Jack McCarthy has brought the first half of his maiden Porsche Carrera Cup GB season to an end with a hard-fought Pro Am class podium finish from a difficult visit to Oulton Park this past weekend.
McCarthy started the meeting strongly in free practice on Friday as he posted the third fastest time in class in his Shandon Hotel and SAS International backed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, leaving him in a positive mood heading into the weekend’s action.
Under glorious sunshine in Cheshire, the 18 year old was unfortunately left frustrated after qualifying the next day though. While he had strong times in each sector, it wouldn’t come together for him in a single lap and he had to settle for third in Pro Am once again.
McCarthy was confident of the race pace in his Redline Racing machine though and a good start to the opening race that afternoon saw him immediately latch onto the tail of the car ahead. Their battle soon developed into a three-way scrap for the class lead.
Unfortunately an attempted move on the second place contender resulted into contact between the two, with the damage caused forcing the Bromley based driver into retirement. Putting that frustration behind him, he was determined to come back fighting on Sunday.
The final race of the weekend took place in front a huge trackside crowd and live on ITV4 on Sunday afternoon. From the back of the grid, the TMJ Interiors and Integra supported racer grabbed third in the class on the opening lap and kept within touching distance of the next Pro Am contender in the early stages.
A spin for the class leader at mid-distance promoted McCarthy up to second and he held that position to the chequered flag for his sixth podium finish of the season. That result has kept him in Pro Am title contention at the midway point of the season, as well as at the top of the Rookie Class standings.
Jack McCarthy said: “It’s been one of those weekends where I don’t think I ever got to show the true speed that myself and the car had. The high temperatures made it a real challenge and on a circuit where qualifying well is crucial, unfortunately it didn’t go my way in that session.
“Our pace in the opening race was really good and I knew I was quicker than the car ahead, but sadly I made the wrong call on attempting a move when I did. That put us right at the back of the grid for race two, so to come through to second in class was a good result.
“It was a steep learning curve entering the championship this season and overall I’m pleased with the first half of the year, getting six podium finishes in eight races. We’ve got a long break now, so it’s time to regroup and come back fighting in the second half of the year.”