Kevin Ellis Jr holds a relatively slender advantage in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Esports series, as it heads into its live final next month, despite not managing to win either race at Donington Park.
The Red Bull duo of defending champion Sebastian Job and Graham Carroll – Ellis’s nearest rival – locked out the front row in qualifying, with Carroll just beating Job to pole position and the bonus point by 0.024s.
Ellis would take third but another issue for team-mate Peter Berryman, who lost his Silverstone race win last week with a post-race penalty, saw him failing to take the start at all.
The absence of a wingman didn’t appear to affect Ellis, who immediately tried to pass Job but found the inside covered off. As has been pretty standard this season, the lead trio then set about pulling away at the head of the field.
While Job was in a supporting role for Carroll, he seemed to be tripping over his team-mate in places and that eventually brought Ellis into position to attack.
After getting his nose in alongside Job ahead, the duo ran door to door for almost one and a half laps before the Apex driver was able to call second place his own. With their battle costing them time, Josh Thompson and Jamie Moone caught up to the action, and Job was forced to defend.
Carroll would win by a very comfortable 3.5 seconds from Ellis, with Job third. Moone would take a controversial fourth after tagging Thompson into a spin.
The reversed-grid race saw William Chadwick on pole, with Matt Emery alongside for his first front-row start. However, both would have a nightmare opening lap, with Emery locking up at the Old Hairpin and falling to last and Chadwick picking up a slowdown penalty.
That resulted in Job hitting the front, with Ellis soon joining him after passing Moone. Carroll, though, was going backwards, falling to tenth after a dreadful start.
In clear air, Job was simply too fast for Ellis, pulling more than two seconds ahead by the finish. Moone would take third after a solid run, while Carroll would rescue sixth and take the point for fastest lap, too.
With only the two-race live Brands Hatch final to go and 53 points on the table, Ellis has a 27-point advantage over Job, who moves past Carroll into second.
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