CLUB AUTOSPORT NATIONAL REPORTS
TOCA SUPPORTS THRUXTON 17-18 AUGUSTHarper triumphed in
wet/dry opener and
reversed-grid raceBATHIEHawkey had her best
Porsche event at Thruxton74 AUTOSPORT.COM 22 AUGUST 2019Plenty of drivers race in more than one
championship during a season, either to build
their experience or maximise their earnings.
For some, that involves switching between
different cars or even different types of car.
But beyond Formula E and the World
Endurance Championship – where the drivers
fall into the category of paid professionals
maximising their income – it’s rare to alternate
between single-seaters and sportscars.
That is what Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer
Esmee Hawkey has been doing this year as
she also fitted in a campaign in W Series.
“Driving the Formula 3 car in W Series and
then also the Carrera Cup car, it’s been tough,”
said Hawkey. “They’re totally different cars so
it’s been a difficult year, jumping in and out
of both. You have to completely change your
driving style so it takes a little while to adjust.
“As a racing driver, I’ve come on a lot this
year, just because I’ve had so much experience
in both Carrera Cup and the Formula 3 car.”
Of the six W Series venues, Brands Hatch was“To be fighting with and quicker than
some of the guys in front of me, it’s given
me a lot of confidence,” said Hawkey, who
now has to wait to find out whether she’ll
be given a second chance in W Series.
“I’m just going to focus on Porsche Carrera
Cup, get that class win at the end of the year,
and if it’s not meant to be for next year in
W Series, I will put my application through
for 2021. I’m not giving up yet!”
MARK PAULSONFROM SPORTSCARS TO SINGLE-SEATERS FOR HAWKEYPORSCHE CARRERA CUP GBDan Harper continued his march
towards the Porsche Carrera Cup GB
title as he became the first driver this
season to win both races in a weekend.
Harper edged Josh Webster to claim
his fourth pole position in five rounds,
but the opening race threw the curveball
of a rain shower as the cars made theirfrom the complex to Church – was very
wet, the gamble initially looked to be
paying off. Roche, whose Rob Boston
Racing squad got him to the end of
the pitlane first, led the trio through the
field, taking the lead on lap five of 20,
with Vaughan and Plato swiftly following.
But within two laps Harper had the
fastest car on track as the pendulum
swung back towards the slick runners.
Those on wets became sitting ducks and,
once back in front, the JTR man traded
fastest laps with Webster before easing
clear. George Gamble completed the
podium, with Plato the best of those
who’d rolled the dice in eighth.
“The first few laps especially it was
quite treacherous, so it was just a matter
of not going off the track,” said Harper.
“I knew the guys on wets were coming
pretty quickly but I knew eventually
it would go the opposite way.”
Harper’s victory continued his record
of winning every weekend’s higher
points-paying opening race this year,
but he had yet to finish better than
third in a reversed-grid encounter.
That changed in what turned out to
be the more straightforward race. From
row three, Webster and Harper took
advantage of the early skirmishes to
run first and second by lap two. They
streaked clear, and Harper sold Webster
a dummy into Club to take the lead
just after half-distance.
MARK PAULSONway to the grid. Motorbase Performance
duo Lewis Plato and Dan Vaughan were
joined by Tom Roche in peeling in for
rain tyres and starting from the pitlane.
“It poured down so I was like, ‘Right,
this is Croft all over again – get the
wets on’,” said Plato, Harper’s closest
challenger in the points, who sacrificed
fourth on the grid.
Although only half the track –Double delight for dominant Dan
as he builds commanding lead
JEPthe only circuit Hawkey – who had no previous
single-seater experience – had visited before. She
made that count by qualifying third for the season
finale there a fortnight ago. But a stall and a
drivethrough penalty meant she didn’t score the
points needed to finish in the championship’s top
12 and secure an automatic place on the 2020 grid.
“Had I stayed where I was and finished where
I qualified then I’d have been in next year,” she
said. “You learn the first year and then go for
it in the second. Exactly as in Porsche Carrera
Cup – last year was a huge learning curve for
me. I made a few mistakes but this year I’ve
come back stronger and it’s paying off.”
After claiming her first Pro-Am win at Oulton
Park last time out, Hawkey impressed with a
double class victory at Thruxton. She finished
a career-highest fifth overall in the wet/dry
race one, then repeated the result in race two
despite getting shuffled back at the first corner.
The results have moved Hawkey ahead of Karl
Leonard into the Pro-Am championship lead
with three weekends remaining.