WEST Cork racing driver Michael Keohane will contest the Porsche Carrera GB Championship that will run alongside the British Touring Car Championship across eight circuits in the UK.

Initially, Ballygurteen driver Keohane, who has raced in many single seater championships all over the world since he won an Irish Karting Championship in 1996, had planned to compete in the McLaren Europe Trophy series with Douglas Motorsport, in a partnership with Paddock Motorsport.

However, the logistics of the European-based series meant a significant time away from the family business, Keohane Readymix.

A re-think – and with the full support and approval of team boss Wayne Douglas – it was decided to switch to the Porsche series where he will be run by the Warwickshire-based Century Motorsport.

A recent test in Donington Park, one of Keohane's most successful tracks, went extremely well and led to him inking the deal with Century Motorsport, one of the top teams in British motorsport.

‘I was very impressed with team boss Nathan Freke and the entire team and their ethos and was captivated by the unique family atmosphere within Century Motorsport, which was reminiscent of my previous racing experiences throughout my racing career,’ Keohane said.

‘I have raced in most of the circuits (that the series will visit) and hopefully that familiarity will help myself and Century Motorsport to make an impression. I am really looking forward to it all.'

West Cork racing driver Michael Keohane. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

Following the test, Century's Nathan Freke said ‘Mike's obviously done a lot in the past, I know I expected him to be quick and yeah, he was, very quick. He bedded into the car straight away, took to it like a duck to water and then he came out smiling, so it was good. It was tricky conditions but he managed it superbly.

‘He got a good insight into how the team operate, (got) a good insight into what the car's like in the dry and also in the wet. Mike will be a really, really great fit with the other drivers we've got within the team and I think we will have a lot of success and a lot of fun together.’

The series begins in Donington Park on April 18th/19th.