Phil Quaife enjoys the challenges of Monaco

The Formula One Monaco Grand Prix is the jewel in the crown of motorsport, with the historic circuit one of the most revered by drivers and fans alike. Phil Quaife was given a taste of the glitz and glamour of the event with his first visit to the principality for the supporting Mobil1 Porsche Supercup race, which he finished in 14th place.

Quaife arrived in Monaco after his first street race experience, driving in the GT3 European championship event in Bucharest where he celebrated a podium finish. The two events may have both been on public roads, but the Monaco race track was very different with its elevation changes and tight sections that really challenge the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

In the first session of the Monaco race weekend on Thursday, Quaife was quickly on a good pace and worked on car set to finish 13th fastest by the end of the hour of running. With this limited practice time it was straight in to qualifying the next day, a 45 minutes session which really challenged the drivers to find clear track for a flying lap. Quaife was forced to abort a number of runs, but in the dying minutes the Tonbridge driver drove well to 16th quickest lap time as the chequered flag fell and an eighth row grid slot for Sunday morning’s race. Unusually for the Porsche Supercup drivers there was a day off on Saturday and a time to enjoy the unique atmosphere of the Monaco Grand Prix.

It was an early start for the Porsche field today, with the grid lining up for the first event on raceday of the most celebrated motorsport weekend. Quaife, concentrating on making a good start after disappointing moves off the grid in Bahrain and Barcelona, was off the line well, but in the melee of the first corner dropped a place. The racing was fast and furious with a close field and Quaife was able to get up to 14th place by mid distance. As the race progressed he was challenging to make further moves but the tightness of the field and the narrow track with its unforgiving Armco barriers just inches away from the car, gave little opportunity to make a move on Van de Berg ahead in 13th. After 16 laps Quaife was forced to settle for his 14th place finish.

He said of his Monaco debut, "In qualifying I was pushing really hard but didn’t seem to get above 20th quickest lap, so I came into the pits, we made a few minor changes, put on new tyres and I went out again, putting in my quickest lap which was good for 16th place. It’s only about a second off the pole time, but in this championship everyone is so close that we were still some way down the grid.

"Today, we made a better start than in my first two races, but then lost any advantage at the first corner. I managed to make places back and improve as well, so I did get into the points, which was good. I’ve had a ball this weekend, the place is just fantastic! There are so many distractions here as well – beautiful scenery, yachts, girls…. At least we had a day off to enjoy this great racing location!"

Quaife will be back on the race track on the weekend of 22 – 24 June for the Monza round of the FIA GT3 European Championship.

- Alison Hill - also photo