Dino Zamparelli took another step forward in his quest to take the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship title, by qualifying on pole and dominating the first race at Silverstone over the weekend. He backed this up with a 5th place and solid points in race 2’s ‘reverse grid’ race, to take an 8 point margin over his title rival Tio Ellinas, going into the final rounds at Brands Hatch in a fortnight.
With Qualifying taking place in sunny conditions on Saturday, it was a straight fight between Zamparelli, Ellinas and JTR’s Dan Harper, all three trading fastest times throughout the 30 minute session. With 5 minutes left on the clock, it was Ellinas leading the way with Harper and Zamparelli in 3rd, but a last gasp lap from the 25 year Bristolian, saw him leap to the top of the time sheets and claim pole position, and with it, the 2 valuable championship points.
The first race of the weekend once again took place in sunny conditions on Sunday morning; and with an electric start off the line, Zamparelli simply drove away from his title contender Ellinas, whilst claiming fastest lap and a new lap record. At the line it was a margin of over 3.5 seconds, at one point the gap was over 5 seconds, but none of that mattered. Zamparelli had won the race comfortable over his title rival, and surely with it a statement of intent.
The second race of the weekend is the ‘reverse grid’ race as Zamparelli started in 4th place and the top 4 from race 1 being reversed. It was a good start by the Nationwide Accident Repairs racer, but at the end of the first lap, Harper forced his way past, nerfing Zamparelli down to 6th place. From there, Zamparelli kept his nose clean and survived a last lap scare when some debris got caught in his radiator. At the line, Zamparelli finished 5th, and importantly his title rival on managed 4th.
The results mean that Zamparelli will take an 8 point lead going into the final round at Brands Hatch on the 28th/29th/30th of September. A pole position and a win in race 1, the repeat of Silverstone would be enough to secure the title to Zamparelli.
Of his weekend, Dino said: “I’m really pleased overall. Pole, win and race 1 fastest lap/lap record. Race 2 was a difficult race as after Harper got through, my car didn’t feel the same, and I wondered whether it caused the set up to be off. Either way, we consolidated some points and move forward to Brands Hatch with a clear target.”
“Brands Hatch is a good circuit for me, one that I’m fond of and one that I feel fast at. I know that pole position and race one win is enough, but all I’ll be focussed on is going as fast as I can and pushing to the maximum in each session. I’m excited.”
The final rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship take place at Brands Hatch on the 28th/29th/30th of September 2018.