Aaron Steele will this Sunday (May 17) compete in rounds five and six of the Porsche Carrera Cup – one of the most important and prestigious race championships in Britain.

The single-seater ace, 20, a finalist in last year's McLaren Autosport BRDC Awards, will drive the stunning 170mph Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) car around the 2.5 mile Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire.

The VIP race weekend, worth some £15,000, is Steele's reward for being one of the six finalists in the Carrera Cup GB Scholarship – aimed at finding the country's next star driver. The competition saw the Chatham-born racer put through his paces during an intensive evaluation session at the Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone.

Steele, who lives in Rochester, said: “It's an awesome opportunity and I'm really looking forward to getting in the Porsche. It's a great car with all the characteristics of the 911. I'm told it needs to be handled with care but I plan to take it by the horns and give it everything I've got!”
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) has an engine output of 420hp, a six-speed sequential gearbox and a steel disc braking system.

It is a different breed of racing car to the 600bhp Ferrari-powered machine driven by Steele on his debut in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Brands Hatch earlier this month. He finished the rookie practice session in ninth place after lapping the Kent circuit in 1m16.103s – just 1.2s outside the A1GP track record.

Steele, a BRDC 'Rising Star', added: “My profile is quite high after Brands Hatch and it's good to keep the ball rolling. I'm determined to prove that I'm adaptable in any racing environment. I'll be focussed on finding the car's limit at Donington, working as closely as possible with the team and generally doing an all-round solid job. It will be a world apart from my A1GP experience but it's great to have the chance to sample another type of car. It can only help improve my driving ability.”

Notes to editors:

Steele will race for the Porsche Cars GB team at Donington Park. The #61 VIP car, driven by Anthony Reid and Ben McLoughlin in the opening rounds at Brands Hatch and Thruxton respectively, has a best result of eighth this season.

The 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Championship is currently led by Tim Bridgman (76 points), with Tim Harvey in second position (75 points) and Michael Caine in third (71 points). It is a support series for the HiQ British Touring Car Championship and visits nine of the UK's most exciting and challenging race circuits. Race one starts at 0910 BST on Sunday (May 17), while race two begins at 1500 BST.

ITV4 will broadcast live coverage from Donington Park between 1130 and 1800 BST, with a comprehensive highlights package airing on Tuesday, May 19, from 1530 until 1700 BST.

Further information about the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is available online at http://tinyurl.com/qqq7ut. Additional information about Steele's motorsport career can be found at http://www.aaronsteeleracing.com.

Press contact:
Kevin Steele
Mobile: 07958 746843
Email: kevin@aaronsteeleracing.com