Celtic Speed storms to Porsche podiumsposted in POR18 | 04 | 2011
SCOTLAND'S LEADING sportscar team, St Cyrus-based Celtic Speed, continued its assault on the Porsche Carrera Cup when it collected a win, plus another three podium finishes, in the latest round at Donington in Leicestershire.
While Fifer Rory Butcher bagged two third-place finishes, and a ninth overall, in the highly-competitive Pro-Am1 Championship, Edinburgh's George Brewster claimed a win and a third-place in the Pro-Am2 title race.
"The first race was frustrating," Brewster, who started the first race third in class and 18th overall in his J&E Shepherd-backed car, admitted. "I made a few places in the first lap or so, and then two or three laps into the race I remember thinking 'either this is going to be a mega lap, or end in trouble'. Unfortunately it was the latter.
"I went off but managed to get back on track; I guess the excursion cost me around 10 seconds. I rejoined the track in 23rd and last, but managed to fight my way back to finish 15th overall and third in class.
"I got a better start in the second race and I had a terrific battle with two of the other cars in the class; at one stage we were running three abreast through the high speed corners.
"This time I managed to keep my nose in front and took my third class win of the year to extend my lead in the championship."
And it was another positive outing for Dunfermline's Rory Butcher (pictured). The 24-year-old again impressed in the Pro-Am1 title race scoring two third-place finishes, fighting through from fifth and sixth on the grid.
"It was another learning weekend for me," Butcher, in his first full season driving the Celtic Speed Porsche 911, admitted. "We had software gremlins during qualifying which hampered everyone in the team, so we weren't able to show our full pace.
"But in the two races Porsche had replaced the software and my car was back to being as quick as it was in the opening round at Brands Hatch.
"In my first race at Donington I felt I was still getting used to the track, but I quickly settled into a good rhythm and watched as a number of the guy ahead of me just fell off the track. In the end I finished ninth overall and third in class.
"In the second race I got another good start but got held up behind another car for more than half the race. By the time I managed to get past him the gap was too big to catch the rest of the field, but I scored another podium finish, my third in four races."
Celtic Speed team principal Tommy Dreelan, who suffered a puncture in the opening race and finished fifth in the second outing, was pleased with another successful weekend, though frustrated by the software problems which handicapped qualifying.
"The whole team worked superbly again over the weekend, though it was a pity we were affected by the software glitches on Saturday," he explained.
"We've no direct control over the software, but the fuel-surge problems it generated definitely slowed the cars during qualifying and as a result we started further back than our true pace would have put us.
"But both Rory and George drove super races and to score three podiums, plus a win, shows we're moving in the right direction."
The team is back in action for the next double header in the Porsche Carrera Cup at Thruxton at the end of the month.
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Jim McGill
Photo: Malcolm Griffiths