King celebrates Carrera Cup coronation a round early
PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB
It was classic Harry King. The reigning Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion did not want to seal a thoroughly deserved Porsche Carrera Cup GB title with a cautious drive to fourth. Instead he wanted to take his customary place on the top step of the podium. And that is exactly what he did.
To be in a position to take the crown with two races to spare in the second Snetterton contest, King had already triumphed in the opener. He grabbed his seventh pole of the season in qualifying – but it was not straightforward at the start, especially as overnight rain meant the track was still wet.
Matthew Graham got a brilliant getaway to surge into the lead but ran slightly wide at Riches. That allowed King to pounce, taking advantage of a wetter line and his wet-weather rubber to reclaim the lead. And from there he was off. King’s Team Parker Racing team-mate Josh Webster also passed Graham around the outside at Hamilton but had no answer to the pace of King.
“I didn’t make a great start and was kicking myself for that, but it gave me the advantage into Turn 2,” said the victor. He built a commanding 11-second lead, even setting the fastest lap on the final tour when it was clear just how much he was pushing. That gave him an extra point – not that he needed it.
Further back, Graham remained in third while Thruxton winner Will Martin was another driver on the move as he stormed up to fourth.
King’s perfect weekend continued after the race as he drew out ball four for the reversed grid, the smallest number of places that could be switched.
It was instantly clear just how much King wanted to be provisionally crowned with a win. Moments after Webster passed Graham, King was immediately ahead of the Redline car too with a move at Turn 3. He then made a bold attempt to pass Webster at Williams before sealing the place at the Wilson hairpin on lap two. Two corners later and he was into the lead after a simply brilliant charge down the inside of Martin at Agostini. And he was off again, storming to a 10th win of 2020 – and the crown.
Webster had to make do with second again, while Graham capped off one of his most impressive weekends in the series with another third, beating Lorcan Hanafin by just two tenths of a second. But the Snetterton event was all about one driver – a King who celebrated his coronation in double-quick time.