MATTY COUNTS CARRERA CUP COSTS AFTER BRANDS HATCH
Rounds three and four of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB proved to be a case of what might have been for Matty, as a post-race penalty following the first derailed a strong showing at Brands Hatch.
Heading to a circuit where he has enjoyed great success in the past, Matty carried the momentum forward from that superb opening weekend at Donington Park as the meeting got underway.
Performing well during Friday’s practice sessions, Matty was at the sharp end of the field in terms of his pace as he set the second-best time of the morning’s 45-minute practice, just four-hundredths of a second off the benchmark posted by team-mate Adam Smalley.
A disrupted second session in the afternoon saw Matty’s running restricted due to mechanical issues, but he was still on the pace with his sixth-fastest lap just a tenth of a second away from the best time of the session.
He carried his competitive pace into Saturday’s qualifying session as he posted the fourth-fastest time, missing out on pole position by just seven-hundredths of a second by the end of the half-hour.
Taking place in changeable conditions race one was a frustrating one for the Northumbrian even before the after-the-flag dramas.
Making a steady getaway as the field bogged down on the slippery surface, Matty was up to second by the end of the first lap and settled into a steady pace as he picked his way around as track conditions got progressively worse.
As the weather deteriorated race control had no option but to red-flag the race with a third still to go to allow the field to switch to wet-weather tyres.
It set up a five-minute sprint to the finish and saw Matty slip to third but extend his championship lead with a third consecutive podium.
That was until a post-race investigation that saw the number 16 car deemed to have been outside of its grid box at the start of the race and incur a 10-second penalty as a result.
Dropping Matty to 10th and putting him mid-pack for the second race in the afternoon, the penalty flipped the weekend onto its head and instead of aiming to open his championship lead further saw Matty aiming to limit the damage that his campaign would sustain.
Making up two places at the start, Matty was up to seventh with just six laps gone with a well-made pass over Jack Bartholomew.
Moving into clear air and much-improved visibility, Matty was able to cruise up to the back of sixth-placed Will Aspin within two laps.
Forcing his rival into an error at Surtees and tucking into the inside line through Clearways Matty powered his way down the pit straight to take another position.
It seemed that would be the limit of progress with the field relatively spread out, but when a safety car deployment closed things up for the remaining five laps it was an opportunity that was dutifully seized.
Harrying Gus Burton off the restart, the Century Motorsport driver left a gap open on the run into Graham Hill bend, allowing a lunge down the inside.
The pair jostled for position along the back straight, but Matty was able to take the preferential line through the final corners to assume fifth.
Whilst six points was ultimately a disappointing haul, it ensured that Matty remains firmly in championship contention and will look to reassert his challenge at Oulton Park when the championship reconvenes on June 12 and 13.