Porsche Cup Knockhill 02/09/2007

Double podium in Scotland for Caine and Paragon 

Michael Caine claimed podium finishes in both rounds 17 and 18 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at the Knockhill track near Dunfermline over the weekend (1/2 September).

Newmarket racing driver Caine is racing for Sussex-based Paragon Porsche this season and currently lies fourth in the overall championship standings in his 400bhp Porsche 911GT3 Cup car, which is prepared by Team Parker Racing. With a third and a second place at the Scottish track, Caine brought his 2007 tally up to ten podiums in 18 races.  

During qualifying, Caine posted sixth fastest time in the incredibly competitive field, with a best lap that was just four-tenths of a second away from pole position.  In the first race, a brilliant opening lap shot him through to second place as other drivers got tangled up in a first corner incident. However, a legacy of that incident was to cause him problems in the race as his windscreen was covered in coolant from the car of Steve Kane. 

The former championship leader had bounced across the gravel trap at the first corner and damaged his radiators.  "His coolant sprayed all over my windscreen and it was like a blanket. I couldn't see a thing," reported Michael. The problem was worst when the sun came through a gap in the clouds and they were racing along the back straight, heading straight into the late afternoon sun. "When the sun went behind a cloud, it was a lot easier," he explained.  

But struggling to see where he was going allowed Tim Harvey to race ahead for second place and Michael had little option but to settle for a secure third place. "It was horrendous," he said. "At times, I couldn’t see the track."  In the second race on Sunday Caine slotted into third place off the start and chased Harvey right through the 32-lap race, moving up to second when Sam Hancock suffered a puncture. "That was okay," he said after the race. "But the car kept jumping out of gear when I ran over the kerb at the apex of Duffus Dip."  

Two more strong results keep Caine fourth in the standings with just two races remaining, at Thruxton (Hampshire) on 13/14 October.