MSS KITS driver Tom Wrigley converted a maiden Porsche Carrera Cup GB pole position into a sensational first win in the championship during a weekend he will never forget at his home circuit of Oulton Park (09/10 June).
Wrigley was the class of the field in Cheshire on Saturday as he topped the timesheets in qualifying by a huge margin before producing a faultless drive in race one to take a richly-deserved maiden success, which he followed up with a fourth place finish in race two on Sunday.
The Chirk-based racer was enjoying his best ever run of results heading into the weekend with four consecutive top four finishes including two visits to the podium under his belt, which ensured he was full of confidence heading into the meeting.
That certainly showed in Friday practice as Wrigley got straight onto the front-running pace around the picturesque 2.23 mile Oulton Park Island circuit, finishing each of the two sessions in the top three in his JTR prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
Wrigley would step it up to a whole new level in qualifying on Saturday though, with an incredible performance seeing him storm to a breakthrough pole position in the championship courtesy of a lap he described as “one of the best of my life.”
The MSS KITS driver’s effort of 1m 21.734s was remarkably four tenths of a second faster than anybody else, with the scale of his achievement being shown by the fact the same time margin separated the next five cars on the ultra-competitive grid.
With pole position in his hands, Wrigley only had victory in his sights as he took to the grid for race one later that afternoon and he kicked off proceedings in style, with a fantastic launch off the line putting him on the path to a two second lead by the end of lap two.
It would be far from plain-sailing at the front for the 25 year old though, with his JTR team-mate Lewis Plato benefitting from a newer set of Michelin tyres as he closed down the gap to half a second as they headed into the second half of the race.
Wrigley wouldn’t be fazed by this however and a composed drive saw him keep his adversary at arm’s length for the remainder of the race to record a brilliant first Carrera Cup GB win to the delight of his sponsors, family and team, with JTR enjoying a one-two result.
After celebrating atop the podium, the former Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion was tasked with making the reverse grid draw for race two and he enjoyed the best possible outcome, picking out number four to place himself on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s race.
In front of a typically huge trackside crowd in Cheshire and the live ITV4 televison cameras, Wrigley maintained fourth position in the early stages before showcasing his tremendous pace once again as he started to pile the pressure on Tio Ellinas ahead.
Despite his best efforts, Wrigley was unable to find a way past his adversary and followed him to the chequered flag for a sixth consecutive top four finish, with his efforts of the meeting earning him the championship’s official ‘Driver of the Weekend’ award for the first time.
The weekend’s results mean Wrigley brings the first half of the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season to a close in a superb third in the championship standings, with the series returning to action in seven weeks’ time with Rounds Nine and Ten at Snetterton in Norfolk (28/29 July).
Tom Wrigley: “It’s been a truly incredible weekend, getting my first pole position and victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The JTR car was perfect weekend and I’m delighted I was able to maximise the potential of the car and deliver the team and MSS KITS our first win together.
“I was ecstatic after qualifying, that was truly one of the best laps of my life. Nick Tandy [JTR team boss] told me to not leave anything out there, and that’s what I did. I was pushing to the absolute limit and to come away quickest by four tenths of a second was amazing.
“The first race was mega. I knew it would be a challenge as Lewis [Plato] behind me had newer tyres, but I was able to keep him at arm’s length and take the win. It was an incredible feeling and hopefully it will be the first of many in the series.
“Race two was frustrating as we had a really quick car but Tio [Ellinas] defended really cleverly ahead of me, but fourth was still a great points haul for us. We’re moving up to where we need to be in the championship and now it’s about carrying this momentum into the second half of the year.”
