Up for the cup... Brit who’s left Porsche stars in shade

Fans of Formula One will need no introduction to the dramatic Porsche Supercup. For the past 15 years, the world’s fastest and most spectac­ular one-make championship – featuring competition versions of the 911 – has been wowing grands prix audiences all over the world.

It’s a little bit different this year, though, because for the first time in the history of the series, Britain has a homegrown defending champion.

Richard Westbrook first earned his spurs by winning the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2004. Then, last year, he beat a star-studded line-up of drivers – all in identical 400bhp Porsche 911 GT3s – to become the first Brit to capture the prestigious international Supercup crown. And as the teams headed off to Hungary for last weekend’s showdown, the 32-year-old Londoner was on target for a repeat performance in 2007.

However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Westbrook this season. Notably, he endured a tough time on home ground at Silverstone during last month’s British Grand Prix weekend. The champion had the fastest car throughout the meeting, but was dumped to the back of the starting grid after breaking the rules by giving a mech­anic a ride back to the paddock.

Adding injury to insult, in the race Westbrook was then adjudged to have unfairly spun a rival out of the way as he charged back up through the pack. It was a manoeuvre that not only landed him a penalty, but also a black eye from the aggrieved party – former Supercup champion, Italian Alex Zampedri.

Despite all this, Westbrook is look­ing ahead with a positive frame of mind. “After such bad luck in recent races, I’m amazed to be leading the championship by such a large margin. When our luck changes, we’ll really stretch our legs!” he grinned.

His heroics have sparked massive UK interest in the Supercup, and this year he is one of six drivers from the British Isles on the grid.

“I think my success has brought the Supercup to people’s attention in Britain,” Westbrook said. “It’s nice supporting F1 – you race at the best circuits in front of huge crowds.”

Interestingly, his closest rival in the 2007 campaign has been series rookie Damien Faulkner. Following in Westbrook’s tracks, the Irishman has graduated to the Supercup fresh from picking up British Carrera Cup crowns in 2005 and 2006.