The 2026 race season kicked off at Donington Park, and while anticipation was high, it proved to be a challenging start for Elite Porsche owner and driver Graham Heard.

After investing in a newly rebuilt engine—completed externally rather than in-house at Elite Porsche—the car unfortunately showed signs of trouble early on. As seen during the session, the engine was smoking and leaking oil, clearly not performing to the standard expected.

Despite these setbacks, Graham pushed on with determination. With very limited track time—just four laps in qualifying—he still managed to secure an impressive 4th place on the grid. A testament to both his driving ability and experience behind the wheel of a Porsche.

While the race weekend didn’t go to plan mechanically, there are positives to take forward. The pace is clearly there, and with Elite Porsche’s expertise in-house, the focus now shifts to getting the car back to the reliable, high-performance standard it’s known for.

This may not have been the ideal start to the season, but it’s far from over—and Elite Porsche will be coming back stronger.