Carrera Cup GB junior finalists revealed
THE FIVE FINALISTS IN WITH A CHANCE OF becoming the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior driver for the next two years have been selected.
The final five drivers in contention are Jamie Caroline, Dan Harper, George Gamble, Dean Macdonald and Esmee Hawkey.
Porsche received a record number of applications from drivers seeking to emulate Charlie Eastwood, who was selected in 2015 and this year won the Carrera Cup GB championship. The applicants were whittled down to 12, then after interviews five were picked to take part in assessments at Silverstone in November. The winner will receive £85,000 towards their budget each year over the next two seasons, and will benefit from a wide range of support from Porsche.
Three of the five have competed in other British Touring Car support categories this season. Caroline, 18, broke a number of records on the way to the British Formula 4 crown, while Harper, 16, was a title contender in Ginetta Junior. Gamble,
21, won the 2014 Ginetta GT5 Challenge and was a race winner in the GT4 Supercup this year.
Macdonald, 16, raced a Mclaren 570S in British GT4, while Hawkey, 19, completed a part-season in a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport in the GT Cup after breaking her leg in the middle of the year.
“It’s cool to be in the final and it would be good for my sponsors to stay on the TOCA package,” said Caroline, who added that the chance to improve his training with staff from the Porsche Human Performance Centre would be a key benefit: “Who wouldn’t want to race for Porsche? It’s been in motorsport for 60 or 70 years and it would be mega to have the title of a Porsche driver.”
Harper added: “It’s a privilege to be in the final. I never thought when I was a young boy living in Northern Ireland I would have the chance to show Porsche what I can do. It’s a massive opportunity and I need to make the most if it.”
Gamble, who returned to racing this season after two years on the sidelines, said his GT4 Ginetta experience should help.
“We’ve looked at the Porsche pyramid and what that involves, and it’s proven in recent years it works and that appeals to me a lot,” he said. “I see the Carrera Cup Junior programme as a way towards that.”