Michelin Porsche Club Championship Brands Hatch Porsche Festival 29/08/2005

Double win for Purdie at Brands Porsche Festival

Just a year on from his race debut at the circuit, Andy Purdie claimed two wins in the Michelin Porsche Club Championship at Brands Hatch this Bank Holiday Weekend (August 28/29). Ian White chased him hard all the weekend, while Tom Segrue and Paul Goldman bagged a pair of class wins each.

Qualifying

Purdie took pole with his 3.2 Carrera ahead of White’s similar car by less than a tenth of a second round the tight 1.2-mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit. "I was aiming for the front row but didn’t really expect pole," said Purdie. "It should be a hard race – we are on the shortest circuit we visit with the biggest grid – and backmarkers will be a factor as the race goes on." 

The lead pair were more than half a second clear of third quickest Fraser Robertson, class two pace setter in his 944S2, with the 911SC of Goldman heading class three.

Race One

The front two got away well and Purdie and White were side-by-side into the first corner, Purdie establishing himself in the lead at Druids for the first time. White was setting the early pace, however, and slipped inside Purdie on lap two as they came onto the pit straight. 

They stayed in that order until lap ten when, in heavy traffic, White went outside a back-marker on the pit straight and Purdie dived to the inside, squeezing between the slower car and the pit wall to take the inside line into Paddock Hill Bend and a lead he was to hold for the rest of the race.  Behind, Robertson was recovering from a poor start to battle for third – and the class two lead – with Richard Lambert (Carrera 3). 

It all came to an end for them when Robertson went off on oil at Clearways. Lambert lost places to Colin Broster’s 3.2 Carrera, which was recovering from losing places due to a backmarker, and the class win to the 944S2 of Segrue. Lambert eventually took sixth behind Mark Lillington (968CS).  "It’s special to win at the Porsche Festival," said Purdie on the podium. "It was a tough hot race and I had to take a risk with a backmarker to get past Ian White. 

Towards the end I couldn’t see him in my mirrors so I was cruising."  "I spun on the same oil that Fraser went off on," explained White. "After that I was happy to settle for the for second." Goldman claimed class three ahead of racing returnee Neil Harvey.

Race Two

Bank Holiday Monday’s race saw the Purdie/White battle continue, this time the pair seldom more than a length apart over 36 laps of close racing.  

Within eight laps they were lapping backmarkers, the high driving standards in the series seeing most cars moving aside as the leaders flew by. Purdie never gave his rival a clear opportunity, and claimed his sixth win of the season – staying clear on a three-lap dash to the flag after a late Safety Car period.  

"He was in my mirrors all race," said Purdie. "It’s been a perfect weekend though, I had my first race here last year, and to take two wins at my local track is great."  "We were so evenly matched," explained White. "It’s really enjoyable to have a clean close race, it’s hard to pass here and I got alongside once but it wasn’t enough."  

Broster deposed Segrue for third early on, while in the final laps the 968s of Lillington and Kevin Harrison fought over fourth, the former taking the place. Segrue claimed class two and sixth overall, with class rival Robertson fighting his way up to seventh from 23rd on the grid.