Richard Plant secures top rookie honours

Richard Plant claimed top rookie honours in the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB standings after a truly stunning drive in the final round of the season at Silverstone on Sunday. 

The 21-year-old has been in contention for the accolade throughout the campaign and he came to the season finale at the home of British motorsport knowing that two top ten results would likely be enough to secure top rookie status.  And so it proved in front of a huge crowd for rounds 18 and 19 of the series as Plant took a seventh and spectacular fourth place from the double-header showdown. 

Plant held fifth in the championship going into the weekend, with a 17 point advantage over Jonas Gelzinis and a further 18 over team-mate Sam Tordoff. Race one proved to be a nervy affair that also included a pulsating clash for the title, but Plant remained professional and focussed by targeting points rather than involving himself in the fracas ahead. 

The McDonalds-backed racer made a steady getaway from tenth on the grid and eyed his opportunity on lap two by passing Rory Butcher at Brooklands Corner. He immediately put pressure on team-mate Euan Hankey and fellow rookie Ben Hetherington ahead of him in what was set to become a near race long battle. 

Plant came extremely close to passing Hetherington on a number of occasions, but wisely thought better of any risky moves that could have potentially ended his challenge in a collision. He eventually saw a safe opportunity in the second half of the race and emerged ahead of Hetherington on the run down to Luffield. 

No sooner had Plant made his move that championship contenders Stephen Jelley and Michael Meadows clashed in a fight for third at Maggotts. Jelley was tipped into a half spin after an overzealous attempt to pass Meadows and it quickly became clear this his radiator had also split. Plant's family, friends and sponsors held their breath momentarily as fluid from Jelley's car smeared across the Derbyshire driver's windscreen. Seemingly unsighted, Plant backed off in the closing laps to claim a well earned seventh place finish. 

Tordoff and Gelzinis clawed points back in the standings with fourth and fifth places respectively, but the result still represented a healthy return for Plant with just one race of the season remaining. Again starting from tenth, Plant went into the race knowing that ninth place would be enough to secure fifth overall and bragging rights in the rookie race. 

Not content with settling for position however, Plant wanted to show more than 30,000 fans at the circuit and hundreds of thousands more watching live on ITV4, that he'll be a championship contender in 2012. 

In a quite thrilling race, Plant again nipped by Rory Butcher in the early running before being embroiled in a tussle with team-mate Jelley. Plant eventually got the better of the title contender and he passed his other team-mates, Tordoff and Hankey. Now running in sixth, Michael Meadows was next in line and when he ran wide at Maggotts Corner, Plant didn't require a second invitation. His best move of the day followed as he blasted around the outside of series rival Gelzinis and he was up to fourth with just a few laps of the season remaining. 

Plant was in the groove and could sense the possibility of his second podium of the year as he closed dramatically on Hetherington ahead. The pair went side-by-side across the start/finish line on the penultimate lap as Hetherington squeezed Plant towards the pitwall. Hetherington hung on and Plant took the chequered flag just 0.244s behind him - a truly memorable effort from tenth on the grid and comfortably good enough to secure him fifth in the championship.

The title itself came down to the wire in thrilling fashion as Michael Meadows, James Sutton and Jelley all entered the final weekend with a realistic chance of winning the championship. It was Sutton who eventually emerged as champion after Meadows and Jelley made contact in both races. 

Plant's performance however was a fitting end to a brilliant season for the Derbyshire driver, as he received congratulations from everyone involved in the series. Multiple race winners Meadows, Sutton, Jelley and Hankey had always been expected to set the benchmark throughout the year, but Plant regularly mixed it with his more experienced competition.

It has been a remarkable 2011 for Plant after his career was put on the back-burner last season. After winning the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi Championship and a scholarship prize to drive in the FIA Formula Two Championship, the Multiplex-backed racer was forced to take a sabbatical last season after an illness in his family. Despite not racing for more than a year and never having driven in a sportscar race, Plant was immediately on the pace on his maiden Porsche outing. 

He signalled his intent with a fourth place finish in only the second event of the season at Donington Park, before his mid-summer spectacular at Snetterton included another fourth place and a first podium, resulting in his best weekend points haul of the 2011 season. He wasn't finished there however, as other highlights included a stellar qualifying display at Rockingham, where he outpaced championship contenders Jelley and Sutton to take third on the grid. A fourth place followed in the race, which set him up nicely for the final two rounds at Brands Hatch and Silverstone. He may have just saved the best until last too as his eye-catching display in the final round here signalled his intent to go even better in 2012. 

"It was a really good performance and it has been a great year," said Plant. "I really wanted a podium today so I wasn't holding back. I have shown people what I can do this year and when the line-up was announced ahead of the first round, I wouldn't have dreamed about doing this well. I didn't know what to expect in truth but I have got my head down and hopefully shown that I can be a real contender in the future. I just want to thank everyone at Team Parker Racing and of course all my sponsors, family and friends for supporting me. I already can't wait for 2012 but I will reflect on this achievement over the coming weeks. I am going to work extremely hard over the winter and not leave a single stone unturned in trying to improve even further, but first I am going to enjoy this result."