“Flying Scotsman” finds top gear on “home soil” to record third & fifth placings
Ross Wylie chose the perfect venue to record his first-ever Porsche Carrera Cup GB outright podium – the “Dumfries Dueller” claiming third place at his “home” Knockhill race track yesterday (30 Aug). Competing at the Fife circuit for the first time in three years, the Dumfries & Galloway race ace also bagged fifth place at the wheel of his MacConnal-Mason Gallery supported Porsche 911 GT3 in the day’s second, closely-fought 30-minute race.
Starting from the third row of the grid for the second consecutive race, Wylie finished third, just over two-seconds behind the winner in the 32-lap race around the 1.27-mile track near Dunfermline. In the second race, Wylie found himself shuffled back in the pack on lap four but recovered to finish fifth – the eighth time Ross has taken the chequered flag inside the top-seven in each of the eight races staged this season at the wheel of his In2Racing Porsche 911.
Wylie, the 2014 British GT4 and 2017 Britcar Endurance Champion, has been car racing since 2012 but surprisingly has never competed at Thruxton, the Hampshire location for the next two rounds of the Porsche series next month (19-20 Sep).
Ross Wylie (GB):
Age 28. Born & Lives Thornhill nr Dumfries, Scotland:
“It was great to get my first overall Porsche podium, especially it being on ‘home’ soil, and to finally get the ‘monkey off my back’. We’ve had some setbacks in earlier races so it was good to have a little luck go our way in Race 1. I made a good start in Race 2 but then left the ‘door open’ at the hairpin and lost some places.
“Qualifying remains the all-important key to a good race result but with all of the cars essentially the same, laps times are incredibly close. We’re at a disadvantage as I’m the only driver for In2Racing so we have 50% less reference data compared to the other teams who run at least two-cars. But In2Racing are doing a great job for me and I’m very grateful for their hard work.
“Next stop in my first Porsche season as a ‘Pro’ class driver is Thruxton, where I’ve never previously raced, or even been to as a spectator before, so that will be tough in itself but I enjoy the challenge of new tracks and will be giving it my best shot.”