BRANDS HATCH BECKONS FOR MATTY IN CARRERA CUP
Matty returns to Porsche Carrera Cup GB action this weekend as he heads to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, looking to build on a solid start to the campaign.
The Redline Racing driver took the early championship lead following the opening two races at Donington Park in April and heads to a track where he has previously excelled aiming to maintain that position in the standings.
Supported by the Innovation Centre Knowledge Gateway, Matty drove a measured race in the first as he advanced from sixth on the grid to third by the end of the 23-laps before ending the weekend on the top step of the podium.
That second race victory was earned after a superb getaway saw the Northumbrian vault from second to the lead by the time the field reached the first corner, allowing him to control the pace from the front.
Just 1.2 miles in length, the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch is a compact layout that still manages to take in some of the best corners on the Kent track.
From the plunging Paddock Hill bend and the run into the Druids hairpin, the track deviates from the full Grand Prix loop by turning right at Surtees bend instead of left.
It then cuts back through the right hand turn at Clearways and through Clarke Curve before heading back along the Brabham start/finish straight.
Back in 2020 it provided the stage for one of Matty’s strongest drives of the year, as he entered into a thrilling battle at the end of the weekend’s first race with then runaway championship leader Harry King.
The 2020/21 Porsche GB junior had dominated the series that season, but in a race where persistent fine rain and the gathering gloom of a mid-October evening challenged the field, Matty provided King with a stern test.
Running nose to tail heading into the final laps, Matty got alongside his rival coming out of Graham Hill bend but not far enough ahead to make the move stick into Surtees.
Attempting a cut-back pass by running out wide into Druids on the next tour, the chance of a second win of the season was snatched away when Matty was nerfed off the track by his Redline team-mate.
Securing the rookie championship title the following day as he cut through from 16th on the grid to finish 6th, Matty has demonstrated he gels well with this layout, having also secured the BRDC F4 Winter Series at the same venue in 2014.
Whilst there has been a three-week gap between Carerra Cup meetings, Matty has been gaining valuable seat time in another of the famous German marques’ race cars, having undertaken GT duties in a Porsche 918 Cayman in the GT Cup and British GT championships.
Winning and finishing second on the full Brands Hatch layout in his first races in the car two weeks ago, he backed that result up by taking third place in the GT4 category at last weekend’s Silverstone 500 in an AL-2 Teknik UK supported Valluga Racing entry. Click here to read the race report from that event.
The weekend’s meeting gets underway for Matty on Friday, with two official practice sessions before qualifying on Saturday sets the grid for Sunday’s pair of races.
Lights out in the first comes at 10:35 BST before the second gets underway at 17:00, live on ITV4.