PREVIEW: Porsche Carrera Cup GB set for exciting year as series celebrates 20th year

This weekend at Donington Park the Porsche Carrera Cup GB gets underway for its twentieth season with a grid of twenty-five drivers lining up from eight teams.

It’s been a busy pre-season as teams and drivers get use to the latest generation of 911 racing car – the 510 hp ‘Type 992’ 911 GT3 Cup. Following a successful launch last year in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and a number of regional Carrera Cup series the new iteration of the 911 will make its racing debut this weekend on British soil.

The new season also brings a new Porsche GB Junior for the 2022/23 seasons; Following a highly competitive evaluation programme of four finalists at the end of the season, it was 2021 Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion Adam Smalley who came out on top to win the prize of £85,000 per year towards his racing and support from Porsche through the two years. Former Junior Harry King makes the full-time step up to Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup this season with Lechner Racing.

Pro class ready for new champion in 2022

Credit: Porsche GB

Dan Cammish heads back to BTCC for 2022 after taking his third Carrera Cup GB title last year and 2021 champion King is off to Supercup, so for 2022 the series is guaranteed a brand new champion.

The category features ten drivers for the new season with familiar names returning to the grid, including 2021 Rookie Champion Kiern Jewiss who took four victories last season and will have his sights firmly set on the title this year with Team Parker Racing.

One of the youngest race winners in Carrera Cup GB, Will Martin returns to the series after taking two victories in 2021, he will be looking to use the experience for last season to launch a full championship assault this season as he lines up with Comline Richardson Racing.

2020 Rookie Champion and race winner Matty Graham also returns to the grid this year after having sit out the 2021 season for all but a one-off appearance at Silverstone.

Adam Smalley leads the newcomers in the class with Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline, and is joined by Porsche GB Junior finalists Theo Edgerton and Gus Burton in the class. Edgerton moves up the Porsche Pyramid after a successful 2021 season that saw him take the Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB championship, he will race with JTR for 2022. Gus Burton lines up with Rosland Gold Racing by Century Motorsport.

Seb Morris returns to the TOCA package with Team Parker Racing for the first time since 2011, following his Ginetta Junior championship that season he went on to win the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Winter Series with Michelin in 2012 and then the British GT Championship GT3 class in 2017. Morris would also become part of the Bentley Motorsport factory team before the manufacturer ended their racing programme at the end of the 2020 season.

Completing the Pro class is former Formula Ford Walter Hayes Trophy winner Oliver White, who joins Smalley at Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline, and Jake Giddings who lines up with newcomers Toro Verde GT.

Ratcliffe returns to defend Pro-Am title

Credit: Porsche GB

Ryan Ratcliffe is back with Team Parker Racing to defend his Pro-Am title for 2022 after an impressive championship winning season that saw him finish on the Pro-Am podium in all but two races.

A trio of race winners return to the Pro-Am class with Micah Stanley and Nathan Harrison at Redline Racing, along with Charles Rainford with CCK Motorsport. All three will be looking to build on their 2021 season to challenge Ratcliffe for the title. Charles Bateman returns to the series for the first time in nine years with Team Parker Racing.

Joining the five returnees on the grid is another four drivers making their step up in to the series, former World Karting champion Hugo Ellis lines up with JTR, Will Aspin joins Team Parker Racing after racing in the Ginetta GT5 Championship and former Ginetta racer Angus Whiteside joins Toro Verde GT.

Former Am-Class winners back to challenge Sherwood

Credit: Porsche GB

Following three seasons of domination, Justin Sherwood and the Team Parker Racing team face their toughest challenge yet as the Am-class battle heats up with the return of former champion Peter Mangion and Peter Kyle-Henney who holds the record for the most victories in the class with the Toro Verde GT team. Josh Stanton returns with JTR after collecting two class wins in his debut season.

A name familiar with long-term fans of Carrera Cup GB also returns to the grid for 2022, Nigel Rice is back in the series for the first time since 2008. The 54-year-old took 27 Pro-Am category victories between 2002 and 2008. The last two seasons have seen him racing in Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB.

Mark Radcliffe heads up the Valluga entry and returns to the series after taking part in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2016 before heading to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2017. Joining Radcliffe is Michael Clark who makes his series debut.

2020 Calendar

23 / 24 April – Donington Park – Rounds 1&2  
14 / 15 May – Brands Hatch (Indy) – Rounds 3&4  
11 / 12 June – Oulton Park – Rounds 5&6  
30 / 31 July – Knockhill – Rounds 7&8
13 / 14 August – Snetterton – Rounds 9&10
27 / 28 August – Thruxton – Rounds 11&12
24 / 25 September – Silverstone (National) – Rounds 13&14         
8 / 9 October – Brands Hatch (GP) – Rounds 15&16

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