Heading into the seven-week mid-season break in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Red Line Racing leads the teams' championship and lies second in the overall driving standings with Tim Harvey.
Team boss Simon Leonard recently reflected on the first half of the season and looked ahead to the second half of the season, which starts at Snetterton on 1/2 August.
The Cleveland-based squad is one of the most successful in the history of the Carrera Cup GB, having won the team championship in
2004 and 2007 and taken the drivers' title three times, with Richard Westbrook (2004), James Sutton (2007) and Tim Harvey (2008).
Harvey and Sutton spearhead the team's four-car squad for 2009, backed up by pro-am1 contender Tony Gilham and Carrera Cup Scholarship driver Lewis Hopkins. Leonard is delighted with his line-up of drivers as well as the overall success of the Carrera Cup GB. "I'm really pleased with the grids in Carrera Cup this season," he said. "It’s a brilliant series and it is very strong."
Red Line has already taken a significant lead in the teams' championship and ended the first half of the season with an 89-point lead over Team Parker Racing. Currently, Harvey is just three points behind Tim Bridgman in the drivers' table, but Leonard knows that it will be a big battle over the remaining 10 races.
"I'd like to think we can stop Tim Bridgman's run poles in qualifying. He's had ten out of ten, including our home track of Croft, so that hurts a bit," said Leonard. "Tim Harvey is right in the title race and we need to keep pushing with him in the battle against Tim Bridgman."
Despite missing the first two races of the season, James Sutton has already won twice since rejoining the team in time for the third round and could yet be a title contender. "I'm pleased that we got James back into the team; it’s always good to work with him," said Leonard.
In the pro-am1 category, Gilham lies second and is racing hard to try and match category leader Robert Lawson. "Tony has gone well since he joined us this season. We've just got to get him working a bit more on the new tyre run in qualifying," said Leonard. Meanwhile, Hopkins is progressing week by week as he learns about Carrera Cup and Leonard believes that his progress will continue over the second half of the season. "Lewis just needs a bit of luck!"
As well as a programme of testing over the summer break, Leonard has other important business in his schedule, as he will get married to Amy in mid-July.
Harvey and Sutton spearhead the team's four-car squad for 2009, backed up by pro-am1 contender Tony Gilham and Carrera Cup Scholarship driver Lewis Hopkins. Leonard is delighted with his line-up of drivers as well as the overall success of the Carrera Cup GB. "I'm really pleased with the grids in Carrera Cup this season," he said. "It’s a brilliant series and it is very strong."
Red Line has already taken a significant lead in the teams' championship and ended the first half of the season with an 89-point lead over Team Parker Racing. Currently, Harvey is just three points behind Tim Bridgman in the drivers' table, but Leonard knows that it will be a big battle over the remaining 10 races.
"I'd like to think we can stop Tim Bridgman's run poles in qualifying. He's had ten out of ten, including our home track of Croft, so that hurts a bit," said Leonard. "Tim Harvey is right in the title race and we need to keep pushing with him in the battle against Tim Bridgman."
Despite missing the first two races of the season, James Sutton has already won twice since rejoining the team in time for the third round and could yet be a title contender. "I'm pleased that we got James back into the team; it’s always good to work with him," said Leonard.
In the pro-am1 category, Gilham lies second and is racing hard to try and match category leader Robert Lawson. "Tony has gone well since he joined us this season. We've just got to get him working a bit more on the new tyre run in qualifying," said Leonard. Meanwhile, Hopkins is progressing week by week as he learns about Carrera Cup and Leonard believes that his progress will continue over the second half of the season. "Lewis just needs a bit of luck!"
As well as a programme of testing over the summer break, Leonard has other important business in his schedule, as he will get married to Amy in mid-July.