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Round Eight, Donington Park, July 21st/22nd 2001 - Parr Motorsport’s Barbara Armstrong achieved her first double podium weekend with a brace of thirds in yesterday’s Michelin Porsche Cup eighth round at Donington Park.

Growing in confidence and ability with every race, she has firmly established herself as one of the top four in the championship. Unlike the others, however, most of whom have been competing at this level for years, this is Barbara’s debut season as a circuit racer. She readily admits to having much still to learn, but if that’s the case then her potential is considerable.

Qualifying

The former Ladies Rally Champion has adapted to the demands of qualifying remarkably quickly and now represents a genuine threat to the front rows in the Michelin Porsche Cup. For much of Saturday’s qualifying session the #8 car was lying second and only a couple of late runs from Nigel Rice and Craig Rapp demoted Barbara to the second row. "The car felt fine, lovely," said Barbara, "and it’s great to qualify fourth. After my last experience here, though, what I could really do with this weekend is a good run in the race." This was a reference to the Cup’s last visit to Donington in April Barbara when was taken out on the first lap by a spinning Pete Chambers.

Sprint Race

This proved to be an extraordinary race that started in spectacular fashion and never quite held to the more familiar MPC script. All the way through, however, it provided great entertainment and another podium for Porsche’s Barbara Armstrong.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen at the first corner," said Barbara just before the start. "I’ll have to wait and see how it develops. I’ll probably have to let Craig Rapp go ahead!" In the end, she did nothing of the sort. While Adrian Slater was cartwheeling spectacularly from the back row towards the grandstands, Barbara was nipping around the outside of Redgate to start the first lap in third place. "I loved the start!" said Barbara afterwards with obvious pleasure. "I was out on the left hand side and just stayed there. Nigel and Pete went to the inside and I think Craig must have been sleeping. I just went round him - I don’t think he even saw me."

The infield by the startline gantry was littered with debris and for a lap and a half the safety car led the race, with Barbara still third. Soon after the restart on lap three Barbara was forced to relinquish the position to Craig Rapp, but she didn’t leave off the chase. "I’d much prefer to have Craig ahead of me where I can see him," explained Barbara. "I felt I could hang on there and follow him - just sit there and wait."

While Nigel Rice and Pete Chambers headed off into the distance Craig and Barbara provided some of the most entertaining elements of the next eight laps. Time and again the two cars would cross the line nose-to-tail with Rapp able to pull away through the Craner Curves, but Armstrong always the braver under braking and pulling back through the difference before the lap was complete. From Fogarty’s through to Redgate she had the edge, and Rapp was never able to relax. Then, on the very last lap, he missed a gear into Coppice. "He just spun," said Barbara. "He did it all on his own, it was wonderful!" She waved a courteous ‘thankyou’ and headed for the chequered flag.