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Jota Sport secured their first-ever Porsche Carrera Cup GB pole
position and saw both their drivers stand together on the podium in
what was an eventful weekend for the Kent-based team at Snetterton.
Race 1
Having set pole position by two hundredths of a second, Londoner
Hancock led away from pole. He fought to hold off a charging Tim Harvey
in the opening stages but lost his lead on the fifth lap when he was
badly baulked whilst lapping a back-marker. As Harvey nipped past, Sam
also came under pressure from Charles Bateman, but held him at bay to
take second place at the chequered flag. Quaife started seventh, having
seen his qualifying session ruined by traffic, but charged through the
field to third. A superb first lap saw him go fourth, and although he
dropped to fifth later in the race, he was on hand to claim a podium
place after Tim Bridgman and Bateman came together in the dying laps.
Race 2
A race littered with incident saw Hancock starting from fourth and
holding position off the line. On lap 2 he made a move on third placed
Bateman at Riches, but contact put Bateman into the barriers and Sam
onto the grass. Having dropped down the field to eighth, he fought back
well to claim fourth at the finish. Quaife started eighth but suffered
a clutch problem on the grid. Having fought his way back through the
18-car field, he was up to sixth when he had to pit with a puncture
after being hit by Sarah Franklin. Once again he fought back, but saw
his progress halted when a late Safety Car period ruined his race,
forcing him to settle for ninth.
Team Principal Sam Hignett: “We’re all delighted to
have taken our first pole position and it’s yet another sign that the
team is moving in the right direction and constantly improving.”
Sam Hancock: “Whilst it’s frustrating not to have
turned my first pole position of the season into a win, it’s been a
good weekend overall. Apart from Tim Harvey, who has driven
brilliantly, I’ve outscored all the other championship contenders and
feel that collectively we’ve made some real progress.”
Phil Quaife: “I don’t seem to be having much luck
at the moment, although I was happy to have taken a podium in race 1.
In testing on Friday I was second quickest but after getting stuck in
traffic in qualifying it was hard to recover. However the car felt good
and now I’m looking forward to the next round at Oulton Park.”
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