Thornhill Race Ace Ross Wylie contests the latest rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch this weekend (8-9 Aug) aiming for top-five glory after making a strong, if unconventional, start to the season.
The Dumfries and Galloway driver set the fifth fastest time in qualifying at Donington Park last weekend, less than half a second off pole-position, but his times were ultimately disallowed for a non-performance gaining technical infringement that forced Ross to start Sunday’s opening race from the back of the 20-car grid together with a 10secs time penalty.
But a brilliant display of clean, decisive overtaking in the 30mins race around the 1.98-mile Leicestershire track, saw Ross spectacularly slice through the field in his MacConnal-Mason Gallery supported Porsche 911 GT3.
The “Flying Scotsman” made up an incredible 11 places to finish seventh overall (sixth in class), setting the second fastest lap – quicker than the race winner’s best in the 23-lap event. Ross, who finished sixth in Race 2 at the wheel of his In2Racing 911, lies seventh in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB “Pro” standings. He contests rounds 3 and 4 on the Brands Hatch “Grand Prix” in Kent on Sunday (9 Aug).
Ross Wylie (GB):
Age 28. Born & Lives Thornhill nr Dumfries, Scotland:
“I’m really looking forward to racing on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit after a solid, if very eventful, start to the season at Donington. I carried my good pre-season testing pace into practice then qualifying. I set the fifth quickest time, a tenth of a second faster would have put me on the front row, but unfortunately the mandatory tyre temperature/pressure sensors had not been fitted so my times were thrown out a few hours after the session.
“I wasn’t best happy with the error and guess took my anger into the first race which I had to start from the very back of the grid and with a further 10secs delay before I was allowed to begin. But I had fun coming through the field from 20th to an eventual seventh. I had hoped for a Safety Car period to bunch up the field but of course it never comes when you want it to!
“I set the second fastest race lap in Race 1 and so began Race 2 very hopeful from seventh on the grid. I lost a couple of positions at the start but ultimately finished sixth. The track had ‘rubbered’ in a lot after all of the day’s racing and along with a change in the track temperature, both had a detrimental effect on the balance of my car which was frustrating.
“I finished fifth in the two end-of-season Porsche races at Brands last October and my pace in testing on the shorter ‘Indy’ circuit there last month was very good. Qualifying in the top-four will be key as the field is so closely matched making overtaking, come the race, very difficult.”
