Eden Race Drive took its fifth win in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at the weekend (October 4-6) as Harry Foster claimed victory, while the team narrowly missed out on a pair of championship titles.
In just its first year in the series, the team was in the Pro drivers’ battle right to the final race, but one moment for Will Martin put an end to his charge, while the Entrants’ Championship was similarly close, but didn’t quite fall the team’s way.
In the final qualifying session of the season, Will Martin put in a stellar performance, securing provisional pole and heading into race one tied for the championship lead. Harry also had a strong showing, qualifying fourth overall, while Aiden Neate finished in 12th in the Pro category on his second weekend. In the Pro-Am class, Oli White clinched a competitive third place, with Will Aspin close behind in fifth.
The first race of the weekend kicked off on Sunday afternoon, with Will Martin starting from pole position. He made a strong start, holding the lead into the first corner, while Oli ran wide at the end of lap one but recovered well, and Harry held a solid fourth position. By lap three, Will Martin set the fastest lap, but then lost the rear of his Porsche into turn one, retiring in the gravel and leading to a Safety Car.
At the restart, Harry faced pressure from behind but kept his composure and with a few laps to go he made a decisive move at Graham Hill Bend, taking the lead going on to win after a stellar drive. Aiden delivered a solid performance to finish 10th in Pro, while Oli secured his eighth Pro-Am podium with a strong finish, and Will Aspin followed closely behind in fourth.
Rain was falling as the final race of the season got underway, with Harry starting well and holding fifth, while Will Martin made a lightning-fast start, gaining five places in the opening lap as he sliced through the field, aiming to finish as high up in the standings as he could. A few laps in, Harry was struggling after contact at the start caused damage to his car.
Meanwhile, Oli was having a strong drive leading Pro-Am and running sixth overall, Aiden was having a great race, fighting up to 10th in class by lap nine, but Will Aspin hit trouble as steering damage made his car difficult to control and, after a spin, he was forced to pit and retire. At the chequered flag, Will Martin battled hard to finish eighth, with Harry and Aiden coming home in 10th and 11th, respectively. Oli capped off a strong weekend by securing second in Pro-Am, despite the challenging conditions.
Eden Race Drive also made its debut in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB, with Jodie Sloss. She started off strong, securing the CS Am pole in qualifying and went on to deliver some impressive performances, earning a well-deserved class podium in race two and narrowly missing out on another with a fourth-place finish in race three.
With the weekend marking the conclusion Eden Race Drive’s 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign, it was an incredibly successful debut year for the team. In the Pro drivers’ title battle to the final weekend and at one stage looking like the team might win it all, the five overall wins, seven further overall podiums, one Pro-Am win, and 12 further podiums make it a strong showing. Second place in the Entrant’s Championship coupled with the experience and lessons gained throughout the season have been invaluable, and the team is already focused coming back even stronger in 2025.
Will Martin – Car #10
(Pro)
G1 – 1 R1 – DNF
G2 – 12 R2 – 8
Championship: 4 (93 Points)
“The final rounds at Brands Hatch were a tough one to swallow. We showed incredible speed in qualifying getting pole, however, due to a mistake on my end while out in the lead in race one it ultimately cost us the championship. Despite the ending, I am still incredibly grateful to Eden Race Drive as a team as they have always delivered when needed in every aspect. We have shown that we were the fastest team in the track this year and for a first-year team, that’s not a bad place to start.”
Harry Foster – Car #16
(Pro)
G1 – 4 R1 – 1
G2 – 5 R2 – 10
Championship: 6 (55 Points)
“We had a good qualifying, I was P4, which I somehow pulled out the bag, so I was happy to get that lap in. In race one I was sitting comfortably in P4 when Will went off so was promoted to P3 and then managed to capitalise on the battling of Hugo Ellis and Charles Rainford in front, getting them both in two corners and clearing off to take the win. Race two, we were starting P5, had a decent start, but had a small bit of contact at the start, which must have caused damage to the car, because it was off the pace. Overall, it’s been a strong end to the season, we showed some really quick pace, and I’m walking away feeling positive about the whole year.”
Aiden Neate – Car #57
(Pro)
G1 – 12 R1 – 10
G2 – 10 R2 – 11
“This weekend was definitely better overall than Silverstone. I made some good steps forward and my first qualifying run was really good, but I struggled a bit on the second set of tyres. Throughout the races I kept going forward and got up to a P11 in the second one. After a faultless race, I had a little lock up into the second last corner of the last lap, and while I managed to keep it out of the wall, I dropped some places. It’s a bit of a shame but I’m still smiling because I am happy to be in a race car again. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with the team and we’re going to try and get back for next year.”
Will Aspin – Car #24
(Pro-Am)
G1 – 5 R1 – 4
G2 – 4 R2 – DNF
Championship: 7 (48 Points)
“We had really good pace in practice, and we were confident. From the team’s perspective we wanted to be high up in the championship, so it was important to make sure we were all up there to finish the season on high. Going into qualifying we were very good but on the second set, we didn’t quite hook it all up, so finished 15th. The first race was a fun one with good battles. We should have finished third in Pro Am, but we got boxed in on one of the laps while battling, and Oli White managed to slip his way through. In race two I had a really good launch but at the beginning, I got sandwiched in the middle and damaged the steering which got worse throughout the race.”
Oliver White – Car #94
(Pro-Am)
G1 – 3 R1 – 3
G2 – 8 R2 – 2
Championship Points: 4 (80 Points)
“My first race was pretty good. I made a couple of places early on, but unfortunately, I was pushed wide onto the grass and lost a few positions. But I achieved a Pro-Am podium, which was nice. Unfortunately, in race two I drove well and climbed the order, but the driver I needed to beat to finish third in Pro-Am was ahead of me, which is disappointing, but it was still good race, and I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed working with Eden Race Drive this year – they’re a great team and hopefully we can continue in the future.”
Jodie Sloss – Car #10
(CS-Am)
G1 – 1, R1 – DNF
G2 – 3, R2 – 3
G3 – 3, R3 – 4
“This weekend has been amazing working with Eden Race Drive again. I was with them in the 991 Cup car in 2022 so it’s really nice to be back and it’s been a really productive weekend. We started off with a pole position and I had a good lead, but sadly we got knocked off in race two, which put me out of the podium positions. I’ve got to take the positives away though, and it’s been amazing to be back. I love working with everyone at Eden Race Drive and I couldn’t speak more highly of them.”
