Will Jenkins Fights To Brilliant Maiden Porsche Podium Finish

Will Jenkins charged through the field to a sensational first podium finish in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB during a promising second round of the season at Snetterton this past weekend (20/21 May).

Four weeks on from an encouraging Porsche debut at Donington Park, Jenkins made the trip to Norfolk feeling confident of challenging for silverware after he and the Century Motorsport team made some positive steps forward with their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport during a recent test day.

They made further progress during the official free practice sessions on Friday, with Jenkins – who has made the step up to one-make Porsche racing as part of BTCC team Motorbase Performance’s Young Driver Programme with support from Wera Tools – ending the day as the third fastest Pro class driver.

Unfortunately things would conspire against him during the qualifying the following morning, with a red flag stoppage and a small issue with the car restricting him to ninth and eighth on the grid for the opening two races of the weekend.

With the issue resolved, Jenkins went on a charge in the first race that afternoon. Quickly rising to seventh on the opening lap, he then worked his way into the top six a couple of laps later before benefitting from some issues for others to move up to fourth place.

The 18-year-old talent put in a run of fast, consistent laps to maintain a comfortable gap to the car behind and stay in touch with the top three. This worked in his favour as the driver ahead received a track limits time penalty, moving Jenkins into a richly deserved maiden podium finish.

Full of confidence following that spectacular drive, he was left frustrated during race two on Sunday morning. A lengthy safety car period and a small issue with the car hampered his efforts at making forward progress, leaving him to settle for seventh in class at the finish.

Jenkins, who races with the support of loyal personal partners Hopkins Motorsport, Asset Alliance Group, The Reefer Trailer Centre and Culina Group, went on to repeat that result during a tricky final race to score some more crucial championship points.

Will Jenkins: ’“It’s been a mixed weekend, as we certainly had more to show than our results on Sunday suggest, but we come away with plenty of positives including a first podium finish in Porsche racing under our belts and some big progress made with the Cayman.

“After a tough qualifying, to hit back with a charge through in race one was a great feeling. It’s the best the car has felt in race mode so far and I really enjoyed making some moves. Sadly I couldn’t do the same again on Sunday, but we know we’ll be coming back stronger at Croft.”

The 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge GB season now heads into a lengthy 10-week summer break before the next three races at Croft in North Yorkshire (29/30 July).