Xentek Motorsport kicked off the second half of the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge GB with a brilliant pair of class victories for Sam Harvey at Donington Park this past weekend (24-25 August).
Fresh from a sensational first-ever overall podium finish in the championship last time out at Croft, the South Yorkshire team had their sights set on more standout results in Leicestershire with their talented driver line-up of Harvey, Oliver Cottam and Bal Sidhu.
Harvey delivered the team their first ever class wins in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB back at Oulton Park in June, and the former Ginetta GT5 Challenge racer continued his eye-catching maiden Porsche campaign in the championship with another impressive performance at Donington Park.
The West Midlands-based driver stamped his authority on the CS Pro class by going fastest of all in qualifying on Saturday and then duly converting that into a perfect lights-to-flag victory in the opening race that afternoon, scoring a maximum points haul for the day in the process.
Initially dropping to second at the start of race two on Sunday, Harvey quickly regained the advantage and led to the chequered flag for his fifth win of the season. He narrowly missed out on the hat-trick in the final race, but a second-place finish ensures he’s moved just seven points shy of the CS Pro championship lead.
With confidence high following his brilliant top three result at Croft last month, Cottam enjoyed another hugely-competitive showing in the headline RS Pro class this past weekend as he continues his transition from tin-top racing into sportscars.
After qualifying eighth in class, the 18-year-old talent enjoyed some great wheel-to-wheel action on track en-route to the same result in race one. Cottam went on to put in two more battling drives on Sunday, with the highlight being a well-earned top six finish in race two.
Newly-crowned British Endurance Championship GT4 drivers’ champion Sidhu meanwhile was back at the scene of his incredible title win two weeks’ prior. Racing in the same Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, he showed great progress across the event in the hotly-contested RS Am class.
Forwards momentum was the story of the opening two races, as he gained places in both to net sixth and fifth place class finishes. The former Ginetta champion went on to complete a hat-trick of top six finishes in the final race, ensuring it was highest points scoring weekend of the season so far.
Christopher Richards – Team Principal: “This has been another brilliant weekend for the team in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB, with two more class wins under our belt and all three drivers having some big positives to take away from the event.
“Sam was fantastic all weekend and really showed how far he’s progressed in the Cayman this year. He’s right in the title battle in the Clubsport class now and we’ll be doing everything we can to try and help him achieve that goal at the end of the season.
“Bal continues to make great steps forward every time he’s in the car and was rewarded with a good set of race results, while it’s a similar story with Oliver who’s getting quicker every weekend and enjoying some good racing on track. We’re all looking forward to the final two rounds of the season.”
Next up for Xentek Motorsport’s Porsche Sprint Challenge GB squad is a trip to Silverstone for the penultimate round of the season next month (21-22 September).
Images from Porsche GB.
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