PORSCHE Centre Bolton has been announced as the winner of the 2017/18 Porsche Classic Restoracing Competition.

The competition is a highlight within the Porsche calendar, and this year it coincided with the 20th anniversary since the launch of the first Porsche Boxster, which set the theme of the competition.

To celebrate this milestone, 16 Porsche Centres across the UK were challenged to source and restore a 986 Boxster and were judged on various elements of their restoration project including mechanical, body and paint preparation and marketing activity, in addition to their racing ability over six races.

This is the first time that the competition incorporated the racing element.

Being challenged on the restoration, as well as their performance in a dedicated three round championship, was no issue for the team at Porsche Centre Bolton, who achieved six podium finishes across six races.

Porsche Centre Bolton nominated Josh Morris, a parts adviser at the Porsche Centre, as their dedicated driver to race them to the finishing line in three rounds of racing at iconic UK circuits; Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

Paintwork was also of particular importance in the 2017/18 Porsche Classic Restoracing Competition as each car was required to feature a bespoke livery inspired by Porsche racing history.

The team at Porsche Centre Bolton finished their restored 986 Boxster in the bright blue Wally’s Jeans ‘Lucky Spark’ livery, originally seen on the 1974 Porsche 911 RSR.

Lee Wibberley, workshop controller at Porsche Centre Bolton, was the team’s Project Manager.

He commented: “Leading the team to success as project manager was an exciting journey from start to finish. The success we had in winning the competition was down to the hard work and strong bond of the team who worked hard not just at the centre, but at the race circuits as well.

“We overcame a massive challenge during the process, when the progress we had made was lost and we had to start from scratch on the restoration of our 986 Boxster model. Despite this massive setback, the team didn’t let it dampen their spirits, we pulled together and went on to not only win the race series itself, but were also announced as the overall Porsche Classic Restoracing Competition Winners 2017/2018.”