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A Challenging Weekend For Phil Quaife At Silverstone

Phil Quaife competed in the opening round of the FIA GT3 European Championship this weekend, racing on the Grand Prix circuit at the famed Silverstone track in Northamptonshire. Partnering with Tom Ferrier in aTechspeed 9 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car the duo finished 27th in the first race on Saturday and 18th in the second event on Sunday, but although the results weren't as strong as expected the duo used the weekend to gain valuable experience. Earlier in the weekend the pairing quickly found their pace with thirteenth quickest lap in the first practice session and fifth fastest in the second practice. In the first qualifying session for they set fourteen fastest time and were 29th in the second timed session. With a grid of 39 cars, it was always going to be a busy race track. The first one hour race, with a mandatory driver change saw Quaife take the grid for the start and at mid-distance he handed the car over to Ferrier to race home to the chequered flag. Quaife started well and made up six places, but handling problems already experienced in the pre-race sessions led to Quaife making an early pitstop for changes to alleviate the issues. Unfortunately on his return to the track he was still suffering and unable to match the pace of his rivals. The pair of young drivers persevered to bring the car home, but lost much time with an extra pitstop which compromised their finish position. . The team worked hard overnight to make further changes to the car in efforts to improve it, but starting from a difficult grid position, Quaife and Ferrier were set for a tough race. Quaife took the start for the second race of the weekend and once again was away fast and overtaking cars from the off, but the problems of the week remained unresolved and this, compounded with using the 2006 aero kit, left the Porsche unable to match the pace of the Aston Martins and Ferraris. Ferrier, driving the second stint, brought the car home in 18th place. Quaife said of his Silverstone event, "It was a weekend to forget really. We really struggled with technical issues throughout and we haven't really got to the bottom of them yet, but I know the Techspeed 9 team will soon have it sorted and we'll be able to make progress in the next outing. That's a street race, so it'll bring its own challenges and then we'll get to Monza when we'll have the 2007 update kit. "Although we haven't had the results we wanted, I was behind the wheel gaining valuable track experience which will be put to good use next weekend in Barcelona at the Porsche Supercup round. "Quaife will be back in the car for the second round of the GT3 championship at Bucharest, Romania on 19-20 May, but the young racer only has to wait for a few days before returning to racing action, with the second round of the Porsche Supercup taking place in Barcelona, Spain next weekend. Quaife says, "I'll put this weekend behind me now and focus on my Supercup race weekend in Barcelona now. I've not driven there, so it's another new experience for me. I'm up for this challenge and I'll be looking to build on our Bahrain experience. Moving up towards the top ten will be the aim in Spain and with the depth of experience that I'm up against in this Series it'll be a great fight and one which I'm relishing." Supporting the first of the European rounds of the FIA Formula One world championship Quaife will be behind the wheel of his Porsche Supercup car on Friday 11 May.