Toro Verde GT began its maiden Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign over the weekend (April 23/24) at Donington Park in Leicestershire, where the team recovered from disappointment to score a podium finish in race two.
Returning to the series were four-time Am class runner-up Peter Kyle-Henney, after two seasons out, and Peter Mangion, the 2018 Am champion. Joining them were 2021 Ginetta GT Academy Rookie champion Angus Whiteside and 2014 British GT GT4 champion Jake Giddings.
A positive qualifying session on Saturday was thwarted when, due to a minor technical infringement which offered no real performance gain, three of the cars were handed penalties and had to start at the back of the grid for race one. This set up the first contest to be a battle through the field, while Jake immediately made ground from his grid slot to run tenth in the Pro class.
After passing several cars, an on-track battle had Angus wheel to wheel with Ryan Ratcliffe for P6 in Pro-Am, the rivals pulling up alongside each other several times over the course of four laps. Making the move on lap 11 of 23, Angus gained sixth, but further swapping of position meant he crossed the line seventh, enjoying a positive race debut in the series. In Am, Peter Kyle-Henney finished fifth, while Peter Mangion was one spot behind after serving a five second time penalty for track limits abuses.
Looking to build on the lessons learned in race one, the team was off to a great start later that afternoon, with Peter Mangion immediately moving into fourth and then doing a sterling job of avoiding a spinning Mark Radcliffe to claim third. The closing laps had him on the defensive as Nigel Rice sought to take the final podium position, but he could not find a way through and the team scored its first podium. An unfortunate start for Peter Kyle-Henney, with contact into Redgate sending his car into a spin, meant it was recovery mode for the remainder of the race, with good lap times meaning he made up some ground into sixth.
Angus was quick off the mark, gaining one place on the opening lap and showing his potential with several overtakes over the course of the race, crossing the line fifth in Pro-Am. Jake also started well, moving up to sixth position, but a small moment running wide cost him a number of overall places, finishing seventh in class.
The team will now be working to improve on this weekend as they prepare for the next two rounds of the championship, taking place on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, over the weekend of May 14/15.
Jake Giddings, #41 (Pro)
G1 – 10, R1 – 8,
G2 – 8, R2 – 7
Championship: 9 (3 points)
“We struggled with qualifying really, I made a mistake, so we didn’t get the full lap together. The first race went okay, and I got tenth overall. Then in race two, it was going well, I got up to sixth on the opening couple of corners and then I turned in but I don’t think I got the front switched on properly and went wide. I dropped back to tenth or eleventh then just stayed there really.
“We’d never tested at Donington Park, so it was always going to be a tough one. I don’t really like the place for some reason, and I never seem to go too well around here but we’re full focus on the next race weekend. We’ve done a lot of testing at Brands, and we’ve gone okay there, so we should be a lot better.”
Angus Whiteside, #52 (Pro-Am)
G1 – DQ, R1 – 7
G2 – 6, R2 – 5
Championship: 6 (7 points)
“The team have said I’ve done really well. I’m used to winning a series – like in Ginetta, which I know is not as high calibre as the Carrera Cup GB – but when you’re used to doing that, that’s the goal. Every race we go further up the grid, and I feel more confident and very at one with the car. I got the penalty for the first race and started third-last but managed to get back up to 17th which is where I qualified. I think I overtook six people, so in a way it was a curse but also a blessing because it allowed me to do that and gain more confidence.
“In the second race I had a few overtakes down the Craner Curves, so it’s nice to know that other drivers understand how fast you’re going. A lot of them give you the space as soon as they see you. That’s good for my confidence because I know I can lean on them – but they’re going to lean on me just as hard. Compared to how much more other drivers have done than me, I’m doing a really good job.”
Peter Kyle-Henney, #22 (Am)
G1 – DQ, R1 – 5
G2 – 5, R2 – 6
Championship: 6 (7 points)
“It’s certainly been an eventful return to the Carrera Cup GB. Sad news for the team with the technical issue, but these mistakes happen and certainly, we took the punishment with our heads held high. It wasn’t the greatest place to start on the grid, but we did make up time, clawing back about eight seconds between us. The first race was okay, and we still got points even though we didn’t get podiums.
“In the second race, I got unlucky into Redgate, somebody tapped me, then somebody went into the side and pushed me round so I spent the rest of the afternoon chasing people down. The balance of the cars is brilliant and it’s about getting back into it. We need to find a little bit more in me and in the car to be truly competitive, but the times are there so it’d be nice to have walked away with a few more points.”
Peter Mangion, #44 (Am)
G1 – DQ, R1 – 6
G2 – 6, R2 – 3
Championship: 4 (9 points)
“That was hard work, but it’s nice to be back on the podium. There was a moment in front of me in race two, it was unfortunate for Mark [Radcliffe] as he was driving well and keeping me at bay, we were pretty close, lap time wise, but I’d never have been able to make a move without his error. I had to defend from Nigel [Rice], hopefully fairly, but I spoke to him afterwards and he seems fine.
“I’m particularly chuffed because my son was in the Ginetta GT5 race, preceding ours, and he got second, which is fantastic. I’m really glad to be back here, of course, but I’m particularly pleased with my son’s performance!”
Source. Torque
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