Max's 2024 Season - Porsche Sprint Challenge Vice-Champion
- Primex Plastics
- Dec 18, 2024
- 6 min read
The 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge GB season came to a thrilling conclusion at Brands Hatch in October and it saw Primex Plastics sponsored driver Max Coates finish second in the championship after leading going into the final race of the season. Primex entered it's 11th year of partnership with Max which has seen him race in Ginetta's, Porsche, the BTCC, the Clio Cup and the MINI Challenge over the years.
The season started way back in April with a launch party at both Max and Primex's local circuit, Croft, where staff were invited along to see Max's 2024 Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 Clubsport RS be unveiled.
A short time later and with a few early test days under Max and his Graves Motorsport team's belt, they headed for Snetterton in Norfolk for the first round of the championship. A mixed weather weekend greeted them and Max immediately got off to a good start to the season with two second places and his first win of the season in race two.
Oulton Park in Cheshire hosted the second event of the season and Max and the team struggled for out and out pace at the undulating and technical track. They worked on set up throughout the weekend and finished back on the podium in the final two races of the weekend. Max finished 4th in race one, 3rd in race two and was on track for 2nd in the final race before heavy contact with another driver demoted him to 3rd. Still though, a solid points score which left him right in with the front runners.
Next up was home ground for both driver and sponsor, Croft Circuit. Always an exciting race meeting for both with Max racing in front of home friends and family as well as over 100 Primex Plastics guests over the weekend. Max delivered the results on track, winning race one by a good distance with a dominant wet weather display. He was then third in a dry race two keeping the leading pair honest throughout. The final race again went Max's way, an awesome first lap got him into 2nd place and he then capitalised on the chief title rival Seb Hopkins making a mistake and got the lead. Seb battled back and got through before the end of the race but a 5-second penalty for the Team Parker Racing driver gave Max the home-win back!
Donington Park hosted the start of the second half of the season and Max entered full of optimism after the mid-season break and a chance to take some time to understand more about the new car in the first half of the season. The consistency had been there in the first half, but Max needed to add a turn of pace in qualifying to ensure he would start at the front in the races and score a few extra bonus points for the fastest laps.
Qualifying was initially going really well for Max, heading the pack in the first half of the session, but some blocked laps on his new tyres in the second half meant Max qualified down the grid and had work to do in the races.
He rallied through, with great pace early on in race one he battled up to 5th position just behind his title rivals. This time he took the coveted bonus points for the fastest lap and full of confidence was ready for the second race of the weekend. He again took the fastest lap in race two, while moving up two positions ahead of this main championship rivals. A mid-race distance stint where fluid from another car proved difficult for Max and he couldn't make the decisive moves to get the lead of the race. He settled for 3rd. The final race of the Donington weekend was a solid one for Max, he was initially on the pace and battling with those infront, but settled for 3rd again as he struggled with grip from his ageing tyres later in the final race.
Silverstone, the home of British Motorsport, was the setting for the penultimate weekend and Max needed a strong weekend to set up a title challenge going into the final round. And that he did! Qualifying was again difficult, but Max lined up on the second row. In a drying race one Max initially lost places but quickly made up lost ground and got up to 3rd place. On the last lap he and 2nd placed Will Jenkins came up against a back marker on the final lap. Max made the most of the situation and pounced, making it up to 2nd on the final lap. Race two was perhaps the race of the season. Max again lost ground at the start so slipped back to 5th and then he steadily gained ground. Up to 4th, then 3rd and ahead of title rival Seb Hopkins. He then gained on 2nd place quickly and got through by mid-race distance. Then, a bit of a gap to the leader. He immediately caught him but then the pair caught backmarkers with considerable spray coming off the back of the cars ahead, making visibility almost non-existent. Then, again on the final lap, Max got the lead on the run into Brooklands corner, surely he had it? Coming out of the final corner, race rival Tom Bradshaw got the run and nipped back past Max to take the win by just two tenth's of a second at the line. A thrilling race!
The final race of the weekend was a total nailbiter again. The track was drying, but rain was looking. Slick tyres for the dry? Or wet tyres for the incoming rain? In the end both worked just as well, but Max gambled with the wet tyre for the incoming rain. He got the jump at the start and in the early laps pulled out a large lead. But as the laps ticked by he got reeled in and passed for 2nd, and then 3rd. Despite the rain coming in, the slick tyre shod cars had enough temperature to stay on track and make it to the finish. Still, Max left Silverstone with a 10 point championship lead. Championship, game on!
The final round, Brands Hatch GP. The circuit Max calls his favourite. He needed a solid round to close out the championship! Testing went well, but qualifying really didn't got to plan. Again he lined up 4th, just a matter of tenths off pole position. The first race of the weekend held on Saturday afternoon had some low sun, and this really caught Max out. He lost two places off the start line and it took him half a race to regain these. Despite having more pace than the podium finishers, he couldn't gain the time back and had to settle for 4th. Finals day loomed and Max started in 4th again, this time, a ballistic start! Immediately into 3rd and around the outside of championship rival Hopkins into druids, Max was going for 2nd. As he cut back mid-corner he collided with Tom Bradshaw, throwing Max in the air and damaging his steering and rear wheel. Max was severely hampered and finished down in 9th, his worst result of the season.
His Graves team got the car sorted ahead of the finale and Max needed a great race to win, now just with a one point gap at the front of the championship and his rival starting 2nd. Max had the best first lap he could have wished for, straight up to 4th place and on the tail of Seb Hopkins, who he needed to beat for the championship. Unfortunately Max just didn't have the pace to usurp his title rival and instead he finished just off the podium in 4th and 2nd in the championship.
Whilst it wasn't the result Max wanted he dug deep and did his all, commenting after the season, "I'm incredibly grateful for Primex's support once again this season. The Croft round was no-doubt our joint favourite round together, having all of Primex's employees along to Croft is a really special event every year and this year was the best yet."
"The season has been rewarding and devastating at the same time. To finish 2nd in the championship is an incredible achievement and one I am very proud of, but I'm naturally gutted not to win when that was the aim, to come so ant agonisingly close just makes it harder to take. We're already looking ahead to 2025 and have some fantastic plans coming together."
Max is planning to race again in 2025 continuing his racing career with Porsche. To stay up to date with Max's racing news over winter, check out his website - www.maxcoatesracing.co.uk.
Good luck in 2025 Max!
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