Paragon Porsche Group C GTP Brands Hatch 04/06/2006

Sumpter takes podium on Group C debut 

Mark Sumpter claimed a fine podium finish at Brands Hatch (Kent) on 3/4 June when he raced a Le Mans Porsche 962 in the opening races of the Group C/GTP season. 

The former British GT champion raced the 1991 car to fourth place in the opening race and then followed that up by taking third place in the second race on Sunday.  

Supported by Paragon Porsche, Sumpter plans to race the car in most of the Group C/GTP races this season. Mark Jones, a Paragon Porsche technician, is running the car with support from Group C Racing.  The challenge of racing the evocative Group C on the daunting Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit is enormous and Mark took a measured approach to the weekend as he started to get to grips with the car.   

In qualifying on Saturday morning, he posted an excellent fourth fastest time in the 20-car field and was able to maintain that position throughout the opening 22-lap race on Saturday afternoon.  

With that experience under his belt, Mark was able to move up to third in Sunday's race to earn a visit to the podium on his first weekend of competing in the series. Only ahead of him at the flag were experienced Group C racers David Mercer and Justin Law, as Mark finished the best of the Porsches.  

The next races on the Group C/GTP schedule will be at the Nurburgring in Germany in late June, while the series will also feature at Silverstone during the high-profile Silverstone Classic meeting at the end of July.