Phil Quaife
Encyclopedia
Phil Quaife is an English racing driver (born 27 March 1986) currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for Jota Sport and in the FIA GT3 European Championship
in Apex Motorsport's Jaguar XKR.
enjoyed a successful start to his racing career. After winning his first major karting title in the Junior Rotax Max winter championship before finishing as runner-up in the summer championship in 2002, he stepped up to the Senior Rotax Max series in '03, finishing 5th overall.
For 2004 Phil graduated to the Radical SR3 Enduro Championship for his first full season in cars. He would go on to make rapid progress over a season in which he took several podiums, ending up sixth in the overall standings and the proud winner of the 'most improved driver' award.
It had laid the foundations for what was to follow. 14 victories from 14 starts including 12 pole positions in the 2005 title fight did much to underline his potential and he was soon courted by Motorbase Performance to partner Stuart Moseley behind the wheel of a Porsche 911
GT3 as part of their British GT Championship assault. The conflict of interests would ultimately cost him the Radical championship but the experience wrought from his sportscar campaign which included a class victory, a brace of pole positions and podiums and a top-ten finish in the overall standings would prove vital in the success of the following season.
A two pronged attack was once again planned for 2006 and Phil didn't disappoint. Moving up to pilot the quicker SR8, he duly attended to unfinished business in the Radical Enduro Championship as once again he dominated the 20 race-calendar, recording eight victories and five further podiums to clinch the title that had eluded him the previous year. Staying with Motorbase for a planned attack on the Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am category, he took ten class victories and the title in just his first season of the highly competitive series. So impressive were his results in fact that he would end the year seventh in the overall championship and was rewarded when the BRDC named him as part of its 'Rising Stars' programme.
A step up into the Porsche Supercup
followed in 2007 as Phil travelled around Europe
as part of the official Formula One
support bill. Seen as the most competitive and prestigious one-make GT championship in the world, he faced a steep learning curve up against some of the best sportscar drivers around. But after improving throughout the season he would eventually end up 16th overall behind the wheel of the Team Indonesia 911. Once again he would split his duties between two championships though and teamed up with British Porsche 997 outfit Tech 9 Motorsport for the FIA European GT3 championship. A podium in the rain-affected second race at Budapest
was a highlight of the season on his way to 10th overall in the championship before a drive in the Dubai 24 Hours and Britcar
night race at Brands Hatch
brought his year to an end.
2008 sees Quaife back in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB competing for seasoned sportscar outfit Jota Sport. Currently fifth in the championship after eight rounds, he has clocked up six podiums in his debut season in the senior category. In tandem with his Carrera Cup commitments has been a second season in the FIA GT3 European championship aboard the new Jaguar XKR.
He currently lies fifth in the overall standings and took his maiden pole positions in the penultimate round at Silverstone.
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship, but meant to provide competition for more...
in Apex Motorsport's Jaguar XKR.
Career
The 22 year-old from KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
enjoyed a successful start to his racing career. After winning his first major karting title in the Junior Rotax Max winter championship before finishing as runner-up in the summer championship in 2002, he stepped up to the Senior Rotax Max series in '03, finishing 5th overall.
For 2004 Phil graduated to the Radical SR3 Enduro Championship for his first full season in cars. He would go on to make rapid progress over a season in which he took several podiums, ending up sixth in the overall standings and the proud winner of the 'most improved driver' award.
It had laid the foundations for what was to follow. 14 victories from 14 starts including 12 pole positions in the 2005 title fight did much to underline his potential and he was soon courted by Motorbase Performance to partner Stuart Moseley behind the wheel of a Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
GT3 as part of their British GT Championship assault. The conflict of interests would ultimately cost him the Radical championship but the experience wrought from his sportscar campaign which included a class victory, a brace of pole positions and podiums and a top-ten finish in the overall standings would prove vital in the success of the following season.
A two pronged attack was once again planned for 2006 and Phil didn't disappoint. Moving up to pilot the quicker SR8, he duly attended to unfinished business in the Radical Enduro Championship as once again he dominated the 20 race-calendar, recording eight victories and five further podiums to clinch the title that had eluded him the previous year. Staying with Motorbase for a planned attack on the Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am category, he took ten class victories and the title in just his first season of the highly competitive series. So impressive were his results in fact that he would end the year seventh in the overall championship and was rewarded when the BRDC named him as part of its 'Rising Stars' programme.
A step up into the Porsche Supercup
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the international motor racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche AG....
followed in 2007 as Phil travelled around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as part of the official Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
support bill. Seen as the most competitive and prestigious one-make GT championship in the world, he faced a steep learning curve up against some of the best sportscar drivers around. But after improving throughout the season he would eventually end up 16th overall behind the wheel of the Team Indonesia 911. Once again he would split his duties between two championships though and teamed up with British Porsche 997 outfit Tech 9 Motorsport for the FIA European GT3 championship. A podium in the rain-affected second race at Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
was a highlight of the season on his way to 10th overall in the championship before a drive in the Dubai 24 Hours and Britcar
Britcar
Britcar is an Endurance Motor Racing series formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and John Veness formed the organizing European Endurance & Racing Club with a £10 note found on the ground...
night race at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
brought his year to an end.
2008 sees Quaife back in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB competing for seasoned sportscar outfit Jota Sport. Currently fifth in the championship after eight rounds, he has clocked up six podiums in his debut season in the senior category. In tandem with his Carrera Cup commitments has been a second season in the FIA GT3 European championship aboard the new Jaguar XKR.
He currently lies fifth in the overall standings and took his maiden pole positions in the penultimate round at Silverstone.