Despite a last-minute car swap during the previous event at Brands Hatch, Daryl DeLeon Taylor proved that he can be very effective no matter what machinery he’s driving and still deliver solid results. And to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, the Filipino-British driver did it again when the British Endurance Championship (BEC) ran a 3-Hour race at Oulton Park.
The extra hour of racing would also require an extra driver to share duties with in the #28 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. That position went to current Porsche Carrera Cup North America driver Alex Sedgewick, who helped Daryl, Brad Thurston, and Team HARD Racing secure a class victory.
Daryl shared that the team had to make a few setup changes during testing to make the 911 GT3 a bit more compliant going around the 4.307 km circuit. This later proved to be crucial in the race as they fought for position at the sharp end of the field. Team HARD Racing then opted to send out the 17-year-old for Qualifying, which turned out to be the right decision to make. Although he only managed to complete one flying lap, his time of 1:40.628 was more than enough to secure pole in class and earn them a front row start overall.
However, all their effort was undone when their #28 entry missed the pit exit window, forcing them to start from the back of the grid. Daryl was now faced with the arduous task of climbing their way back up the field as he took the race start. Impressively, he managed to get as high up as P3 during his stint and slot right behind the Aston Martin Vulcan before pitting in for a driver change.
Alex, who has years of experience competing in GT, touring car, and NASCAR races, then continued their push to the front as he rejoined the track. He would hold position during his solid 1-hour stint ’til Daryl jumped back in the driver’s seat for another 45-minutes.
This time, Daryl finally found a way past the Aston Martin that moved them up to P2 overall. Brad was later given the privilege of taking the #28 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car all the way to the chequered flag where he should have finished behind the race-winning Audi R8 LMS GT3. It was just unfortunate that the team incurred a stop-and-go penalty that dropped them several positions at the end. Still, they had enough of a gap to secure 4th Overall and 1st in Class C after 3 hours of non-stop driving.
What’s even more impressive is how Team HARD Racing is now tied for the overall championship lead after only 3 events. They now head to Silverstone on the 24th of June as the season reaches its halfway point.
Daryl DeLeon Taylor: “Pretty good weekend. Good track time in a Porsche, good driving from everyone, and good job by Team HARD Racing. I’d like to thank our engineer Dave and all the mechanics, Train Maintenance Services, my dad, and Time Attack Manila. As we now have the overall championship lead, we have full confidence going into Round 4 at Silverstone.”
Daryl DeLeon Taylor is supported by Train Maintenance Services (TMS).
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