Wylie switches to Porsche Cupposted in OTHER13 | 03 | 2017
SCOTS SPORTSCAR RACER Ross Wylie has confirmed he will contest the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain series. The 25-year-old from Thornhill, near Dumfries, switches back to one-make racing after spending the last three seasons competing in the British GT Championship.
Wylie, who will be making his début in the eight-event, 15-race Porsche Carrera Cup GB, will drive a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entered and prepared by SlideSports, a Staffordshire based team who Ross first drove for in 2013.
Last December, Wylie — who won the 2014 British GT4 title and was second in the GT3 Silver Cup the following year — finished fifth in class with SlideSports in the Gulf 12 Hours.
The Porsche series — part of the British Touring Car Championship support package — has proved itself as a springboard for drivers with Nick Tandy becoming the first British driver to win the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in a Porsche since Wylie’s Dumfries neighbour Allan McNish in 1998. Tandy made his Porsche Carrera Cup GB debut in 2008.
The 2017 season will start at Brands Hatch while in June, the GB series joins other Porsche Cup series at the famous Le Mans road course in France for a support race to the 24 hour event and likely to attract over 60-cars.
The series also gives Wylie the opportunity of racing on his “home” Knockhill track for the first time since 2012. Then he raced in the Celtic Mini Cooper Cup, scoring six podiums including two wins which earned him the “Knockhill Young Saloon Car Driver of the Year Award”.
Wylie will be eligible for both the outright Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Rookie Championship titles.
The Scot drove the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the first time last Friday at Silverstone and was back in the car today at the Northamptonshire track which hosted the championship’s media day. He then heads to Donington Park for further testing tomorrow.
In addition to this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Wylie is planning to compete in selected rounds of the GT Cup in the SlideSports Porsche, but gets his 2017 season underway when he co-drives a Ferrari 458 GT with Witt Gamski in the BritCar Endurance Championship at Silverstone on 9 April.
“I thought the time was right for a new challenge after three years in the British GT Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB is mega competitive,” Wylie explained.
“It's also very professionally coordinated and organised, while the 911 GT3 Cup car is challenging without ABS braking or traction control but is actually a real thrill to drive.
“I raced for SlideSports back in 2013, but have stayed in contact over the years and drove for them in the Gulf 12 Hours last December.
“Team principal Mark Jenkins was also looking to take his team into the Porsche series for the first time and so everything made sense. But I have no expectations as a driver or we as a team. It will be tough to find our feet, particularly running as a one-car team, but I have every confidence in SlideSports.
“I made the last four of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship at the end of 2013, which was won by Josh Webster who went on to claim the title the following season.
“I then decided to head into GT racing, winning the British GT4 championship in my first year, but from a pure racing point of view, the Porsche series has always been in the back of my mind as something I've always wanted to try.
“I already know most of the drivers in the championship from previously racing against them, and they all speak very highly of the Series and the raw racing it provides.
“I haven't been to Knockhill since I first raced Minis in 2012 and it’ll be great heading to race on ‘home’ soil in August.”
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Jim McGill