Phil Quaife scores best finish in Porsche Supercup season finale

British racer, Phil Quaife, posted his best result of the season today in the final round of the 2007 Porsche Mobil1 Supercup championship at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Finishing ninth and grabbing eight points consolidated a strong rookie season for the Tonbridge driver.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is a favourite with all racing drivers, offering one of the most revered challenges of all the top-class international race tracks. Quaife was racing at the Belgian track, but soon got to grips with it. In the first practice session Quaife posted 23rd fastest time, although with running on well worn tyres, he was unable to simulate a qualifying run.

Yesterday’s qualifying session was Quaife’s first opportunity to push to the limits and he made use of his new tyres to post 16th quickest time of the 30 competitors. He said of his grid-setting time, "I was struggling to pull the pace out of the car and really expected more. I’m a bit disappointed, as it’s the last race and I would have liked to have been further forward and on the sort of pace we had in Turkey. The team has worked really hard though, so I hope we can improve on this in the race."

The final race of the season was set for a showdown between the title contenders and friends of Quaife, Richard Westbrook and Damien Faulkner. As a young rookie, Quaife’s goal was a strong top ten finish and a good points finish.

At the start he immediately demonstrated his determination as he held his nerve in the run to the first corner and after tussles throughout the opening lap, Quaife emerged in 12th spot. This set him up for a strong run and he fulfilled this running at a consistent pace and taking opportunities to move up the field as they presented themselves.

Crossing the line in ninth place delighted the young driver and finishing his season on a high note with his best result of the year. He said of his weekend, "I had a great battle in the first corner, and was able to take the inside, kept my nerve and emerged in 12th.

From then on I just fought hard every lap and was happy to have ended up ninth by the chequered flag. My thanks go to the team who have worked tirelessly all season and it was good to bet this result for them as a reward for their efforts.

It’s been a great experience to be racing in the Supercup. I’ve learned so much each weekend and as the season has progressed we’ve been able to improve. I hope I’ll be back next year and I can use this rookie year to achieve a strong championship result."

Quaife finishes 16th in the overall driver’s championship with the Jetstream Motorsport team lying 9th in the teams standings after the 11th rounds of competition.

The racing season continues for Quaife next weekend with the fourth round of the FIA GT3 European championship in Brno, Czech Republic. He’ll be racing with the Tech 9 Motorsport team and looking for a strong points finish to continue the momentum of his season.

- Alison Hill-  also photo