylie you couldn’t split them on the tight short Indy circuit, Hugo tries to pass Edgerton but instead of gaining a place he loses one to Micah Stanley, it’s a group of 4 cars 6th,7th,8th and 9th Ollie still P11 now has Bird for company 10 laps to go, Ollie still P11 Josh 20th with Hugo not letting Stanley get away its bumper to bumper, Josh is in a fight with Melrose for 19th with Ollie battling with Aspin, Ollie knows how to defend the ex BTCC man has experience to keep the place, driving very defensive but manages to make a small gap a couple of lengths, Josh makes his experience count and passes Melrose for 19th just two laps remain, the pressure pays off for Aspin he pushes his way past Ollie, Aspin would later lose the place for being to aggressive meaning Ollie would take the final podium spot his first of the season and the team Hugo finishes P9, Ollie P12 (P3 ProAm) Josh P18 (P9 ProAm).
Race 2
The grid for Race 2 Hugo P9, Ollie P11 and Josh P18, due to the wet weather on Saturday all 3 drivers had a brand-new set of Michelin tyres, there second set of the day. It’s a great start from all three drivers Hugo P9 Ollie is up one to P10 Josh also up one spot to P17 on lap 3 the safety car is out, a car is stranded in a dangerous position on circuit, the car is recovered quickly by the marshals and its back to green racing on lap 7, its déjà vu for Ollie as he continues his fight with Aspin in 10th Josh is still P17 with Hugo P9 with Wylie just in front, Ollie fends off Aspin with Bird now joining them in the fight, Hugo is trying to put pressure on Wylie but cant squeeze past, its not Josh’s day has he makes contact and again loses places going down to 21st, lap 13 Ollie is puling away from the group of cars behind while Hugo has passed Wylie for P8, Ollie and Aspin are evenly matched, but the ex BTCC man holds his own 18 laps gone, Hugo still P8 with Stanley in 7th one second the gap, Josh is still P21 (P11 ProAm) Ollie is coming under increasing pressure with a train of six cars behind him with 11 laps remaining, Bird makes contact with Ollie making him take a trip through the gravel he is now down to P17 (P7 ProAm) Hugo is still fighting with Stanley with Edgerton in the hunt also, Ollie receives a 5 second penalty for track limits which puts him further down the field to P19 (P9 ProAm) Hugo is just half a second behind Edgerton, Josh is still 21st with Hugo P8 at the flag.
Hugo: “Another disappointing weekend results wise, the speed is there, its just trying to get it right on the day, makes me more determined for Thruxton, thank you to all at JTR for their hard work”.
Josh:” Mixed weekend for us, a great qualifying followed by two tough races. These things happen and we will bounce back! Huge thanks to the team and to Adam for a really fast car! Looking forward to Thruxton already!”
Ollie: “Overall a progressive weekend in varying conditions and delighted to bring home the first bit of Silverware with JTR. For me, there is still a bit of a way to go until I’ve filled in all of the gaps and got on top of the car after switching from such a long period in front wheel drive to rear wheel drive, but I certainly feel like it’s starting to look more promising and the pace is coming”.
Next up Thruxton in June
23/04/2023
A Positive start to the 2023 season
Qualifying
The first qualifying session of the 2023 season was under cloudy skies air temp 12’c with the track temp 22’c with 25 cars on the grid for the new season, drivers will be battling for the same piece of tarmac. Hugo, Josh and Ollie came out of the pits together for there first run, Josh was the first to set a time 1:11.005 P12 (P8ProAm) Ollie set a marker of 1:19.535 with only 19 minutes remaining of the session Hugo also sets down a marker with 1:05.844 P12 (P9Pro) Josh improves 1:05.860 P14 (P5ProAm) Ollie improves his time 1:06.139 P18 (P9ProAm) with just 14 minutes to go all three drivers are back in the pits, with only 8 minutes remaining of the session the drivers are back on track with new tyres and minor set up changes, it’s a frantic final few minutes Hugo is on the pace setting a 1:05.117 P11 (P8Pro) then immediately goes faster P9 overall (P8Pro) Ollie & Josh set there best times of the session (Ollie 1:05.885 P18 P8ProAm, Josh 1:05.706 P17 P7ProAm) the chequered flag is out for the end of the session, just 1 second separate’s the top 16 Hugo is P9 overall (P8 Pro) 1:05.117, Josh P18 overall (P8 ProAm) Ollie P19 overall (P9 ProAm) 1:05.791.
Race 1
With an early shower earlier in the day, the track was damp and greasy so the team went for wet tyres on all 3 cars with more showers forecast, all 3 drivers had a great start but Edgerton on the front row stalled, all the drivers did well to avoid him , Hugo is up to P8 on the first lap and improves again on the 2nd lap that’s P7, Ollie is P18 Josh P19, its all fast and frantic with conditions not the best with light rain falling, Ollie is now P17 with Josh still P19, at the front Hugo is making up ground on Graham for P6 while Josh falls back to P20, Kellett & Rainford have a coming together and visit the gravel trap, Hugo is promoted to 5th Ollie is P15 Josh now up to P18, the battles continue throughout the field Ollie & Josh make places up Ollie now P14 Josh P17, Hugo is still with Graham for there fight for 4th but the conditions make it difficult to pass. 10 laps remain of the opening race of the season Josh loses out another spot now down to P16 Ollie P14, Hugo has now got Bird for company in his fight with Graham for 4th, the light rain ha stopped and there’s a dry line appearing but wets are still the tyre of choice, lap 20 and the safety car is out but its short lived and its back in the pits after only 1 lap, lap 21 with Hugo finally getting past Graham for 4th but its only for a short time has Graham immediately takes the place back, at the flag Hugo comes home 5th Ollie P15 overall (P7ProAm) Josh P16 overall (P8 ProAm).
Race 2
After Race 1 the partial grid draw was completed, Hugo started from Pole with Ollie P15 and Josh P16 both on row 8, the weather took a turn for the worst and heavy rain fell so the teams continued with fresh wet tyres for race 2. At the start Hugo got bogged down and is immediately down to 4th , Ollie is P13 Josh P16 the rain makes visibility very tricky, Hugo is under pressure from the young Dutch driver De Haan and on lap 4 he succumbs to the dutchman, but on the following lap De Haan overshoots the corner and takes a trip through the gravel Hugo back to P4 he immediately improves again now up to P3 Josh is P14 Ollie P16, lap 10 Hugo has lost a spot and is back to 4th Josh P15 Ollie P16, Hugo is catching Graham in the battle for 3rd there’s nothing between them and the conditions are not helping 10 laps to go, Josh P14 Ollie P16 with Hugo still pressuring Graham and making life difficult for Graham, Josh and Ollie are in a little battle of there own trading lap times, lap 19 Hugo still fighting for 3rd with Graham but he makes a mistake and overshoots the corner and takes a trip through the gravel, he’s down to 6th Josh 13th Ollie 14th lap 22 Hugo sets the fastest lap of the race a 1:12.507 at the flag Hugo is 6th, Josh P13 overall 6th in pro-am while Ollie is 16th overall P8 pro-am.
Hugo: “Frustrating weekend all round but I have points in the bag from this weekend as well as a fastest lapin race 2, we will build on this for the next round at Brands Hatch, thanks to the team for all their hard work as ever”.
Ollie: “Challenging weekend but lots learnt. Gradually finding my feet and pace at the end of the weekend was certainly promising. Thanks to everyone at JTR for all their work at the weekend in changeable conditions”.
The team has a 2 week turn around for the visit to Brands Hach on the short Indy circuit.
27/03/2023
New Arrival, New Livery’s, Media Day
Joe Tandy Racing is excited to announce the 3rd member of our driver line up for 2023.
Former BTCC race winner Ollie Jackson, the 38-year-old from Reigate in Surrey last raced in Porsche Carrera Cup GB back in 2010 winning the Pro-Am championship with 11 wins from 20 races. He then moved to British GT for 2011 in the works backed Lotus Team racing the new then Lotus Evora finishing 6th overhaul in the GT4 class, the year would also see him race the final two rounds of the BTCC with Triple 8 racing. He would return to the series in 2012 and continued in the championship up until 2019 racing with several team’s such as AMD Tuning, Speedwork’s, Welch Motorsport and Motorbase securing two wins and numerous podiums.
Ollie:” I’m delighted to join forces with JTR this year and thoroughly enjoying pre-season testing with Nick and the team. Its’s wonderful to see so many old friends and familiar faces in the paddock, everyone has been incredibly welcoming. The 992 GT3 Cup car is everything I hoped it would be, a new challenge that I’m loving and one I’m gradually chipping away at to lose those front wheel driver habits. It’s one serious machine and I couldn’t be more excited to start the season ahead.”
The new season starts at Donington Park on the weekend of April 22nd, the team attended the annual media/launch day with all 3 drivers and cars in their striking new livery’s ahead of the new season.
23/03/2023
The champ is back for 2023
Josh Stanton is back with Joe Tandy Racing for the 2023 season in the fastest one make-series in the UK, Josh 22 from Burford in Oxford, stormed to victory in the Am class in his first year with the team taking 13 wins, 14 poles positions & 14 fastest laps from 16 races and two further podiums, taking the championship with a weekend to spare.
Josh: “Really excited to be returning to Carrera Cup this year with Joe Tandy Racing. Last year was brilliant, winning the championship with 13 wins, so we are aiming to hit the ground running this year! Huge thanks to Evolution, Grayson Pace and Puffin Solutions for returning this year and also, a big welcome to Autobrite Direct and Porsche Centre Tewksbury! Its going to be a really exciting year and I can’t wait to get started.”
01/03/2023
Hugo & Napa Racing UK return for 2023
21-year-old and former world champion, Hugo Ellis returns for a second season in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with Joe Tandy Racing and 24hr Le Mans winner Nick Tandy by his side.
Ellis began his racing career at the age of just six years old in the world of karting and was consistently top five on the leaderboard, despite competing against drivers as old as 13. By the age of 15, he became the youngest go-kart champion on the grid, racing in the senior category. Ellis made his debut in car racing last year, driving the NAPA Porsche, ultimately finishing the Pro-Am class in fifth place.
With a full season of experience under his belt, he is sure to make his presence known on the grid in his striking NAPA branded Porsche this year.
2022 News
09/10/2022
Rounds 15 & 16 Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch Finally
Qualifying
It was the final weekend of the season at the 2.4332-mile grand prix circuit of Brands Hatch in October sunshine for 30 minutes of qualifying. Josh hit the track first opening up with 1:31.700 topping the times for a short period, Theo & Hugo took to the circuit around 5 minutes later, it took a couple of laps to warm the tyres up, Theo first flying lap took him to P7 with 1:28.542 with Hugo P8 with 1:28.165 Theo’s next lap saw him move to P2 with 1:26.152, Josh betters his time and go into the top 10 1:26.972 Hugo completes another lap and his best time so far but its only managed to get him up to P11, with the 2nd part of qualifying well underway the drivers struggle to get heat into their tyres and find space to get that elusive flying lap, two minutes remain of the session with Theo P4 his best 1:25.920 Hugo P9 1:26.604 and Josh P14 1:26.781 at the flag Theo stays P4 but has a 3 place grid penalty for an incident with Smalley at Silverstone in the last round that’s P7, Josh starts P12 and Hugo just behind in P15.
Race 1
It was a bright and sunny for Race 1 (Round 15) of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one make series in the UK, the red lights went out Theo, Hugo and Josh have great starts, but disaster strikes early for Hugo just coming out of turn 3 he gets tagged by Aspin which causes a concertina effect with 3 other cars colliding together putting Hugo into the tyre wall and out of the race along with Aspin, Ratcliffe & Bateman all Pro Am class drivers, this brings the safety car out so officials can remove debris and cars, the first third of the race has been nullified, on lap 8 the safety car is back in the pit lane and its back to green racing but this is short lived for the remaining 18 drivers has on lap 9 Theo and Will Martin tag each other causing Martin to spin and hit the tyre barriers with the rear of his car it’s a big impact with the car flipping up just missing the marshal post and oddly suspended in a tree, the officials call for a red flag immediately suspending the race, there is too much damage to barriers and tyre walls so the clerk of the course calls the result Theo finishes P11 (P8 Pro) while Josh is P14 (P3 Am) with Hugo not classified.
Race 2
Theo starts race 2 from Row 6 P12 with Josh on Row 8 P15, Hugo has too much damaged and will not take part in the final race of the season, red lights are out for the final time race 2 (Round 16) with Theo having a slow start and loses a place, but immediately gets it back, Josh moves up a place and leads the Am class, on the next lap Theo is back down to P11 the race is fast and frantic with drivers fighting throughout the three classes, Theo regains a couple of spots now up to 9th with Josh P14 (P1 Am) this doesn’t last long has he tries to pass Bateman he loses out to him and Aspin going down two places, lap 7 the safety car is deployed Stanley is in the gravel at turn 1, the marshals have removed the car quickly and we are back to green racing lap 10 Theo is up to 8th but goes wide and slips back to 9th Josh is 14th (P1 Am) 5 laps remain Josh is making places back and he’s up to 13th while Theo fights back and up to 7th after Burton & Bartholomew make contact he slips passed to gain two spots 12 laps gone just 3 to go, Josh makes a rare mistake running wide and he’s in the gravel at Sheene curve, sadly it's his first DNF of the season, the race finishes behind the safety car at the flag Theo is 7th overall with Josh out and Hugo not starting it’s a disappointing ending to a great season.
Theo: “It was a disappointing weekend with the grid penalty severely putting us on the back foot. Some incidents halted our progress and stopped us getting some good results. Big thanks to the team for giving me a great car.
Overall, it’s been a pretty up and down year with some great highs like my win at Thruxton. Nonetheless I have really enjoyed my first year with JTR and my first year in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, big thanks to everyone in the team for making me so welcome and giving me a great car all year. Let’s see what the future holds”.
Josh:” Wow! what a season! 2022 all done! Not our best weekend to sadly but we take the rough with the smooth! I can't thank everyone at JTR, Adam, Evolution, Grayson Pace, Puffin and my family and friends enough for what has been an amazing year! 13 wins and 15 podiums from 16 races! Time to celebrate!".
Nick Tandy – Team Principal:” I’m so proud of all our drivers and each and every team member this year. Once again, we’ve had a faultless execution from the garage and pit lane, Josh has dominated his championship and gone from stride to stride, Theo took JTR to another overall victory at Thruxton and has had an exceptional rookie season. Hugo has encountered possibly the worst luck I’ve ever seen in Carrera Cup, but his pace is there, and he will build on all that experience into 2023. Thank you to Porsche, all our partners at JTR, our first-class staff and our three exceptional drivers. I look forward to more in 2023”.
25/09/2022
Rounds 13 & 14 Silverstone
Double Podiums all Round
Qualifying
22 cars took to the Autumn sunshine at the short 1.6404-mile Silverstone national circuit for the 30-minute qualifying session for round 13 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the penultimate round of the 2022 championship. Hugo & Josh are out straight away with Hugo setting a marker of a 54.941 with Josh just under a second behind with 55.533, Theo exits the pits with around 20 minutes of the session to go, on his first run he go’s P17 with 55.486 then immediately sets a 54.977 going P10 with Hugo P9 and Josh P6, Theo then goes faster again moving to P3 with 54.654 just 0.024 off pole, Hugo and Josh are back in the pits, Theo stays out but only for one more lap and he is in the pits, with just over 8 minutes remaining Theo, Hugo & josh are back on track but yellow flags at turn 2 hinder there times and progress Hugo moves up to P7 with 54.661 (P2 ProAm) while Theo goes to the front row with 54.463 Josh is P10 (P1 Am) 54.787 it’s a last frantic dash to the line, Theo loses out to Martin and Smalley now down to 4th Hugo is P7 still (P2 ProAm) Josh P10 (P1 Am) the chequered flag is out to end the session, it’s a great start to the weekend for all 3 drivers especially Hugo & Josh.
Race 1
It’s dry and bright for the fastest one make series in the UK, red lights go out and Theo gets a great start and he’s up to 2nd on lap 2, Hugo is down two places and now P9, Josh is up two spots now P10, Theo is trying to close the gap to Jewiss the race leader but the gap is 1.194, Hugo is back up to 8th while Josh as had contact from Aspin causing him to lose his front splitter, he still manages to lead in the Am class, up front Theo can’t catch Jewiss with the gap growing to 1.357, there are battles all down the field, Hugo is now fighting with Giddings for P7 Theo is still P2 while josh is leading the Am class, 18 laps to go and Hugo finally makes it past Giddings for P7 (P2 ProAm) the gap up front is growing 1.711 , but Smalley behind is no threat and is around 2 seconds adrift, Hugo has now pulled away from Giddings and is trying to catch Rainford in 6th the pro Am leader, lap 20 Theo still lying in 2nd, Hugo P7 (P2ProAm) Josh P10 (P1Am) Theo is out on his own and can’t make any headway on Jewiss, Josh hasn’t lost much time despite the damage and still running 11th (P1Am) Aspin ahead receives a 5 second time penalty from the stewards this promotes Josh back to P10 at the flag Theo is 2nd 1.764 adrift of Jewiss with Hugo finishing 7th his best of the season so far and Josh just behind in 10th but 1st in the am class his 12th victory of the season.
Race 2
The partial reverse grid for round 14 saw Theo P4 Row 2, Hugo P7 Row 4, Josh P10 Row 5, after a frantic first few corners Theo is up to 3rd with Hugo also moving up in 6th (P2 ProAm) while Josh stays at P7 (P1 Am) the race settles into a rhythm, Theo is still 3rd but has Rainford for company just ½ second behind, Hugo is 6th and trying to put pressure on Giddings in P5 with Josh still P7, Hugo has caught up with the group in front (Theo, Rainford, Giddings) it’s a 4 car train for the last podium spot while Josh is leading the next group and trying to pull away from Stanley, Rainford isn’t giving up and is all over Theo for 2nd while Hugo is piling on the pressure on Giddings but just can’t seem to find away through, 10 laps to go with ½ second the gap covering Hugo and Giddings, Theo is still holding onto 3rd while Josh his holding his own, lap 23 and Hugo makes his move and gets passed Giddings for 5th overall (P2 ProAm) Hugo sets his sights on Theo 3rd and Rainford in 4th but time runs out as the flag falls Theo is 3rd, Hugo 5th (P2ProAm) his best result of the season while Josh is 8th overall (P1 Am) celebrating his best result of the season and coming home with another win in the Am class his 13th of the season.
Theo: “Overall it was another successful weekend with 2 podium finishes. Race 1 was a great result has I made up some positions with bold moves to secure P2 and some good points. Annoyingly a throttle issue in the 2nd race hindered me drastically and meant I couldn’t challenge for the lead. But I’m really please to have got another podium finish despite having a faulty throttle. Big thanks to the whole team as they have worked so hard to give me a great car. Hoping to continue the podium run onto Brands in a few weeks-time!”
Hugo: “Really positive weekend all I all, learnt a lot and gained confidence looking forward to a repeat at Brands!”
Josh: “Wow! That was a good weekend! 10th & 8th overall and two class wins are amazing results for us! The car was awesome all weekend and the team were faultless! I can’t tank all at JTR, Adam and evolution enough for all of the hard work that went into the results! I can’t wait to build on this going into Brands! Bring it on!
In the championships Theo is now 4th just 3 points behind Smalley in 3rd, Theo also tops the Rookie championship going into the final rounds at Brands Hatch, Hugo is 4th in Pro Am and 5th in the Rookie title race, Josh has sealed the Am title and in the team championship Joe Tandy Racing are still 4th but only 11 points behind Team Parker Racing.
28/08/2022
Rounds 11 & 12 Thruxton
Silverware Sunday
It was the first time the series had visited the Hampshire 2.3560-mile circuit since 2020 the fastest track in the UK.
Qualifying
Josh was first out of the blocks and puts a marker down 1:21.470 with 10 minutes already gone, Theo & Hugo played the waiting game while Josh completed 6 laps with 19 minutes of the session remaining Theo & Hugo exited the pits, while Josh had completed his first stint and returned to the pits, Theo goes P11 setting a time of 1:13.300 Hugo goes to P15 (P3ProAm) with a 1:13.584, Theo as got the heat in his tyres and sets a 1:12.584 going to P4 while Hugo loses his lap time for track limits, Theo returns to the pits with 13 minutes to go while Hugo goes faster 1:13.529 but doesn’t improve his position, 10 minutes remain of the session and Hugo is back in the pits for new tyres and minor set up changes the track temperature has risen there is only 6 minutes left on the clock and all cars leave the pit lane for a frantic last few minutes to try and better there time, Theo goes to P3 with 1:12.356 but then loses out and goes to P4, Hugo goes to P14 (P4ProAm) 1:13.500 and Josh still tops the times in the Am class 1:13.564, Hugo goes faster but only goes to P15 (P4ProAm) Josh improves again with 1:13.550 it’s a frantic last few minutes with places changing and drivers trying to set and better there times at the flag Theo is P4 a best 1:12.356 Hugo is P15 (P4ProAm) best 1:13.255 and Josh P18 (p1Am) a best 1:13.529.
Race 1
The race is set for 20 laps or 30 minutes whichever comes first with 19 starters, its also the first race of the day as no racing can take place until after 10:45.
The red lights go out Theo gets a great start but is nursed onto the grass he manages to keep his position just in front of Malin in 5th, Hugo is up to P12 (P2ProAm) while Josh is P17 and leading the Am class, the officials announce on the timing screens they will investigate Theo’s start after the race, lap 5 Hugo spins and goes over the kerbs onto the grass he re-joins at the back of the grid P19, he immediately gets passed Jones for P18 and tries to make his way back up the field, Theo cant shake off the threat of Malin just ½ second the gap, Hugo pits on lap 7 he as damage from the spin he would retire later in the race, Theo is closing in on Smalley he is in a fight for 3rd, 4th and 5th but Malin suffers a puncture and takes a visit to the pits, the gap is still ½ second, Josh is now up to P15 and still leading the Am class 9 laps remain, Theo is flashing is lights trying to distract Smalley the gap just 0.633 he is all over the Porsche Junior driver the gap comes down just 0.252 its nose to tail with just 5 laps to go, Theo is not close enough in the braking zones to take advantage he is pilling on the pressure but he just cant get passed only 2 laps to go, Josh is still leading the Am class P15 overall the chequered flag falls its P4 for Theo with Josh taking is 10th win of the season and closing in on the Am title, Hugo sadly retired in the pit lane.
Race 2
With the partial reverse grid Theo started on Pole with Josh P15 and Hugo P19 it was an incident packed race day so race 2 was shortened to 20 minutes with a delay of around 40 minutes. The red lights go out and it’s a great start from Theo and leads on the opening lap , Hugo is up to P16 (P5ProAm) with Josh P17 and leading in the Am class, Theo as a nice little gap and on lap 2 sets the fastest lap of the race 1:13.317 the gap is 1.215 Hugo as another dramatic moment Ryan Ratcliffe spins causing Hugo to take a trip on the grass narrowly missing the Welshman he slips down to P17 but recovers and re-joins the race, Theo is pulling away he extends the gap to 1.295, Josh is up to P15 and still leading in the Am class and by a large margin of 14 seconds, at the front the gap is holding as we reach half distance with the gap growing its now 1.379, into the last 10 minutes Theo is P1, Josh P15 (P1Am) and Hugo P16 (P4ProAm) Theo again extends his lead its now 1.560 he further extends the gap on the final few laps and takes the flag for his first win in the series and his first with the team the gap 2.109 a faultless lights to flag victory, Hugo crosses the line P15 (P3ProAm) his first podium of the season, while Josh takes another win in the Am class but more importantly taking the Am championship for 2022.
Theo:” It was a great weekend for me with a 4th place and my maiden win. We were fortunate to get reverse pole but I definitely made the most of it and set off at the front and took a commanding win. Big thanks to the team, the car was absolutely faultless. Can’t wait for Silverstone in a few weeks’ time.”
Hugo:” Not the best weekend I struggled a lot at the start of the weekend but got better as it went on, but also had some bad luck too.”
Josh:” Over the moon WOW I don’t think its quite sunk in yet! From when we started racing, I dreamt of this, it feels so surreal to have achieved what we set out to do! I can’t thank everyone at JTR, Adam, my family, friends and amazing sponsors enough! It’s been a huge team effort and one we can celebrate together! I’m going to keep pushing, keep learning and keep enjoying my racing! So, hears to hopefully some more success in the future. I’d also like to say a massive congrats to Theo for his first win, he drove brilliantly and thoroughly deserved it!
2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Am Champion GET IN!!!
Silverstone is next up on the weekend of 24th & 25th September for Rounds 13 & 14.
13/08/2022
Rounds 9 & 10 Snetterton
Double Podium for Theo & Josh
Qualifying
A 30-minute session at the Norfolk circuit of Snetterton the 2.9689-mile track in over 30-degree heat was a test on its own, with temperatures set to rise for race day Sunday. Theo, Hugo and Josh exited the pitlane together with Theo straight on it with P2 1:51.783 Hugo P4 (P2ProAm) 1:52.085 while Josh was P9 (P1Am) 1:54.397 with 18 minutes remaining Theo & Hugo are back in the pits, Josh stays out and goes faster 1:54.034 he stays P1 in the Am class and returns to the pits, halfway through the session, the team are busy data swapping & tinkering with the set up and changing tyres, Josh is back out with 8 minutes remaining and as the track to himself, Hugo & Theo exit the pitlane with 8 minutes remaining , Josh betters his time to a 1:54.016 P18 (P1Am) and improves again on his next lap 1:52.554 only 3 minutes left on the clock Josh improves again to a 1:51.609 Theo goes P4 1:50.883 along with Hugo he goes P6 1:51.028, Theo is faster again and moves to P2 with a 1:50.236 but Burton goes faster and he goes P2 Theo is down to P3, Hugo finds more pace and goes P6 (P2ProAm) with 1:50.618 its a manic few last minutes, the flag falls its P3 for Theo a best of 1:50.236 – P10 for Hugo a best of 1:50.618 (P2ProAm) while Josh is P16 a best of 1:51.609 (P1Am).
Race 1
It was an early start for Race 1 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one make series in the UK with temperatures already in the high 20’s the race had an extra 10 minutes added making it a 40 minute race, Theo started P3 Row 2, Hugo in the Napa racing livery Porsche P10 Row 5 while Josh started P16 Row 8, it’s a slow start for Pole man and championship leader Jewiss, Theo is down to 4th after a frantic few corners but he immediately gains the place back P3, Hugo drops down to P13 (P4ProAm) with Josh P1 in the Am class after the opening lap, Theo is slipping back from the top 2 and now as Malin for company with Will Martin also trying to join the party, but this is short lived as Nigel Rice has contact with Aspin causing the car to role, safety car is deployed to recover car and driver, after 4 laps behind the safety car we are back to green racing Theo is P3 Hugo P13 (P4ProAm) and Josh P16 and leading the Am class, just over 18 minutes to go, on the restart Hugo runs wide and loses out he's now P16 (P6ProAm) Josh is up to P15 overall, on the next lap Hugo bundles his way passed Pro driver Stanley for P15, 12 minutes remain and Theo is closing in on Burton for 2nd just ½ second the gap, Hugo is back to P16 as Stanley takes the place back, with the extreme heat the cars are starting to twitch around with lots of pressure on the tyres 7 minutes to go, Theo is up to 2nd the leader Jewiss gets a 5 second time penalty for track limits, thus giving Theo 2nd but he cant make any ground up on Burton for the lead the gap 1.267, Hugo is back up to P15 (P5ProAm) Ryan Ratcliffe as a time penalty again for track limits, Theo takes the chequered flag P2 is 3rd of the season with Hugo P15 ((P5ProAm) and Josh P17 and yet another win in the Am class is 9th straight, after the race Jewiss’s time penalty is rescinded by the officials Theo is officially 3rd.
Race 2
The team had around 3 hours to set the cars up for race 2, with the reverse grid draw Theo started P4 Row 2, Hugo P15 Row 8, Josh P18 Row 9, Theo gets a great start up to P2 on the opening lap, Hugo is down to P17 (P7ProAm) Josh loses out to Sherwood and down to P2 in the Am class, 15 minutes remaining Theo is still 2nd just 1 second adrift behind Graham they trade fastest lap times but Graham is holding station, Hugo is still P16 (P6ProAm) while Josh is in a tussle with Sherwood but can’t get the position, Josh makes up ground on the pit straight but Sherwood positions the car well, only 10 minutes remain, Josh is still trying to pass Sherwood in the Am class, Theo is on a charge and sets the fastest lap but is still stuck behind Graham 1 second the gap, as in race 1 Hugo is battling with Ratcliffe for 5th in Pro Am the Welshman’s car seems that bit wider, 5 minutes on the clock, Theo loses further time the gap now 1.4 seconds with Malin just behind and catching the top 2, the final lap is upon us Theo comes across the line P2 for is 2nd podium of the day and good points for the championship with Hugo P16 (P6ProAm) and Josh just missing out to Sherwood for that 10th straight win P2 in the Am class.
Theo:” Great weekend at Snetterton for myself and the team. Amazing to get back on the podium for both races and it feels we have made some great steps forwards. Hopefully we can keep this momentum for Thruxton in a few weeks-time.”
Hugo:” Very up and down, Friday was good I made a few mistakes in qualifying that made me start further back, couldn’t get to grips with the car for the races.”
Josh:” Well that was a hot one! I was happy with my qualifying on Saturday and race one was great too! Race 2 I got a poor start and Justin jumped me we had a great battle for most of the race. Justin drove a great race and defended really well, I cant help but feel slightly disappointed with second, but I know every point counts so I have to be happy. Huge thanks to everyone at JTR and Adam for an awesome car all weekend and for putting up with the heat! I have never been to Thruxton before so looking forward to racing there! Bring it On!”
Next up is the fast flowing Thruxton circuit on the weekend of the 27th to 28th August.
31/07/2022
Rounds 7 & 8 Knockhill
Halfway Point of the Season
It’s the halfway point of the 2022 season for the fastest one-make series in the UK with rounds 7 & 8 visiting the Scottish circuit of Knockhill.
Qualifying
The 30-minute qualifying session on the short 1.2669-mile circuit was interrupted by two red flags. Theo, Hugo & Josh exited the pits for their first runs, Theo is immediately on the pace and goes P3 with a 49.176 Hugo is 9th (P4ProAm) 50.219 while Josh is P4 (Am) 51.107 20 minutes remain of the session and Theo puts in another flyer but stays P3 48.772 Hugo is P14 (P3ProAm) 49.273 Josh moves to P1 in the Am class 49.456. 17 minutes left on the clock and all 3 drivers are back in the pits for tyre change, with 10 minutes remaining of the session Josh is first to exit the pits with Theo and Hugo following they barely have time to get the tyres warm and get up to speed when the first of the red flags come out, Radcliffe is in the tyre wall, Theo is P6 48.772 Hugo P16 (P4ProAm) 49.273 while Josh is P19 (P2Am) 49.456 its only a short lived red flag all cars are back on track with 8 minutes to go, all 22 cars are struggling to find a gap but this is short lived as car 77 of Bateman stops on track this brings the 2nd red flag out, with 2 minutes to go the clerk of the course Colin Oakley ends the session and the chequered flag is put out. Theo is P7 a best of 48.751 Hugo P15 (P4ProAm) best 49.171 and Josh P19 (P2Am) best 49.337.
Race 1
Its an early start on Sunday morning for race 1 with bright dry sunny conditions, off the start Matt Graham stalls his car from 3rd on the grid most cars avoid him but Ryan Ratcliffe hits Graham’s car causing a multiple crash with 5 cars being involved one of them Hugo, the race is red flagged so marshal’s and officials can clear the debris, after a delay of around 25 minutes the cars grid up on the start line for the restart Graham, Ratcliffe, Aspin, Radcliffe and Hugo are all out, the race is cut short to 20 minutes Theo starts P7 Josh P19, from the restart Theo moves up to 5th Josh moves to P14 and leads in the Am class, Smalley and Martin are in a fight for 3rd just ahead of Theo this allows Theo to close the gap and join the fight, but Malin behind also is joining the fight for a 4 car battle, Malin puts pressure on Theo taking him on the following lap Theo down to 6th while Josh is P14 overall but P1 in the Am class, the race is fast and frantic on the short Scottish circuit, Theo is losing time to Malin the gap 2 seconds the chequered flag falls for the end of a dramatic race 1 with Theo crossing the line 6th while Josh is P14 but more importantly P1 in the Am class his 7th straight win.
Race 2
With the start line incident in the opening race only 19 cars took the start for race 2 sadly Hugo’s car sustained too much damage and the team could not repair it in time, with the partial reverse grid Theo starts P6 on Row 3 with Josh P14 on Row 7, red lights go out Theo loses a place down to 7th on the opening lap Josh is P15 and leads the Am class, on the following lap Theo regains 6th taking Rainford and tries to make up ground on Malin, Jewiss and Burton but can’t get close enough to put pressure on, this is how the race would stay until the chequered flag, meantime in the Am class Josh is in his own race and brings the car home in P16 overall but more significantly another win in the Am class this is 8th straight win of the 2022 season a stunning performance so far.
Theo: “Overall it was a difficult weekend trying to extract the most out of myself and the car. It was my first time at Knockhill so to come away with two points finishes is still a decent result. Hopefully we can move up the grid at Snetterton in a few weeks’ time”.
Josh: “An amazing weekend! After a tough qualifying, it was a great Sunday for us! Not the way I wanted the first lap to go, and I’m glad to hear all the drivers are ok, but sometimes we have to take it! Our pace was strong and a huge thanks to Adam and JTR for all of their hard work! It was great to have Evolution and Grayson Pace there to celebrate with and I look forward to welcoming them at some more rounds this year! Bring on Snett!!”.
Championship Standings
Theo 5th (Pro Class) 1st (Rookie Championship)
Hugo 5th (Pro-Am Class) 5th (Rookie Championship)
Josh 1st (Am Class)
Next stop Snetterton for rounds 9 & 10 on the weekend of the 13th & 14th August.
12/06/22
Rounds 5 & 6 Oulton Park
It’s 6 from 6 for Josh Stanton
Qualifying
The fastest one-make series had its annual trip to the Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park, some say the Nürburgring of the UK.
The qualifying session was bright and early on Saturday morning with dry sunny intervals, Theo, Hugo and Josh exited the pits at the same time, Hugo was the first to post a time going P2 with 1:26.894 Theo went P3 1:26.964 with Josh P2 (Am) 1:28.760, Theo puts a marker down on the following lap with 1:22.287 Hugo also goes faster with 1:23.568 as does Josh 1:25.089 on Theo’s next lap he tops the times with 1:21.874, times continue to fall for all 3 drivers, Hugo now P4 (P1ProAm) 1:21.864 Josh is still P1 (Am) 1:22.714 but Theo is now down to P8 and still posting faster times but it’s a tight session his next lap is a 1:21.515 Josh & Hugo lose there next laps due to track limits. All drivers are back in the pits for set up changes and new tyres with 8 minutes remaining, it’s a frantic last few minutes with times tumbling Theo, Hugo and Josh post faster times but its only P7 for Theo 1:21.410 Hugo’s best a 1:21.629 and Josh P1 in the Am class 1:22.683. The team had 4 hours to turn the cars around ready for Race 1 later that afternoon.
Race 1
It’s a tight timetable as always at Oulton Park due to the late start on a Sunday, so Race 1 starts on the Saturday afternoon, it’s a great start from Theo. Hugo and Josh, the circuit is very narrow and its always tight racing for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, Theo is up to 8th Hugo 11th (P2 ProAm) Josh 19th (P1Am) White, Clark and Kyle-Henney are off at Druids the safety car is deployed to recover the cars with 16 laps to go, but this is replaced with the red flag as the tyre barriers have been damaged and are in need of repair, the cars form up on the grid, the race resumes with 10 laps remaining Theo 8th (P7Pro) Hugo 4th in ProAm and Josh P2 in the Am class, 7 laps remain and its stalemate, this changes with 4 laps to go as Theo finally passes Wylie for 7th Hugo is still 12th (P4ProAm) and stuck behind Aspin while Josh is still P2 and battling with Radcliffe for the number one spot in the Am class, he finally wins the fight and restores his lead in the class, with 3 to go Theo is 0.374 behind Stanley for P6 there is contact from Stanley damaging both sides of Theo’s car at the flag Theo is P7 (P6Pro) Hugo P11 (P4ProAm) and Josh P15 (P1Am) that’s his 5th straight win of the season in the Am class.
Race 2
Theo starts P7 Row 4, Hugo starts P11 Row 6 while Josh starts P18 on Row 9 it’s a timed race of 20 minutes a change to the timetable of 18 laps, the lights go out Theo gets a flyer and is immediately passed Wylie but he runs wide and loses the place back to Wylie still P7 Hugo is P4 in class and as race 1 stuck behind Aspin, Josh is P1 in the Am class, Theo is still in a tussle with Wylie only 0.371 the gap, this battle would carry through the majority of the race and with 8 minutes to go he finally gets through and passes the newcomer for 6th Hugo is in a similar fight with Aspin he cant make any headway he is still P11 (P4ProAm) both drivers trade faster times but at the flag Hugo is just off the podium (P4ProAm) P11 overall, Josh as had another outstanding drive and takes the flag for his 6th win of the season its 6 from 6 and outstanding performance in the Am class.
In the championship Theo is 5th in the Pro class, Hugo is 5th in the Pro Am class while Josh tops the Am class in the Rookie championship Theo is top with Hugo 5th, JTR are 5th in the Team’s championship, the team’s now have 6 weeks to prep before going further north and visit the Scottish circuit of Knockhill for rounds 7 & 8.
Theo “Overall it was a difficult weekend but we found the missing pace in the end and we got two points finishes, Thanks to JTR we are in this together! Can’t wait for Knockhill at the end of July, long break to reflect and get back to the front”.
Hugo “Not the best of weekends I struggled quite a bit, but all part of the learning process. Hopefully I should be able to pull it out of the bag for Knockhill”.
Josh “Over the moon with this weekend at Oulton! The car and the team where faultless so a huge thanks to them and Adam for their hard work! i cant wait to go up to Scotland for Knockhill soon".
15/05/2022
Rounds 3 & 4 Brands Hatch
A weekend of Ups & Downs
Qualifying
Qualifying for round 3 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB on the short Indy circuit of Brands Hatch was 30 minutes of frantic action, Hugo was to a flyer setting the pace with a cracking lap of 45.395 and provisional pole plus topping the ProAm class, Theo was 7th with his best of 45.580 while Josh topped the Am class with 45.986, at the halfway stage of the session all 3 cars pitted for set up change plus new tyres and with just over 7 minutes remaining of the session they leave the pits for the final shootout, Hugo loses the top spot moving to 3rd while Theo is up to 4th with is best of 45.335, Hugo goes further down to 8th but immediately puts his fastest time of the day a 45.261 going to 5th Theo is down to 7th (6thPro) Josh is now 3rd in the Am class but betters his time on the next lap to top the times again with 45.623 the chequered flag falls for the end of the session Hugo and Theo are already in the pits, Hugo is 5th overall and 1st in ProAm while Theo is 7th (6thPro) and Josh on top in the Am class.
The grid for race 1 Hugo Row 3 – P5, Theo Row 4 – P7, Josh Row 8 – P16.
Race 1
It was a cloudy start to Sunday morning with showers predicted throughout the day, Hugo got a great start while Theo stalled and went to P14 overall (P10Pro) Josh is also away well and leading in the Am class (P17Overall) Theo is fighting through the field and moves to 11th (P9Pro) Hugo is still 5th and holding off Bartholomew , Josh is quietly going about is business still leading the Am class, as predicted spots of rain are now falling with 20 minutes to go 10 laps gone the slick tyres are already starting to go off and with the damp conditions its not helping, 15 laps gone and the rain is getting heavier Hugo is still 5th (P1ProAm) and driving brilliant for is second time out, Theo is now P11 (P9Pro) with Josh P17 (P1Am) the conditions are getting worse by the minute and the lack of grip on the corners especially Graham Hill bend the cars are slipping off on to the grass, its at this point the clerk of the course decides its too dangerous to carry on and puts the red flag out with 10 minutes remaining, all the cars enter the pit lane to put some much needed wet tyres on, the session restarts behind the safety car and with 5 minutes to go, the safety car peels off into the pit lane and its back to green but as soon as the race starts its disaster for Hugo, he gets tagged from behind and spins off on to the grass it’s a bitter blow after is great start to the weekend he would finish the race 21st overall (P7ProAm) Theo is up to 7th overall (P6Pro) while Josh wins in the Am class is 3rd straight victory.
Race 2
It’s a wet race for Race 2 and with the reverse grid plus penalty’s Theo starts from pole position Josh from 18th Row 9 with Hugo at the back of the grid P24 Row 12. Theo gets away well but he's immediately under pressure from Jewiss in 2nd, at the final bend on the first lap Theo carries to much speed into the corner and cant stop he is off on the grass, he re-joins but as to concede the place going back to 2nd, Josh is P17 and again leading in the Am class while Hugo as made up a couple of places to 22nd(P7ProAm) lap 5 and Theo is still 2nd but now as fellow Rookie Burton for company while Hugo is now 20th Josh is still leading in the Am’s with another 5 laps completed Hugo is the man on the move now up to 18th up 6 places (P6ProAm) with Theo still 2nd 4.980 seconds behind leader Jewiss, the laps are completed quickly its now lap 15 Theo is still P2 Hugo is now up to 15th while Josh is in a race of is own P18 (P1Am) the wet conditions are causing problems the cars have no grip even on the wets there’s too much standing water on track, Theo as lost out to Porsche Junior Smalley and now down to 3rd with Will Martin now closing in its lap 20, Theo tries to make his car as wide as possible but its to no avail Martin is passed Theo now down to 4th while Hugo is P15 but still 7th in the Pro Am class Josh is still P1 in the Am class, lap 23 and Pro Am driver Will Aspin is off in the gravel this brings out the safety car, Hugo is up to 14th up 10 places and now P3 in the Pro Am class, with 6 laps remaining the safety car is back in the pits and its back to green racing, Theo is right up behind Smalley but cant pass for 3rd at the flag he comes home 4th Hugo after a sterling drive is P14 overall and P3 in Pro Am while Josh continues is winning way’s for is 4th straight win of the 2022 season in the Am class.
Theo “A stall in race 1 severely put me on the back foot as I dropped down 8 places. Managed to make good ground before the red flag, I then managed t get back up to 6th at the flag. Race 2 wasn’t much better as I lead the pack but made a mistake and lost my front splitter reducing my pace drastically, I managed to cross the line in 4th in treacherous conditions and bag good points, P2 in the championship just 1 point behind 1st so all in all it was an ok weekend with points in both races, big thanks to JTR the car was great, onto Oulton Park”.
Hugo “Really good few races a few ups and downs but over all big improvements from Donington Park big thanks to JTR again hopefully can continue through to Oulton Park”.
Josh “Over the moon with this weekend! The car was faultless! We learnt a lot with some experience in the wet but can’t thank the guys at JTR enough for their hard work! Bring on Oulton Park!”.
Next up the Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park for the fastest one make series in the UK.
24/04/2022
Rounds 1 & 2 Donington Park
Great Start to the season for JTR
Qualifying
It was a bright but chilly sunny day at Donington Park for Saturday’s qualifying session air temp 13c with the track 17c. Theo, Hugo & Josh exited the pit lane together for their first runs, Theo’s first flying lap put him 8th with a 1:14.706 Hugo 11th 1:15.614 and Josh 17th 1:19.254 with Jewiss setting the benchmark on pole with 1:05.193 Theo was on fire and on his next lap went to 3rd with 1:06.193 just 0.390 off Jewiss he bettered that again to set the fastest time of the day with 1:05.732,at the halfway point all 3 drivers came in to the pits for minor set up changes and new tyres, with just 8 minutes remaining all 3 drivers exited the pit lane, just ½ second covered the top ten cars and with 2 points for the Pole it was crucial to be at the top. Drivers built the heat back up in the tyres and brakes before doing there final flying laps with 5 minutes remaining with all cars on circuit drivers struggled to find room, Theo loses out and moves down to 5th he couldnt get track space and with the odd yellow flag this hampered his attempts to get back on pole at the flag he was 5th with Hugo 14th overall 6th in ProAm and Josh 18th overall but 1st in the Am class.
Race 1
Race Day brought sunny cold conditions with a strong wind for the start of the 350th race in its 20th season of the fastest one make series in the UK with 25 cars on the grid. Lights out and Theo gets bogged down and moves back to 7th but climbs back to 6th at Redgate, Hugo is down to 15th while Josh is holding is own, at the front Jewiss as a moment and is in the gravel, Theo moves up to 4th his next target is Graham which he takes on lap 2 he’s now up to 3rd and chasing down Smalley for 2nd, Hugo is still 14th overall 4th in ProAm with Josh 16th overall but 1st in class. We are at the halfway stage of the race with Theo still 3rd and still stuck behind Smalley while Hugo is now up to 13th still 4th in ProAm with Josh 18th and still leading the Am class, the positions wouldn’t change until lap 22 with Rookie Burton making a mistake and losing places going down to 4th Theo would take advantage and takes the chequered flag 2nd with a great drive, while Hugo finished 13th overall and 4th in class but later he would move to 3rd with Charles Rainford disqualified for a rule infringement while Josh takes his first win of the 2022 season in the Am class.
Race 2
Reverse grid see’s Theo on row 2 in 3rd while Hugo is 12th on row 6 with Josh 18th on row 9. Theo gets a great start but loses out and moves down to 4th Hugo is 14th with Josh just behind in 15th, Theo is putting pressure on Morris for 3rd this pays off on lap 2 with a great lunge at Redgate for 3rd, he immediately pulls away and chases down Burton in 2nd, Hugo is up to 13th in is own little battle of 4 cars in the ProAm class and is stuck in 4th, Josh once again leads the Am class with a gap of 1.7 seconds from Sherwood, on lap 12 Theo finally passes Burton who has gear issues he is 3:724 seconds behind Graham in 1st, the gap is to big and crosses the line to take his second runner up spot of the day, Hugo takes the flag in 13th 4th in ProAm with Josh taking his 2nd Am victory of the opening day.
Theo is joint top in the Pro championship on 18 points with Matt Graham and Adam Smalley after is great start, while Hugo is 3rd in the ProAm category with Josh topping the Am championship with his 2 victories.
In the Rookie championship Theo tops the table while Hugo is 5th, JTR are 2nd just 2 points behind Redline racing in the Team’s championship, the series now moves on to Brands Hatch in less than 3 weeks on the short Indy circuit.
Theo “My first race day in Porsche Carrera Cup GB was very successful with two 2nd place finishes and joint first in the championship. JTR gave me a great car for the races and I was able to carve my way through the pro drivers to secure two high points finishes. Overall, it was a great weekend and I can’t wait for Brands Hatch in a few weeks-time”.
Hugo “Overall Sunday was positive had a good start in both races, but during the race didn’t make up that many positions, I’ve learnt a lot about what I need to improve on and it’s good to be back after 4 years. Much more to come at Brands Hatch”.
Josh “What a weekend! The car was faultless all weekend! The boys worked tirelessly all weekend, so a huge thanks to them and Adam! We need to keep working hard, the competition is very tough and they were pushing me hard! I can’t wait for Brands Hatch in a few weeks”.
28/03/2022
Exciting Times Ahead for JTR & NAPA Racing UK
JTR & NAPA Racing UK form an elite Partnership for 2022
Joe Tandy Racing Launch’s exciting partnership with NAPA Racing UK with Hugo Ellis confirmed as the 3rd driver for the 2022 season.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB team JTR are delighted to confirm partnership with NAPA Racing UK, a relationship both parties hope to lead to a successful season of Motorsport.
20-year-old Hugo a former world karting champion, will be the driver of the number 8 NAPA Racing Porsche entered by JTR in the fastest one-make series in the UK. Ellis had a hugely successful karting career winning the IAME International Final in 2016 before a brief spell in Formula Ford single seater racing. Lately he has been concentrating on his education and business opportunities but found the PCCGB as the ideal place to return to competition.
Nick Tandy Team Principal JTR: “To help bring an iconic brand into British racing is something fantastic for us at JTR. I’ve long since followed the exploits of NAPA Racing in the US and its always associated with success. I’m sure the fans will agree a bright blue and yellow 911 looks fantastic! We start the partnership with rookie driver Hugo Ellis, similarly fresh to the UK circuit racing scene. Whilst he is a rookie, he has shown excellent progression so far in pre-season testing so we have high hopes for this year and the future.”
Hugo Ellis: “I can’t wait to get started in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the car looks, sounds and drives just awesome! JTR have been great so far, with both Nicks, Tandy and Madge, plus all their great crew, I’m sure we have everything in place to make the most of my opportunity. Plus having NAPA Racing UK involved with the team and myself is just the icing on the cake, I hope to do them Proud.”
22/02/2022
Josh Stanton moves to JTR
2021 Carrera Cup GB Am runner up Stanton moves to JTR
Joe Tandy Racing are delighted to announce that Josh Stanton will join the team for the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season, Josh 21 from Burford in Oxford competed in the championship last year and finished 2nd in the Am class with 4 wins, he will enter the Am class once again this season.
Nick "Josh is a returning driver to Carrera Cup GB and we were able to see from afar how he progressed driving Porsche machinery last year. Once we started talking about the possibility of him joining JTR for the 2022 season it didn't take long to realise we had the same ambitions. Joe Tandy Racing works to help drivers develop and ultimately win, and Josh, along with his friends and supporters at Evolution, clearly has the same love of racing and desire to compete and win at a top level of British Motorsport."
Josh “I’m really excited to be joining JTR this year, Nick and the team are very impressive in what they do and I can’t wait to get started! Their expertise and knowledge of the Porsche brand will be invaluable to us all learning the new car. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and building on what was a great debut season last year! I am hugely grateful to Nick and the team for the opportunity and to Evolution Security and Grayson Pace for their ongoing support! I can’t wait to get started!”
Richard Lambert & John Wust from Evolution" We can’t wait for the second year of Porsche Racing for Evolution in the brand-new Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car. Supporting Josh over the past few years has been remarkably positive for the Evolution brand and everyone at Evolution is excited to support Josh for the fourth year in a row in our new car. What a year it's going to be!”
13/01/2022
Theo Edgerton Joins JTR
Cayman Champion Edgerton joins Joe Tandy Racing for 2022 Carrera Cup
Joe Tandy Racing are pleased to announce Theo Edgerton will join the team for the 2022 season. Theo 17 years old from Worcester started his racing career in karts from the age of 10, he entered his first championship in 2017 then moved to the highly competitive Ginetta Junior championship in 2018 getting his first podium the following year, he then moved to the new Porsche Sprint Challenge Series for 2020 finishing 3rd overall with 1 win, five 2nd places and three 3rd places, in 2021 he won the championship outright with 8 wins, 10 podiums, 2 pole positions & 6 fastest laps, Theo was also selected as 1 of the 4 finalists for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior shootout for 2022/23.
Nick Tandy "We're delighted to welcome Theo back to JTR, this time to race with us full time in Carrera Cup. After his rookie year in Sprint Challenge, Theo tested a 911 with us back in 2020 and we were immediately impressed with his attitude and capability to drive these high-powered cars. We watched with interest his dominant season in 2021 in his Cayman to become champion. With another year's experience under his belt, we're all looking forward to working together and getting our teeth into Carrera Cup GB and the new 911GT3 Cup race car."
Theo "I'm really looking forward to 2022 with JTR in Carrera Cup, we're hoping to launch a title bid and I feel like I'm in the best place possible to do that. Hopefully I can add some more wins to my Porsche racing tally!"
2021 News
14/12/21
New Carrera Cup Car for 2022
New Porsche Carrera Cup 911 GT3 to hit UK circuits in 2022
The fastest one-make series in the UK the Porsche Carrera cup GB will see the arrival of the new 911 cup car (Type 992) for the 2022 season.
It’s powered by 4.0 litre 6-cylinder boxer engine which will provide 510 hp the GT3 engine is a sealed unit and as a 6-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shift controls on the steering wheel, the chassis will feature a double wishbone suspension on the front axle for this first time in a cup car, with a more traditional multi-link design for the rear.
From the outside a new aero kit has been fitted and will deliver higher levels of downforce through a widened front bumper with the splitter integrated into it, at the rear a new carbon fibre rear wing with new looking swan neck mounts. The wheels are larger at both the front and back (1.5” front) (1.0" rear) for better grip its been developed exclusively by Michelin for the new Carrera Cup car, the 2022 season is due to get underway in April at Donington Park see dates below.
Rounds 1 & 2 Donington Park 23rd to 24th April
Rounds 3 & 4 Brands Hatch(Indy) 14th to 15th May
Rounds 5 & 6 Oulton Park 11th to 12th June
Rounds 7 & 8 Knockhill 30th to 31st July
Rounds 9 &10 Snetterton 13th to 14th August
Rounds 11 & 12 Thruxton 27th to 28th August
Rounds 13 & 14 Silverstone 24th to 25th September
Rounds 15 & 16 Brands Hatch (GP) 08th to 09th October
23/10/21
Rounds 15 & 16 Brands Hatch
Lorcan’s 4th win seals the Runner Up spot in the Porsche Carrera Cup
Qualifying
The final qualifying session on the 2.4-mile Brands Hatch GP circuit & the Porsche Carrera Cup GB with Lorcan Hanafin on the 2nd row in P3 with a best of 1:26.737 he’s just 0.266 behind Pole Sitter & Porsche Junior Harry King with Kiern Jewiss alongside on the front row and Dan Cammish the championship leader by just 7 points sharing row 2 in P4 with Lorcan, while Jamie finished in P6 on the 3rd Row with a best of 1:27.431.
Race 1
Lorcan and Jamie get great starts Jamie is up to 5th with Lorcan still 3rd after the first lap, it becomes 4 for the race lead with Jewiss leading King Lorcan is 3rd while Cammish is just behind in 4th but this isn’t for long as Cammish takes Lorcan for 3rd Jamie is in 6th still, 5 laps gone and its still the top 4 battling it out, King makes a small error so Lorcan sneaks through but King doesn’t give up and he is soon back passed Lorcan but he cant pull away, meanwhile up front Cammish takes 2nd but this isn’t for long and is back down to 3rd its one of the best races of the season, Lorcan loses ground to the top 3 just falling behind but finds more pace and soon regains 3rd and fighting King for 2nd, it’s a 5 car train with nothing between them Jewiss, King, Lorcan, Cammish and now Martin in the mix, but then more drama Jewiss and King are fighting for the lead they make contact and Jewiss is in the gravel King keeps it on the tarmac but hasn’t got the speed so Lorcan sees his chance and takes the lead while Cammish loses out and is now 4th while Jamie is just behind in 5th on the following lap the red flag is out for an incident on circuit with only 2 laps remaining the officials bring out the chequered flag Lorcan gets his 4th win of the season but more important leads the championship going into the final race of the season by just 1 point.
Race 2
The reverse grid draw saw Jamie on Pole with Lorcan start from P4 with Cammish P2, the race is shortened to 14 laps / 25 minutes whichever comes first, Lorcan gets a dreadful start while Jamie is away in the lead, but its not for long as the safety car is out for a start line crash involving Khera, Harrison and Armstrong, the marshal’s clear the debris and on lap 4 we are back to green racing Jamie cant pull away from Martin in 2nd with Lorcan trying to catch King for 5th the pressure finally pays for Martin and he leads from Jamie who now has Cammish for company in 3rd with Lorcan still down in 6th but all over King like a rash but just cant pass on the following lap Lorcan spins trying to put King under pressure and is now down to 12th while Jamie is holding is own in 2nd and keeping Cammish at bay, the chequered flag is out its Jamie’s first podium of the season with Lorcan finishing 11th (8th Pro) Dan Cammish takes the championship by just 7 points with Lorcan 2nd in the championship, in the team’s championship JTR finish 3rd behind Team Parker Racing & Richardson Racing.
10/10/21
Donington Park Rounds 13 & 14
Points Make Prizes
Qualifying
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon at Donington Park for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the circuit is 1.98 miles long with 9 turns, it’s one of the oldest tracks in the country dating back to 1931 with the fastest part of the circuit being the back straight with the cars reaching a top speed of 148 miles an hour. As always it was a close tight session with all 22 cars on circuit trying to find a space and build the temperature’s up in the tyres, the teams are allowed 3 new sets per weekend and 2 used sets for each car they have entered, from his success of Silverstone Pepe Massot returns to the team for this weekend again in the ProAm class, along with Lorcan and Jamie in the Pro class.
Lorcan built on his pace from the testing session which took place on Thursday and brought his car home in P3 his best 1:05.492 just 0.235 behind Harry King on Pole and just 0.054 behind Jewiss in 2nd. Jamie would start from 13th on the grid (P9 Pro) his best time a 1:06.403. While Pepe starts from P11 on the grid (P3 ProAm) his best time a 1:06.268.
Race 1
It’s an early start on a bright sunny Sunday morning for the first race of the day, Lorcan gets a great start and gets inside of Jewiss at the first corner to go 2nd, Pepe also starts well and is up to 10th (P3ProAm) but Jamie spins at Redgate and is now at the back of the field after lap 1 as usual the racing is tight in the fastest one make series in the UK Lorcan and King swap fastest times setting the timing screens purple Lorcan’s best 1:06.180 meanwhile Pepe has had contact with Rainford causing damage to Pepe’s door this puts him down to 20th (7th ProAm) while Jamie is still 22nd but catching Shaw, Lorcan as a small gap and some breathing space from Jewiss in 3rd King the leader is 2.143 ahead of Lorcan with Jewiss a further 1.853 behind but that doesn’t last long as Cammish takes Jewiss for 3rd and now sets his sights on Lorcan its not long before they are glued together, Pepe is now 18th (7th ProAm) and Jamie slowly making his way through the field now 21st and catching Stanton for 20th with 4 laps remaining Lorcan is still holding off Cammish but in doing so gets his final warning for track limits and on the following lap receives a 5 second penalty this puts him down to 4th Pepe as caught Rattenbury and final passes him for 16th at the flag Lorcan is 4th Pepe 16th (7th ProAm) with Jamie 19th (8th Pro).
Race 2
The 2nd race of the day would have the usual reverse grid of the top 6 this meant Lorcan was on the front row in P2 with Pepe P16 (Row 8) and Jamie P19 (Row 10) with the results from race 1 the gap between Cammish and Lorcan would be 5 points. Lorcan, Pepe and Jamie get safely through lap one it’s a hectic start to the race with action through the field with 3 a breast down the craner curves with Lorcan coming off the worst going down to 3rd Pepe moves up to 14th (7th ProAm) Jamie is in a fight with Armstrong, the fight for 3rd is intense as Lorcan tries to hold off Cammish and King there’s nothing between them further back Pepe makes a mistake and takes a trip through the gravel at Redgate and slips down to 21st Jamie is now 14th (9th Pro) up front its still a battle for 3rd but the pressure pays for Cammish and he pushes his way passed Lorcan for 3rd he now as King for company the Porsche Junior is making up the gap just 2.2 seconds separates the top 5 with 7 laps done, Jamie is now behind Caygill for 13th and putting the pressure on, meanwhile at the front the battle continues with the top 5 unable to be separated the pressure finally pays off for King as he gets passed Lorcan at Redgate Lorcan now down to 5th while Cammish is pushing for 2nd with Malin, Jamie is still fighting with Caygill for 13th with Pepe 19th on the following lap Jamie and Caygill touch at the top of craner curves Caygill as a hefty shunt with the tyres barriers but is ok and out of the car this puts Jamie up to 12th Pepe is up to 15th (5th ProAm) just 9 laps remain, Lorcan as lost touch with the top 4 and can’t seem to make the gap back up its now 1.839 the laps are ticking away Lorcan is trying to claw back and finally in touching distance of 4th place King with Cammish further ahead, Lorcan runs out of laps and time as the chequered flag falls its 5th for him while Jamie is 12th (9th Pro) and Pepe 14th (5th ProAm).
The gap in the championship is now 7 points in Cammish’s favour with just Brands Hatch remining in 2 weeks’ time it’s all to play for and going to go down to the wire.
26/09/21
Silverstone Rounds 11 & 12
Double podiums for Lorcan & Pepe
Qualifying
It was an unusual warm sunny late September day for qualifying at the 6 turn 1.64 mile Silverstone national circuit, the characteristics of the track make it one of the closest qualifying sessions on the Porsche Carrera Cup GB calendar and not made any easier with 22 cars doing a top speed of 153 miles an hour on the national pit straight, Lorcan produced the goods when he needed to with a stunning lap of 54.453 to take pole for tomorrow’s race one with Pepe struggling to find a clear run with slower cars hindering his attempts, he still managed 9th overall and P1 in the ProAm class with a 54.935 while Jamie crossed the line 13th overall (P11 Pro class) with a 55.110 the top eighteen cars separated by just over a second.
Its Lorcan’s 3rd pole of the year and with that comes two more championship points thus closing the gap on Dan Cammish the series leader with only 2 rounds after Silverstone this weekend its all to play for.
Race 1
It was a cloudy and misty early start on Sunday morning for race 1 with Lorcan leading the charge off the line with Pepe away and up to 8th while Jamie was stuck in traffic in 13th, King keeps Lorcan company up front the gap just 0.687 as the leaders go on to lap 2 the safety car is deployed Micah Stanley as had heavy contact with the tyre barriers in car 28. The race is changed from a 28-lap race to a timed event and with just under 15 minutes remaining the race is back to green with Lorcan still leading and still with King for company, Pepe is 8th but 1st in ProAm while Jamie still in 13th (9thPro) Lorcan sets his fastest time of the race a 55.192 the battle behind rages on and Jamie finally passes Ratcliffe to go 12th his next target Rainford in 11th meanwhile the fight for the lead is hotting up with now 3 cars Jewiss as joined the party with Lorcan & King the Porsche Junior driver finally elbows his way passed Lorcan for the lead with Jewiss just behind in 3rd, Jamie gets the move on Rainford for 11th with Pepe still 8th with 8 minutes of the race to go, the Am drivers of Sherwood and Shaw have come together this brings out the second safety of the race but this is immediately changed to a red flag and then the officials change that to the chequered flag as there isn’t enough time to repair the damage on the barriers, Lorcan is 2nd is 6th podium of the season while Pepe finished 8th but 1st in the ProAm class it’s the 6th different winner in the class this season while Jamie is 11th (9thPro).
Race2
With the reverse grid draw Lorcan starts on the 2nd row in 3rd while Pepe is 8th and Jamie lines up 11th Lorcan as he did at Croft has a great start and with Jewiss not getting away well Lorcan moves up to 2nd with Cammish leading, Pepe has a great start but Rainford gets passed just after the first corner with Ratcliffe just behind Jamie also away well maintains 11th, Lorcan was now in a battle with Cammish but had King for company but this was short lived as the top two gradually pulled away from King and commenced there own fight to the flag with Lorcan pilling on the pressure and trying to force Cammish into a mistake Lorcan couldn’t get passed, it was an intense race for both drivers but at the flag Cammish just had the edge over Lorcan the gap just 0.277 Jamie finished 10th finally passing Bratt in a late move from 11th while Pepe was 13th overall and 2nd in the ProAm class for his 2nd podium of the day.
Lorcan "Another great weekend, great pace in qualifying putting it on Pole then finishing second in both races was a great way to bounce back after Croft. Looking ahead to Donington its my favourite circuit on the calendar so I'm hoping for more points and trophies".
Lorcan and Dan Cammish are now just separated by 3 points in the championship with 4 races to go Donington Park (13 & 14) and Brands Hatch (15 & 16) both in October.
Croft Rounds 9 & 10
Lorcan secures his 5th podium
Qualifying
The start of the 30 minute qualifying session was delayed by 35 minutes due to incidents in the other series, when the lights finally went green both Lorcan and Jamie set the pace from the off lighting up the timing screens, Lorcan went straight to 3rd on his first flying lap with 1:27.777 Jamie just behind in 4th with 1:27.865 then Lorcan bettered his time going 2nd with 1:19.893 Jamie also improves but goes to 7th with 1:23.095, with only 6 minutes gone Rattenbury in Car 3 stops on circuit this brings out the red flags, the car is recovered by the marshal’s and with 17 minutes on the clock its back to green, Lorcan is back on it and posts his best time a 1:19.124 to go on provisional pole, but immediately loses out to Cammish who goes quicker putting Lorcan back to 2nd, Jamie also improves his time a 1:20.176 but cant move out of 7th spot, 10 minutes remain with Lorcan still in 2nd 0.379 separates the top two, Lorcan pits for a fresh set of tyres while Jamie is on an out lap having just been in the pits, Lorcan with new Michelin’s sets is best time a 1:18.978 but its still not good enough to beat Cammish who will be on pole for race 1 while Lorcan is on the front row and Jamie slips down to P11 overall P8 in the Pro class.
Race 1
The lights go red for race 1 at the 2.1001 mile Croft circuit, Lorcan makes a great start and is alongside Cammish at the first corner but Cammish as the line and just manages to hold on to the lead, Jamie is 13th after the first lap, Cammish cant pull away from Lorcan only 0.354 separates the top 2 Jamie has moved up to 12th and putting pressure on Ratcliffe for 11th there’s nothing between them while up front Lorcan is closer to Cammish its nip and tuck with just 0.258 now the gap, Jamie is still holding is own and pushing with Ratcliffe but Jamie makes a mistake and hits the tyre stack at the chicane his radiator is damaged and leaking fluid he pulls off the circuit but with debris on circuit the safety car is deployed Lorcan is still in 2nd with Cammish leading, lap 9 and its back to green racing and the battle continues at the front with Lorcan not letting up on the pressure trying to force Cammish into a mistake, this brings in Will Martin wo is in 3rd he is with the leaders now and also trying to put pressure on Lorcan, with 2 laps to go Martin hits the kerb heavily he has to correct and this gives Lorcan breathing space at the flag Cammish wins with Lorcan in 2nd and Martin filling the final podium spot. Its Lorcan’s 5th straight podium he and Cammish are on level points in the championship with 71 points as we go into race 2.
Race 2
Lorcan starts from P4 after the reverse grid draw while Jamie is P11, Lorcan gets a fantastic start from P4 to P1 before the first corner, he leads from Jewiss in 2nd and the pole sitter Plato in 3rd while Cammish is in 4th Lorcan leads by just 0.610 while Jamie is 13th, the top 3 are pulling away Lorcan, Jewiss & Cammish with just under a 2 second gap, as Lorcan settles into is rhythm disaster strikes the teenager and just as Jamie did in race 1 Lorcan hits the tyre stack at the chicane the front right side of the car is all damaged and he has to pullover and out of the race, Jamie is now up to 10th up 3 places then on lap 6 he is up to 9th (7th Pro) he as the bit between his teeth and is flying he grabs another spot now up to 8th and just behind Will Bratt in 7th with 8 laps to go, Jamie as made up 5 places from is starting grid spot of 11th a sterling effort but he isn’t done with only a couple of laps to go he takes Rattenbury for 7th (6th Pro) the chequered flag is out for race 2 Round 10 with Jamie 7th (6th Pro). The team has a busy week prepping the cars for next weekend at Silverstone and rounds 11 & 12.
Lorcan:- “From Hero to Zero P4 to P1 on the first lap before making contact with the tyre barriers which put us out of the race, unfortunate end to what would have been a fantastic weekend”.
19/09/2021
15/08/2021
Knockhill Rounds 7 & 8
Lorcan Leads the Championship at the halfway point.
Qualifying
Qualifying around the 1.2669-mile Knockhill circuit is critical as its tight and technical, so pole is crucial for Race 1 in the fastest one make series in the UK. Jamie was out first and straight from the off went to 5th with a 49.975, Lorcan comes out from the pit lane with 22 minutes remaining, his first flying lap takes him up to 6th with a 49.280 just 0.681 off Martin on provisional pole, on his next lap Lorcan goes faster and improves going 3rd with a 48.700 jut behind Martin & King, Jamie also improves his time but goes in the other direction down to 12th with 15 minutes of the session to go both are back in the pits for set of new tyres and some adjustments, Jamie exits the pit lane first with new tyres and immediately sets a new best of 49.180 going 7th, he is back in the pits on the next lap for more adjustments, Lorcan and Jamie exit the pit lane with 9 minutes left of the session, it’s crowded on the tight fast circuit of Knockhill with 17 cars trying to better there times, a second separates the top 11 cars, Jamie moves to 8th with a 49.182 while Lorcan improves to go 2nd with 48.562 just 0.043 behind Will Martin on pole, the chequered flag is out for the end of the 30 minute session, its another front row start for Lorcan while Jamie is 8th.
Race 1
Lorcan gets a great start off the line while the pole sitter Will Martin gets bogged down, after the first lap Lorcan as already built up a lead of 1.897 seconds and leaving the field behind, Jamie is also away well holding is own in 8th position, Lap 6 Lorcan posts the fastest lap of the race with a 48.699 the gap to 2nd place King is now just over 2 seconds, Jamie is still in 8th posting green sectors for his fastest lap of 49.370. Lap 10 and Lorcan still pulling away from King and setting consistent fast lap times, Jamie has a moment and as spun causing him to drop down the field to 15th (9th Pro). Lap 20 Lorcan is still increasing his lead and the gap to 2nd place man King is now over 3 seconds while Jamie as pulled a place back up to 14th (9th Pro) on the next lap Jamie improves again and is 13th (9th Pro) and is trying to claw some points back after his spin, just 10 laps to go, Lorcan still leads but not having it all his own way as King as narrowed the gap and posting personnel best times, Lorcan tries to get passed 3 back markers but they are in a battle of their own, the gap now is under 3 seconds, Lorcan shows his maturity and overtakes the tail enders plus in doing so builds his gap back up over King to 3.243 seconds King as no answer to Lorcan’s pace and at the flag takes his 3rd victory of the season along with fastest lap, Jamie comes home in 13th (9th Pro).
Race 2
On podium the reverse grid draw was completed by Lorcan race winner from Race 1, he pulled out ball 6 which meant he would start Race from 6th on the grid, Jamie would start 13th, 19 points separated the top 5 drivers after Race 1 in the championship, Lorcan gets another great start but can’t get passed King in 5th, Jamie makes a place up as Ratcliffe miss judges the corner and takes a trip through the gravel, while Lorcan is in a battle with Martin and loses out and goes down to 7th, Jamie is on a role and is now up to 11th (9th Pro) with Will Bratt just in front, on lap 6 the safety car is deployed as Harrison hits the kerbs damaging the car he is out of the race and in the gravel, also out is Jewiss with a damaged radiator he is in the pits and retires, this promotes Lorcan to 6th while Jamie also moves up a place to 10th, lap 12 and the safety car is back in and its back to green racing, Jamie as still got the bit between his teeth and is now up to 9th up 4 places, this is short lived as on the next lap the safety car is back out for a 2nd time, Rainford is in the gravel and car 6 of Armstrong is in the barriers just further ahead, Lorcan is 6th with Jamie now in 8th Lap 21 and its back to green racing with 12 laps remaining, its now a timed race with just 5 minutes left on the clock, Jamie is now up to 7th Lorcan finally gets passed Martin but cant make it stick and Martin is back in front, the battle carries on until the final lap, where Lorcan hustles his way through with minor contact and takes 5th, while Jamie with a great drive from 13th to 7th crosses the line and takes the flag.
Lorcan now leads the championship by 5 points from Cammish at the halfway point in the season, 8 down 8 to go.
30/07/2021
Oulton Park (Island) Rounds 5 & 6
Its Victory number 2 for Lorcan
Qualifying
The picturesque Cheshire 2.226-mile circuit of Oulton Park was the venue for Rounds 5 & 6 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, qualifying had damp conditions due to a small rain shower just before the start, with all drivers choosing the Michelin wet tyre for the 30-minute session.
As most of the drivers went for an early flying lap Lorcan & Jamie hung back and waited for the first 5 minutes or so, both drivers left the pits with 25 minutes to go, Lorcan set the early pace and went straight to 5th with 1:31.415 Jamie settling for 10th overall (8th Pro) with a 1:32.862, Lorcan showing great pace on his next lap moved him up to 3rd with 1:31.021 just 0.380 behind Cammish the provisional pole sitter, with 17 minutes remining of the session the rain started again, both Jamie & Lorcan pitted for a fresh set of wets, Jamie was back out first with 14 minutes on the clock he improved to a 1:32.227 but stays in 9th (8th Pro) Lorcan exits the pits with 9 minutes remaining & immediately goes fastest to top the timesheet but this is short lived as on his next lap Cammish improves and again tops the times, with 4 minutes to go, Jamie as slipped down to 10th after improving his time to 1:32.227 (8th Pro), the clock is ticking away and with just 2 minutes left of the session Lorcan pulls one out of the bag and goes back to the top with 1:30.196 just 0.027 ahead of Cammish in 2nd, Jamie would improve to go 9th but at the flag slip back to 11th (9th Pro) Lorcan takes his 2nd pole of 2021 with a best time of 1:31.645.
Race 1
With the rain finally moving away the track was dry for race 1, Oulton Park Island circuit is narrow in places and renowned for difficult overtaking, Lorcan & Jamie get great starts and are away well, Lorcan pushes from the outset to try and pull away from Cammish in 2nd while Jamie is still in 9th with Stanley just behind in 10th, as they cross the line for lap 4 Lorcan as built up a gap of 1:427 seconds from Cammish, the former BTCC driver is under investigation by the stewards for his start, Jamie is still fighting in 9th with Malin in 8th, Lorcan sets the fastest lap of the race on lap 4 with a 1:22.475.this is how it would stay for the next few laps both drivers attacking the circuit, on lap 9 Cammish receives a 10 second time penalty for an out of position start, this would take the pressure off Lorcan now with a gap of 1.862 seconds over Jewiss in 2nd while Jamie still battling with Malin for 8th, the lead between Lorcan and Jewiss fluctuates between around a second but Lorcan holds his own and keeps the rookie at bay, Jamie is still stuck behind Malin for 8th around the narrow Cheshire circuit, on lap 16 still leads but now as Will Martin for company after taking 2nd from Jewiss now 3rd, at the chequered flag it’s a lights to flag victory his 2nd of the season, he also gets fastest lap with his time set on lap 4, a hattrick for the teenager, Jamie had to settle for 9th in the end as he couldn’t pass Malin.
Race 2
In front of a packed BTCC crowd on a sunny Sunday afternoon race 2 finally got underway after a delay of around an hour, due to incidents in the earlier races, both Lorcan & Jamie get great starts but Lorcan the better and is fighting with the 2020 champion King going down the avenue but into the left hander cascades King hits Lorcan causing him to go on the grass, as he re-joins the circuit Lorcan slides and hits Will Bratt and they are both off into the gravel and out of the race, the safety car is deployed so the marshal’s can recover the cars and clear the track, Jamie benefits from this moving up to 7th, lap 5 the safety car is in and we are back to green racing, Jamie is trying to catch the rookie Malin with Pro-Am driver Ratcliffe behind in 8th, the clerk of the course change the race to a timed event trying to play catch up from the events earlier in the day so instead of 18 laps its now 11 minutes remaining, Jamie is still 7th but catching Malin and is only 0.756 behind the clock is ticking away and with 6 minutes to go, Jamie as caught Malin and the leading group its nip and tuck and a sprint to the finish, the leading group just separated by 5.506 seconds its so tight, the chequered flag falls with Jamie still in 7th.
Lorcan is now 2nd in the championship just 2 points behind Jewiss the leader, we now move to the Scottish circuit of Knockhill on the 14th August.
Lorcan” Another bittersweet weekend, showed great pace and dominance throughout Saturday only for Sunday to be over before lap 1, a real shame but lots of positives to take forward to Knockhill in 2 weeks’ time”.
Jamie” Great weekend on balance at Oulton, wasn’t great qualifying, but not unexpected in tricky conditions and having not been to there for 2 years, my driving in the wet was a little short of where I wanted to be, definitely rusty. However, the dry pace was good over the races and I was getting stronger as the weekend went on, hopefully with a Wednesday test at Knockhill we can have a strong weekend starting on Saturday! Thanks to the team at JTR the car was faultless as usual and it was just a great weekend amongst friends”.
27/06/2021
Brands Hatch (Indy) Rounds 3 & 4
100 Wins for JTR
Qualifying
Track conditions where dry with cloudy skies for qualifying on the short but technical 1.2079-mile Indy circuit of Brands Hatch. Jamie was out first and up to speed from the get go, his first lap was a 48.819 putting him 7th he improved on the following lap to go 5th with 47.165 but then bettered that to go under 47.00 with a 46.907 but still staying 5th, Lorcan emerged from the pit lane with 20 minutes remaining of the session, while Jamie moves up to 4th with 46.865 just 0.256 behind pole. Lorcan first flying lap sees him go 8th with 47.155, he improves on his next lap to move up to 2nd with 46.499 only 0.102 behind King on Pole. On his 6th lap he improves again & tops the time sheets with 46.379 Lorcan is flying and goes faster still, the timing screens lighting up purple in all the sectors to 46.211, Jamie improves his time to 46.642 but its tight at the top he moves back to 6th, with just under 15 minutes remaining Lorcan pits, Jamie stays out and improves to 5th with 46.553 he then pits with 12 minutes remaining. Just over 9 minutes are remaining of the session and both Lorcan & Jamie are back on track along with the other 18 cars it’s a frantic hectic last few minutes, Jamie improves his best a 46.452 but doesn’t move from 6th Lorcan is down to 3rd after King & Cammish improve, Lorcan’s next lap is another best but stays 3rd the chequered flag is out for the end of the session Lorcan will start from the 2nd row of the grid in 3rd while Jamie moves down to 8th overall but 7th in Pro class for Race 1.
Race 1
It’s a 34 lap race the weather starts dry but cloudy at 16’c while the cars are on the grid it starts to drizzle so the clerk of the course informs the drivers there are 2 formation laps due to the changing conditions. At the start Lorcan loses a place to the rookie Jewiss & Jamie is also lost places to 12th but 8th in the Pro class, on the next lap the leaders King & Cammish come together, this causes Cammish to spin and moves down to the back of the field, this promotes Lorcan to 3rd but this is short lived has he moves up to 2nd after Jewiss makes a small error, Jamie also benefits from this and moves to 9th (7th Pro class) Lorcan now sets his sights on the leader Harry King last year’s champion and posts his fastest time so far a 47.312 just 0.496 behind King, Lorcan is breathing down Kings neck, there’s nothing between them, the drizzle is getting heavier and the track is now damp, Lap 10 Lorcan is still 2nd but King has just pulled away the gap just under a second, Lorcan doesn’t let King go and pulls the gap back he is just 0.193 behind, Jewiss is falling away from the two leaders in 3rd on lap 19 Lorcan’s pressure pays off, at druids they are side by side, King is just off the circuit on the grass and this causes him to make a mistake and spins on the wet grass and he hits the tyre barriers and out of the race, Lorcan leads with Jamie also benefiting now up to 7th (6th Pro Class) 20 laps gone Lorcan extends his lead over Jewiss in 2nd to 1.815 while Martin his 3rd 2.506 behind, with a clear track Lorcan pulls away and the gap grows to just over 2 seconds, Jamie finally gets passed Rainford after all the pressure he’s now 6th overall, has the chequered flag falls Lorcan is just over 3 seconds clear of Jewiss, while Jamie comes home 6th, it’s a double celebration its Lorcan’s first win for the team plus his first in Carrera Cup GB, but its also JTR’s 100th win since the team started in 2006 15 years ago this year.
Race 2
With the partial reverse grid draw from Race 1, it meant Jamie would start from pole, with Lorcan in 6th, the track was dry but overcast 15’c as the lights go out Jamie gets a great start but has Plato for company trying to put early pressure on, but Jamie keeps him at bay, Lorcan is mugged by King and loses a place down to 7th, it’s a hectic start with Cammish & King out of position, Jamie still leads but now has Plato & Martin for company, Lorcan is in a battle with King & Cammish, its getting tight with a 6 car freight train with Jamie leading it, Lorcan is still battling with Cammish for 5th , 10 laps gone Jamie has a slight lead, Plato makes a mistake and loses positions its now Martin behind Jamie and trying to put Jamie under pressure, Lorcan is up to 5th after Plato’s mistake, Lap 11 Jamie is doing a great job at the front Lorcan still 5th but he is catching Cammish & King for 3rd & 4th on lap 14 Jamie succumbs to the pressure of Martin he is now 2nd while Lorcan is having a lively battle with Cammish & King it’s a 3 car battle for 3rd now but they are catching Jamie in 2nd and its not long before he has the trio for company, Martin is away & gone in the lead, Jamie cant get away from King, Cammish & Lorcan, the tyres are now past their best and its with just 10 laps to go, lap 24 Lorcan receives a 5 second time penalty for track limits this is added to his time and the end of the race, Jamie is still 2nd but on lap 27 he loses out to King and as Cammish for company and fighting for the final podium spot, lap 31 and Jamie as back markers and cant pass slowing him down, this causes Cammish to tap him on the rear bumper causing Jamie to spin off on to the grass, he does recover but as damage and retires in the pit lane, it’s a devasting blow after a great drive, Lorcan now moves to 7th with is penalty, as the chequered flag falls that’s where Lorcan finishes, its another good recovery from Lorcan with the penalty, with more good points for the drivers and the team, Lorcan moves up to 3rd in the championship while Jamie is 8th.
Lorcan” I’m absolutely delighted with the victory, in difficult conditions and very different to sunny Snetterton a couple of weeks ago. We had a shower just before the race started so it was tricky whether to go with slicks or wets, the track luckily had started to dry, my start wasn’t the best, but we battled through and everything seemed to fall in place”
Next up the Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park in around 4 weeks’ time.
13/06/2021
Snetterton Race 01 & 02
Drama Filled Opening Weekend for JTR
Qualifying
Finally, after another delayed start to the series, the opening weekend of the fastest one make series in the UK, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB got underway at the Norfolk circuit of Snetterton.
Lorcan showed he had the pace on the official test day held 2 days previous, qualifying was the same, he lit up the timing screens to put down a marker, going purple in all 3 sectors to set 1:51.023 on his 5th lap, 0.311 second ahead of former champion Dan Cammish, Jamie started well with a 1:51.916going 8th, but then on lap 6 bettered that going 6th with 1:51.569. With 11 minutes of the session remaining both drivers left the pit lane to have another crack, straight from the off Lorcan posted a 1:50.459 purple sectors in 1 & 2 and a personal best in the 3rd, then on his next lap he went even faster and posted a new lap record with a sub 1:50 (1:49.947) and the first driver to go under 1:50 & Pole Position, Jamie was still 6th but again bettered his time to a 1:50.957.
Last years champion Harry King had a problem and pulled off the circuit this causing yellow flags in that sector and putting an end to the qualifying session, it would mean that Lorcan had his first Pole Position in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and his first for JTR, Jamie would finish 10th he would lose a lap & his time due to track limits, moving him to 9th on the grid for race one in the PRO class.
Race 1
On a bright dry track race 1 got underway with Lorcan getting a great start, Dan Cammish got bogged down to Lorcan’s advantage and setting him free to race away, as in qualifying he showed the pace and traded fastest laps with Cammish for a number of laps but on lap 5 he set the fastest lap of 1:51.984 to extend his lead and out of site and still posting fast times, again lap 6 1:51.889 moving him 1.597 secs ahead of Cammish in 2nd spot. Halfway point of the race Lorcan leads Cammish while King is now 3rd, lap 9 Lorcan extends his lead to nearly 2 seconds and posts another fastest lap 1:51.797, Jamie is still holding is own in 9th. With 4 laps remaining his lead is now 2.5 seconds and this is how it would stay until the chequered flag, Lorcan wins with Jamie finishing 9th. This though would not be the end of the story sadly the Lorcan’s first win would not stand has the stewards deemed that Lorcan had jumped the start and thus gave him a 10 second penalty demoting him to 3rd and deigning him of the win which would have been JTR’s 100 win, a devasting blow to the team & Lorcan.
Race 2
Race 2 saw the usual reverse grid with Lorcan starting from 3rd and Jamie 9th on the grid, with a track temperature of 36’c and air temp 25’c the lights went out and both Lorcan and Jamie got away well, but Lorcan would lose a lace to 5th but Jamie gained a spot to 8th before the first lap was completed, again as in race 1 Lorcan was battling with Cammish, but Lorcan would lose out and slipped down to 7th on the 2nd lap but he wouldn’t let Cammish get away and tried to put the pressure on, it was a 4 car battle for 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th, Jamie is still 8th again holding his own and his patience pays off by moving up another spot to 7th on lap 7 just behind his team mate Lorcan in 6th, this is how it would stay until the final lap when Lorcan moves up to 5th with Jamie still in 7th.
It was an unlucky weekend for drivers and the team but the pace is there for everyone to see, bring on Brands Hatch in a fortnights time.
09/06/2021
JTR celebrates 15 years in UK Motorsport
Joe Tandy Racing was originally set up in 2006 by Joe Tandy to run brother Nick in the British Formula Ford Championship. The team immediately established itself as a front runner with multiple wins and podiums culminating in their first major success with first place at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in 2007.
For 2008 and 2009 JTR continued to compete in British Formula Ford and also added a British Formula 3 program to assist Nick's rise up the racing ladder. Again, this proved a success as throughout 2008-09 JTR were able to improve the unfancied Mygale F3 chassis and achieved multiple podiums and a race win at Rockingham to firmly establish itself as a challenger. In 2009 the JTR formula ford team also achieved 7 race wins and 2nd place in the championship with American driver Josef Newgarden and also took 2nd place at the Festival with Dutch driver Liroy Stewart.
2010-2011 yielded 10 more race wins in British Formula Ford competition for team drivers Tio Elinas, Daniel Cammish and Geoff Urhane which led on to their first Championship win in 2012 with Finland’s Antti Buri alongside teammate Ecuadorian driver Julio Moreno, the team taking 11 wins along the way.
2013 would see an extraordinary level of success for the team in British Formula Ford as Daniel Cammish took the Championship with 24 wins from 24 races and JTR winning 25 of the 30 races contested a testament to the level of professionalism and strength within the team. JTR also contested the 2013 Formula Renault North European Cup with Julio Moreno.
In 2014 Jayde Kruger became the third driver in as many years to win the British FF Championship for JTR and together with Max Marshall and Sam Brabham JTR took 17 race wins. 2015 will see JTR enter the new MSA formula Championship which is set to replace Formula Ford with Rookie Dan Baybutt & fellow teammates James Pull & Indian driver Ameya Vaidyanathan. It was a mixed learning curve for the drivers and team in a new championship with Daniel finishing 10th with 2 podiums & James finishing 12th in the championship with 1 podium.
In 2016 they would move into the inaugural F4 British Championship with Danish driver Patrik Matthiesen, it would be a positive first season for the team finishing 6th overall with Patrik 15th in the new series, for 2017 JTR and team boss Nick Tandy decided to move into a different direction and away from single seater racing and move to the very popular and competitive one make series the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Nick Tandy “ We Have been thinking about it for a few years and after meetings with Porsche about the future of the championship now is a good time as any” Nick Madge Team Manager goes on to explain “Its been great to actually get our Porsche campaign underway and the transition has been very smooth, the cars are very different, but the team has done a great job of adapting. The team signed 3 experienced drivers for the new venture in Dino Zamparelli, Lewis Plato & Cypriot driver Tio Ellinas, all the drivers entered the very competitive PRO class, it would be a great maiden season for the team finishing 2nd with Dino Zamparelli just missing out on the drivers championship by one win, Dino and Charlie Eastwood had the same points but Charlie would win the title on count back of wins, (just one) in total Dino had a total of 13 podiums including 3 wins, Lewis finished 5th with 4 podiums and Tio just behind in 6th with 5 podiums.
If 2017 was anything to go by 2018 would be even better, picking up the team’s championship for the first time and only in its 2nd season of the one make series, 4 drivers would join JTR for the 2018 campaign Lewis Plato (PRO) back for another assault along with Tom Wrigley (PRO) Jamie Orton (PRO-AM) and a certain young charger from Ginetta Juniors called Dan Harper, the 17 year old from Northern Ireland and the new Porsche Junior for 2018 / 2019. Along with the success of the team winning its first championship for 2018 the drivers collected 13 wins and 17 podiums with Tom Wrigley on top with 4 wins & 4 podiums finishing 3rd overall, Lewis had 2 wins & 6 podiums finishing 4th overall and Dan having a great first season in Carrera Cup GB with 2 wins & 4 podiums with 5th overall, meanwhile in PRO-AM Jamie finished 3rd in his class with 5 wins & 3 podiums.
In 2019 the team would build on its success of the last year and again be crowned championship winners, winning the team’s title for a 2nd year & back to back championships plus bringing home the drivers title with the youngest champion in Dan at the age of 18 years of age the youngest champion, had a stunning 8 wins & 5 podiums, also back for 2019 PRO-AM driver Jamie Orton but halfway through the season he would change to the PRO class, he would finish the season 8th in PRO with one podium & 5th in the PRO-AM with one win& 2 podiums to his name, Adam Knight would also join the team for 2019 in the AM class, he would have a positive start with JTR & finish 4th in the Am class with 1 win & 6 podiums, another great successful season for the team & drivers.
Onto 2020 and the World and Motorsport was put to a standstill with the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, The UK was put in lockdown for 3 to 4 months, this delayed the season & disappointingly all races & events ran behind closed doors, it would be JTR’s 4th season in the fastest one make series in the UK, and a very strange one, the team where joined by 2 young rookies 18 year old Yorkshire born Lorcan Hanafin & former Formula 3 racer Sam McLeod, it was a mixed season but a positive one with both drivers, the team finished 3rd in the championship with Lorcan just missing out on the Rookie title in 3rd spot, he would finish 4th overall in the ever competitive PRO class with 4 podiums while Sam finished 8th with a single podium finishing 8th overall and also 8th in the Rookie class.
For 2021 its another delayed start to the season with Snetterton the first event in June, the team has Lorcan returning for another season and alongside him Jamie Orton returns for a 3rd stint with the team, it will be JTR’s 5th season in Carrera Cup GB but more importantly 15 years in British Motorsport.
Nick Tandy (The Boss / Team Principal) “To reach fifteen years continuously at the highest levels of British Motorsport is quite an achievement for any team, it feels like yesterday when we started. Joe Tandy Racing, its staff and drivers have exceeded pretty much all of our expectations over the last 15 years and for that reason I’m very proud of each and every team member, driver, support manufacturer, engine builder and all involved.
When my brother Joe started JTR he had a dream to build something great, beat the establishment and give back to the motorsport industry in which he and I grew up in.
To look now and see what he built up, the people involved and the great drivers we’ve had within JTR makes me sure he’s still looking down fondly of what he envisaged. Here’s to the next 15 years and the next championship successes.
15/03/2021
JTR welcome back Lorcan Hanafin for 2021
JTR & Lorcan Back for 2021
Lorcan Hanafin will return to the incredibly competitive Pro class of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for 2021 with JTR, the fastest one make series in the UK, Lorcan 18 years of age from Guiseley near Leeds hopes to build on his success from last year where he secured 4th in the championship with 4 podiums plus finishing 3rd in the Rookie category and helping Team JTR to 3rd in the Team’s championship.
Nick Tandy (The Boss)” Joe Tandy Racing is extremely pleased to go into battle in 2021 with Lorcan once again within our team. He is a very promising young professional, his pace in his rookie season last year was clearly there and now with a year’s worth of experience in the Porsche, he will be ready to consistently challenge at the front of the field. We have a good test program planned before the season starts and early testing form has been fantastic for both car and driver”..
Lorcan” I can’t wait to get back racing. It seems like a lifetime since last season finished, so I’m really eager to get working again with the top people at JTR and build on what we learned last year. I plan to be fighting for the driver’s championship for 2021. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without my amazing sponsors MIS Motorsport, DMR Jewellery & Watches, Porsche Centre Leeds, & Revive Leeds”
The championship kicks off at Snetterton on the 12th June 2021.
2020 News
15/11/2020
Brands Hatch Race 15 & 16
Team JTR finish 3rd in Team’s Championship
Qualifying
Qualifying just after mid-day on Saturday was a tricky wet session with driving rain, Lorcan held Pole position with a 53.393 with Sam just behind in 4th, but with only 4 minutes remaining Harry King pulls another out of the bag and goes to the top of the timesheets, with track conditions not getting any better car 24 of Lucky Khrera his off in the gravel, this nullifies that sector so no green or purple times can be set, at the flag Lorcan is P3 Sam is P8 (P7 in Pro-Class).
Race 1
With just over 3 and a half hours since qualifying it had to be a quick turnaround for Race 1 later that same afternoon of Saturday with the weather and track declared wet everyone went for the Michelin wet tyres. It was a great start from Lorcan and Sam as the lights went out, but on the opening lap Lorcan lost a place to 4th while Sam makes a place up to 8th, on lap 2 that changes with Sam moving back to 9th with Lorcan still in 4th, the rain is getting heavier and track conditions got worse, but Lorcan is holding is own and also putting pressure on Graham for 3rd, it’s a short lap only 1.2079 miles the Brands Indy circuit so the drivers are kept very busy, Sam is in a battle with Martin & Ratcliffe for 7th but with conditions getting worse there is no grip, Lorcan is pulling away from Webster and his now on the heels of McKenna & Graham for 2nd spot, the light is fading fast plus with the wet track its making the conditions tricky, Sam is still with Martin & Ratcliffe for 7th with Lorcan still piling on the pressure for McKenna who is the cork in the bottle for 3rd, Sam finally gets past Ratcliffe for 8th and now has clean air ahead with Lorcan in 4th at the halfway point in race 1, this is how it would stay until disaster strikes on lap 21, Lorcan spins at paddock hill, he tries to get the car facing the right way but ends up in the gravel and out of the race, this brings out the safety car, Sam moves up to 7th, with 4 minutes remaining the safety car is back in, it’s a crazy sprint to the chequered flag with headlights blazing, with only a couple of minutes remaining Redline team mates McKenna & Graham come together and are off the track Sam breezes past and takes another 2 places up to 5th and takes the chequered flag on the following lap.
Race 2
With the partial reverse grid Sam would start from pole but Lorcan would start P18 from the back of the field on row 9, JTR cars book ending the grid. It’s the final race of an extraordinary year/season. Sam starts well but gets caught in a gaggle of cars and loses the lead at the first bend to Kimber, Lorcan is already up 3 places to 15th, the conditions are the opposite of race 1 sunny & bright, Sam is still in 2nd and putting Kimber the leader under pressure, Lorcan is flying and his now up to 13th up 5 places with only 4 laps gone, its tight at the front , Sam is holding is own and not giving up and still trying to force Kimber into a mistake, Lorcan is like a hot knife through butter and is now p to 10th and has posted the fastest lap of the race so far on lap 8, Sam has now got company and the battle is on for 2nd, 3rd and 4th the pressure tells and Sam finally loses out losing 2 places down to 4th, Lorcan is still in 10th the laps are counting down fast and on lap 11 Sam makes a rare mistake out braking himself at the top of paddock hill bend and is in the gravel trap, this brings out the safety car, so the marshal’s can remove Sam’s car, Lorcan benefits from this and now moves up another spot to 9th, the safety car is in and its back to green racing on lap 17 with Lorcan still in 9th holding fellow rookie Graham behind in 8th, there is nothing between them just 0.506 of a second splits the 2 rookies with just 11 laps to go, the battle continues with both rookies on the back of Wylie & Mason for 5th & 6th, but its more bad luck for Lorcan has he touches the rear of Graham’s car this causes the suspension to break on Lorcan’s front right wheel, he pulls off the circuit & he’s out of the race. It’s a sad end to a great first season for both Lorcan & Sam.
Lorcan finishes the championship in 4th & in the Rookie title 3rd.
Sam is 8th and 6th in the Rookie title with Team JTR 3rd in the Team Championship.
25/10/2020
Snetterton Race 13 & 14
Sam & Lorcan bag more points at Snetterton
Qualifying was a good positive session for both Lorcan & Sam both topped the times during the 30-minute session, but at the chequered flag Lorcan finished 4th with Sam in 7th.
Race 1
Race 1 was an early start on a damp cold track at Snetterton, so the race was declared wet with all the teams deciding on the grooved wet Michelin tyres. As the red lights went out Lorcan stalled on the grid but not once but twice, putting him back to 12th position, Sam moved up to 6th, on the following lap Sam makes up another spot past McKenna for 5th, Lorcan meanwhile moved steadily up the field to 9th after Wylie spins, Sam was enjoying the conditions and closed in on Kimber in 4th, lap 4 & Lorcan moves past Pro-Am Racer Ryan Ratcliffe for 8th, he then set out to catch the struggling McKenna for 7th which he does on lap 5, while Sam pulls a move on Kimber for 4th but only to lose it on lap 6 to Martin who found some good pace & the damp conditions. Lorcan is still making progress and takes Kimber for 6th with Sam in 5th, this doesn’t last long has Lorcan moves past his teammate on the following lap, Lorcan was now 5th Sam down to 6th, this is how it stayed to the chequered flag, its another great recovering drive by Lorcan after his mistake on the grid at the start.
Race 2
With the reverse grid Lorcan & Sam started Race 2 from 5th & 6th respectively, both had good starts but Sam would lose a place on the opening lap, Lorcan showed great pace and was challenging Graham for 4th but couldn’t get the pass done, with the low temperatures for the time of year the tyres would take a few laps to get heat in them, has the cars found there pace the battle for 3rd was on, involving 6 cars Graham, Martin, Lorcan, McKenna, Sam & Kimber, but at the halfway point in the race its as you where with Lorcan in 5th and Sam 7th, with 4 laps remining all this would change has Lorcan moves ahead of Martin for 4th with Sam still in 7th & holding his own, Lorcan his on the heels of Graham just 0.181 of a second behind but the chequered flag beats him and he has to settle for 4th with Sam in 7th just behind Martin.
Lorcan: “The weekend promised a lot but the results didn’t reflect that, Qualifying was ok and put us in a good position for Race 1. What could have been! Race 1 showed great pace but a rookie mistake at the lights cost us what could have easily been a podium, Race 2 again showed great pace and a solid result, this leaves it all to play for at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks-time”.
27/09/2020
Silverstone Race 11 & 12
Sam’s Podium Return
Qualifying
After the hectic weekend at Thruxton a week ago the Porsche Carrera Cup GB moved to the 1.64 miles of the Silverstone National circuit, the weather was dry & cloudy.
Both Lorcan & Sam showed great pace, this showed in the times, both topped the times and set a pole lap but sadly Lorcan had 1 lap and Sam 3 laps taken away for exceeding track limits, Sam would finish P2 his 1st front row start since joining the team, Lorcan was on the next row in P3, a great effort by both rookies with only 0.112 separating the top 3.
Race 1
It was a good solid start from Sam but Lorcan got bogged down and lost a place to Martin going down to 4th, Sam kept up the pace with King and stayed in touch with the leader, Lorcan still in 4th & trying desperately to get his 3rd position back, on lap 4 the safety car was deployed as Ferguson & Armstrong came together at Brooklands, on lap 8 it was back to green racing with the safety car in, Sam still in 2nd Lorcan in 4th, with the pack bunched together Sam & Lorcan tried to put pressure on the leader King & Martin in 3rd, but King was pulling away this left a 3 way battle for 2nd Sam, Martin & Lorcan, Webster was also in the mix trying to catch Lorcan but he would receive a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits and out of contention, with only 2 laps remaining Martin was in touching distance & putting pressure on Sam, as they went on to the final lap Martin hustles his way passed Sam at Becketts for 2nd, at the flag Sam finishes 3rd his first podium since returning to racing in Porsche Carrera Cup GB & his first with JTR, Lorcan crosses the line in 4th just ahead of Graham in 5th.
Race 2
With the reverse grid draw which took place after race 1 on Saturday Lorcan would have his 2nd front row (P2) start of 2020 with Sam just behind in P3 Row 2.
Has his a custom in the 2nd race of Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one make series in the UK, it was another hectic start, with Sam getting the better of Lorcan & moving to 2nd, the race settled into some kind of rhythm in the next few laps, but by lap 4 Lorcan was all over the back of Sam setting the fastest lap early on, Lorcan tries to pass Sam but its tight, Sam is holding the pack up with Graham the leader pulling away, King is closing in and makes his move for 3rd & takes Lorcan with a sneaky move at Becketts, he then starts to chase down Sam for 2nd, with 7 laps gone Sam makes a mistake & loses a couple of spots, by the time the lap is complete Sam loses 2 more places, that’s 4 in all and down to 7th Lorcan still in 3rd & trading fastest times with King but the Porsche Junior is pulling away, lap 15 & Lorcan has Martin for company its bumper to bumper, finally Martin gets by Lorcan, he now has Webster behind him, with the pace Webster has Lorcan tries to keep him at bay but the pressure pays for Webster who takes 4th Lorcan his down to 5th Sam still in 7th, as we move into the closing stages of the race , Sam’s tyres are going off, he makes a mistake which gives Mckenna the chance to pass for 7th at the flag Lorcan is 5th Sam 8th.
Lorcan: “Qualifying went really well, I managed still to finish 3rd even though my pole time was disallowed. Race 1, I bagged points & coming away with 4th was a positive. Race 2 I struggled with pace but still scored a decent amount of points which keeps me at the sharp end of the championship”.
Sam: “It’s great to finally get the podium ticked off on my return to racing alongside a maiden front row start in the series. The second race didn’t quite go to plan but we will be looking to build on the race one result in the last 2 rounds”.
The Team has a 4 week break before heading to Snetterton for Rounds 13 & 14 in October.
19/09/2020
Thruxton Race 9 & 10
Double Podium success for Lorcan
Qualifying was the usual stop start affair, after 23 minutes Lorcan topped the time sheets with a 1:13.541 & Sam in 4th with 1:14.477 but this would change as Harry King & Josh Webster went faster with King on pole yet again, but Webster would lose his time due to track limits promoting Lorcan to 2nd on the grid his first front row start just 0.468 behind King, Sam would round out qualifying in 7th with a 1:13.677.
Race 1
The weather for race 1 was cloudy with an air temperature of 17.8C and a dry track at 20.C, following on from yesterday’s qualifying Sam would move to 6th on the grid has Matt Graham had a 3 place grid penalty, at the start it was tight, Lorcan losing 2 places going down to 4th but Sam gaining a place to 5th on the opening lap, as they entered the chicane for lap 2 Sam gains another place up to 4th with Lorcan going backwards losing out again down to 6th. Lap 4 Sam comes under pressure from Martin in 5th but holding the position, Lorcan & Wylie evenly matched for 6th & 7th, Sam continues to work hard to keep Martin at bay with the gap closing for 4th Sam, 5th Graham, 6th Lorcan & 7th Wylie, on lap 8 Sam locks up just after the chicane and there’s contact with Graham, Sam spins and finishes up in the gravel and out of the race, Lorcan benefits from this and moves up to 4th, halfway through the race and the tyres are starting to struggle Lorcan still in 4th with Wylie just behind putting pressure on, but Lorcan keeps him at bay, lap 17 and its all change the leader King suffers a left rear puncture and is out of the race, promoting Lorcan to the final podium position, this is how it would stay at the chequered flag, this would be Lorcan’s 3rd podium of the season plus 2nd in the top rookie class.
Race 2
Lorcan would start Race 2 from P3 (Row 2) after the reverse grid draw, with Sam put back to 13th on the grid (Row 7) due to a 5-place grid penalty for contact in Race 1. It’s a great start for Lorcan still in 3rd with Sam holding station in 13th, Sam suffers more misfortune has he spins on lap 2 and re-joins in 15th with Lorcan also losing a spot to the flying Harry King on the following lap Lorcan would lose another spot 5th to Webster who was chasing down King, Lorcan found his rhythm & was putting pressure on both McKenna & Webster it’s a tight fought battle which would go on until lap 14 when King the championship leader suffered his 2nd puncture in consecutive races, this moves Lorcan to 4th with Sam moving to 13th and starting his climb back up the field, Lap 17 he moves to 11th, lap 18 up to 10th then another puncture this time for McKenna, moves Lorcan to 3rd with Sam still fighting up to 9th, its all bout the tyres has Webster is the 4th driver to suffer a puncture he pulls into the pits, Lorcan gains another place up to 2nd with Sam now up to 8th a great recovery after spinning early in the race, at the flag Lorcan his 2nd his highest podium of the season and classed as top rookie with Sam 8th it was an unbelievable topsy turvy race.
Lorcan “Its a situation no one expected, but a good result for me, we knew we would struggle with tyre degradation, I just kept calm stayed off the kerbs and found myself on the podium, thanks to JTR again for a great car and to all my sponsors”.
We move on to Silverstone in 7 days’ time.
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29/08/2020
Knockhill Race 7 & 8
More Points Bagged at Knockhill
Qualifying was a stop start affair with 2 red flags, the weather was dry but on the cool side, both Loran & Sam put great laps in but it was a very tight session with 0.870 of second covering the top 12 cars in all classes, Lorcan would finish 5th (Row 3) with a 49.038 and Sam 11th overall 10th in the Pro Class with 49.461.
Race 1
It was an early start on Sunday morning for the 1st race of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one make series in the UK, the weather was dry but cloudy with a track temperature of 11.8c.
Lorcan got a great start picking off Kimber for 4th before the end of lap 1, with Sam losing a place to 12th, on lap 8 Sam regains that spot moving past Hawkey, Lorcan would also move up a spot to the final podium position with the demise of King, he was leaking fluid and would have to pit & lose the lead to Graham with Webster in 2nd, this was short lived as disaster would strike on lap 13 with Lorcan eagerly trying to catch and pass Webster for 2nd he spun at Butchers going into the gravel and out of the race, this would bring out the safety car, Sam would profit from this and move up to 8th, at the end of lap 18 the safety was in and we went back to green racing, it wasn’t for long as Kimber would spin and also fall foul to the gravel traps, a 2nd safety car period was upon us, but it wouldn’t take long and with 6 minutes remaining the race went back to green as the safety car was back in, with everyone’s mishaps and some good steady racing Sam would take the chequered flag 7th making up 3 places.
Race 2
Sam would just miss out on the reverse grid so would start from 7th (Row 6) and Lorcan on (Row 5) 9th on the grid. The weather was still dry with the track temperature rising to 20.2c, both Sam & Lorcan had great starts and got away well, but Lorcan would lose a spot to the flying Harry King, Sam still in 7th, both drivers found great pace as they did all weekend, this showed as Lorcan moved to 9th but then on lap 7 Martin spins this promotes Lorcan to 8th with Sam just in front 7th, on lap 9 the Argentinian Mansilla spins at the last corner this again moves both Sam 6th & Lorcan 7th at the halfway stage, Lorcan was breathing down on Sam finding that bit more pace, the teammates would finally swap positions and Lorcan would set his sites on chasing down Wylie in 5th with 12 laps remaining, Lorcan would continue to chase down Wylie but just couldn’t pass him, Sam was holding his own still in 7th, at the chequered flag Lorcan would only be 0.157 behind Wylie making up 3 places from 9th to 6th, Sam would take the flag in 7th.
Lorcan: Race 1 was a massive disappointment, I threw away a podium position, I can only blame myself. Race 2 I was looking to make progress which I did achieve with 3 places, Knockhill promised great pace but not great results, onto Thruxton.
The Team now has a couple of weeks before Thruxton for rounds 7 & 8 on the 19th & 20th September.
22/08/2020
Oulton Park Race 5 & 6
More Podium Success For Lorcan
Rounds 5 & 6 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB the fastest one make series in the UK, saw a mixed weekend for Lorcan & Sam at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.
In Qualifying both drivers had good pace with Lorcan set for Pole but got caught in traffic, he would eventually qualify in 3rd with Sam right behind him in 4th locking out the 2nd row, it was a great qualifying from both drivers, Lorcan with a best time of 1:22.742 and Sam a 1:22.743 only 0.179 behind pole sitter & championship leader Harry King.
Race 1
Sun was shining the track dry with a temperature around 17.4C Track temp around 20.2C, both drivers got great starts for Race 1, Lorcan had a chance of 2nd spot at Old Hall but backed out, the fight for the final podium position would continue with both JTR drivers not giving an inch, with the first 5 laps under there belts the gap was 0.427, on lap 7 Matt Graham started picking the pace up & joins Lorcan & Sam fighting for 3rd, the gap now is less than a cars length 0.537 with only 12 laps remaining, the fight continues them, Sam is really under pressure from Graham and finally loses 4th position on lap 15, Lorcan is still holding is own in 3rd & extends the gap to 4:086 seconds, this is how it would finish at the chequered flag, Lorcan getting his 2nd podium of the season & also his first Rookie win, after a tight battle with Graham Sam would finish in 5th.
Race 2
Conditions on Sunday for Race 2 would be tricky & greasy from a earlier shower, so most teams & drivers would go with wet tyres, the weather was cloudy 16.6c and the track was classed as wet 22.2c, with the reversed grid Sam started from P2 (Front Row) & Lorcan P4 (2nd Row) just behind Sam. It was a frantic start to Race 2 with both drivers losing places, Sam down to 4th & Lorcan 6th, Sam would lose another spot to Matt Graham moving down to 5th with Lorcan in 6th, on lap 7 the track is forming a dry line & the tyres would begin to go off, the Michelin wets go to jelly after 2 laps in the dry, Ross Wylie starts putting pressure on Lorcan & Sam this puts pressure on Lorcan & Sam & results in a coming together for both the JTR drivers at Island bend, Sam spins on the grass dropping down the order to 13th Lorcan recovers to 6th, Sam starts his fight for recovery and makes a place back up to 12th but then disaster strikes he goes off into the gravel at Druids & beaches the car his race is done, this brings the Safety Car out with Lorcan still in 6th, the track is now virtually dry now with all cars still on wets apart from Ferguson at the back of the field, the Safety Car comes in at the end of lap 10 to go back to green racing, this is how it would finish, Lorcan in 6th place arounds 2 seconds behind Ross Wylie in 5th.
Lorcan: The weekend started off well with a great qualifying that put me 3rd for Race 1, I was on for Pole before being caught up in traffic! Race 1 was another 3rd place and rookie win, whilst also scoring lots of points! Race 2 was a little more difficult, with changeable conditions I got a poor start but finished 6th overall with another solid haul of points. As always Team JTR gave me a great car all weekend so a massive thanks to them and all my sponsors that help me to get onto the grid in the first place! Looking ahead to Knockhill, one of my favourite tracks so hopefully I can bring home some more silverware:
Sam: All in all, a mixed weekend. But positives to be taken, qualifying continues to improve and Race 1 was the first time we have had good pace in a race, so the building blocks are coming into place.
It’s a quick turnaround for the team as we move on to Scotland & Knockhill in 7 days’ time.
08/08/2020
Brands Hatch GP Race 3 & 4
Ist Podium For Lorcan
Following on from Donington Park last weekend, it was the turn of the 2.4-mile Brands Hatch GP circuit for the visit of Porsche Carrera Cup GB Rounds 3 & 4.
In qualifying both Lorcan & Sam would have good pace in the Saturday Kent sunshine with Lorcan on the 2nd row in 4th and Sam on the 3rd row just behind in 5th only 0.452 behind Harry King on pole, both races would be 17 laps or 30 minutes whichever came first.
Race 1
Lights out saw a great start for both Lorcan & Sam and they soon got into their rhythm but on lap 2 the safety car was out for a car in the gravel, on lap 5 the safety car was in and the race went back to green with both drivers still in 4th & 5th, on lap 6 Lorcan continued his good pace and was crawling all over Graham for 3rd, it was nose to tail all through the early stages of the race but Graham kept Lorcan at bay, Sam still holding is own in 5th, lap 9 saw the 2nd safety car period of the race with 2 cars in the gravel, the safety car would be out for 4 to 5 laps whilst the marshals cleared the incident, the race eventually went back to green on lap 14, the battle for 3rd between Lorcan & Graham continued with Sam being pushed wide and dropping to 7th, on the final lap Lorcan saw his chance and would pass Graham for the final spot on the podium, his first in Carrera Cup and with JTR, Sam would finish 7th but after the race the stewards would reprimand him with a 5 second penalty this would be applied for Race 2 putting him back down into 14th (Row 7) on the grid, Lorcan would start 2nd (Front Row) from the reverse grid draw.
Race 2
At the start of Race 2 Lorcan gets bogged down and loses a couple of places, Sam gets a good start, Lorcan makes a mistake in turn 5 and goes wide missing the apex of the corner he would move down further to 9th, but then the safety car is deployed as there is an incident just after turn 1 involving 4 cars, Sam makes up 2 places in the aftermath, lap 4 and its back to green racing with Lorcan in 9th and Sam 12th, this is short lived as the safety car is back out on lap 5 as a further 2 cars tag each other in front of Lorcan, he shows good avoidance and keeps out of trouble, he is now up to 8th with Sam behind in 9th, safety car comes in at the end of lap 8 with Lorcan battling with McKenna with 9 laps to go, he overtakes McKenna on the following lap, Sam also moves up another spot, on lap 11 Kimber is tagged and hits the barrier with some impact but the car is some way off circuit and judged to be in a safe place, so no safety car is required, with this Lorcan moves to 6th with Sam 7th, this would be how it would finish at the chequered flag Lorcan 6th overall (5th Pro Class) Sam 7th (6th Pro Class) it was a great recovering drive by both drivers with good points for the championship.
Sam: An actioned filled weekend, where despite the big step forward was taken in pace. The goal going forward is to achieve this potential in qualifying.
Lorcan: During race 1 I remained patient and channelled my experience from juniors and waited until the last lap to make my move! I set up the move at turn one before executing it at turn 3 and leading me to my first podium! It was a real highlight and a memory I will never forget. Starting 2nd in race 2 I hoped for another great result, however after a poor start and a couple of costly mistakes I ended up in 9th. Luckily between the 2nd and 3rd safety car periods I managed to fight my way back to 5th place. Another solid haul of points puts me in good stead for Oulton Park in 2 weeks’ time. As always, a massive thank you to the team and my sponsors for providing me with an amazing car all weekend.
The team now has 2 weeks before travelling north to the picturesque Cheshire Oulton Park circuit for rounds 5 & 6 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
01/08/2020
Donington Park Race 01 & 02
The Wait is Over
After 293 days, 41 weeks since the last race at Brands Hatch in October 2019, We Are Back Racing.
The 2020 season finally got underway at a beautiful sunny Donington Park.
In qualifying Sam would finish 5th (4th Pro Class) with Lorcan in 8th (7th Pro Class) after having his lap 6 time disallowed for exceeding track limits.
Race 1
Race Day (Sunday) was another sunny dry day but temperatures not as high as Friday or Saturday, both cars got good starts, on the opening lap Lorcan moved from 8th to 5th with Sam falling behind him in 8th both cars showed great pace, this would be how they finished at the chequered flag, Lorcan 5th (4th Pro Class) Sam in 8th (7th Pro Class) it was a comfortable start to the season for both drivers.
Race 2
For Race 2 Lorcan would start from 5th on the grid with Sam 8th again as in the first race, both cars got away well with good starts, but at the Old Hairpin on lap 1 Lorcan had a coming together fighting for 3rd with another car, he spun and would re-join the race in 20th position, Sam was 6th but moved passed Hawkey on lap 6 for 5th, this is where he would stay until the chequered flag , Lorcan was a different story, he had great pace, so much so on lap 7 he posted the fastest lap of the race with a 1:06.929 this would show as he would pass 5 cars on lap 8 moving from 20th to 14th, with the speed he had Lorcan continued to move up the field, lap 10 he moves to 12th, lap 12 he takes another spot and overtakes Ratcliffe for 11th and sets his sights on the Argentinian Mansilla in 10th 4:4 seconds ahead, this he does on the 19th lap, the chequered flag would come out with Lorcan in 10th (9th Pro Class), it would be a good positive start to the delayed season for both drivers and Team JTR.
Sam: A solid return after half a decade out of the seat. A P5 in qualifying before finding my feet again in Race 1 before a big leap in tyre management bringing a better P5 in Race 2. With the foundations there to build on going into Brands Hatch in a week’s time.
Lorcan: Race 1 was a positive start to my Carrera Cup campaign, starting on used tyres I knew I had to get a great start in order to be competitive. I had just that and managed to get into 5th position before the first corner, I remained there until the end of the race but had great overall pace and looked forward to Race 2. For Race 2 I had another great start and by the time I was at the Old Hairpin I was contesting for 3rd place when I was spun around by another driver, I re-joined in 20th place and about 5/10 of a second behind the last car, in my head I had to completely reset my race instead of going for the win I had to focus on getting points, I did the 3 fastest laps on track and ended up 9th in class. Overall, the weekend had many positives to take away in preparation for the next round at Brands Hatch this weekend. Hopefully I can continue my great pace and bring home some silverware.
The team now has a quick turn around getting ready for Brands Hatch in 4 days- time.
16/03/2020
Porsche Carrera Cup GB Media Day
The Porsche Carrera Cup media day was held at Silverstone on a beautiful sunny day, but due to Covid-19 government restrictions the scheduled day was rearranged with only drivers and teams able to attend, this would be the 18th year of the fastest one make series in the UK completing over 300 races since its inception.
The day consisted of 4 test sessions two in the morning and two in the afternoon, JTR will be running 4 cars for 2020 and will have three new faces with Lorcan Hanafin, Tom Roche, Sam MacLeod all three will race in the pro category while Adam Knight returns for a full season in the am class.
Lorcan Hanafin “The media day was my first opportunity to compete amongst the rest of the field, I quickly realised how competitive the championship will be this year. I am looking forward to racing, however long it will be until the lights go out”.
Nick Tandy “We had a great day at the season launch and media day, it was so good to see all the cars together again and very interesting to share with the new Sprint Challenge Cayman cars. All our JTR drivers got a lot of laps in on a new circuit configuration, and we were able not only to get some top video footage and photographs, we could also work through a set program working around the cars and the drivers”.
13/02/2020
Tom Roche moves to JTR
2019 Carrera Cup GB Rookie Champion joins JTR
Tom Roche will join Team JTR for the 2020 Carrera Cup season. Tom from Cardiff, Wales has raced in numerous championships over the last 10 years or so, including the Mazda MX5 championship, British GT and the Michelin Ginetta GT4 series, in 2009 he became Mazda MX5 champion winning 9 races 19 podiums in all, 12 pole positions and 7 fastest laps. In 2017 saw Tom move to Michelin Ginetta GT4 series under the BTCC banner competing in 6 races winning 2 with 4 podiums in all and also 2 fastest laps, he would return for a full season in 2018 with Rob Boston Racing taking part in 23 races with 3 wins under his belt with 7 podiums in total, 1 pole position with 5 fastest laps taking him to 4th in the championship.
Tom returned to Rob Boston Racing in 2019 and race in the Porsche Carrera Cup again under the BTCC banner, he would finish 7th overall in the championship and be named Rookie champion for 2019.
The boss: “Tom comes to us with a years’ experience in the 911 GT3 Cup car, and will undoubtedly strengthen our team with the speed he already showed on the way to winning the rookie title. We are looking to add our team experience and knowledge plus take him onto the next level”.
Tom Roche: “I am really excited to be with JTR for 2020, 2019 was a tough learning year but I was pleased to be able to win the Rookie Championship. I hope that with the help of Nick Tandy and JTR I will be able to take a step forward this year and challenge for outright wins in what looks like it is going to be a very strong Championship”.
03/02/2020
Lorcan Hanafin joins JTR for 2020
JTR are excited to announce that Lorcan Hanafin will join the team for the 2020 season.
17-year-old from Guiseley near Leeds Yorkshire raced Junior Clio Cup in 2017 and then moved to the Ginetta Junior Championship for 2018-2019 with 2 victories one of them being at Brands Hatch the last meeting of the 2019 season, thus helping him to finish 4th in the championship.
The Boss: “We have known Lorcan at JTR from a young age and I first saw him on track back in 2017 at the wheel of Junior Clio Cup, I’ve personally followed his last 2 years racing and helped along the way in his very successful Ginetta racing. He’ll be an asset to the team and we hope to be able to help & guide him into becoming the next top Porsche driver, to graduate from Junior racing, following in the footsteps of Dan Harper.
Lorcan: “I am very excited to be undertaking this new challenge, the winter break has felt long so knowing that the 1st round is on the horizon feels great. It will be a leap up into the Porsche Carrera Cup GB from the junior series but I am confident I can rise to the challenge with winning Team JTR, who I believe will place me in a front runner from the beginning of the season.”
End
31/01/2020
Jamie Orton & Adam Knight confirmed for Carrera Cup GB 2020
JTR are delighted to welcome back both Jamie Orton and Adam Knight they will be well prepared & committed to fighting for wins & championships in their respective Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro & Am classes for the 2020 season, Jamie joined Team JTR in 2018 racing in the Pro-Am class with 9 podiums.
For 2019 Jamie continued in Pro-Am with 3 podiums but moved to the Pro-Category halfway through the season finishing P8 overall in the championship.
Canadian born Adam joined the team in 2019 moving across from Valluga, racing in the Am Class, 2020 will be his first full season with Team JTR.
Adam raced the last 3 events with an impressive 5 podiums, one being his first win in class at Brands Hatch in Race 2 the very last race of the season.
News 2019
13/10/2019
Brands Hatch GP, Race 15 & 16
So this is it, the final Porsche Carrera Cup GB weekend of 2019, the drivers championship might be done and dusted but the Teams title was still up for grabs at Brands Hatch with JTR only 35 points ahead of Motorbase in 2nd, the cars would race on the Grand Prix circuit 2.4 miles in length completing 17 laps. Qualifying was again a topsy turvy affair with the weather playing its part and leaving very tricky conditions for driver and car with numerous red flags. The session finished with Dan in 7th Adam in 14th and Jamie behind in 15th.
Race 1
As at Silverstone Race 1 would be a wet start with all 22 cars starting on the wet grooved Michelin tyre. All cars started well but as they went into turn 1 Plato, Webster and Ellinas came together, resulting in Plato in the gravel ending his race and bringing out the Safety car, once Plato’s car was recovered by the marshal’s the safety car came in and it was back to green racing, Dan in 7th immediately saw his chance to move up a few positions and moving to 4th, Jamie was in 11th and Adam 16th, Dan now had Dan Vaughan in his sights for 3rd and a podium position, on lap 4 Dan slipped past the Motorbase driver for 3rd, the race again was interrupted on lap 5 or the 2nd safety car period of the race with Robertson in the gravel, with 10 laps remaining the safety car period ends and back to green, Dan saw a chance to attack George Gamble from the restart in 3rd and on lap 8 he completed the move, Jamie by this time had moved up to 8th and Adam P14 and 2nd in the Am Class, Dan was on a charge and catching 2nd place man Ellinas, after a hard fought battle the 18 year old made the move stick, he now had Webster in his sights for the lead of the race, Dan was only 0.207 second of Webster but he couldn’t get the move completed before the chequered flag fell for the end of the race leaving Dan in 2nd place but it was an outstanding drive, the youngster showing great maturity bringing points home for the team in its fight for the team’s title, Jamie would finish a solid 7th and Adam in 14th but 2nd in the Am Class. With Plato and Vaughan not scoring any points this would mean that JTR would only need 2 points from race 2. The reverse grid process would mean Dan would start in P2 after he had a penalty from Race 1, Jamie would start 7th and Adam 15th.
Race 2
So on to the final race of 2019 the weather was dry & sunny with all 22 cars on slicks, Dan had a cracking start and immediately passed the pole man Ross Wylie at turn 1, Dan would pull away from now 2nd place man Ellinas with a gap of 2.5 seconds, Jamie stays in 7th and Adam 15th overall but 1st in the Am Class. This would be how the race would stay until lap 13, when contact between Vaughan & Karl Leonard would bring the safety car out with the Pro Am Class man Leonard in the gravel, with only 1 lap remaining the race would be a 1 lap sprint, the 18 year old would keep his cool and maintain the lead and cross the finish line for his 7th win of the season and also securing the fastest lap his 11th of 2019, Jamie came home in 8th and Adam in 15th overall and 1st in the Am Class, his first victory of the season in that class, resulting in a double P1 podium for the team and thus securing the team’s championship for the 2nd consecutive year. Nick Tandy says “I am very proud and thankful to everyone who contributes to these success’s and bringing back to back championships for JTR”.
We will be back in 2020 its only 161 days to the next race at Donington Park.
29/09/2019
Silverstone National, Race 13 & 14
Silverstone saw the penultimate rounds (13th & 14th) of the Carrera Cup GB series, run on the short but exciting national circuit, with mixed weather conditions for most of the weekend it made the racing more exciting & a very tense affair, qualifying saw Dan taking the spoils shortly before the chequered flag with a 54.593, 0.025 of a second over Josh Webster in 2nd, this would be Dan's 6th pole of the season, Jamie would be in 7th and Adam 16th overall but P2 in the Am Class.
Race 1
Just before the start of the race as the cars where waiting in the assembly area, the heavens opened with a short sharp shower, this halted as the cars where being formed on the grid, some teams went with the wet grooved Michelin tyre, Jamie, Adam and Dan all started with the slick tyre, would the gamble pay off we would see from the off as the red lights went out for the start of the race all the cars got away well for the 28 lap race, the tricky greasy conditions made it hard for the trio and the rest of the guys on slicks who struggled for grip, the cars on wets began to make up places and it wouldn't be long before Dan would slip down to 9th fighting with Webster, on lap 7 of 28 Dan finally moved to 8th and passed Webster but the greasy conditions made it hard for Dan to pull away and he still Had Webster for company, this is how it would stay for the majority of the race until the final lap where Dan would make another place up to 7th but P3 in the Pro Class giving him his 10th podium of the season, Jamie would finish in 10th and Adam in 19th overall and P6 in the Am Class. With Dan securing 3rd spot and only needing a handful of points he secured the championship for 2019, making him the youngest ever champion in Porsche Carrera Cup history an outstanding achievement with 7 wins, 10 podiums, 9 fastest laps and 6 pole positions in 2019.
Team Principal Nick Tandy says " What Dan has done this year in his Porsche is quite outstanding. I've seen many good drivers and we've many great champions at JTR but Dan's season this year is up there with the best of them. Last year his blinding speed was apparent, however a few rough edges meant his points never quite equalled his ability. However this year he has absolutely capitalized on every result possible; 6 poles out of 7, along with 6 wins in those race 1, big points scoring races means he has clearly shown to be the fastest driver in the UK this year. But equally impressive is that he has scored good points in all the reverse grid races too, maximising or consolidating positions when presented, or not. To watch his dominant double victory at Thruxton from the pit wall stands out as one of the best moments of my time running JTR.
Well done Daniel, its been a pleasure for all of us to be part of this success"
Race 2
For Race 2 and the reverse grid Dan would start from P7, Jamie in 10th and Adam bringing up the rear at the back of the grid in 22nd, all the drivers elected for the wet grooved tyres as the track was wet & greasy from an earlier shower, as the lights went out Dan had a blistering start and before the end of lap 1 he would move from P7 to P2, with 10 laps gone Dan would drop down to 4th but fighting with Webster for 3rd, at the halfway point of the race Dan was still in 4th, Jamie in P15 and Adam up a couple of places to 20th & P4 in the AM Class, with 8 laps remaining it would stay this way until the end of the race, with Dan P4 just outside the podium positions, Jamie 16th P10 Pro Class and Adam making another place up to 18th and P3 in the Am Class for another podium spot.
With Dan securing the driver's championship the team will now concentrate on trying to secure the Team's championship with only 1 round remaining at Brands Hatch, with a lead of just 35 points ahead of Motorbase and a further 5 points ahead of Redline Racing its still all up for grabs.
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03/09/2019
Silverstone GP Race 11 & 12
For Rounds 11 & 12 Team JTR had a new addition to the team Adam Knight previously with Valluga Racing joining the team, Adam Canadian born entered the first 2 rounds at Brands Hatch and Donington Park, Adam will contest the remaining rounds at Silverstone (National) plus the last event at Brands Hatch (GP).
In qualifying Dan would again be fastest posting 2:02.594 completed on lap 7 his 5th of the season, Jamie was 5th 2:03.933 with Adam securing his first pole for the team in the (AM) class & 14th overall with 2:05.637.
Race 1:- All cars got away well with no dramas, as the race settled down Dan posted the fastest time on lap 2, 2:02.594 exactly the same time as in qualifying, both races would be timed at 35 minutes each and with 15 minutes remaining Dan still in P1 built up a lead of just over 3.5 seconds while Jamie would slip back to 12th after an incident with Perez, Adam also slipped down the order from 1st in class to 5th, as the chequered flag fell Dan would finish 5.271 seconds ahead of Webster his 7th win of the season, another lights to flag victory and keeping his record of winning a race at every event for 2019, Jamie would be still in 12th while Adam would move up a couple of places to 3rd and his first podium for the team.
During the podium presentation Dan would draw out ball 4 giving George Gamble pole with Dan in 4th Jamie in 13th spot and Adam in P3 in class 16th overall.
Race 2:- Was an action packed affair especially for Dan, after a good start with all cars away clean, Dan made a place up on the 1st lap moving up to 3rd but on lap 3 Dan and Lewis Plato had a coming together resulting in Dan having a spin and moving down to 11th, with over 30 minutes remaining all was not lost and Dan would move up the field posting fastest laps, on lap 5 and still over 20 minutes to go Dan would take 4th spot and be fighting for a podium position with Dan Vaughan, Jamie would move up to 10th and Adam in the Am class up to P2, Dan was on a mission and would post the fastest lap of the race on lap 12 a 2:04.637 and was now all over Vaughan in 3rd as Dan tried to pass he again had a coming together with Lewis Plato who was in 5th causing Dan to spin for a 2nd time this putting him back down the field to 7th and then further back to 9th, because of Dan's ill timed off Jamie would move to 8th while Adam moves up a place to 2nd in class (Am) again Dan tried to move back up the field but with only 10 minutes remaining time was short at least for a podium position all Dan could hope for now was points, with 5 minutes on the clock to go Dan would again make up positions now in 5th spot with Jamie still in 8th and Adam still in P2 in class (Am), on the final lap and with time up Dan moves to 4th after Plato lets him through regaining the place from the earlier incident, Jamie would also make a late place up and finish 7th while Adam would bring home his 2nd bit of silverware of the weekend to finish P2 in the (Am) class.
Dan now moves 44 points clear at the top of the championship ahead of Plato in 2nd and Webster in 3rd 45 points behind, in the team,s championship JTR are still leading Motorbase by 16 points, Carrera Cup GB returns to Silverstone in 4 weeks time for rounds 13 & 14 on the National circuit with the BTCC.
19/08/2019
Thruxton Rounds 9 & 10
The 2nd half of the season got underway at Thruxton with 2 cracking races with Dan on Pole and Jamie 13th.
Race 1 started with a damp track due to an early morning downpour this making track conditions a little tricky, as the cars set off on there 2 green flag laps, the rain started again, making the teams think about tyre strategy, has the red lights went out 3 cars entered the pit lane and change for wets as the track was now wet, Dan and Jamie chose to stay out on slicks, the gamble paid off has the rain stopped, the track tricky in parts started to dry out, but not before the 3 cars on wets made progress at the front (Plato, Vaughan, Gamble) causing Dan to lose the lead and move back to 4th position with Jamie in a solid 6th moving up from 13th on the grid, has the track continued to dry out, the cars on wets started to struggle and lose places, on lap 11 Dan took the lead and started posting fast times with the fastest lap of a 1:15.043 on lap 19 and going on to take his 6th victory of the season and keeping his record of winning the opening race from each weekend, Jamie came home in 6th and would start Race 2 from Pole Position after Dan selected ball 6 for the reverse grid on the podium.
In the 2nd of the 2 races Jamie would be on Pole and Dan starting in 6th, both got away well at the start in dry conditions, but just as Jamie took the first corner George Gamble and Jamie came together forcing Gamble to retire and Jamie to limp back to the pits but a lap down and eventually finishing in 13th place, this opened the door for Dan who made 3 places up on the opening lap moving into 3rd, on lap 2 Dan then made up another place passing Perez for 2nd, with the track clear ahead Dan concentrated on catching Josh Webster or the lead posting the fastest lap on lap 3 a 1:14.742 after numerous attempts to pass Webster Dan did so on lap 11 with a stunning move selling Webster the dummy into the final chicane, this would be Dan's 6th victory of the season and he would be the first driver to take 2 victories since 2018, he now takes a commanding lead of 35 points in the drivers championship while the team moves to a 24 point lead in the team championship we now move to the Silverstone GP circuit with the FIA WEC in 2 weeks time.
Ends
30/06/2019
Oulton Park Rounds 7 & 8
Race 1 at Oulton Park saw Dan on Pole his 6th of the season and Jamie in 7th on the grid. The Race got under way in beautiful sunny conditions at the picturesque Cheshire circuit with all the cars getting away well and making it through the first few corners with Dan in the lead and posting fast sector times going purple on the timing screens with a 1:23.935, Dan pulled away from Lewis Plato in 2nd position and stretched his lead to over 2 seconds, with 9 laps completed and 9 to go Dan was in a comfortable lead and that's how it would stay until the end, with Jamie in 6th and fighting for 4th with Gamble, Roche and Webster, Jamie made up another place and moved up to 5th before the chequered flag fell, Dan now has 4 wins for the season and a commanding lead in the championship.
For Race 2 Jamie would start on Pole with Dan in 5th position on the grid with the reverse grid draw. Round 8 and Race 2 started in lovely warm sunny conditions both Jamie and Dan got away well but Jamie losing the lead on lap 2, Dan had the opposite affect making places up and pushing hard moving up to 4th, that's how the race finished with Jamie in a solid podium position in 2nd while Dan was just outside the podium positions in 4th place, it was another great weekend for both drivers and the team with good points all round with Dan extending his lead at the top, in the Teams championship again extending its lead by 13 points as we go in to the summer break, next up we move on to the challenging Thruxton circuit the fastest track in the UK.
Ends
28/04/2019
Donington Park Rounds 3 & 4
Donington saw Dan produce one of his most mature race weekends with a win in Race 1 after qualifying in 4th place in damp greasy conditions from the rain earlier in the day, Jamie qualified in 9th overall and finished race 1 with another podium to his name 2nd in Pro-Am.
With the reverse grid draw which Dan completed he would start Race 2 from 6th on the grid while Jamie would be 7th, both drivers had good solid starts with Dan making good progress and making 3 places up to finish on the podium again with P3, Jamie sadly had to retire at the end of lap 2.
Dan leaves Donington with a 7 point lead in the championship as we go to Croft for rounds 5 & 6, Dan has raced there before but not in a Porsche Carrera Cup Car.
Ends
06/04/2019
Brands Hatch Rounds 1 & 2
First meeting of the season went well for both drivers starting with qualifying it was classed as a wet session on the Saturday with Dan securing pole position with a 48:431, Jamie came through 2nd to give the team a front row lock out for Race 1, and 4th & 9th respectively for Race 2.
Race 1 had a delayed start for safety reasons due to heavy fog in the Kent area, so much so has the organisers had to reorganise the race timetable for ITV4 and live TV.
In Race 1 Dan got away well and apart from a scare towards the end of the race and held on for his 1st win of the season and also collected the fastest lap on lap 10 with a 47.232. After his great qualifying Jamie just missed out on a podium position finishing in 4th place in Pro-Am.
Race 2 both Dan and Jamie got away well with Dan moving up to 3rd and Jamie moving up from 9th to 6th and 2nd position Pro-Am, it was a positive start to the season for both the drivers and the team with some good points, next up is Donington Park in 2 weeks time.
End
18/03/2019
Porsche Carrera Cup GB Media Day 2019
The Porsche Carrera Cup starts it 17th season next month, its the fastest one make series in the UK, with 301 races and boasts 11 champions in 16 seasons, the series will run over eight weekends and sixteen rounds, the Porsche Carrara Cup GB will continue to run alongside the BTCC calendar, part of its on-going commitment to the TOCA package that has provided such a successful home for the championship since 2003.
For 2019 Team JTR will race 2 cars, one in the Professional category with Dan Harper (Car 33) and in the Professional Amateur category with Jamie Orton (Car 71).
We are hoping to build on the success we had last year 2018 when Dan finished 5th overall with 2 wins and 4 podiums while Jamie in Pro-Am finished in 3rd place with 5 wins & 3 podiums
The team are happy with how the testing has gone and cant wait to get started, rounds 1 & 2 are on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit next month.
Ends
07/02/2018
JTR signs 2018 Porsche GB Junior Dan Harper
Dan Harper (17), recently announced as the Porsche GB 2018/2019 Junior, will be joining race-winning team JTR for the 2018 season.
Led by Porsche factory driver and 2015 Lemans winner Nick Tandy, JTR made a successful move from single seater to sports car racing in 2017. After taking an impressive haul of championship titles in single seaters, their debut sports car season netted 21 podium finishes and three wins in Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
For Harper, choosing a team was a decision he did not take lightly:
"I'm delighted to be joining JTR for my first season in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and I'm looking forward to working with them. The team have had great success for many years and they made a massive impact in their first season in Porsches.
"The championship is incredibly competitive, so to come in and challenge for the title at the first attempt is hugely impressive. We talked to a number of teams over the winter, but we had some really positive discussions with JTR and it felt like the right team for us.
"Naturally, working alongside someone of the calibre of Nick Tandy is a huge opportunity for me. Hopefully with the support of Nick and the JTR team, we can build on their impressive 2017 season and enjoy some great success together this season."
As the Porsche GB 2018/19 junior, Harper will receive one-to-one support from Porsche Motorsport engineers, as well as a full fitness programme created by the Porsche Human Performance team. However, around racing commitments with the Porsche 911 RSR in the GTLM category of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, Tandy will be on hand to provide the benefit of his own extensive experience:
"We waited in anticipation the night that the new Porsche Junior driver was announced, and congratulations to Daniel for this huge achievement and opportunity. As a race team looking to build on our success last year we are always on the lookout for new talent, and with Porsche putting the candidates through an extensive testing program they really did a big part of our job for us.
"I personally really like the idea of coaching and mentoring another young driver within Porsche at JTR, who has a view to becoming a professional in the future. Who knows, we could be sharing a factory car and flights around the world together in the future.
"We are determined to have more success in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, and our drivers are absolutely key to that. Dan will be teamed up with another three experienced drivers and I'm sure they will all work off each other to push for results."
Harper will be joining a team of four drivers, as JTR steps up its commitment and focus on the Porsche championship.
The 2018 season will officially begin for JTR with the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Media Day at Silverstone on Monday 12th March.
Ends
14/02/2017
JTR signs two top challengers for Porsche Carrera Cup GB title assault
2016 Pro category runners Lewis Plato and Dino Zamparelli are returning to challenge for top honours in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB as they join JTR and an all-star cast for the championships 15th season.
Led by Porsche Team LMP1 factory driver and 2015 Le Mans winner Nick Tandy, JTR earlier announced 2016 Pro category driver Lewis Plato would be joining the team, the 23-year-old from Billericay finished second in the 2016 rookie standings. For 2017, Plato is keen to make his mark on the championship: "In terms of joining JTR for 2017, I'm very excited with the challenge ahead. After a strong opening season last year, 2017 is a big year for me, when we aim to start winning races. I learnt a lot last season, however this year I am looking forward to starting with JTR.
"With Nick coaching me in the Porsche, his years of experience will be invaluable, and one that no other team can offer. Furthermore, with this being JTR's first season in PCCGB, the hunger to win from the team will be high."
Plato earned his place in the team by impressing JTR and Tandy with his speed and approach: "Lewis tested with us at the end of 2016 and had one of the best tests of all our potential drivers. He clicked well with the team and was impressively fast, but his attitude to racing was outstanding too, so we came to an agreement that he would race with us in 2017. We're confident that the combination of the team's experience and my knowledge will help Lewis move forward and build on his 2016, and look for wins in 2017."
Partnering Lewis at JTR is Dino Zamparelli. In 2016, the former GP3 racer pushed eventual champion Dan Cammish hard for the first half of the season, securing three wins and seven podium finishes as he closed to within three points of the championship lead.
Moving to JTR represents a renewed focus on the 2017 title for Dino: "I'm really excited to be joining JTR for 2017. Nick obviously needs no introduction, and his depth of knowledge in Porsches, and specifically in the Carrera Cup Car, is invaluable. Having him as the team mentor and leader is so important; he's a winner and we want to go and win in 2017. I like the fact the team will be coming in with a fresh approach and together with my knowledge, we can look to build some big success together.
"I want to thank my lead sponsors Disc Manufacturing Services and Bristol Sport for their support in 2017, as without them i wouldn't be able to get on the grid. I can't wait for the year ahead and i excited to resume my battle for the overall honours. I'm ready to go!"
For Tandy, having Dino as part of the team's debut Porsche season, and as one of two Pro category drivers, puts us in a very strong position: "I've known Dino for a while and I spent some time coaching him a few years ago. He has a great pedigree in motorsport and is a multiple Carrera Cup race winner he brings so many elements we would want from a driver within the team. His knowledge and experience from the past two seasons will add to our strength."
Ends
08/11/2016
JTR begins testing as 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign gets underway !
Multiple single-seater champions JTR have begun the transition into sports car racing by taking to the track for a number of successful tests over the past weeks. Several leading drivers have already tested the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup ahead of securing a place with the team on the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB grid. !
Led by Porsche factory driver and 2015 Le Mans winner Nick Tandy, who made a similar switch from single-seaters to sports cars, JTR has already clocked up over 500 kms of testing. The intensive programme has covered several of the circuits on the 2017 calendar, including Oulton Park, Snetterton, Donington Park and Silverstone. !
Existing 2016 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Rookie Lewis Plato, GP3 race winner Tio Ellinas, endurance racer Ryan Ratcliffe and 2016 JTR Formula 4 driver Patrik Matthiesen have all completed stints with the team under Tandy’s watchful, and expert, eye. !
In 2013 JTR took double Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Dan Cammish to the Formula Ford title, but the current testing programme is the team’s first time running sports cars.
Nick Madge, Team Manager, explains the transition: ! “It’s been great to actually get our Porsche campaign underway and the transition has been very smooth. The cars are very different, but the team has done a great job of adapting – we’ve proven time and again we can prepare a championship-winning race car and obviously Nick’s background helps too.” !
Nick Tandy, Team Principle, is happy with progress: ! “Where we’ve already tested at circuits that were on this season’s calendar we know the car is on the pace, which is the most important thing, and we’re lucky to have had
some very quick drivers test with us. I went from single seaters to racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, so I know how important success in these championships is to all our drivers.” ! The team will line up for the first official test of 2017 at the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Media Day in March 2017. !
Ends
27/07/2016
Le Mans 24 Hours winner Nick Tandy's racing team will move into the Porsche Carrera Cup GB next season.
British Formula Ford title-winner JTR currently runs Patrik Matthiesen in the F4 British Championship, which supports British Touring Cars.
Team boss Tandy, who won the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours sharing a Porsche 919 Hybrid with Force India Formula 1 racer Nico Hulkenberg and fellow factory GT driver Earl Bamber, is now planning a three-car attack on the Carrera Cup, which is also on the BTCC bill.
"We've been thinking about it for a few years and, after meetings with Porsche about the future of the championship, we decided now was as good a time as any," said Tandy. "Ideally I'd like to run one car in each of the three GB classes - Pro, Pro-Am1 and Pro-Am2."
The Carrera Cup has included rounds supporting the World Endurance Championship in recent years - Le Mans in 2014, Spa in 2015 and Silverstone this season - and Tandy believes that is an extra appeal. "The calendar looks good, supporting Le Mans as well as British Touring Cars," he added. "Those sorts of events are good for the series."
Tandy was a race winner as a driver in the Carrera Cup GB and took the 2011 German Carrera Cup crown with Konrad Motorsport. After winning races in the F1-supporting Supercup, Tandy became a factory Porsche GT driver.
He believes his experience should help JTR run competitively in 2017. "I was involved in the original development of the Carrera Cup car, and the new one [set to appear in the Supercup next season and the UK in 2018]," said the 31-year-old.
"I know how to set them up, I know how to drive them, and I will coach our drivers. "The idea is to come in straight away and win."
Although no drivers have yet been confirmed, Tandy believes the Carrera Cup provides an obvious opportunity for junior drivers to become professionals. "It's clear that if you win in GB you will get the opportunity to race in Germany and if you win there you have chances to race all over the world," he said. "As long as you keep winning, there is a natural progression to professional motorsport."
JTR has not ruled out continuing in single-seaters, but Tandy said that "at this point we are 100% committed to running Porsches" and hopes JTR can expand into other series in future. "It would be good to think we could race in Europe and the Supercup."