EDGE Sporting Management driver Mikey Porter produced an impressive performance in the latest round of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, narrowly missing out on a Silver Cup podium at Zandvoort.
The eighth round of the championship took place at the famous Formula One venue in the Netherlands, with Porter sharing the number five Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo with his regular teammate, Guilherme Oliveira.
Competing within a highly competitive 45-car field, the pair began the weekend with a solid showing in the two qualifying sessions, which determined the starting grids for the two 60-minute races.
They secured 19th position overall and fourth in the Silver Cup for the opening race, finishing qualifying as the highest-placed Silver Cup McLaren. An even stronger class result followed in the second session as they qualified 21st overall and an excellent second in the Silver Cup.
Race one proved to be the highlight of their weekend. Oliveira took the start and successfully negotiated a frantic opening few laps, which more closely resembled a sprint-style touring car race as the large field battled for position around the narrow Zandvoort circuit.
Despite the hectic action, Oliveira made excellent early progress. By the end of the second lap, he had climbed to 18th overall and third in the Silver Cup, putting the Optimum Motorsport pairing firmly in contention for a class podium.
Oliveira maintained that position until shortly before the pit window opened. After being overtaken by one car, he was forced wide and lost momentum, costing the McLaren a further three positions. Nevertheless, the pair remained in a strong position when Oliveira headed to the pits with 29 minutes remaining to hand the car over to Porter.
Once the pit-stop sequence had been completed, Porter emerged in 25th position overall and fifth in the Silver Cup. Shortly afterwards, the race was neutralised by a full-course yellow period lasting approximately five minutes, setting up a 20-minute sprint to the chequered flag.
Porter continued to apply pressure during the final stint and moved into fourth in class when a Mercedes ahead spun at Zandvoort’s heavily cambered third corner while under pressure from the chasing cars.
Having inherited the position, Porter delivered a composed and consistently quick run to the finish. He secured fourth in the Silver Cup and 25th overall, crossing the line closely behind the Pro Cup McLaren of Marvin Kirchhöfer, which was only a couple of positions further ahead.
The result represented an impressive showing for Porter, Oliveira and the Optimum Motorsport team, with the pair narrowly missing out on a Silver Cup podium in one of the most competitive GT championships in the world.
Unfortunately, the second race did not unfold as hoped. Despite starting from second in the Silver Cup, the pair ultimately finished 29th overall and eighth in class.
Their fourth-place Silver Cup finish in race one therefore provided the clear highlight of the weekend and underlined the pace and potential of Porter and Oliveira against a formidable 45-car field at Zandvoort.
Results: Q1 – P19- P4 in Class / Q2 – P21 – P2 in Class / R1 – P25 – P4 in Class /
R2 – P29 – P8 in Class