Tom Bewley to join Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in 2025

Continuing its support of young New Zealand race drivers, Porsche New Zealand has announced that Tom Bewley will be the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Scholarship driver for the 2025 season.

The scholarship allows Bewley to race in a 911 GT3 Cup Car, with the support of Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) and Earl Bamber Motorsport in 2025 in the Australian based series.

Fresh from being crowned the New Zealand Toyota 86 Champion for the 2023/24 season Bewley says he is thrilled to take this exciting next step in his career.

“I’m honoured to receive the scholarship, next year is going to be a big year for me but I’m looking forward to doing Porsche New Zealand proud on and off track,” said Bewley.

“I’ve done some early running in a Porsche already, and it’s a big step from a Toyota 86, but I’m ready to learn and grow from the TPNZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport team and look to get some good results in our first season in Australia.”

It has been a long motorsport journey for Bewley, who started in karts when he was six years old. Since then he has won multiple titles in karts before moving into race cars where he spent two years in the Toyota 86 championship – culminating in the championship win for the 2023/24 season.

“The first year in Toyota 86 was a big learning curve but it set me up for my second year perfectly, winning the championship was a big goal of mine.”

Bewley’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season will kick off at the Phillip Island circuit outside of Melbourne in April.

Established in 2019, the scholarship programme has seen young New Zealand drivers compete across Asia and Australasia.

Porsche New Zealand General Manager, Greg Clarke says he’s pleased to welcome Bewley to Team Porsche New Zealand, and thinks the young Kiwi is more than deserving of the opportunity.

“This is the sixth year we’ve run this Porsche scholarship programme for a young Kiwi drivers, and we’re thrilled to welcome Tom to the Porsche fold and to compete in Australia next year,” says Greg Clarke, General Manager, Porsche New Zealand.

“We watch the junior categories here in New Zealand closely, and Tom clearly stood out last season. We look forward to see him develop further as a driver in Australia under the Earl Bamber Motorsport / Team Porsche New Zealand banner.”

Bewley is the latest in a long line of New Zealand drivers who have used the scholarship to springboard their international careers. The most notable being Callum Hedge who won the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship in 2023, which then saw him move on to the US to compete in the Indy NXT Championship.

“The scholarship has been a massive success as we saw with Callum Hedge winning the top Porsche Championship in Australasia in 2023. But add to that it has seen young Kiwi drivers such as Matthew Payne and Ryan Wood move onto Supercars. The programme is designed to give these young drivers the opportunities to perform and hopefully move onto the next stages of their careers.”

Earl Bamber Motorsport team principal Earl Bamber says he’s excited to see the latest Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia Scholarship recipient to emerge out of the local New Zealand motorsport landscape.

“We are excited to announce Tom Bewley as the new recipient of the Team Porsche New Zealand scholarship. He is a well deserving winner and a champion at Toyota 86 which many of our previous drivers have come from. I think he has got an amazing back ground in racing and a great future in motorsport. ” says Bamber.

“We look forward to being a small part of his big future in motorsport, and hopefully can following the footsteps of Matt Payne, Ryan Wood, Callum Hedge and Brock Gilchrist.”

To learn more about the Team Porsche New Zealand scholarship program visit: porsche.co.nz/teamporschenz

2025 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series confirmed

Exciting 2025 calendar locks in six key events at sensational circuits across Australia

THE 2025 PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series calendar has been confirmed, with an exciting six-round schedule locked in for one of Australia’s most competitive series.

The 2025 schedule will feature a mixture of Supercars Championship and SRO-promoted events, offering Sprint Challenge competitors a mix of high-profile events, strong Television coverage and excellent opportunities for track time at excellent drivers’ circuits across the six-round schedule.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will link with SRO Motorsport for four rounds of their new 2025 calendar, running on the same program as the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia and Monochrome GT4 Australia series.

Starting at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in April, the SRO segment of the calendar will include rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park, Queensland Raceway and Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend.

The series will also return to a pair of key Repco Supercars Championship rounds, including a second visit to North Queensland and the popular NTI Townsville 500 event in July.

Sprint Challenge made its street circuit debut at the event this year offering sensational racing, with the event serving for many as their first taste of street circuit competition.

The series will then be decided at the Penrite Sandown 500 in November, supporting the Supercars Championship at their key Finals event at the iconic suburban Melbourne venue.

Oscar Targett (Pro), Lachlan Harburg (Pro-Am) and Jacque Jarjo (Class B) claimed the 2024 titles in a compelling year of Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia competition.

2025 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series

Round 1 – SRO Phillip Island, April 4-6
Round 2 – SRO Sydney Motorsport Park, May 2-4
Round 3 – SRO Queensland Raceway, May 30 – June 1
Round 4 – NTI Townsville 500, July 11-13
Round 5 – SRO Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, September 5-6
Round 6 – Penrite Oil Sandown 500, November 13-15

John Murray – Porsche Cars Australia, Director Marketing and Motorsport

“The 2025 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar delivers a great mixture of events, circuits and opportunities for our teams and competitors.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with SRO Motorsports Australia to help grow their new for 2025 platform. They have exciting plans for their take on promoting events and it makes sense for an expanded Porsche presence, given the participation of our customers in their key categories as well.

“We are also proud to continue our excellent relationship with Supercars and ensure Sprint Challenge can join Carrera Cup in representing Porsche at key Repco Supercars Championship events.

“The first visit to Townsville was a roaring success, and concluding the series at Sandown as the Supercars are in the peak of their new ‘finals’ system will be an appropriate way to end the season.”

Ben McMellan – CEO, SRO Motorsports Group Australia 

“SRO Motorsports Australia is pleased to further strengthen SRO’s global relationship with Porsche by welcoming Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge to our events for the 2025 & 2026 seasons,” said McMellan.

“The Porsche Sprint Challenge class adds to Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, Monochrome GT4, and the new Ferrari Challenge Series, making our SRO events truly GT-inspired.

“The 2025 season sees us enter a new era for GT racing in Australia and this class of Porsche competition is the perfect partner for our events.”

Oscar Targett crowned Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge champion

Queensland teenager takes maiden national championship win at Sydney Motorsport Park

OSCAR TARGETT is the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series champion, sealing his maiden national racing title in style today at Sydney Motorsport Park.

At 18 years 10 months, the Queenslander is the second youngest ever one-make Porsche champion in Australia, trailing only Jordan Love – who won the 2017 Sprint Challenge title aged 18 years, 4 months.

Targett’s title came as the Sprint Challenge season was concluded at Sydney Motorsport Park today, the Grove Racing Junior also claiming the prestigious Jim Richards Endurance Trophy – decided across the longer, 45-minute enduro races held at each round of the championship.

Targett won the final round narrowly over Clay Osborne – who won the final race – and Ryan Suhle.

Ramu Farrell claimed the Pro-Am win over Lachy Harburg and Jacque Jarjo, while Daniel Quimby won Class B in Sydney.

Harburg claimed his second Porsche title, adding the Pro-Am class win to his 2022 Class B Sprint Challenge championship.

Harburg’s success ensured Earl Bamber Motorsport claimed both the Pro and Pro-Am titles, a feat they achieved in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia last year but had yet to achieve in Sprint Challenge.

Jacque Jarjo had already claimed the Class B championship and stepped up to Pro-Am for the first time this weekend.

Driving for Earl Bamber Motorsport and backed by the Grove Racing junior program, Targett’s accomplishment is the next step on a meteoric rise since his debut in Round 2 of the 2023 championship.

His lengthy karting career saw him race professionally overseas in the FIA Karting Championship before returning to Australia, aged just 16, to commence his circuit racing career.

His maiden year of racing saw him split circuit racing campaigns between one-make Toyota GR Cup and Porsche competition as he earned his racing stripes, racing under the tutelage of Grove Racing’s experts.

His initial Porsche campaign had a setback from the outset as he missed the opening round of last year’s title on account of having open heart surgery earlier in the year – however rebounded superbly to claim third in the championship, winning two races.

That set up a second-year attack where he arguably entered the year as a title favorite, however had to work hard for his early success in a highly competitive field of young Porsche Michelin Juniors.

He opened his 2024 account by winning the series opener at Phillip Island, before the flat-out series of races to opener the year where five different drivers claimed victories.

Perhaps his most emphatic statement of title intent, however, came in the final race at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend, where he charged to victory in a chaotic third race from 14th position on the starting grid.

That drive through the field to victory set up a dominant mid-season stanza where he claimed two of the three races in Townsville, all three races at Queensland Raceway and two of the three in Tasmania to claim all three rounds and entrench himself at the top of the standings.

The only driver remaining in contact with Targett heading into the series finale was Brock Gilchrist, who followed him home in Sydney Motorsport Park’s opener on Friday night to take the title battle into the final day – even if his hopes were more mathematical than anything else.

Targett then wrapped up the title with victory in the opening race of the final day, clinching the championship with one race to spare.

Brock Gilchrist capped off a successful debut season in Australia as the Team Porsche New Zealand-backed driver finished second overall, ensuring an EBM 1-2 in the championship.

Clay Osborne’s rookie season delivered him third overall for McElrea Racing in a promising season that included his maiden one-make Porsche victory.

Harburg’s Pro-Am title came via extreme consistency, the only driver in the class to finish every race he started.

In his rookie season, Andrew Georgiadis finished second while Ramu Farrell won the most races, and claimed third for the season.

All Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series awards will be presented on Saturday night in the series’ awards night in Sydney.

Targett survives wet-weather dash to take Sydney opener

Penalty denies Osborne victory as Farrell takes Pro-Am win

CLAY OSBORNE drove the race of his life, but the results will show Oscar Targett as the winner of the first Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia race at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend. 

In sultry and increasingly wet conditions, Osborne raced his way into the lead in Friday night’s sprint race that kicked off the final round of the 2024 Sprint Challenge season – however a five second penalty applied post race for a start line infringement handed the win to Targett.

Ramu Farrell claimed the Pro-Am class victory in style over Lachy Harburg – who provisionally claimed the Pro-Am title in the process – while newcomer Daniel Quimby took out the Class B win and finished an outstanding 10th outright on his Porsche debut.

The 25-minute race started with heavy skies over Sydney Motorsport Park with rain expected at some point throughout the race.

Starting from pole, Targett led the field into turn one however as the rain began to fall, Osborne began making moves and gradually worked his way to the rear of the championship leader out front.

Fourth at the end of lap one, Osborne passed Brock Gilchrist for third on lap five and Ryan Suhle for second one lap later.

He then got down the inside of Targett at turn four on the ninth lap to take the lead, however Targett remained in close company for the remainder to ensure he secured the win.

The race proved a show of skill from the 24-strong Porsche field, running the full distance without interruption despite the conditions being extremely wet by race’s end and a vast majority of the field remaining on slicks.

With penalties applied, Targett claimed the win over Gilchrist, who keeps his title hopes alive by only ceding a further 6 points to his year-long rival heading into tomorrow’s two races.

Provisionally the gap now sits at 98 points, with 120 up for grabs on Sunday.

Suhle finished third and Osborne fourth, narrowly ahead of Jake Santalucia in fifth position. Ayrton Hodson was another to cop a five second penalty but retained sixth position, while Conor Somers was a star – charging through the field following a 10 grid position penalty post-qualifying.

Aron Shields, Tyler Greenbury and Class B winner Daniel Quimby rounded out the top-10, the latter doing so on his debut race.

Ramu Farrell won Class B while Lachy Harburg’s second in class was enough to ensure he can no longer be beaten for the class title tomorrow.

Harburg’s success doubles up on his Class B title, claimed two years ago.

Farrell and Harburg battled for the lead in the class all race with the pair drag-racing to the line; Harburg narrowly missing his first race win of the year by 0.05 seconds.

Tomorrow will see the overall Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series title decided across two races.

The Jim Richards Enduro trophy will be settled first before the final race of the season on Saturday afternoon at Sydney Motorsport Park – the 2:10pm AEDT encounter to be broadcast live on 7mate and 7 Plus Sport.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge titles to be decided in Sydney

Pro, Junior and Enduro Cup titles all on the line this weekend in Sydney

OSCAR TARGETT and Brock Gilchrist will commence a Trans-Tasman battle for the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series title this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

The pair, split by 91 points with 181 up for grabs across three races, are the only two drivers that can win the championship this weekend.

Targett has won eight races to Gilchrist’s pair this year however the latter’s consistency aboard his Team Porsche New Zealand entry has kept him well in the hunt.

However, Gilchrist does lead the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy by twelve points, with the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’ to be decided on Saturday morning at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Both of those titles will be decided this weekend, while the Pro-Am and Class B battles will also draw to their conclusion in Sydney as a strong 27-car field prepares to tackle the three races – to be held on Friday and Saturday of the Shannons SpeedSeries event.

Targett’s rise to the top of the table has been well documented following his early-season debut last year.

After missing the opening round of the series, the teenager had a strong run home to finish third in the championship behind eventual champion Marco Giltrap, and Aaron Shields.

As part of the Grove Racing junior program, Targett will aim to deliver the Grove’s their first Porsche title since Stephen’s Pro-Am successes in Carrera Cup Australia.

Gilchrist came from New Zealand this year after winning the Porsche New Zealand Scholarship that has recently supported the likes of Ryan Wood, Callum Hedge and Marco Giltrap to success in Australian Porsche competition under the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ banner.

Now established in Queensland – and working at Queensland Raceway – Gilchrist’s strong season included a clutch Enduro Cup race win at The Bend in round two and another strong win in Tasmania amidst a weekend where he and Targett spent much of the event locked together.

After delivering five different race winners from the first five races, this year’s Sprint Challenge title battle has been dominated since by the Earl Bamber Motorsport pair who have claimed 9 of the subsequent ten races between them.

Kiwi Clay Osborne sits third in the championship, 99 points clear of teammate Caleb Sumich in fourth, while a late-season surge from Ayrton Hodson has him fifth in the standings and just 12 points behind his teammate.

In Pro-Am, Lachy Harburg holds a commanding lead in the title race with Sydneysider Andrew Georgiadis his closest contender in his rookie season.

The Queenslander will aim to secure his second Sprint Challenge title this weekend, having claimed the Class B championship in 2022 and finished runner-up last year prior to stepping up to the Pro-Am ranks in 2024.

With second-placed Danny Stutterd electing not to compete in Sydney, both Georgiadis (third) and Eric Constantinidis will aim to overhaul the TekworkX driver in the standings in a bid to score a top three championship result this weekend.

With the Class B title already claimed, New South Wales driver Jacque Jarjo will step up into the Pro-Am ranks this weekend for the first time, adding another strong contender to the mix.

The 27-car field includes the Sprint Challenge debut of Class B entrant Daniel Quimby aboard his FCL Transport / Cup Car Engineering entry.

Action commences on Friday with a 45-minute practice session at 12:55pm local time, followed by Qualifying at 3:55pm and Race 1 at 6:55pm.

Saturday will see the Enduro Cup decider battled over 45-minutes at 9:25am with the title decider to be sorted at 2:10pm on Saturday afternoon.

The final race of the year will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network on 7mate and 7plus Sport on Saturday.

Targett: Championship as Oscar takes Tassie

Andrew Georgiadis claims maiden Pro-Am victory in Tasmania

OSCAR TARGETT and Brock Gilchrist will battle for the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series in the final round at Sydney Motorsport Park following a thrilling conclusion to Round 5 of the championship at Symmons Plains.

The pair battled out another hugely entertaining encounter today, continuing the theme of the weekend where the pair were inseparable across the three races.

After trailing early, Targett claimed the race and the round over Gilchrist and Clay Osborne, while Andrew Georgiadis took his first Pro-Am Round victory in style by claiming the third race.

The final sprint was a thriller from the outset as Gilchrist, starting from second, beat Targett into turn one.

The pair were locked together with McElrea’s Clay Osborne in hot pursuit early in the race, the trio pulling away from the remainder of the field.

As he did in race two, Targett launched several attacks on his EBM teammate at turn four and turn six before he finally made a move stick at four, claiming the lead.

Gilchrist had to settle for second, but was chased hard to the line by his Kiwi compatriot Osborne who also set the new lap record in today’s race.

In fact, the new benchmark set on Saturday by Targett was broken by eight drivers in the final race, all taking advantage of the best track conditions of the weekend and relatively fresh Michelin slicks for the final race.

Osborne’s strong finish to the weekend saw him claim third overall in Tasmania by just a single point, thanks to his efforts on Friday to secure his first career pole position award.

Behind the leaders some furious battling unfolded with Ayrton Hodson making early moves to assert his position in fourth.

He was chased all race by teammate Caleb Sumich, while a flying Tyler Greenbury charged from the back of the field to finish sixth – at one point owning the lap record before it was broken later by Osborne.

The Sonic duo of Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers were next, at one point battling for position as the former was another to charge his way through from the back of the field after enduring a broken axle in race two. They were followed home by Aron Shields and Ben Taylor, who completed the top-10.

Andrew Georgiadis’ pathway to the Pro-Am win was made slightly simpler when closest rival, and race two winner, Eric Constantinidis limped back to pit lane on the formation lap with a broken axle on his Area Cloud & Cyber Security entry.

Georgiadis was then chased to the line by John Papantoniou – finishing in that order for both race and round – with Jonathan Glicksten surviving an off at turn six to secure third for the race and the round.

It was his first round win in Sprint Challenge competition and the first in Pro-Am for his DNA Racing team.

With one round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series remaining, Oscar Targett provisionally leads Brock Gilchrist in the standings by 91 points, with 181 up for grabs at the Sydney Motorsport Park finale’ in October.

Clay Osborne holds third in the championship with Caleb Sumich fourth and Ayrton Hodson fifth.

In Pro-Am, Lachlan Harburg leads Danny Stutterd in the standings once the series ‘drop your worst round’ score is in place.

Andrew Georgiadis’ strong weekend in Tasmania sees him move to third position in the standings with Eric Constantinidis fourth.

The final round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will be decided at Sydney Motorsport Park at the Shannons SpeedSeries ‘Race Sydney’ event on October 18-20.

Targett, Gilchrist one-all after two Tassie races

Pro-Am wins split between Andrew Georgiadis and Eric Constantinidis

OSCAR TARGETT and Brock Gilchrist are one-all following two superb Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia races today at Symmons Plains Raceway.

Gilchrist claimed his second win of the season after fending off the championship leader in the race one sprint, while Targett returned serve in race two in a breathless Jim Richards Enduro encounter to level the score.

It means the pair are tied on points for the round victory heading into Sunday’s Tassie decider.

In Pro-Am, a pair of first-time winners were welcomed into the Porsche record books with Andrew Georgiadis and Eric Constantinidis claiming the victories across the two races.

Race 1 started in dramatic fashion as polesitter Clay Osborne was slow away in wet conditions, being swamped by the field and allowing Gilchrist to pull away to an early lead.

A pair of Safety Car interruptions – including one that saw the race conclude under yellow – slowed the pace that otherwise saw Gilchrist and Targett running nose to tail while battling for the lead.

Gilchrist ultimately grabbed his second win of the season to remove six points from Targett’s championship lead, while Ayrton Hodson scored his second top three finish of the season by finishing third. Jake Santalucia was fourth with Tyler Greenbury completing the top five.

Osborne’s day went from bad to worse when he made contact with Aron Shields at the hairpin as he attempted to recover from his slow start on lap one – the contact ending Shields’ race and seeing Osborne take a drive through penalty for his efforts – ultimately finishing 12th.

A compelling Pro-Am battle saw Georgiadis take the win for the first time in his career, ahead of Jonathan Gliksten and John Papantonio, while Eric Constantinidis led the the class until lap 7, before he was caught out by the wet conditions.

The 45-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race was a thriller and saw Gilchrist and Targett resume their hostilities from the outset.

The pair traded fastest laps early, Target re-setting the Symmons Plains lap record in his pursuit on lap 16 to a 52.5883s flyer.

The battle was paused momentarily for a Safety Car to recover a stranded Jonathan Gliksten, who was off the road at turn six, however on the restart Targett was on the offensive.

He launched an attack down the inside at Turn 4, only for Gilchrist to get the undercut and draw alongside – the pair running side by side down the back straight until a second Safety Car was called, this time for a stranded Tyler Greenbury who was out of the race with steering damage at turn two.

Greenbury and Ayrton Hodson had made contact on the restart, the impact spinning the latter off and breaking the steering on the former’s car.

Gilchrist was judged to be in front when the Safety Car was called and led the field back to green, only for Targett to launch another attack for the lead at turn six – though the Grove car ran wide and allowed his Kiwi rival to slip past once again.

The third time would prove to be the charm for Targett, re-passing Gilchrist at turn six two laps later and this time being able to make the move stick – ultimately edging away to record another win and level the score with his nearest title pursuer.

Gilchrist then switched to defence, holding off a charging Clay Osborne in a fight for second and third late in the race.

Caleb Sumich was another strong performer, recovering from an early incident to finish fourth, having passed Conor Somers late in the race.

In Pro-Am, Eric Constantinidis won the class following a superb drive that saw him running with the leading group of Pro drivers on the restarts.

He would lead Ben Taylor home for seventh outright and the class win, with Race 1 winner Andrew Georgiadis second in class and John Papantonio third.

One sprint race will complete the penultimate round the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series on Sunday at the Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint, starting at 1210pm AEST on Sunday – with live coverage on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

Osborne beats Gilchrist to maiden Porsche pole

Two first-time Porsche polesitters in Tassie as Andrew Georgiadis tops Pro-Am

CLAY OSBORNE has edged out Brock Gilchrist by less than one tenth of a second to score his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia pole position in a thrilling qualifying shootout at Symmons Plains Raceway. 

A gripping session saw the top spot swap hands on six occasions with Oscar Targett, Gilchrist and then Osborne late in the session all taking turns at the top of the timing screen at various points of the 30-minute session.

Targett held sway early before Gilchrist asserted himself on top as the field concluded their first efforts mid-session.

With fresh Michelins fitted, everyone went quicker on their second attempts with Gilchrist looking strong before Osborne charged to the top late.

His 51.9828s flyer stands as a qualifying record for Porsche’s at Symmons Plains and the second quickest ever Cup Car lap of the 2.41km venue – Gilchrist having gone marginally quicker earlier in the second practice session.

The 19-year-old Kiwi ultimately took pole by 0.0991 seconds with Gilchrist second and championship leader Targett starting third.

Osborne becomes the fourth different polesitter from the five rounds held to date this year, the effort doubling as McElrea Racing’s first of the year.

It means the driver third in the standings will start race one from pole, the driver second in points second and the title leader from the inside of the third row of the grid.

Fourth was Ayrton Hodson – 0.26 seconds behind pole – to continue his strong run of qualifying form while Caleb Sumich set the fifth quickest time in his McElrea entry.

Conor Somers was a strong sixth for Sonic, a worthy return for the Victorian talent following a ground-up rebuild of his #71 GT3 Cup Car following his spectacular Townsville rollover.

His teammate Jake Santalucia followed with Tyler Greenbury eighth and just 0.6 seconds from pole.

Friday offered a double dose of first-time pole position winners with Andrew Georgiadis grabbing the top spot in Pro-Am and qualifying 10th outright in his Team DNA entry.

They Sydneysiders best lap of 53.6017s was just 1.6s away from Osborne’s outright pole time and saw him take the class pole by 0.3 seconds over Eric Constantinidis, Jonathan Glicksten and John Papantoniou completing the Pro-Am order.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field charges into racing tomorrow with a pair of races to highlight the Saturday schedule at the Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint.

Race 1 commences at 10:30am AEST while race 2 – the Jim Richards Enduro race – commences at 2:40pm local time and runs for 45 minutes.

Both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports in Australia, and Sky Sports in New Zealand.

Tasmania the scene for critical round in Sprint Challenge title chase

Pro-Am battle set for first-time winner, Enduro lead up for grabs in Tassie

A make-or-break penultimate round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series is in store for the Apple Isle this weekend.

Just two weeks after points leader Oscar Targett swept all three races at Queensland Raceway, the title battle returns to Symmons Plains Raceway this weekend as a key support act on the Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint program.

As the fifth round of six this year, the Tassie event represents a critical moment for title contenders to position themselves ahead of October’s finale’ in Sydney.

Targett leads Team Porsche NZ / EBM teammate Brock Gilchrist by 85 points heading to Tassie, though 180 are up for grabs this weekend.

While Gilchrist is yet to compete in Tasmania, Symmons Plains was the scene of Targett’s spectacular Sprint Challenge debut in 2023 having missed the earlier opening round at Phillip Island.

While the pair battle for the outright / Pro championship, they are also fighting for the lead in the prestigious Jim Richards Endurance Trophy battle where Gilchrist holds the ascendancy by 18 points over his Aussie rival.

Clay Osborne sits third in the Pro championship race, 178 points from the lead and needing a strong weekend to ensure he can continue to contend heading into the season finale’.

Hamish Fitzsimmons, who misses the Tasmanian event this weekend, sits fourth with Aron Shields and Caleb Sumich, both close behind, looking to make headway with strong performances this weekend.

The outright battle is expected to be intense this weekend with the return of Michelin Junior Conor Somers a welcome sight following his enormous rollover in Townsville earlier this year.

His Sonic Motor Racing team – which includes Somers on the tools – has re-shelled his 991.2 GT3 Cup Car between events with the young gun set for a racing return at a circuit he’s familiar with via his Formula Ford career.

The always unpredictable Pro-Am class battle takes another twist this weekend with a first-time round winner a guarantee – a ‘drop your worst round’ clause in the series point score calculations allowing drivers to skip one round a year while still remining in title calculations.

As such, the top three drivers in the class will be on the side-lines for Tasmania, including championship leader Lachy Harburg and second-placed Danny Stutterd.

Therefore, class success this weekend will be decided between Jonathan Gliksten (Racing to beat FA), Eric Constantinidis (Area Cloud & Cyber Security), Andrew Georgiadis (Bondi Carpets / DNA) and John Papantoniou (Entertainment Park) – all four searching for a maiden class round victory in Sprint Challenge competition.

Of the 14 entries assembled for this weekend, just five drivers have raced a Porsche at Symmons Plains before – Targett, Constantinidis, Sumich and Shields competed last year, while Jonathan Gliksten raced there in 2019.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will contest three races this weekend as part of a bumper Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint program at Symmons Plains.

Following practice and qualifying on Friday, the first two races will be held on Saturday – the second the key Jim Richards Endurance Championship encounter.

The final race will be contested just after midday on Sunday to decide the weekend.

Action on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports this weekend, plus coverage on Sky Sports in New Zealand.

ENTRY LIST – ROUND 5, Symmons Plains Raceway

Conor Somers returns to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field in Tasmania

Welcome return for Porsche Michelin Junior following massive Townsville crash

Targett sweeps Queensland with first 2024 three-peat

Victories to Ramu Farrell and Jacque Jarjo in Queensland with two rounds remaining

A POWERFUL performance has delivered Oscar Targett the first three-peat of the 2024 season, sweeping all three races to claim Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Queensland Raceway. 

Having claimed pole, a race one win and the lap record on Friday, Targett backed up that performance with two wins on Saturday to head to Tasmania’s penultimate round of the series with a much more comfortable championship lead with two events and six races left in his second Porsche season.

Targett’s excellent weekend came despite ceding the lead in all three races, slow starts from the dirty side of the road ensuring he had to work for his wins this weekend.

Targett trailed Brock Gilchrist on the opening lap of Race two, another short sprint race held Saturday morning.

The pair escaped from the chasing pack early before a locked brake saw the Team Porsche NZ driver spin at turn three, dropping the race lead and falling down the pack, ultimately finishing in ninth position.

That left Targett in the lead while a five-car fight for the minors broke out with Ayrton Hodson holding down second from a charging Hamish Fitzsimmons, Clay Osborne and Ryan Suhle – only for Osborne to leap from fourth to second in a single move on the third lap.

That’s where the Kiwi would finish, Fitzsimmons crossing the line in third position on the road before a 10-second penalty dropped him down to a final finish of 16th.

Suhle was the beneficiary, claiming third, while Hodson finished fourth and Jake Santalucia was fifth in his Sonic Motor Racing #777 entry.

Aron Shields was sixth, Caleb Sumich seventh while Ramu Farrell – who spent much of his race dicing with Santalucia before dropping back in the final two laos – claimed the Pro-Am class win and finished eighth overall – in front of Gilchrist and Lachy Harburg.

Jacque Jarjo continued his strong Class B form, taking the win and finishing 15th outright.

Race 3 doubled as the Jim Richards’ endurance trophy encounter, run over 45-minutes in the afternoon light.

The race would prove a dramatic affair with several Safety Car interruptions and ultimately, a finish under caution.

Targett again struggled to launch his Grove car from pole, Osborne racing into the early lead he would hold for the first two laps before his rival again pounced – sweeping to the lead on lap three.

It would be a lead he’d never lose, though Osborne continued to apply the pressure throughout – never falling more than 1.5 seconds behind Targett in a relentless pursuit of the leader.

Suhle again finished third, while Brock Gilchrist recovered valuable points to fourth position, leading Ayrton Hodson to the line. Tyler Greenbury was sixth, Santalucia seventh and Hamish Fitzsimmons eighth having started 16th.

Ramu Farrell completed his sweep of the Pro-Am leaderboard by finishing ninth outright while Jacque Jarjo was the same in Class B, winning all three races and claiming 10th in the finale’.

The race was a dramatic affair with incidents claiming Aron Shields, Ross McGregor and Mark Darling throughout the eventful 29-lap journey.

Targett’s three wins ensured he walked away from Queensland with maximum points, provisionally extending his series lead over Brock Gilchrist to 87 points with two rounds remaining.

Osborne banked his best ever Sprint Challenge round with second overall while Ryan Suhle returned to the podium in third, having not raced a Porsche since the end of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season on the Gold Coast.

Ayrton Hodson and Brock Gilchrist completed the top five for round four, while Osborne also moved to third in the series’ standings with his strong performance.

Ramu Farrell’s clean sweep saw him take the Pro-Am round victory over Lachy Harburg and Andrew Georgiadis, while Harburg now leads the series following Danny Stutterd’s absence in Queensland.

Jacque Jarjo swept the Class B round to take his third win of the season and extend his commanding class lead.

The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will see the series return to the Apple Isle to contest the Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint in two weeks time.

Slow start can’t deny Targett fast victory in QR opener

Series leader extends margin after action-packed twilight affair at QR

A SLOW start couldn’t stop Oscar Targett from extending his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, taking win number five for the season in a twilight affair at Queensland Raceway. 

Targett started from pole however burst into wheelspin at the start, losing the lead to young Kiwi Ayrton Hodson, who lead his first Sprint Challenge laps after making the better start from the outside of the front row.

However he was hunted down and passed by the championship leader, who would ultimately streak away to record the win – breaking the lap record in the process.

Targett had earlier qualified on pole by a substantial 0.4 seconds margin and became the first repeat polesitter of the season, however his slow start ensured he had to work for his race win today.

After passing Hodson on lap three, the Grove Racing / EBM driver pulled a comfortable lead before consolidating his margin to bring home a comfortable victory.

The battle behind was far from comfortable, however, as Hodson came under fire from a group of contenders that included Brock Gilchrist.

After several attempts, the Team Porsche NZ driver was able to sneak past his Kiwi compatriot on the 14th lap to secure second in the race and the series.

Hodson finished third to secure his best ever race result in the one-make Porsche series, placing best of the McElrea fleet.

The inter-team rivalry was intense behind Hodson as Clay Osborne and a returning Ryan Suhle battled furiously for fourth position for much of the race.

Osborne held the sport for the first 10 laps before Suhle passed for position on lap eleven, however a late challenge from Osborne saw the pair duel on the final lap – crossing the line side by side to be ultimately split by 0.0073 seconds at the line – Suhle in front.

With Osborne fifth, a recovering Hamish Fitzsimmons charged to sixth position, having qualified 10th due to a broken fuel pump ensuring he missed much of the sole practice session earlier in the morning.

Caleb Sumich was seventh, with Jake Santalucia eighth and Ramu Farrell ninth and first of the Pro-Am runners.

Farrell spent much of his race chasing Santalucia, having seen off earlier challenges from Tyler Greenbury and Lachy Harburg.

Greenbury rounded out the 10, while Harburg was 12th outright and second in Pro-Am, Andrew Georgiadis third in his class after a strong race.

Jacque Jarjo was first home in Class B after a lap one incident ended the race for rivals Brad Carr and Stephen Moylan, Scott Taylor also involved and forced out in his STM #222 entry.

Today’s result extends Targett’s series lead over Brock Gilchrist by another six points ahead of the remaining two races this weekend.

Those two races will be held on Saturday at Queensland Raceway and broadcast live and free on the Seven Network.

2024 so far – the Rollercoaster ride

Recapping the incredible season so far in Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

QUEENSLAND RACEWAY marks the start of the second half of the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Season so it’s worthwhile catching up with the way the season has gone so far. 

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, from a three-way tie for the round win at Phillip Island, to plenty of dramatic moments at The Bend and an awesome street circuit debut for the category on the streets of Townsville just one month ago.

The season has delivered five different race winners across the nine races held to date and there remains less than 100 points between the top seven contenders in the championship standings – meaning every result is on the table on what is a busy run home to the final round in Sydney this October.

But with things so tight, this weekend’s event at the Shannons SpeedSeries ‘Race Queensland’ event could prove critical to making or breaking championship hopefuls in all three classes – and the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy as well.

Here’s how things have played out so far.

ROUND 1 – PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT

WEST AUSTRALIAN junior star Caleb Sumich claimed a dramatic opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in a sensational conclusion to the first round of the new season. 

The Perth-based teenager had run fourth in the final race of the weekend at Phillip Island before a remarkable turn of events saw him claim not only his maiden race victory – but the overall round win as well.

Sumich, who is in his second Porsche season, took advantage of a collision between the drivers in third and second – and then a post-race penalty to the leader – to claim the big trophy in a dramatic conclusion to an incredible Sprint Challenge season opener.

Sumich won on a countback by virtue of claiming the final race of the weekend, while Team Porsche New Zealand’s Brock Gilchrist was second.

Race one winner Oscar Targett finished third overall after a post-race penalty in the final race dropped him from the top step of the podium.

Danny Stutterd won the Pro-Am class for the round over Ramu Farrell and Lachlan Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo claimed the Class B trophy.

Read the full Round 1 recap here.

ROUND 2 – SHELL V-POWER MOTORSPORT PARK, The Bend

OSCAR TARGETT has survived one of the most unpredictable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia rounds in history to claim Round 2 of the championship at The Bend. 

The Grove Racing / EBM driver claimed a dramatic race three victory to win the round overall over Brock Gilchrist and Aron Shields – but the story was in no way as simple as the results indicate.

Home-town hero Pan Boyaci claimed the win in Pro-Am over Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo won the Class B battle at the South Australian venue.

Targett’s pathway to victory was far from easy after he was penalised 10 seconds following race two earlier on Sunday morning.

That result dropped him from second on the road to 14th position which is where he started race three later in the afternoon.

Brock Gilchrist won the Enduro race on Sunday morning with Jake Santalucia and Hamish Fitzsimmons – who charged from 24th on the grid following his challenging race one on Saturday – to third position.

Read the full Round 2 recap here.

ROUND 3 – NTI TOWNSVILLE 500

OSCAR TARGETT claimed Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship with a fighting second position in Townsville’s finale – while Hamish Fitzsimmons powered to his second race win of the season in style. 

It was a crushing performance from the TekworkX driver who launched from the second row of the grid and raced his way to the lead early in the final 20-minute sprint.

The win, his second of the season, completed a remarkable comeback that saw the TekworkX driver qualify on pole only to be relegated to a pit lane start for Race 1 following a start line infringement.

He then worked his way through the field to finish 14th in race one and 4th in the second to put himself at the pointy-end f0r the finale’.

That progression, coupled with a fresh set of Michelins saved for the final sprint race, saw him able to race to the lead and win by almost ten seconds.

It was double delight in Townsville for the Gold Coast-based TekworkX team with Danny Stutterd claiming the Pro-Am race and round victory as well.

Read the full Round 3 recap here.

Sprint Challenge battle enters second half of competitive 2024 season

Queensland Raceway the scene for Round 4 this weekend

THE FIGHT for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia supremacy enters the second half of a compelling 2024 season this weekend at Queensland Raceway.

Round 4 of the series returns a 23-strong field to the Shannons SpeedSeries Race Queensland event at the Ipswich circuit, the track long a staple of the series and home base to a large percentage of its teams and drivers.

The title battle is well poised following three rounds with Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist split by just 26 points out in front, while a chasing pack including Hamish Fitzsimmons, Aron Shields, Clay Osborne, Caleb Sumich and Tyler Greenbury all covered by just 65 points in the fight for third through seventh in the standings.

The unpredictable nature of the 2024 series has seen the nine races contested deliver five different winners so far, while no driver has managed to finish in the top five in every race.

The Queensland grid includes the return of Ryan Suhle to the series, the Queenslander set for his first Sprint Challenge start since the 2021 season.

Suhle is a three-time Sprint Challenge race winner and will return to racing this weekend following a year out of the sport. Suhle, who will be supported by Ray White North Lakes this weekend, will race Brett Boulton’s McElrea Racing-prepared car with the Pro-Am contender away for this event.

As well as Scott Taylor’s return in the Pro-Am class, Ramu Farrell is likely to be a contender aboard his Jones Motorsport-entered #888 entry – having qualified 10th outright on his debut in the category twelve months ago.

Rob Woods returns for his second start of the 2024 season aboard his TekworkX Motorsport entry, while Queenslander Mark Darling will make his debut aboard the #272 SPM Motorsport entry.

The Pro-Am class is expected to be wide open this weekend with series leader Danny Stutterd not competing this weekend, opening the door for Lachy Harburg, currently second in the championship, to challenge for the lead.

The Class B battle will see Jacque Jarjo, Brad Carr and Stephen Moylan continue their season-long battle.

Oscar Targett scored pole last year at Queensland Raceway, while Nash Morris swept all three races to claim the round win, his then-teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons in close company behind.

The 2023 round was notable for producing the closest qualifying session in Sprint Challenge history, the top 5 cars on the grid covered by 0.0874s and the top-10 just 0.39.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will complete a condensed schedule this weekend, competing across Friday and Saturday only at the Shannons SpeedSeries Race Queensland event.

Practice, Qualifying and Race 1 will be held on Friday with two races Saturday – including the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race – to be shown live on 7plus on Saturday.

The Queensland event kicks off a busy period for the Sprint Challenge field, with the paddock to pack up on Sunday ahead of a trip to Tasmania for the next round in just two weeks time.

ENTRY LIST – Round 4, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge – Queensland Raceway

Scott Taylor to perform double Porsche duties at Queensland Raceway

Welcome Sprint Challenge return for STM chief

Scott Taylor will be one very busy driver at Queensland Raceway this weekend, competing in two different Porsches at the Shannons SpeedSeries event.

Taylor will compete in both the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS in his 911 GT3R (997), and the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in his 991.2 GT3 Cup Car.

Bathurst Triple Crown winner and friend Paul Morris will join Taylor for Fanatec GT Australia’s twin one hour events.

The Sprint Challenge entry comes hot off the heels of his young driver Nash Morris racing that Porsche at Townsville recently.

Taylor says the combination of being his home circuit, plus his body and mind being in great shape, it was an opportunity that he could not pass by.

“It just feels right to get in and race both cars this weekend,” said Taylor.

“I haven’t been in the Sprint Challenge car for a while, and the car is all prepped and ready after Nash had a clean run on the Townsville streets.

“I had some health challenges recently, but now that I am in the clear, I like to take these opportunities when they come up. For me, it’s time for me to explore something different and here was an opportunity in my own backyard.”

Taylor says that the only similarity between the two Porsches is the badge on the bonnet.

“One is a full-blooded GT car. It has traction control and ABS. The GTR 997 is a screamer.

“Compared to the Sprint Challenge car, it’s a completely different beast. It has no ABS, no traction control and it’s a one make series, so it’s a lot more even.

“In Sprint Challenge, there’s lots of different classes. There’s the young guys up the front, there’s the mid-pack runners and those at the back. Wherever you are, there’s always someone to race against, so I like that.

“In GT World Challenge, it’s varied and very competitive. There’s some pretty quick cars and driver combinations.

“And having Paul as my co-driver will be great … whatever I bugger up, he can fix up!”

Friday will be a busy day for Taylor, with two GT World Challenge practice sessions, plus practice, qualifying and Race 1 for Sprint Challenge.

The final two Sprint Challenge races will be run on Saturday, with one GT one-hour race on both Saturday and Sunday.

All racing action on Saturday and Sunday will be seen on the screens of Seven in Australia. GT World’s YouTube page will feature the Fanatec GT Australia races for international viewers.

SCHEDULE, ROUND 3, FANATEC GT WORLD CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA POWERED BY AWS

Friday
10:50 Practice 1
15:25 Practice 2

Saturday
9:20 Qualifying 1
9:45 Qualifying 2
16:20 Race 1

Sunday

11:55 Race 2

SCHEDULE, ROUND 4, PORSCHE MICHELIN SPRINT CHALLENGE

Friday
9:35 Practice

13:05 Qualifying
17:00 Race 1

Saturday
11:05 Race 2
14:45 Race 3

Somers: ‘We will be back’ after tough Sonic weekend

Tough weekend for Sonic duo in North Queensland

It proved a tough yet rewarding third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for Sonic Motor Racing Services on the Reid Park Street Circuit in Townsville.

It was the first visit to the venue for the second-tier Porsche category and marked the first experience of a street circuit for Sonic’s two drivers.

Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers proved quick when track action started, but the attack was soon depleted after an incident in qualifying for the latter.

Leading the Sonic charge through practice, Somers caught slower traffic at Turn 10 during qualifying and was pitched into multiple rolls ending his weekend. Somers emerged uninjured from the incident, which is a credit to the strength of the Porsche.

“It was a disappointing weekend for us,” said Somers.

“We rolled out of the truck with a really fast car on Friday, but unfortunately we had an incident during qualifying, which resulted in a rollover to end our weekend.

“I’m just really disappointed we couldn’t get a result for everyone at Sonic for all the work they put in and getting a deserved result.

“Nevertheless, lots of hard work to be done, but we’ll be there ready to go at Queensland Raceway.”

Santalucia started the opening race from 10th and made moves early to be sixth until a mistake by a competitor in front led to heavy contact with the wall exiting Turn 6.

A superb effort from the Sonic team was duly rewarded by Santalucia on Sunday by two top results starting with eighth outright in the 45 minute Jim Richards Endurance event, then scoring sixth in the final.

“It was certainly a challenging weekend here at Townsville,” said Santalucia.

“First of all I’d like to thank the crew for working extremely hard to get my car back on-track for Sunday’s races after my crash in Race 1.

“In qualifying I got caught out by the red flag, but it’s not what you can prepare for and we started 10th.

“I made my way to seventh, but was involved in a crash and I had to start Sunday’s opening race from the back. It was quite exciting to drive through the field as in Race 2 I made up 15 positions. This proved the highlight of the day.

“I was chipping away, but was forced to manage a flat spot after the restart and lost a couple of spots after that.

“I have stuff to work on for myself, but I couldn’t have done it without the great team at Sonic.

“I can’t wait to hit the track again at Queensland Raceway.”

Both Somers and Santalucia will continue their maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge campaigns at Queensland Raceway as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries on August 2-4.

Targett takes the round, Fitzsimmons the finale’ in Townsville showdown

Fast-paced finale puts on a show as Sprint Challenge ends successful Townsville debut

OSCAR TARGETT claimed Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship with a fighting second position in Townsville’s finale – while Hamish Fitzsimmons powered to his second race win of the season in style. 

It was a crushing performance from the TekworkX driver who launched from the second row of the grid and raced his way to the lead early in the final 20-minute sprint.

The win, his second of the season, completed a remarkable comeback that saw the TekworkX driver qualify on pole only to be relegated to a pit lane start for Race 1 following a start line infringement.

He then worked his way through the field to finish 14th in race one and 4th in the second to put himself at the pointy-end f0r the finale’.

That progression, coupled with a fresh set of Michelins saved for the final sprint race, saw him able to race to the lead and win by almost ten seconds.

It was double delight in Townsville for the Gold Coast-based TekworkX team with Danny Stutterd claiming the Pro-Am race and round victory as well.

Behind Fitzsimmons, Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist warred for second and third in what would be the battle to see who claimed the round overall.

Targett held the lead early only for Gilchrist to work his way past – though the positions would change several times throughout the race.

Ultimately Targett was able to squeeze past late to secure second which also delivered him the round win – his second in a row.

He claimed the top spot with Gilchrist second for the round – the pair also first and second in the championship at the half-way point.

Fitzsimmons claimed third for the weekend thanks to his mighty comeback, Clay Osborne narrowly missing the podium after receiving a five second penalty for a false start in race three.

Nash Morris ultimately finished fourth and Caleb Sumich fifth after a huge comeback following the late night rebuild – Jake Santalucia just behind in another huge comeback story for the Sonic team.

Osborne – fourth on the road – dropped to seventh with his penalty with Aron Shields and Ayrton Hodson battling furiously over eighth and ninth throughout the final sprint.

Danny Stutterd made it an incredible day for TekworkX thanks to claiming the Pro-Am victory and 10th outright, a result which also ensured he claimed the round overall and extending his championship lead.

Lachy Harburg finished second in class in race three and the round while Marc Cini completed the Pro-Am podium in third aboard his Hallmarc Property Group / Melbourne Performance Centre entry.

Jacque Jarjo took the Class B victory in Race 3, while Brad Carr and Stephen Moylan enjoyed a frenetic battle for second in class.

Carr, however, was able to claim the round victory to build his Class B title lead.

Targett on Enduro Cup with Sunday morning Townsville win

Kiwi drivers complete podium, Brad Carr, Danny Stuttered take class wins

OSCAR TARGETT survived early race pressure from Brock Gilchrist before edging away to victory in the Jim Richards Endurance Championship race on Sunday morning at the NTI Townsville 500. 

The Grove Racing Junior made the best start of the leading bunch and led the field into turn two but had to spend the first several laps vigorously defending his position from nearest rival, race one runner-up Brock Gilchrist.

The Team Porsche NZ racer attacked on several occasions but was unable to break Targett’s defence and ultimately slipped a second behind the leader, who edged away to claim his third straight win and fourth of the season on Sunday morning.

Targett becomes the third winner from three Enduro Cup races to date this season following successes for Hamish Fitzsimmons (Phillip Island) and Brock Gilchrist (The Bend) previously.

After running with the leaders early, Clay Osborne slipped back to finish a consistent third and a bag of valuable championship points in the process.

Behind the leading trio, the same as in race one, there were a host of impressive drives as several contenders worked their way from the back of the field following race one dramas.

Hamish Fitzsimmons gained 10 spots to finish fourth, while Nash Morris worked his way from the back to finish sixth in his STM machine.

After late-night rebuilds, both Jake Santalucia and Caleb Sumich were able to make meaningful inroads through the pack in their repaired machines this morning.

Santalucia stormed to 8th position and Sumich 10th after both teams worked to beyond midnight to ensure their cars could start the Enduro Cup race.

There was action aplenty in the Pro-Am ranks, Race 1 winner Brett Boulton and Lachy Harburg making contact early on that would ultimately end the race one winner’s race on the sport.

While Harburg recovered – via a few exciting moments – to second in class, Daniel Stutterd extended his class championship lead with 12th outright and a class win.

They were all, however, trumped by Brad Carr who passed them all to claim 11th outright in his Class B winning 991.1 Cup Car, while Jacque Jarjo finished just behind Stutterd on the road to take second in class.

The 29-lap race ended behind the control of the Porsche Taycan Safety Car following a late spin for Eric Constantinidis, who was stranded at turn seven with less than five minutes remaining.

One final, 20-minute sprint will complete the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series on Sunday afternoon.

That race will start at 12:45pm local time and will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo and Channel 7.

Targett delivers in tricky Townsville Sprint Challenge opener

OSCAR TARGETT has extended his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, racing his way to the front in the first race at the NTI Townsville 500. 

Starting third on the grid but with an open pole position in front of him on account of Hamish Fitzsimmons starting from pit lane, Targett settled into second early in the first 25-minute sprint race of the weekend before pouncing on Clay Osborne to take the race lead and ultimately take the win.

The Grove Racing / EBM driver edged away from a racy Brock Gilchrist – who also passed Osborne in the same move as Targett – with early leader Osborne finishing third.

The race began in strange circumstances as polesitter Hamish Fitzsimmons, who had radio issues, overshot his grid position on the formation lap. As a result, the start was delayed and an additional formation lap given to the field.

The TekworkX driver was forced to start from pit lane as a result and would charge through to 14th position and 7th of the Pro class cars at the end.

The race began in challenging conditions with a light rain shower passing over the circuit moments before the cars were released from pit lane.

That left Osborne alone on the front row with the New Zealander leaving Gilchrist and Targett away into turn one.

While everyone remained on slick tyres, conditions were challenging with slippery areas both on the circuit, painted lines and kerbs.

Nash Morris ran fourth early and well within touch of the leaders however was forced to pit lane with steering issues aboard his #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport entry.

Osborne led the first three before Targett pounced, the leader defending at turn two which compromised his exit from the left-hander and allowed the Grove Hire car to slip up the inside at turn four to grab the lead.

Gilchrist followed Targett through to grab second position with Osborne settling into third.

The battling behind was intense with a multi-car fight between Ayrton Hodson, Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and Aron Shields.

That waged for multiple laps before a moment on lap 13 caught Sumich out, running wide at turn seven onto the concrete apron on the exit of the corner, the lack of traction seeing his car spearing across to the inside fence. Santalucia was caught up in the incident with both cars damaged and out of the race as a result.

That drew the Safety Car out with the racing finishing under yellows.

With Targett, Gilchrist and Osborne the top three, Tyler Greenbury revelled in the challenging conditions to finish fourth in his Edge Designer Homes / TGR entry – his fourth, fourth-place finish of the season. Ayrton Hodson finished fifth and Aron Shields sixth.

Brett Boulton won the Pro-Am class after a strong drive to seventh position outright, leading Lachlan Harburg and Danny Stutterd home in the Sprint Challenge race within a race.

The pair finished well within the top-10 as a result of the dramas for several of the Pro class runners.

Brad Carr, meanwhile, claimed the Class B win and finished an outstanding 10th outright in the process, closest rival Jaque Jarjo just behind.

Earlier, Sonic Motor Racing’s Conor Somers walked away from an enormous crash at turn 10 that brought the qualifying session to a premature end.

Somers clipped another car approaching the high-speed kink and was launched into the air, his car making heavy contact with the catch fencing on the outside of the circuit.

His car landed on its roof, however Somers was able to climb from the wreck. He was checked by the medical team and released with no injuries – however his car was out for the remainder of the weekend.

Round 3 of the championship will conclude on Sunday at the NTI Townsville 500 with two races – kicking off on Sunday morning with the next instalment of the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy first thing on Sunday.

That will be followed by the final sprint race later in the afternoon, to be shown live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Channel 7.

Gilchrist on point as Sprint Challenge makes Street Circuit debut

Brett Boulton and Brad Carr on top in class battles as field turns attention to qualifying on Saturday

FAST New Zealander Brock Gilchrist has charged to the top of the times following a competitive and clean day of practice for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at the NTI Townsville 500 in Queensland. 

Taking advantage of a new-tyre run at the end of the second, 25-minute practice session of the day, Gilchrist’s 1m14.4746s flyer not only topped the charts in the session, but did so overall in a fast Friday that saw both sessions run without interruption.

Click here to view results from qualifying at the NTI Townsville 500. 

The pair of practice sessions were staged in uncharacteristically cloudy conditions in North Queensland with lower ambient and track conditions allowing for drivers to have several shots at qualifying simulation late in the second session.

Gilchrist, who sits second in the championship following the first two rounds and was a race winner last-time out at The Bend, lead Scott Taylor Motorsport’s Nash Morris on combined times, with the Flash having topped the opening session earlier on Friday.

The pair were split by two-tenths of a second with series leader Oscar Targett third overall in his EBM machine.

Ayrton Hodson was fourth aboard his McElrea Racing entry on his street circuit debut while teammate Caleb Sumich was fifth in the combined rankings.

Jake Santalucia was sixth for Sonic Motor Racing, narrowly edging out Clay Osborne and Aron Shields’ DNA Autosport entry.

Conor Somers and TekworkX driver Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top-10 on combined practice times on Friday, the 10 covered by exactly one second.

Brett Boulton led the way in the Pro-Am ranks, heading class leader Daniel Stutterd by 0.6 seconds, with Marc Cini third – the Victorian having topped the opening session aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry.

Brad Carr was a stout 14th outright aboard his Class-B leading entry with Jacque Jarjo second in class.

After a wild round at The Bend last time out, Friday in Townsville was free of major incident as the field set about learning the tricky 2.87km street circuit.

Just four drivers of the 25 entered have competed previously on the Reid Park streets making track time a premium as the field looks towards qualifying and the opening race on Saturday.

Qualifying – at 8:05am – and Race 1, which starts at 10:50am will both be live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports tomorrow.

Street Circuit debut for Michelin Sprint Challenge field in Townsville

Compelling season heads to North Queensland for debut at NTI Townsville 500

ONE-MAKE Porsche racing returns to the streets of Townsville at the 2024 NTI Townsville 500 this weekend – but not quite in the way North Queensland Supercars fans have seen before.

In the past the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship has been a staple on the Reid Park Street Circuit, however this year it’s the turn of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series to put on a show.

Round 3 of the highly competitive series will be staged in the North Queensland city and it marks a major milestone for the category, founded in 2008.

Townsville won’t be the first time the championship has competed on the Repco Supercars Championship undercard – it featured on the Sydney SuperNight and Tasmania SuperSprint events last year – but it will be the first ever street circuit event for the category in its 16-year history.

Sprint Challenge’s Townsville debut comes at the time of peak competition for the category which features more depth than perhaps it has ever seen.

At the pointy-end of the field, a host of young stars are battling for the championship, with the top-10 drivers in the standings following the first two rounds having an average age of well under 20.

They’re young, hungry and the result has been feisty racing across two rounds contested to date, at Phillip Island and The Bend, respectively.

Young West Aussie star Caleb Sumich, who drives for McElrea Racing, won the opening round of the year at Phillip Island however it came in a three-way tie for round honours with Team Porsche New Zealand young-gun Brock Gilchrist and Grove Racing’s junior star, Oscar Targett.

Targett, an Australian karting prodigy taken who was under the wing of the Grove Racing group last year, struck at Round two in South Australia last month to claim the round and a narrow championship lead heading to Townsville.

In the six races so far, he’s also the only repeat winner – claiming the season opener at Phillip Island and the most recent race at The Bend – while other races have been shared by young Queenslander Hamish Fitzsimmons, Round 1 winner Sumich, speedy Kiwi import Clay Osborne and Brock Gilchrist.

Former Super2 racer Tyler Greenbury has made a welcome return to the championship this year aboard his own team and sits seventh in the standings.

This weekend will also feature the Sprint Challenge return of Nash Morris, who is this year contesting the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship full-time.

Morris, who won races in Sydney, Queensland and at Mount Panorama in a partial Sprint Challenge campaign last year, will race for Scott Taylor Motorsport again this weekend.

Marc Cini, the most experienced one-make Porsche racer in Australia, will also return to Sprint Challenge this weekend in a one-off event aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry.

As with Carrera Cup, Sprint Challenge features races within the race with class competition a talking point.

The Pro-Am ranks are led by Danny Stutterd with Lachlan Harburg and former champ Brett Boulton in close company. Class B, which features earlier-generation GT3 Cup Cars, is being dominated by Jacque Jarjo.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field will contest three races across the Townsville weekend, two sprints and one longer-distance race that has competitors battling for the prestigious Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.

The 25-strong Porsche field hits the track on Friday for practice with Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, with two races completing proceedings on Sunday.

As with all the action from the NTI Townsville 500, fans will be able to watch the racing on Fox Sports, Kayo and the Seven Network.

Sprint Challenge has evolved throughout its journey to become not just a key pathway category, but a headliner in its own right alongside Carrera Cup.

While the cars might look and sound the same, there are key differences between the two one-make categories.

Sprint Challenge is to Carrera Cup in the same way the Dunlop Series is to the Supercars’ main game.

Sprint Challenge was founded in 2008 and has evolved to become a key steppingstone in the fabled ‘Porsche Pyramid’, the developmental pathway that propels drivers through the ranks and ultimately to top-level competition either here or abroad.

Drivers like Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Aaron Love and more recently, Ryan Wood, have come via Sprint Challenge and into not only international competitions but also – in the case of Evans and Wood – into the Repco Supercars Championship.

Much like the Dunlop Series, the Porsche Sprint Challenge field uses previous-generation Cup Car machinery and serves as a perfect entry point for drivers and teams before stepping up to the ‘main game’, in this case, Carrera Cup.

The field is predominantly comprised of the Type 991.2 GT3 Cup Cars – the same ones that raced in Townsville’s Carrera Cup races prior to the 2022 season.

ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

Targett seals dramatic Round 2 victory to ignite Sprint Challenge season

Dramatic weekend in South Australia delivers three winners from three races

OSCAR TARGETT has survived one of the most unpredictable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia rounds in history to claim Round 2 of the championship at The Bend. 

The Grove Racing / EBM driver claimed a dramatic race three victory to win the round overall over Brock Gilchrist and Aron Shields – but the story was in no way as simple as the results indicate.

Home-town hero Pan Boyaci claimed the win in Pro-Am over Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo won the Class B battle at the South Australian venue.

Targett’s pathway to victory was far from easy after he was penalised 10 seconds following race two earlier on Sunday morning.

That result dropped him from second on the road to 14th position which is where he started race three later in the afternoon.

Brock Gilchrist won the Enduro race on Sunday morning with Jake Santalucia and Hamish Fitzsimmons – who charged from 24th on the grid following his challenging race one on Saturday – to third position.

Targett was one of several to storm through the field in race three, which saw Gilchrist lead early. The Grove racer charged from 14th to seventh on the opening lap and had climbed as high as fourth by lap eight.

A storming Fitzsimmons passed Gilchrist for the lead on lap seven, however was carrying a five-second penalty for overlapping on a Safety Car restart, meaning he had to pull away in front in order to remain on the podium.

Gilchrist had settled into second position and was being chased by Kiwi compatriot Clay Osborne, when the pair made contact at turn six on the ninth lap of the race – causing Gilchrist to slip down the order and Osborne out of the race with left front damage on his McElrea entry.

That elevated Targett to second position, the Michelin Junior ensuring he finished well within striking distance of Fitzsimmons, ensuring he would claim the race victory once the five second penalty was applied. The TekworkX driver slipped to third at the line, with Aron Shields’ promoted to second.

The contact between Gilchrist and Osborne was more critical for the former, who finished eighth which was not enough to retain the points lead for the round overall – the Team Porsche NZ driver ultimately finishing second overall behind Targett.

Provisionally, Targett now leads the Sprint Challenge standings over Gilchrist and Aron Shields, Round 1 winner Caleb Sumich’s solid weekend ensuring he remains fourth and Fitzsimmons fifth.

The Pro-Am weekend was just as unpredictable as the outright fight with pacesetter Ramu Farrell enduring a challenging weekend that saw him fail to finish both races on Sunday.

The beneficiary of all the chaos was local racer Pan Boyaci, who claimed his first round win overall ahead of the ever-consistent Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg.

An outstanding weekend from Jacque Jarjo saw him claim the Class B round win with a pair of race wins on Sunday.

Gilchrist hits field for six with Enduro Cup win

Sprint race showdown set as fifth winner from five races

BROCK GILCHRIST has charged to his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series race win, claiming the Jim Richards Enduro Cup race at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on a freezing Sunday morning. 

The Team Porsche NZ / EBM driver had to fight his way to the front in the 45-minute race, but survived a pair of Safety Car restarts and a one-lap dash to the flag to become the fifth winner from five races so far this year.

Oscar Targett charged through to second position and Aron Shields raced to third position, while Jacque Jarjo took the Class B win with 10th outright and local Pan Boyaci won the Pro-Am class.

The race commenced in clear but cold conditions with the ambient temperature just three degrees at the start of the race.

Race one winner Clay Osborne made the best start from pole position and led the opening lap before Gilchrist – who ended the first lap in fourth position – pounced on the second lap to take the lead.

A fast-starting Aron Shields then briefly jumped Osborne to second place before the latter was able to re-pass the DNA Autosport driver.

Targett, meanwhile, worked his way into contention as the race continued, passing Osborne to climb to second position on the 17th lap.

Osborne struggled with a broken splitter on his McElrea entry, a pair of restarts costing the Kiwi as the field bunched up and was able to attack the New Zealander who was struggling for front grip.

The first Safety Car was called for an off from Ben Taylor and Caspar Tresidder at turn four, which packed the field up.

Osborne tumbled down the order on the restart with Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and a charging Hamish Fitzsimmons taking the most advantage.

The final Safety Car was called for Ramu Farrell off at turn one, setting up a one-lap dash to the line at the end of the race.

There, Gilchrist held on to grab his race win with Targett second and Shields third.

Caleb Sumich and Jake Santalucia completed the top five, with Hamish Fitzsimmons storming through the field to finish sixth after an immense comeback drive. Tyler Greenbury, Ayrton Hodson, Conor Somers and Class B winner Jacque Jarjo completed the 10.

Osborne eventually finished 11th to salvage championship points while the Pro-Am class went the way of Pan Boyaci – the Rennen Motorsport driver grabbing the victory following the dramas for Farrell and fellow race one contenders, Brett Boulton and Danny Stutterd.

The results set up a thrilling finish to the round with a winner-take-all finale set for Brock Gilchrist and Oscar Targett – the pair split by just one point heading into the 25-minute sprint race finale’ this afternoon.

UPDATE: A raft of post-race penalties saw several drivers drop down the order following the completion of Race 2.

Seven different drivers were penalised post-race for varying incidents including Safety Car restart breeches and on-track incidents.

Drivers penalised included Oscar Targett – who dropped from second to 14th – and Aron Shields, who went from third to eighth.

Brock Gilchrist was not penalised and as such retained his race win.

Osborne launches to maiden win in The Bend opener

Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) take class wins in combative SA opener

CLAY OSBORNE has launched from second position to claim his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia race win at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia. 

Starting second, the McElrea Racing Kiwi got the perfect start and led the field uphill to the first corner, beating polesitter Brock Gilchrist into a lead he’d never lose.

Osborne led home Oscar Targett and Gilchrist in Saturday’s 25-minute opener with Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) on top in the class battles.

In bright sunshine, the field launched into turn one with Osborne getting the better launch of the leading group, while Targett jumped Conor Somers to rise to third.

The Safety Car was called early after a series of events at turn five and six saw recoveries required.

The first was a drama that saw Hamish Fitzsimmons and Lachy Harburg spinning at turn five, fortunately avoiding any major contact as the field took evasive action.

Contact between Andrew Georgiadis and Caspar Tressider then saw the former stranded at turn seven, forcing a recovery.

A restart with 10 minutes remaining saw Osborne judge his jump perfectly and pull away in the race lead while Gilchrist had to fend off Targett in a battle for second, the latter ultimately sneaking through with a strong pass at turn one with a few laps remaining.

With Osborne catching lapped traffic on the final lap, Targett’s Grove Hire car closed on the leader on the final tour of the 3.41km West circuit but ultimately settled for second with Gilchrist third.

Osborne, who had a third, a second and a non-finish in the Phillip Island season opener, became the fourth different winner from four races this season.

Targett’s decisive move saw him move to a clear title lead over Osborne, the three-way tie-break at Round 1 finally broken.

Behind the leaders, Aron Shields gained ground to finish a stout fourth position in his Astrontech / DNA Autosport entry leading home Conor Somers’ Sonic Motor Racing entry.

Somers – who finished within three seconds of the winner at the end of a highly competitive race – also set the quickest lap of the race and what stands overnight as the lap record of The Bend’s 3.41km West circuit.

Caleb Sumich moved forward to sixth position while Ayrton Hodson passed Jake Santalucia to grab seventh mid-race.

Ramu Farrell finished ninth and claimed the Pro-Am class win after an adventurous race for the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’.

Brett Boulton finished second in class and 11th outright with Danny Stutterd third in class and just behind.

The outright top-10 was completed by Tyler Greenbury, while Brad Carr won Class B and finished an outstanding 13th outright in the 30-car field.

Fitzsimmons recovered from his lap one off to 17th position and will have work to do on Sunday, while Harburg recovered to 20th.

Two races on Sunday complete Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in South Australia, the 45-minute Jim Richards’ Endurance Trophy race to kick off proceedings on Sunday morning, followed by a second sprint race later in the day.

The second race will be broadcast live and free on 7plus on Sunday as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries coverage.

International viewers – including those in New Zealand – can watch via speedseries.com.au/TV.

Gilchrist strikes for pole at The Bend, Osborne second

Kiwi lock-out at The Bend as field prepares for first sprint race

A 30-minute shootout for pole position has delivered New Zealand star Brock Gilchrist his first one-make Porsche pole, grabbing the top spot by a tiny margin at Shell V-Power Raceway in Round 2 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge. 

An initially damp track saw a long build before fast times could be set with Gilchrist’s 1m18.9762s best set on his 17th and final lap of the session.

The 20-year-old from Auckland became the third different driver to score a Sprint Challenge pole for Team Porsche NZ, following in the footsteps of Ryan Wood and Marco Giltrap.

His Team Porsche NZ GT3 Cup Car took the top spot by 0.025s over Clay Osborne, who has been quick since the first session of the weekend.

Conor Somers was another to record a personal best result in Qualifying, his Sonic entry making it three teams in the top three with an outstanding third-place effort.

Oscar Targett will start race one on the outside of the second row, with Jake Santalucia in fifth position and Aron Shields in sixth.

The top six cars were covered by just 0.2276 seconds with everyone setting their best laps deep in the 30-minute session.

Championship leader Caleb Sumich was next with Hamish Fitzsimmons eighth but facing down a three grid position penalty for impeding another competitors in the busy session – 30 cars struggling to find pace on the 3.41km circuit.

Ayrton Hodson and Tyler Greenbury completed the top-10 runners with the first five rows covered by just 0.7 seconds.

In Pro-Am, Ramu Farrell continued his strong run of form by taking the class pole and grabbing 11th outright.

David Grieg was a strong second in class and will line up directly alongside Farrell on the sixth row of the grid, with Brett Boulton right behind.

Brad Carr was on top in Class B and a strong 15th outright.

The first of three races in Round 2 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will start at 1:35pm local time and will be broadcast live on 7plus.

Kiwi’s top the dry, Aussies the wet in mixed Practice day

Competitive field in wet and dry points to unpredictable Round 2 of 2024 season

CLAY OSBORNE and Oscar Targett have split the honours across a pair of mixed-weather practice sessions ahead of Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia. 

Kiwi rising star Osborne topped a dry 30-minute session in the morning, while Targett was quickest in the wet weather later in what was an unpredictable day of running on the 3.41km West circuit for the first time.

Osborne, driving his Fendt / McElrea Racing entry, topped the dry session with a 1m18.6640s flyer but it wasn’t by much.

He was 0.01s faster than New Zealand compatriot Clay Osborne’s EBM-run machine and only 0.04s faster than TekworkX Racing’s Hamish Fitzsimmons.

The shorter circuit at The Bend produced remarkably close times with Oscar Targett fourth, still less than one-tenth from the quickest time.

Tyler Greenbury was fifth in a strong performance for the brand-new Porsche team owner, with Sonic’s Jake Santalucia sixth.

Ramu Farrell topped the Pro-Am runners in a strong 7th outright with Conor Somers, Aron Shields and Ayrton Hodson completing the top 10.

David Grieg was second in the Pro-Am class in the first practice session with Brett Boulton and the returning Caspar Tresidder next.

In the dry, Brad Carr was quickest of the Class B runners in a stout 15th outright amidst the 30 car field.

Rain came in the afternoon to the South Australian circuit forcing runners to the wet weather Michelin Control Tyre for the second 30-minute session.

In a session interrupted by two red flags, Targett topped the runners with a 1m28.2862s best, only 0.02s quicker than Ayrton Hodson.

Round 1 winner Caleb Sumich was third and Clay Osborne fourth completing a strong day.

Ramu Farrell again topped Pro-Am and was fifth outright in his Jones Motorsport-prepped #888 car.

Brock Gilchrist, Aron Shields, Tyler Greenbury, Class B runner Jacque Jarjo and Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top 10.

Andrew Georgiadis was second of the Pro-Am runners and 12th outright with Eric Constantinidis third in class.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series shifts to qualifying mode bright and early on Saturday morning, with a 30-minute session to decide the pole award for Round 2.

Scheduled for a 7:25am start time, the cold track conditions are likely to make the session a last-ditch shootout to secure pole.

The field then launches into a 25-minute sprint race (plus one lap) at 1:35pm local time.

That race will be broadcast live as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries coverage on 7plus.

Two series, four Porsche’s for TekworkX at The Bend

Michelin Sprint Challenge and GT4 entries locked for SA return

The TekworkX Motorsport team are headed to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park this weekend for the second round of the season in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Monochrome GT4 Australia.

In Sprint Challenge, Hamish Fitzsimmons enters the weekend fourth in the outright points after a breakout weekend at Phillip Island. The 18-year-old claimed a front row start for Race 1, going on to finish the opening race in second place. An extremely tightly contested Race 2 was the scene for Fitzsimmons’ maiden race victory in the category.

“It’s important to just do what I normally do and build into the weekend. I haven’t been in the car since round one, but we’ve got the experience at the track under our belt,” said Fitzsimmons.

“After the first round It’s good to know we have that speed in our hands, but it hasn’t come at the click of a finger. We’ve been working on it for a year now, and the team rolled out a really strong car which was always in the right window during the weekend.

“The new layout will introduce a bit more passing, the longer layout we used last year doesn’t really add any overtaking zones, so it just reduced the amount of opportunities you have.

“We’re just looking to have a consistent weekend, keep the nose clean and come away with some good points for the round,” concluded Fitzsimmons.

In the Pro-Am class, Danny Stutterd will also be picking up from some great form at the season opening event. The 2018 Champion marking his full-time return to the category with a race win and two runner-up results to take a 17-point lead in to the second round.

Team Owner Rob Woods bolsters the team’s line-up in the one-make category in his first event for 2024. The experienced Porsche racer most recently contested two rounds in 2022, which included a podium result at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Joining the Sprint Challenge trio at the track is Zoe Woods in her Porsche 718 GT4, competing in the Silver Class of GT4 Australia as a solo driver. Woods transitioned to GT4 racing strongly at Phillip Island with results of seventh and ninth in the weekend’s two races.

“The opening round really exceeded my expectations, it was my first round in the GT4, and I think overall I did well and I was really happy with my qualifying positions,” said Woods.

“Definitely learnt when to hold my ground within the category and racing, this is something I’ve had to learn and coach myself through and I felt like I really got involved in the second race at Phillip Island.

“I’m taking all the positives from that weekend into The Bend. It’s a shorter layout than usual, but I really love the track. Not many people would’ve done the West Circuit so we’ll all be in the same boat. It’ll make for some great racing and the extra practice on Thursday will be really helpful,” concluded Woods.

Round two for both Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Monochrome GT4 Australia takes place from May 31-June 2 at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries. Coverage is via 7plus from 10:00am to 4:30pm local time on Saturday and Sunday.

Sprint Challenge field grows to 32 for The Bend return

Huge field set for compelling second round of PSCA season in South Australia

THE PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series will showcase a capacity grid for Round 2 of the 2024 series at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend next week.

Fresh from a hugely competitive 26-strong field that contested the season opener, the series welcomes a 32-car field for the first Shannons SpeedSeries round to be held on the 3.41km West Circuit on May 31-June 2.

It will be the third time in the last six rounds that the series has attracted 30-plus entries; 30 cars contested the final round of the 2023 series at Mount Panorama while 31 raced at Sydney Motorsport Park last year.

The continued interest in Sprint Challenge comes following a compelling opening round of the series that saw three drivers effectively tie for the Pro class round win at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit last month.

There, Oscar Targett, Brock Gilchrist and Caleb Sumich left the weekend tied on points; the latter claiming the overall victory and therefore the early series lead by countback only thanks to winning the final race.

The round also saw Hamish Fitzsimmons claim his first Sprint Challenge victory, taking the opening Jim Richards Enduro encounter of the new season.

Danny Stutterd won the Pro-Am class over Ramu Farrell and Lachlan Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo took out Class B honours.

The Bend’s grid includes the record 11-strong Michelin Junior field fighting to climb the one-make Porsche Motorsport pyramid.

Additions to the grid already having contested the Phillip Island event are the returning Caspar Tressider, whose Hillcrest Merimbula-supported Pro-Am entry is fielded by Wall Racing, while Travis Knipe also returns to the grid.

Meanwhile, TekworkX Motorsport add a third car to their roster with team owner Rob Woods making his Sprint Challenge return next week.

South Australian squad Rennen Motorsport, headed up by well-known local Porsche tuner Mark Buik, will field multiple cars with a host of South Australian competitors joining the frey next week.

These include Emanual Palyaris, Pan Boyaci and Keith Dano – the latter making his PSCA debut.

12 cars will compete in the Pro Class and 15 in Pro-Am, both running the 991.2 GT3 Cup Cars, while 5 will compete in Class B for the first-generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia has raced at the South Australian Circuit every year since the circuit was opened in 2018, with the track noted for producing outstanding Porsche racing.

Last year, Oscar Targett scored two race wins and Aron Shields the Enduro Cup race, in what is widely regarded as one of the best races in series history.

2024 will mark the first time that the series will have raced on the shorter West circuit, with three races planned for next weekend as part of a bumper Shannons SpeedSeries event.

Coverage will be shown across the screens of Seven next weekend, with Races 1 and 3 to be shown live and free on 7plus.

ENTRY LIST: Round 2, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, South Australia

Sumich claims Round 1 following dramatic Sprint Challenge opener

Danny Stutterd, Jacque Jarjo win Pro-Am and Class B trophies in Round 1

WEST AUSTRALIAN junior star Caleb Sumich has claimed a dramatic opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in a sensational conclusion to the first round of the new season. 

The Perth-based teenager had run fourth in the final race of the weekend at Phillip Island before a remarkable turn of events saw him claim not only his maiden race victory – but the overall round win as well.

Sumich, who is in his second Porsche season, took advantage of a collision between the drivers in third and second – and then a post-race penalty to the leader – to claim the big trophy in a dramatic conclusion to an incredible Sprint Challenge season opener.

Sumich won on a countback by virtue of claiming the final race of the weekend, while Team Porsche New Zealand’s Brock Gilchrist was second.

Race one winner Oscar Targett finished third overall after a post-race penalty in the final race dropped him from the top step of the podium.

Danny Stutterd won the Pro-Am class for the round over Ramu Farrell and Lachlan Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo claimed the Class B trophy.

The scene was set for a thrilling showdown following the Enduro Cup race earlier on Sunday, won by Hamish Fitzsimmons in his maiden Sprint Challenge race victory.

Clay Osborne finished second and Oscar Targett third meaning any one of the three could claim the round should they win the finale.

The young trio swapped the lead between them multiple times to set up the three-way battle for the round in the sprint race decider.

Click here for the full Jim Richards Enduro race wrap

That turned into a frenetic affair with Osborne taking an early lead after running side by side on the outside of turn one at the start.

He and Fitzsimmons battled for the race lead on the opening lap, before Targett then assumed the attack from lap two.

Targett raced to the lead four laps into the race, following a restart from a Safety Car period, however his move on Osborne came as the pair crossed the control line – race control deeming that the young Queenslander had overlap prior to the line.

He was assessed a five second time penalty as a result, meaning the battle was then on between Hamish Fitzsimmons and Osborne.

Lap five would be the turning point when Fitzsimmons made contact with Osborne after dropping two wheels off the circuit on the run into MG corner, his TekworkX entry making contact with Osborne’s McElrea car and forcing both out of the race.

That brought the Safety Car out for a second time with Targett crossing the line in first position with Sumich in second.

Targett’s five-second penalty, however, dropped him to 12th in the final order; Sumich becoming the third winner from three races and also sweeping to the round win.

Aron Shields completed his remarkable comeback to second place with Brock Gilchrist’s third seeing him tied on points with Sumich, the latter claiming the win by virtue of finishing higher in the final race.

In the battle for Pro-Am, Brett Boulton claimed both races on Sunday at Phillip Island in a stout recovery from his race one non-finish.

That DNF would prove costly however, Danny Stutterd’s win and pair of second place finishes delivering him the round result.

Ramu Farrell was second overall with Lachy Harburg third – Boulton fourth in points for the round to commence his title quest.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field takes a short break before their next round at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia this May 31-June 2.

Prior to that the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns to action this week at the ITM Taupo Super400 event in New Zealand – the second ever international event for an Australian one-make Porsche category.

Fitzsimmons takes enduro epic at Phillip Island

Three-way fight delivers incredible race as Michelin Juniors put on a thriller

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS has stormed to a thrilling maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series race victory, claiming the 45-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race in style at Phillip Island. 

The 18-year-old from Queensland engaged in an epic battle with Race 1 winner Oscar Targett in the early stages of the Sunday morning race, the pair of teenagers swapping positions on two occasions before Fitzsimmons was able to complete a pass at turn four.

Kiwi Clay Osborne then raced his way into the fight, catching the two leaders and passing Targett on lap 14 to move to second position.

The trio, representing three different teams, then raced nose-to-tail for the remainder of the race in an intense one-make Porsche fight.

Osborne stole the lead from Fitzsimmons with five minutes remaining after a bold move at the hairpin and led for a lap – only for Hamish to re-take the lead with three laps remaining.

The trio then battled in an intense final lap with Targett re-asserting his position in second with a bold move down the inside of MG within sight of the flag, grabbing second position back on the last lap.

After an intense race that featured five lead changes between the three Porsche Michelin Juniors, Fitzsimmons won from Targett and Osborne, in third.

Targett did claim a new Phillip Island lap record, however, his 1m31.1036s best on lap 5 finally unseating Matt Campbell’s 10-year-old Phillip Island benchmark.

While the leading three battled, Brock Gilchrist and Caleb Sumich completed the top five, with Tyler Greenbury making waves and moving to sixth position, overhauling Aron Shields late in the race.

Jake Santalucia was eighth – surviving a wild moment at turn 12 late in the race that claimed his Sonic Motor Racing teammate Conor Somers – with Slade Orsmond and Ayrton Hodson rounding out the top-10.

Brett Boulton claimed the Pro-Am class after starting from the back, overhauling early leader and race one winner Danny Stutterd in the closing stages, with Ramu Farrell third.

Jacque Jarjo recorded his second win of the weekend by taking out the Class B battle.

A third and final race will complete the opening Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series round at 12:55pm on Sunday, with the race to be shown live and free on 7plus.

Targett takes season opener in short Island shootout

Danny Stutterd takes Pro-Am win while Jacque Jarjo seals Class B

OSCAR TARGETT has opened his 2024 account in style, fending off a spirited challenge from Hamish Fitzsimmons to claim the opening race in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season at Phillip Island.

Targett held off his TekworkX Racing rival throughout the race distance to take the win, with Clay Osborne finishing third.

RACE 1 – Full Race Results

Ramu Farrell scored victory in the Pro-Am class while Jacque Jarjo took the Class B win in Race 1 of the new season.

The Grove Racing Junior / Earl Bamber Motorsport teenager started from pole and converted his start into an early lead, fending off Fitzsimmons on the opening lap before a Safety Car was called early.

He then judged the restart to perfection and led his Porsche Michelin Junior rival home to record a third career Sprint Challenge race win.

Fitzsimmons challenged Targett on the race start and then the restart before managing his race to finish second, while Clay Osborne was strong to record his best ever Sprint Challenge finish, in just his third round start.

EBM, TekworkX and McElrea completed the podium sweep today.

Brock Gilchrist charged his way to fourth position in the Team Porsche NZ entry, making a late move on Conor Somers’ Sonic Entry late in the race.

He was followed through by Caleb Sumich, who capitalised on a superb start to charge his way to fifth and his best ever Sprint Challenge race finish.

Somers finished sixth on his Porsche debut, finishing ahead of his teammate Jake Santalucia who was seventh.

Ninth was Aron Shields, who was stuck in the bottom half of the top 10 after his team was forced to change engines aboard his DNA Autosport entry overnight.

Ramu Farrell crossed the line first in the Pro-Am Class and finished an outstanding eighth outright in his Jones Motorsport #888 entry.

Farrell had struggled with niggling mechanical issues aboard his car in the leadup to the race however ran in the top 10 consistently throughout the 8-lap distance.

However, he was penalised five seconds post race and dropped to second, elevating Daniel Stutterd to the class win. Lachy Harburg finished third in his Pro-Am debut.

Class B went the way of Jacque Jarjo, who finished 14th outright.

The race was not drama-free with a start-line incident claiming two of McElrea Racing’s chargers, including Ayrton Hodson and Brett Boulton, both cars forced out of the race.

Later on the opening lap, Brad Carr was clipped after spinning at turn four, the hit damaging his radiator and forcing a recovery.

All four cars failed to finish however are expected to race tomorrow.

Sunday’s busy program will see the Jim Richards Endurance Championship commence with a 45-mintue enduro in the morning, to be followed by a second sprint race later in the Shannons SpeedSeries program at Phillip Island – the latter race to be shown live on 7plus.

Targett flies to Phillip Island pole to open 2024 account

Ramu Farrell on pole in Pro-Am, Brad Carr in Class B

OSCAR TARGETT has slammed home the quickest lap in qualifying to score the first pole position of the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. 

The Queensland teenager set a Sprint Challenge-record 1m30.3286s flyer to top a competitive session held in overcast conditions on a Friday afternoon.

RESULTS: Qualifying, Round 1, Phillip Island

In the Pro-Am battle, Ramu Farrell put his Jones Motorsport-prepared car on pole position and 11th outright, pipping former Pro-Am winner Brett Boulton to the top spot by just one-tenth of a second, while Brad Carr took the top spot in Class B.

Targett’s lap was set mid-way through the session and stood for more than ten minutes as the time for rivals to beat – only for them all to fall short.

Having topped practice earlier in the day, Fitzsimmons nibbled away at Targett’s flyer however couldn’t beat the Earl Bamber Motorsport-run Porsche, despite improving on his tenth and final flying lap of the session.

Targett’s pole was the third of the Grove Racing Junior’s brief Porsche career – now just six rounds old – and came by 0.27s over Fitzsimmons.

Clay Osborne qualified third aboard his McElrea Racing-run entry while Conor Somers was fourth on his debut for Sonic Motor Racing, making it four teams in the top four.

Team Porsche NZ’s Brock Gilchrist was fifth on his debut in the championship, missing a spot on the second row of the grid by only 0.08s.

He’ll line up alongside another rookie in the form of Australian Formula Ford graduate, Jake Santalucia, who qualified his Sonic Porsche sixth.

Caleb Sumich ended his session in seventh with Tyler Greenbury eighth.

The former Australian Karting Champion is making a racing return this year having not competed at a national level since racing V8 Touring Cars more than six years ago.

Aron Shields was ninth aboard his DNA Autosport car with another rookie, Kiwi teenager Ayrton Hodson, completing the top 10.

Farrell and Boulton will line up side by side on the sixth row of the grid as they commence their battle for the Pro-Am title.

Brad Carr’s flyer was not only good enough for the Class B pole but also 13th outright and ahead of all bar two of the Pro-Am contenders in their later-model cars.

Jacque Jarjo was next in Class B with Stephen Moylan third in class.

26 cars will take the starter for Race 1 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season on Saturday at Phillip Island, as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries Ford Mustang 60th anniversary Race Phillip Island event.

The Porsche field will race once on Saturday with the season opener to be shown live on 7plus and 7mate around Australia.

Sunday morning will see the first race in the Jim Richards’ Endurance Trophy season followed by a final sprint race, also to be shown on 7plus.

Sonic duo make progression to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers step up to Sprint Challenge fight

Grove Racing Junior Team livery locked

Oscar Targett returns for second season in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Grove Racing is excited to unveil the 2024 livery for the Grove Racing Junior Team as they prepare for the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season.

Now in its 16th season, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia serves as a pivotal platform for aspiring young drivers aiming to pursue a professional career in racing.

Featuring a sleek design that creates a connection between all tiers of Grove Racing’s motorsport program, the Grove Racing Junior Team is set to make a significant impression on the circuit this year.

Leading the Junior Team is Oscar Targett, a talented driver with 12 years of motorsport experience, including two years with Grove’s Junior Team.

Targett has achieved success in the Australian Kart Championship and at the Ipswich Kart Club, as well as in international competitions such as European and World Championships.

Moving from karting to car racing, Targett enters the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge with determination and a focus on his career progression.

Despite missing the first round in 2023, Oscar impressed throughout his rookie season. He consistently delivered strong performances, ultimately securing third place overall in the championship standings.

Targett’s steady progress and dedication have raised expectations for 2024, as he continues to refine his skills and pursue success.

Grove Racing CEO, Brenton Grove, expresses, “Oscar’s returning to a familiar championship in 2024, and we’re excited to see how he goes. Last year was a good learning foundation for Oscar, however, in 2024, we’re excited to see the progress he has made. With all Grove Racing programs, there’s an expectation to perform, and Oscar is more than capable of delivering.”

“The car looks great, and it’s exciting to see the link between all of Grove Racing’s programs. There really is a strong pathway from karts to Supercars within the Grove Racing business.”

“I’m really looking forward to hitting the track this year with Grove Racing. I’m ready and excited for the season ahead,” shared Oscar Targett, driver for Grove Racing Junior Team.

“Racing with Grove is always fun, and I can’t wait to see what this season has in store. The unveiling of our new livery marks the start of something exciting for us. After finishing third last year, I’m more focused than ever on winning races and pushing for the championship title.”

Supported by partners ACL, Alspec, Apex Steel, Gates, Infrabuild, and JC’s, Grove Racing remains committed to its pursuit of excellence.

With Round 1 of the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season fast approaching at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit from April 12th to 14th, be sure to follow the Grove Racing Junior Team on social media for all the latest news, videos, and racing action from the 2024 season.

Record Michelin Sprint Challenge junior field heads to Phillip Island

26 cars locked in for season opener with battles in Pro, Pro-Am and Class B competition set

THE youngest Pro field in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia history will headline the start of an intense battle for the 2024 series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this weekend.

The first of six rounds set for the new season commences this weekend at Race Phillip Island with the Shannons SpeedSeries, with eleven Porsche Michelin Juniors – average age, 20 – set to headline the three-race program.

They’re part of a broader 26-strong field that includes competition throughout Pro-Am and Class B with intense battles expected throughout the field.

At an outright level returning drivers Aron Shields – last year’s runner-up to champion Marco Giltrap – 18-year-old Grove Racing junior Oscar Targett, who finished third last year, fellow teenager Hamish Fitzsimmons (fourth in 2023) and West Aussie Caleb Sumich all return looking for a title this year.

They’ll be joined by an incredible rookie pack that includes Australian Formula Ford series runner-up, 16-year-old Jake Santalucia and current New Zealand GT4 Champion, Brock Gilchrist.

Gilchrist will be joined by fellow New Zealanders Clay Osborne – who made an impressive debut in the final two rounds last year – and Speedway ace / NZ GT Porsche racer Ayrton Hodson.

Australia will be well-represented with 17-year-old Slade Orsmond, who made his debut in the Mount Panorama season finale’ last year, young Victorian Formula 3 racer Ben Taylor and Formula Ford graduate Conor Somers.

Of the 12 Pro class entrants only one is not a Michelin Junior: Tyler Greenbury to make a welcome return to full-time circuit racing this weekend aboard a 991.2 GT3 Cup Car entered by his own team.

Greenbury, a multiple Australian Karting Champion, finished runner-up in the 2016 V8 Touring Cars series before focussing on his own successful Karting team however will return to the drivers’ seat this weekend.

The Pro-Am class fight is expected to be as lively as ever with 2022 Pro-Am champion Brett Boulton leading the charge as the most successful driver in the class entered this weekend.

Competition is expected to be tight, however, with former Class B champ Lachy Harburg stepping up to the Pro-Am fight in the later 991.2 model GT3 Cup Car.

Meanwhile, Class B champion Phil Morriss will return to defend his title this year with 10-time race winner Brad Carr expected to challenge as well.

Six drivers will be on debut this weekend as the series’ heads to a venue noted for producing wildly competitive racing.

Phillip Island was also the scene of the 2023 season opener, with Marco Giltrap claiming two of the three races and the round win to anchor his eventual championship challenge.

Aron Shields won the other race, while Sam Shahin led home Brett Boulton to win the Pro-Am class in a clean sweep. Lachy Harburg swept Class B at the Island last year.

Of note to competitors will be the recent resurfacing efforts having given the iconic 4.46km circuit a brand new surface ahead of the 2024 season.

Phillip Island’s Michelin Sprint Challenge lap record is the oldest among active circuits on the calendar, set at 1m31.1140s by Matt Campbell back in his debut Porsche season in 2014.

Action commences on Friday with practice and qualifying, ahead of the first race in the brand-new season commencing at 2:45pm on Saturday afternoon.

The first race in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy campaign kicks off Sunday’s program at 9:20am, followed by the finale’ at 12:55pm.

The Shannons SpeedSeries event will be shown live and free on the Seven Network this Saturday and Sunday from Phillip Island.

ENTRY LIST: Round 1

Shields returns for title tilt amidst three-car DNA Sprint Challenge debut

Title contender leads new squad into 2024 season

A RUNNER-UP finish in last year’s series has Aron Shields fired up for a tilt at this year’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia title – and he’s doing it in a new team and with a hot new livery and sponsor.

Shields, a Porsche Michelin Junior, joins forces with Sydney-based DNA Autosport this year as part of a three-car team locked in to contest the ultra-competitive one-make Porsche championship which this week commences its 18th season.

The new year launches at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this weekend, a track where Shields was a race winner in 2023.

He’ll be joined at the squad by teammates, Jacque Jarjo – who will race the #5 Jacque Fine Jewellery entry in Class B, and Andrew Georgiadis, who enters the Pro-Am class in his Bondi Carpets 991.2 GT3 Cup Car.

Shields, meanwhile, will shoot for outright honours with the new backing of Astrontech, Paragon Group Services and Jacque fine Jewellery aboard his Orange GT3 Cup Car.

The young Sydneysider scored several wins across the 2023 season on his way to second in the standings behind only Marco Giltrap, who has stepped into Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia this season.

The team has shown off their new colours for the season with all three cars unlikely to be missed amidst a strong Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia grid this year.

The opening round will be held alongside the Shannons SpeedSeries ‘Race Phillip Island’ this weekend at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in the state’s South.

Sprint Challenge will race three times across the weekend with live broadcast coverage on the screens of the Seven network this weekend.

ARON SHIELDS:

“I’m super excited to come back to Sprint Challenge again this season! This year, I will be joining up with DNA Autosport, a Sydney-based team new to Porsche racing that have put together an exciting and competitive program.

“Although it will be my first time with DNA running the car, I’ve previously worked with team owner/race engineer, Andre Nader. We have already shared success together with a pole and multiple race wins last year and will be looking to add to that tally as the season progresses.

“Obviously, I’m very aware of how competitive this series is and have been working extremely hard in the offseason to improve my level.

“I’m very honoured to welcome Astrontech, Paragon Group Services and Jacque Fine Jewellery as new partners and to have Kyles Hire Services and Bondi Carpets back onboard this racing season.

The car looks incredible thanks to Ben Mackenzie from BPM livery & design and won’t be missed out on track. Looking forward to representing all my partners this Season and going for the championship win that I just missed out on last year.”

JACQUE JARJO:

“I’ve been a Porsche enthusiast for a number of years and after being a regular at track days I’m looking forward to a new challenge. I hope to be competitive throughout the series, even at the tracks I haven’t been to, but most importantly I want to have an enjoyable year in the car.

“The Team at DNA have really helped me progress in my driving and have enjoyed actually being part of a team. We’ve all become good mates with similar interests and looking forward to race with likeminded people. It’s great to race at the level created by Porsche Motorsport Australia. The team at Porsche have created a very professional series that is well organised.”

ANDREW GEORGIADIS:

“After a lot of peer pressure from my buddy Jacque, I figured it’s time to join Sprint Challenge. There was an opportunity to join a growing team and figured there was no better time.

“I want to have the most fun of anyone in the whole field. I really enjoy the camaraderie at Team DNA and the opportunity to race at various tracks throughout the year.”

ANDRE NADER – Team owner

“This year, DNA Autosport is honoured to enter Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge with 2 Pro-Am contenders and 1 Pro class contender.

“This is a great opportunity for our team to step up and race at the national level, giving our staff access to another facet of the great racing that is available in Australia.

“The Porsche categories are so well put together and the teams that commonly enter them are veterans of the sport. Both I, and the dedicated team behind me look forward to the challenge ahead.”

Porsche Michelin Junior Program applications now open

APPLICATIONS are now open for the 2024 Porsche Motorsport Australia Michelin Junior Program. 

The leading young driver development program in Australia returns bigger and better than ever this year, supporting young talent emerging through the ranks of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid for those competing in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia and Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.

The program includes significant prizes, opportunities and skills growth for young talent and has helped prepare a host of young drivers for top-level competition, both in Australia and around the world, since its inception.

A record 20 drivers were involved in the Michelin Junior Program in 2023.

Participation in the program offers a range of benefits to young drivers – born between 30 November 2000 and 1 March 2007 – including significant support from major partner, Michelin.

Each driver who tops the Michelin Junior standings at each round of Carrera Cup or Sprint Challenge will receive as a prize free entry to a subsequent round, plus a set of brand new Michelin Pilot Sport Carrera Cup tyres.

Second and third-placed juniors in each category at each round will also receive a set of Michelin tyres for use that season.

Additionally, the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Junior Champion will receive Porsche Cars Australia’s only nomination to contest the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe at the conclusion of the 2024 season, the winner of which receives a significant funding scholarship towards a season in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Young New Zealander Callum Hedge was Australia’s nomination in 2023, while former Carrera Cup Australia nominees Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans each won the scholarship to kickstart their European racing careers.

Finally, a pre-season Junior training camp to be held on the Gold Coast to commence the season.

To be held over three days between February 27-29, the training camp is provided for free by Porsche Cars Australia to all nominated Juniors and encompasses all aspects required to be a successful professional driver, including physical and mental training, engineering input and media training – and more.

The training program has been designed by leading industry High Performance coach Leigh Stamation and his Reaction Performance business.

Nominations are open to those drivers planning to compete in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, in the 2024 season.

Applications must be received by close of business on Friday, 02 February to be considered for the program.

Sir Richard Branson meets Sprint Challenge young-gun

Virgin founder joins Ben Taylor and auticon-backed Porsche

PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia rookie Ben Taylor has a new high-flying, high profile supporter. 

The young Victorian, who steps into a Porsche Centre Melbourne-prepared Porsche this season, welcomed Sir Richard Branson for a tour of his Cup Car this week.

Taylor, who has autism, is backed by auticon – the largest autistic IT consulting business in the world. Auticon employs over 465 autistic people in 15 countries who will be helping to advance Ben’s driving through providing analytics support specifically looking at his on track data.

Sir Richard is an investor in the business and visited the Porsche Centre Melbourne workshop this week to visit with Taylor and the team.

“It was an absolute honour to meet Sir Richard Branson at Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport and have him check out my racecar,” Taylor said.

“Sir Richard is one of auticon’s amazing investors, helping to provide I.T. solutions by autistic talent. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to, just knowing that he is neurodiverse and understanding the success that he’s had throughout his life is really encouraging. He had some fantastic insights about motorsport and it was a real privilege to be able to get first hand account from someone of his calibre.

“A very special thank you to the team at auticon Australia for making this connection happen – this partnership really is a perfect match!”

Branson, who for a time owned the Virgin Racing Formula 1 team and has longstanding Australian business links via Virgin Australia, said he was inspired to see Taylor’s achievements so far.

“Very inspiring to meet Ben Taylor – an autistic race car driver with the auticon Australia Racing Team,” Branson posted on his Facebook page.

“It truly inspiring to see a young person like Ben following his dreams and helping other neurodiverse people realise they can achieve anything they set their minds to. It was fascinating to learn how auticon will deploy its autistic data analysts and software engineers to help Ben take his driving to the next level.

“Such a powerful way of showing the brilliant skills that people with autism bring to the table – particularly in terms of IT, coding, and analytics. Wishing you the best of luck for the season ahead, Ben and team! Can’t wait to see you breaking boundaries, both on and off the track.”

Taylor’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia campaign commences at Round 1 of the series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit on April 12-14 this year.

Ayrton Hodson joins McElrea for 2024 Michelin Sprint Challenge campaign

Young kiwi graduates from Speedway, NZ GT racing to Sprint Challenge

NEW ZEALAND teenager Ayrton Hodson will join McElrea Racing’s strong four-car fleet for the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series.

The 18-year-old hails from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty and, despite his age, comes with a strong background in both circuit racing and speedway competition.

Hodson will join fellow New Zealand rising star Clay Osborne, West Aussie Caleb Sumich and Pro-Am ace Brett Boulton in the Queensland-based squad’s four car attack next year.

Hodson’s career began on the dirt, progressing through the ranks of New Zealand Speedway in Mini stock, wingless and then winged Sprint Car competition.

His career on bitumen started this year, finishing fourth in the New Zealand Toyota Gazoo Racing 86 Championship Rookie class, including scoring a podium finish in just his fourth ever round.

He then won his class in the North Island Endurance Championship driving a BMW Z4 prior to claiming the overall NZ title, while also contesting the South Island Endurance Championship aboard a Porsche 911.1 GT3 Cup Car.

More recently, Hodson was a race winner in the opening round of the NZ GT Championship at Taupo aboard the same Porsche, having earlier qualified on the front row.

The New Zealander will compete in several key New Zealand Speedway events this summer prior to commencing his Australian campaign with McElrea in the new year.

“I’m excited to be confirmed in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge next year in Australia,” Hodson said.

“Since first driving a Porsche in July this year I have loved every minute of it and the type of car it is.

“My goal is to secure a full-time seat somewhere in the global Porsche programme in 2025. You must have a plan and whilst they are always subject to change our plans lead nicely into why we have signed with McElrea Racing in Australia. My recent race win in our New Zealand based older model Porsche in the opening round of the Summerset GT series within the Super Sprint NZ Motorsport championship confirmed to everyone I am up for the task.”

Hodson said he picked McElrea Racing on account of their driver development track record – and international links.

“McElrea Racing have a great history in developing and nurturing pathways for their drivers,” he said.

“The US is part of our plan and Andy has extensive experience and contacts up there. Andy and Leigh are passionate about what they do, and they really want to see their drivers succeed. They want to help in any way they can, which I think is a great attribute for a team.

“My goal for 2024 is to win Sprint Challenge, we have a good testing programme in place and I’ve done a good number of miles in the 991.1 in New Zealand but we don’t underestimate the level of learning required with a new country and new tracks. With a great team supporting me there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be in contention come Sydney.”

Team Owner Andy McElrea said he was pleased to welcome another fast young-gun to the McElrea Racing Sprint Challenge squad.

“Ayrton is a very talented young man with a lot of driving experience despite his age and we’re excited to have him on board for 2024,” he said.

“Michelin Sprint Challenge has proven itself time and time again to be the best proving ground for young drivers starting on the Porsche pathway – both within our team and outside of that.

“McElrea Racing now has a well-established pathway into Carrera Cup Australia or North America and we have proven that is effective. We’re really looking forward to working with Ayrton to establish his career on the Australian side of the Tasman and to watch his progression.”

The 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series commences alongside the Shannons SpeedSeries at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria, on April 12-14.

Brock Gilchrist named Team Porsche NZ Scholarship driver for 2024

Porsche New Zealand is pleased to announce that the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia scholarship driver for the 2024 season is Brock Gilchrist. The scholarship allows Gilchrist to race in a 911 GT3 Cup Car, with the support of Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) and Earl Bamber Motorsport.

46 promising young drivers aged 16-21 applied for the 2024 TPNZ Scholarship. A shortlist of applicants were interviewed by Earl Bamber and Porsche New Zealand, and Gilchrist was selected as the most promising young driver, and best fit for the team.

Gilchrist met Porsche Motorsport officials, Oliver Köeppen – Manager of One Make Series and GT Sport (Worldwide), Claudio Mack – Project Co-Ordinator One Make Series (Asia Pacific), and Nathan Pilcher – Porsche New Zealand Motorsport Co-ordinator to officially accept the scholarship.

The 19-year-old from Auckland has been in motorsport since the age of 6, transitioning from go-karts to cars at the age of 13. After competing for 4 seasons in the Toyota 86 series, Gilchrist won the championship in 2023, taking him to Nürburgring to experience racing in a GT4 Toyota Supra earlier this year. In addition, Gilchrist recently received the inaugural Giltrap Motorsport Junior Scholarship which sees him competing in the GT NZ Championship in a McLaren 570GT4, with the season concluding before his shift to racing Porsche in Australia.

In addition to motorsport, Gilchrist has an apprenticeship as a plumber which he will pursue alongside his racing career next year.

Success since the launch of Team Porsche New Zealand in Australia
In 2023, TPNZ achieved the ultimate success – taking out the double championship victory in Australia’s single-make Porsche series. The achievements show the scholarship programme is meeting its purpose of winning & creating a pathway for young New Zealand talent to advance in motorsport.

In his third year with TPNZ, Callum Hedge took out the top title for Porsche racing in Australia, securing the Porsche Carrera Cup championship victory during the dramatic final race of the season. Callum will pursue his single-seater career next year as he progresses to Indy NXT.

In addition, Marco Giltrap claimed the championship victory for the 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia season at the final round held at Bathurst International last month. Marco has been announced to be continuing with Team Porsche New Zealand in 2024, moving up to competing in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia alongside TPNZ scholarship recipient Zac Stichbury.

In the Porsche Sprint Challenge 2022, Ryan Wood concluded his debut Australian season in second place. In 2023, Wood was picked up by Walkinshaw Andretti United to progress through Super2 and has been announced to be racing in Supercars in 2024.

Matthew Payne was the 2021 TPNZ Carrera Cup Scholarship driver and has since progressed his career in Supercars to become a full-time driver for Penrite racing in 2023 & 2024. Payne recently achieved his Maiden win this year in Supercars at the Adelaide 500.

Brock Gilchrist
“To be selected as a Team Porsche New Zealand driver is a dream come true. I have been working towards this for the past year and it feels amazing to have achieved my goal. I am absolutely thrilled and excited for the season next year.”

Earl Bamber
“We are super excited to have Brock on board. He has shown his pedigree coming out of the Toyota 86 championship where many of our successful scholarship recipients like Callum Hedge started their careers. As a New Zealand champion, we have had our eye on him for some time. We are excited to see him progress from the McLaren scholarship that he is doing in New Zealand into Sprint Challenge Australia with us in 2024.”

Greg Clarke, General Manager, Porsche New Zealand
“Congratulations to Brock Gilchrist for taking out the Team Porsche New Zealand scholarship for 2024. The Sprint Challenge series is the perfect introduction to racing Porsche’s internationally. We hope to see him progress through the Porsche pyramid as we have seen with Zac Stichbury and Callum Hedge this year.”

Townsville 500 added to 2024 Sprint Challenge calendar

Shannons SpeedSeries, Supercars rounds make up 6-round schedule for 2024

A BLOCKBUSTER 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar has been announced, with the series set to continue its incredible recent momentum across six rounds next year.

The calendar mixes high profile national events with sensational permanent circuits and what is likely to be the series’ best media and broadcast package yet.

The calendar is headlined by the series’ street racing debut at the NTI Townsville 500 in North Queensland on July 5-7.

While Sprint Challenge has supported Supercars Championship rounds in the past, the category has never competed on a street circuit in its 16-year history.

The spot on the Townsville program effectively replaces Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the North Queensland event.

The addition of the Townsville event will allow for the young drivers in the field to gain experience on street circuits prior to their progression through the Porsche Pyramid to Carrera Cup, while offering a high-profile event and outstanding location for all competitors to enjoy.

The 2024 series will commence at the Shannons SpeedSeries event at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria in April, allowing for a longer off-season for teams and drivers to prepare for the year ahead.

From there, the series shifts to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend on 31 May – 2 June for the second round, prior to the trip to North Queensland one month later.

The series will stay North in the winter months, returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.

A return to the popular NED Whiskey Tasmania Supersprint will add a second Supercars round to the program next year, following a successful and popular return to the Apple Isle this year.

The series will conclude with a two-day event at Sydney Motorsport Park as the key support to the TCR World Tour event at Race Sydney on the November 1-3 weekend.

The full broadcast package will be announced in due course; however, the Supercars rounds will include coverage on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, with the Townsville event also being broadcast on free-to-air via the Seven Network.

Broadcast details for Shannons SpeedSeries rounds’ will be confirmed soon.

2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series Calendar

1. Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC (Shannons SpeedSeries) April 12-14
2. Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, SA (Shannons SpeedSeries) May 31-June 2
3. NTI Townsville 500, QLD (Repco Supercars Championship) July 5-7
4. Queensland Raceway, QLD (Shannons SpeedSeries) August 2-4
5. Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint, TAS (Repco Supercars Championship) August 16-18
6. Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW (Race Sydney / SpeedSeries) November 1-3

BARRY HAY – Motorsport Manager, Porsche Motorsport Australia

“The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes another step forward in 2024 with what we think is the best calendar yet for the series.

“It mixes incredible permanent circuits, high profile events and the first opportunity for the Sprint Challenge field to go street circuit racing in Townsville.

“It’s a great opportunity for the series on a major national stage and one of the larger motorsport events on the calendar.

“We’re looking forward to returning to Symmons Plains with the Supercars, and to returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries show with what is looking to be a massive year on that program.

“Sprint Challenge has been incredible this year and we’re incredibly proud of the series and everyone who competes in it. There is no doubt 2024 is shaping up to be even better.”

Ben Taylor joins PMSC, partners with auticon

Autistic Porsche Sprint Cup driver partners with the largest autistic-majority professional services firm in the world

Autistic race car driver Ben Taylor on debut, in his first race out of karting, won the first round of the Australian F3 Championships in Sydney in 2021. In 2024, he’ll debut in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, but this season will be different. This season he’s partnering with the largest autistic IT consulting business in the world and they’re planning to use autistic strengths to give him a winning edge.

Today marks the official launch of Ben Taylor’s auticon car. The launch was held at Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport’s dedicated motor racing facility in Collingwood. The facility is factory owned and one of the few Porsche owned racing facilities that exist outside of Germany.

At the car’s unveiling, it was revealed that auticon, a company that employs over 465 autistic people in 15 countries around the world will be helping to advance Ben’s driving through providing analytics support specifically looking at Ben’s on track data. The company will deploy its autistic data analysts and software engineers to build insights that will take Ben’s driving to the next level.

This strategy will bring a new way of thinking to motorsport. It will see autistic IT professionals using their strengths in coding and analysis supporting a highly focused and skilled autistic driver making the auticon car and Ben Taylor racing, a team with a difference.

At the age of 17, Ben was formally diagnosed as autistic with ADHD. He believes that this gives him unique strengths, helping his performance on the track. Ben wants to inspire people on the autism spectrum to have the courage to believe in their capabilities and find their strengths.

“auticon is an organisation that focuses on the strengths of autistic people like me. As an IT professional services business, the team at auticon have adopted a saying, “autism is not a processing error, it’s a different operating system.”  Meaning autism is really a different way of thinking.”

“One of the more common traits of people on the spectrum is an ability to be hyper focused. In IT this helps with things like error detection and strengths in data analysis and coding. For me, I believe that my autism helps to keep me to be hyper focused on the intricate details of racing, such as timing stopping distances and corner speeds. It really enables my abilities as a high-performance athlete.

“Through this partnership I really want to start a conversation about the key strengths of autism, and I want to inspire others on the spectrum not to underestimate what they have to offer our community.

“I thank auticon for their support this season, and I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Motorsport enthusiast and television presenter Glenn Ridge hosted today’s car launch and spoke about how the sport was transforming, becoming far more inclusive and what this means for the future of motorsport.

“As I stroll through the Porsche Motorsport stable here in Collingwood, we’re starting to see some real diversity. Not only is this a second home for Ben Taylor and the auticon team but rising Porsche Carrera Cup star Courtney Prince, she also calls Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport home.”

“This diversity brings new people, new ideas and new ways of thinking about our sport. This not only leads to innovation and enhancement to the way cars perform but it will inspire kids that may see their own image reflected in these great drivers and know that anyone with a passion and desire to succeed in motorsport can make the jump. This sport really can be for anyone. That’s what is truly exciting about today.”

Managing Director and CEO of auticon Australia & New Zealand Bodo Mann was excited to get behind Ben. He discussed the partnership and opportunity for auticon’s skilled technologists.

“We’re looking forward to applying some fresh thinking to motorsport data analytics. The team have already identified some opportunities to enhance racing insights and really add value to Ben’s on track performance.”

“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to showcase autistic strengths in action and we want to demonstrate the power of neurodiversity and how thinking differently can be a real asset. We believe that what is true in sport is true in business, and we plan to illustrate how embracing neurodiversity can offer a competitive advantage,” said Mr. Mann.

The racing team is not the only connection between auticon and Porsche, Bodo went on to talk about the organisations close affiliation to the German car maker.
“As auticon also began in Germany. As it happens one of the first investors in the company was the Porsche family and it fills us with great pride to know that we are now working alongside this great brand in such an important venture.”

Morris sweeps Bathurst round to end 2023 season

Stutterd, Carr take class wins in action-packed Sprint Challenge sprints

THE PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series has been decided across a pair of action-packed sprint races at Mount Panorama. 

Nash Morris swept the weekend in Bathurst to claim his second round of the 2023 season, winning the weekend ahead of Hamish Fitzsimmons and Oscar Targett.

Meanwhile, Danny Stutterd claimed the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Sam Shahin, while Brad Carr took the Class B win.

Champions were decided this weekend with Marco Giltrap sealing the Michelin Sprint Challenge crown, and the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.

Sam Shahin locked in the Pro-Am title while Phil Morris claimed Class B overall by just nine points in the tightest class battle of the three.

Race 2

Nash Morris made it two from two in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, controlling Race Two at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International before a safety car curtailed the event.

Morris and Marcos Flack made an even jump off the front row, however the TekworkX Motorsport driver was aided by the inside line as he maintained his pole advantage at Hell Corner.

Flack would once again go with Morris in the early stages before having a major lose at McPhillamy Park on lap two, surfing through the gravel and losing two spots to Marco Giltrap and Hamish Fitzsimmons.

Morris would skip away after Flack’s moment, as the battle for second between Giltrap and Fitzsimmons intensified.

The race would soon be placed under safety car on lap four as three separate incidents occurred in three different sections of Mount Panorama.

The first incident involved Class runner Jacque Jarjo, who ran deep into Hell Corner and backed his Jacqu Fine Jewellery into the tyre barriers.

Further behind at Murray’s Corner, Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider spun heading onto Pit Straight, clipping the Class B entry of Dave Allan and sending the LocalsCo car head on into the outside concrete wall.

Just prior to the deployment of the safety car, Giltrap clipped the wall at The Grate after sustaining a puncture, forcing the champion-elect into retirement from second position.

With three separate recoveries required, the race would ultimately finish under yellow flag conditions, with Morris heading Fitzsimmons in TekworkX one-two, with Oscar Targett rounding out the podium.

The Pro-Am class was won by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin in eight outright.

Class B was taken out by Bradley Carr in fifteenth outright for Car Mods Australia, ensuring the Class B title fight would come down to the wire between Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg, and Carr.

Race 3

Nash Morris has taken his first career clean sweep in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, heading up a TekworkX Motorsport podium lockout in the season finale at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Morris leapt away from pole position and controlled the race as he had done all weekend long in another impressive performance.

The focus was centred around champion-elect Marco Giltrap, who started from twenty-fifth following his crash in Race Two.

The Team Porsche New Zealand driver made up eight positions on lap one alone, and kept on charging towards the front, including making a move around the outside of Skyline on his way to fourteenth.

The New Zealander’s charge was ultimately halted by a safety car on lap five for Sprint Challenge debutant Slade Orsmond had a big crash at Griffins Bend after spinning on fluid from his damaged radiator.

Morris would cross the line under yellow for the second time in as many races, with teammates Fitzsimmons and Aron Shields in behind.

The Pro-Am class was won by Sprint Challenge returnee Daniel Stutterd in ninth outright for TekworkX Motorsport.

The Class B race was taken out by Autohouse Racing’s Lachlan Harburg in sixteenth outright, whilst the Class B championship went to Phil Morriss for Morriss Racing Service after finishing twenty-fifth outright and fourth in class.

Morris wins enduro, Giltrap, Shahin lock in titles

Class B title heads to final day after dramatic Enduro encounter

Nash Morris has survived a late race safety car restart to claim victory in the first race for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Morris held off Marcos Flack in a race-long battle, whilst Marco Giltrap in third wrapped up the Jim Richards Enduro Cup and became the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge champion-elect.

Meanwhile, Sam Shahin also did enough to seal the Pro-Am title, now mathematically unbeatable in tomorrow’s two races.

Morris made the most of his pole position to head the field into Hell Corner, whilst Marcos Flack fell behind Oscar Targett who made a good start from third on the grid.

Flack would get back by the Grove Racing driver before the end of the first lap, and by the end of lap two was all over the back of the Morris’ TekworkX Motorsport entry, leaving Targett behind, who now had Hamish Fitzsimmons for company.

There would be drama behind on lap six, when Sonic Motor Racing’s Harrison Goodman retired to the pits from fifth with damage to the right-rear of his Bob Jane T-Marts car after contact with the wall.

Oscar Targett also dropped two spots in an unrelated incident, promoting Fitzsimmons and Giltrap into third and fourth.

The safety car would make its first appearance on lap nine as Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider found trouble in his Wall Racing / Hillcrest Merimbula entry.

The field would see the green flag once again on lap twelve, as Morris once again led the field away, with Flack in tow as had been the case all race.

Fitzsimmons ran wide on the exit of Murray’s Corner at the restart, allowing Giltrap to get alongside and complete the move at Hell Corner to move onto the podium.

Giltrap’s timing proved fortuitous as the safety car would come out for the second and final time after Tim Wolfe found drama on top of the mountain in his Pro-Am PER Equipment Rentals entry.

The field would have one final green flag lap, however the order at the front of the field remained unchanged as Morris remained in total control.

The Pro-Am class was won by Sam Shahin in tenth outright for The Bend Motorsport Park, becoming Pro-Am champion-elect in the process.

Class B was taken out by Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr in sixteenth outright, setting up an intense finals day tomorrow as he and second-placed Lachy Harburg continue to pursue class leader, Phil Morriss.

Race Two for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia starts at 12:05pm AEDT tomorrow.

Both Saturday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.

Morris claims Bathurst pole as season finale commences

Shahin, Carr take class poles ahead of Enduro Cup race on the Mountain

TekworkX Motorsport’s Nash Morris has claimed his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge pole in qualifying for the final round at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Morris, who has impressed since making his category debut at Sydney Motorsport Park in July, set a 2m 07.7338s to pip Sonic Motor Racing’s Marcos Flack by just over five hundredths of a second.

The lead pair were the class of the field, with Oscar Targett best of the rest in third for Grove Racing, just over half a second behind Morris.

Championship leader Marco Giltrap will line up fifth for this afternoon’s first race, where the Team Porsche New Zealand driver can clinch the Pro title with two races left in the season.

Pro-Am pole was taken by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin, who will start from tenth outright, two places ahead of the second-best Pro-Am entry of Daniel Stutterd for TekworkX Motorsport.

Pole for Class B went to championship contender Bradley Carr for Car Mods Australia, who will line up in sixteenth outright, with fellow contenders Lachlan Harburg and Phil Morriss third and fifth in class respectively.

Race One for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge begins at 4:40pm AEDT at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Porsche title season begins with Sprint Challenge Bathurst showdown

Three titles on the line this weekend at Mount Panorama

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON has come to Porsche Motorsport Australia, with the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series to kick off an amazing two weeks of title-deciding action this weekend at Mount Panorama.

The sixth and final round of a record-breaking Sprint Challenge season will see the category race three times at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International this weekend and decide the Pro, Pro-Am and Class B titles.

That will be followed two weeks later by a climactic Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia showdown at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on the Adelaide streets.

The Sprint Challenge season has been an unpredictable affair though series leader Marco Giltrap’s consistency has him entering the final round with a commanding lead.

The 19-year-old New Zealander leads by 171 points with 180 up for grabs this weekend, meaning a 17th-placed finish in the opening race would be enough to deliver the Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport driver his first Porsche title.

Giltrap has won four races this season, has never finished lower than fifth in a race and claimed round victories at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains to entrench himself at the top of the standings early in the year, where he has since remained.

The fight for the final steps on the podium is well and truly alive, however, with Aron Shields and Oscar Targett set to battle for second and third.

Shields leads Targett by just 32 points heading into this weekend with the pair arguably the most in-form drivers among the whole field.

Targett won two of the three races at The Bend last time out, with Shields claiming the epic enduro cup race at the South Aussie venue.

The Pro-Am fight will also be decided this weekend with Sam Shahin holding a 118-point lead over newcomer Matt Slavin in Porsche’s ‘race within a race’ title battle.

Shahin will be seeking his second PMSC Pro-Am title, having previously won the title in 2019.

Meanwhile, a fast-finishing Brett Boulton will be aiming to overhaul David Greig in the battle for third position in the final round.

Class B, for first generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars, sees the most exciting title battle of all with Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr all firmly in contention for the title.

The consistent Morriss leads Harburg by just 51 points heading to Bathurst with Carr a further 26 behind in third.

A bumper 29-strong field will contest the three races this weekend, including 13 in the Professional class.

The field includes the addition of Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am regular Danny Stutterd, while Nash Morris will also return aboard his TekworkX Motorsport entry.

Last year at Mount Panorama, Kiwi Ryan Wood scored pole position with a Sprint Challenge record 2m07.9652s flyer.

Wood then claimed the round with two wins from three starts, would-be champion Tom Sargent claiming the first and second overall.

Wood also holds the Bathurst Sprint Challenge lap record at 2m07.7595s.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will hit the track for a 45-minute practice session on Friday morning, ahead of qualifying at 1:50pm that afternoon.

Race one will be the enduro cup title decider and is due to commence at 4:40pm and run for 18 laps.

Two 7-lap sprint races on Sunday will then decide the title, with the first sprint at 12:05pm and the second at 2:50pm.

Both Sunday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.

ENTRY LIST – Round 6, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

Shields, Giltrap both elevated in Enduro Cup thriller

Race of the year at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park

ARON SHIELDS has claimed a remarkable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge enduro in South Australia that saw the race result change after the flag and the round result tipped on its head in dramatic fashion.

The wild race had seen Lachlan Bloxsom cross the line first only to be penalized post-race, handing win to Shields and his TekworkX Porsche.

Shields had led the race briefly on two separate occasions before initially crossing the line third behind Bloxsom and Oscar Targett.

A further time penalty for young star Oscar Targett then denied him the round win, handing that honour to series leader Marco Giltrap.

The New Zealand teenager now holds a mighty 171-point lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia standings with 180 up for grabs in the season finale’ at Mount Panorama.

The Sunday race was a thriller from the outset in one of the best displays of one-make Porsche racing this year.

The race commenced in changeable conditions as light rain swept across the circuit.

The unpredictable affair saw Lachlan Bloxsom initially credited with the race win following an absolute thriller that saw five lead changes between four different drivers across its duration.

He led home Oscar Targett, Aaron Shields, Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack on track – with the top five covered by just 1.5 seconds in one of the most unpredictable races the series has seen.

The pulsating race saw Giltrap take the early lead with positions behind him changing rapidly as conditions gradually improved.

Polesitter Targett dropped to fourth initially before climbing back to second by lap three.

He was then passed by Shields on the 10^th lap, the latter then deposing Giltrap for the lead on lap 14 when the former ran wide at Turn 17, dropping off the road briefly before recovering.

Shield’s time in front was short lived however as he was delayed at Turn six on the following lap, taking evasive action as Ross McGregor spun in front of him, handing the lead back to Giltrap and dropping the TekworkX driver back to fourth.

Targett pounced on the climactic lap 19 to grab the lead from Giltrap as Lachlan Bloxsom followed him through to second and Shields to third.

With Flack keeping the leaders in close company in fifth, Bloxsom jumped to the lead on the following lap and then fended off attack after attack from the Grove car across the final 4.9km to cross the line first.

That Bloxsom should have been in the fight at all was remarkable given he very nearly stalled his Bloxsom Team Navy / McElrea entry at the start, his rear wing clipped by another car as he tried to get away.

He crossed the line ninth at the end of lap one however recovered rapidly to carve his way to the field to run third by lap 15 and ultimately pass for the lead with two laps to go.

However, results changed quickly following the race.

Bloxsom was penalized five seconds for contact with Giltrap as the pair battled for position late in the race.

That would have elevated Targett to the potential race win, however he too was penalized, this time having 15 seconds added to his race time for overtaking under yellow flags at Turn one with two laps remaining – just prior to the Bloxsom – Giltrap contact.

The penalties dropped Bloxsom to fifth and Targett to eighth in the final reckoning.

Impressive New Zealand rookie Clay Osborne was also penalised five seconds for a start infringement, as was Pro-Am racer Brett Boulton.

Their penalties saw Osborne – who at one point had run third – finish sixth and Boulton 13th, though he maintained his second position in the Pro-Am class.

With the penalties applied, Marco Giltrap claimed Round 5 over Targett and Marcos Flack.

In Pro-Am, a remarkable comeback drive from Sam Shahin saw him recover from a spin on the formation lap, and a second one on the opening lap, to charge through the field and claim the round overall.

He won the round over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin.

Class B was a thriller as the older-specification cars ended up dicing in the outright top 10 in the inclement conditions at the start of the race.

The race ended with newc0omer Jacques Jarjo the race winner while Brad Carr took the round.

It means three different drivers claimed the class win this weekend in the best weekend for the 991.1 generation cars yet this year.

More importantly, the Class B title will now go down to the wire at Mount Panorama this November with leader Phil Morriss, Harburg and Carr covered by 79 points.

ROUND 5 RESULTS:

1. Marco Giltrap 162
2. Oscar Targett 147
3. Marcos Flack 144

Pro-Am

1. Sam Shahin 181
2. Brett Boulton 150
3. Matt Slavin 150

Class B

1. Brad Carr 168
2. Lachy Harburg 163
3. Jacque Jarjo 156

PROVISIONAL SERIES STANDINGS: 

1. Marco Giltrap 739
2. Aron Shields 568
3. Oscar Targett 536
4. Hamish Fitzsimmons 485
5. Ronan Murphy 452

Pro-Am

1. Sam Shahin 791
2. Matt Slavin 673
3. David Grieg 509

Class B

1. Phil Morriss 678
2. Brad Carr 632
3. Lachy Harburg 627

Oscar on Targett for South Australian Sweep

Two wins from two the perfect start as Targett joins the winners list

OSCAR TARGETT has added his name to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia winners roster, charging from pole position to a pair of commanding race victories today at the Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.

The Grove Racing driver was in stunning form on Saturday as he swept to back-to-back wins in The Bend’s sprint races, leading home series leader Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack in both races today.

A further 45-minute enduro race completes the penultimate round of the series tomorrow.

In the Pro-Am class, home-town hero Sam Shahin won both races today, while Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr split the honours in Class B.

Race one commenced with Targett making a strong start from pole position, while Giltrap was slower away from the outside of the front row, allowing Flack to gain an early advantage.

However, the race was quickly slowed behind the Safety Car following a significant impact on the left-hand side of the circuit for Zak Stichbury.

The Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport Whittaker’s driver was in a three-wide battle as the field charged up the hill to turn one, contact sending the young Kiwi spearing across the circuit in front of the field and into the concrete wall.

Stichbury emerged unscathed from the incident however will take no further part in the weekend.

Following a two-lap Safety Car period, Targett led the field to green, while Giltrap was able to slice past Flack to secure second position.

Further back, newcomer Clay Osborne passed Ronan Murphy for seventh position in a strong debut Porsche performance.

Targett ultimately drove a measured race to beat Giltrap by just over one second, with Flack completing the top three.

Hamish Fitzsimmons finished fourth on the road, however was penalized five seconds for weaving under safety car and relegated to seventh.

Lachlan Bloxsom therefore climbed to fourth and Aron Shields fifth in a side-by-side battle for the spot with Bloxsom.

Behind Fitzsimmons, Osborne, Murphy, Nash Morris – who started 17^th – and Tom McLennan completed the top-10.

Sam Shahin had a clean run to claim the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin, while Lachy Harburg took the Class B win over Brad Carr.

A straightforward second race saw Targett again lead Giltrap from pole position, with Flack settling in third position.

He, Lachlan Bloxsom and Aron Shields spent much of the race dicing for third before finishing in that order, with Clay Osborne improving further to finish sixth.

Hamish Fitzsimmons was seventh, Ronan Murphy eighth and Nash Morris continued his recovery in ninth – Tom McLennan completing the 10.

Harrison Goodman started race two from last position having missed race one due to illness, charging his way through the field from 28^th to 12 position in the eight-lap duration.

In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin won the class after Brett Boulton spun down the order on the opening lap.

That saw the South Australian clearly in front of Matt Slavin and fellow Adelaidean Pan Boyaci, with Boulton recovering to fourth.

In Class B, Brad Carr turned the tables on rival Harburg, taking the class B win over his fellow Queenslander, with Jacque Jarjo third on debut.

Round 5 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge concludes on Sunday at The Bend with the 40-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race.

In the penultimate round of the PMSC ‘series within a series’. Marco Giltrap leads the series of the longer-distance races, with Hamish Fitzsimmons in second and Ronan Murphy third.

Four different winners have won the Enduro Cup races so far this season.

Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on 7+ tomorrow.

Targett on top again in thrilling qualifying shootout

Less than 0.05s between front row as another young-gun shootout awaits

OSCAR TARGETT has become the first repeat pole sitter of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, edging Marco Giltrap for the top spot in qualifying today at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia. 

The pair traded blows at the top of the times in the 20-minute qualifying session with Targett on top early, before Giltrap responded with less than three minutes remaining to go to the top spot.

RESULTS: Qualifying, Round 5

The series’ leader didn’t remain on top for long, however, with Targett’s final flyer returning the Grove Group-supported car back to the top with his 1m50.4916s flyer.

It means the teenager edged Giltrap by 0.0488 seconds, the fourth consecutive round where the pole has been decided by less than 0.05 seconds.

It also ended a series-record streak of four different polesitters from four rounds, Targett backing up his debut pole effort in Queensland at the last round.

With the series leader second, Sonic’s Marcos Flack was third and just 0.3 seconds from pole position.

The in-form Hamish Fitzsimmons was fourth for TekworkX Motorsport, just pipping Zac Stichbury to the second row of the grid.

The Whittaker’s driver will line up fifth alongside Lachlan Bloxsom for race one on Saturday.

Ronan Murphy qualified seventh in his Muscle Car Warehouse-backed Sonic entry with rookie Clay Osborne eighth aboard his McElrea Racing #15 car.

The Kiwi first-timer had been impressive throughout practice earlier in the day and continued that form in his first Porsche qualifying session, ending the 20-minutes just 0.71s from pole.

Harrison Goodman qualified ninth and Aron Shields 10th, with Tom McLennan just missing the top-10.

Notable among those missing the top-10 was Nash Morris, who has won five of the last six races in the championship.

Stricken down by the Flu, Morris missed both practice sessions earlier on Friday meaning his first laps of The Bend in a Porsche were in qualifying trim.

He did enough to qualify 17th outright with a view to moving forward in tomorrow’s pair of sprint races.

Sam Shahin qualified his car on pole in the Pro-Am class and will also line up 12th outright in race one tomorrow.

He bested the returning Brett Boulton for the top spot with Matt Slavin third, South Aussie racer Pan Boyaci fourth and David Grieg fifth in class.

Meanwhile, a thrilled Lachy Harburg made it two EBM Poles in three classes today by topping the largest Class B grid of the year to date.

Harburg not only scored pole but out qualified all bar two of the key Pro-Am contenders in an outstanding performance that saw him lap nearly three seconds quicker than he did in 2022.

Brad Carr qualified second in class – and 18th outright – with newcomer Jacque Jarjo third in class and 22nd outright.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns to the circuit tomorrow for a pair of 20-minute sprint races at The Bend.

The 45-minute Jim Richards Enduro Championship finale will be held on Sunday, and will be shown on 7plus.

Goodman, Bob Jane T-Marts and Sonic raising awareness for men’s health

Sonic driver raising awareness and funds for the Movember charity

World Champion karter added to Sprint Challenge mix for The Bend

28-strong field heads to South Australia for critical penultimate round of PMSC Season

WORLD CHAMPION Karter Clay Osborne will join the already remarkable mix of young talent contesting this year’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series this weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park. 

The 18-year-old from New Zealand will join what is already the most talented mix of young drivers Sprint Challenge has ever seen amidst a 28-strong field entered for the penultimate round of the series this weekend at the South Australian venue.

Set to drive for McElrea Racing, Osborne claimed a Karting world championship title in Italy in 2019, as well as a pair of National titles in his native New Zealand.

Following a brief stint in Formula First and Formula Ford, Osborne graduated to tin-top circuit racing in 2022 and has now contested two seasons of the New Zealand Toyota 86 Series prior to making his Porsche debut.

He joins the series at a remarkable time as the title race builds with just six races remaining in the season.

Fellow New Zealander Marco Giltrap holds a comfortable series lead of 141 points heading into The Bend’s three races however faces challenges from all angles.

The biggest threat of late has been Queenslander Nash Morris, who since making his debut for TekworkX at Sydney Motorsport Park has slammed home five race wins from six starts, including a clean sweep at his home circuit last time out.

His teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons has also been a mover in the last few races, claiming a pair of seconds at the last round.

Since joining the series’ at Round two at Symmons Plains, Oscar Targett has not finished a race lower than eighth position and has charged up the championship order – now sitting just 47 points behind second-placed Aron Shields in the Michelin Sprint Challenge series standings.

In the Pro-Am class, Sam Shahin continues to hold the lead in both major one-make Porsche titles this year – his Carrera Cup points lead mirrored by an even larger 87-point gap at the top of the Sprint Challenge standings.

Shahin will be challenged this weekend, however, as Queenslander Brett Boulton returns to the championship having missed the two most recent rounds.

Brad Carr and Lachy Harburg find themselves tied on points in second position in Class B – for the older-model Generation 1 991 GT3 Cup Cars – as they both race to chase down runaway series leader Phil Morriss.

The latter has a handy 118-point lead heading into the final two rounds and six races this year.

As well as the young Kiwi in the outright class, Class B will see a pair of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debutants, in the form of New South Wales driver Jacque Jarjo and fellow Class B runner, Dave Allen.

The Round 5 field includes 14 cars in the Pro class, 9 in Pro-Am and 5 in Class B.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field tackles three races this weekend as part of the Shannons Trophy Series Event at South Australia’s world-class racing venue.

Following practice on Friday, the field races twice on Saturday before the Jim Richards Endurance Championship decider will be held on Sunday.

There, Marco Giltrap leads Hamish Fitzsimmons by 16 points and Ronan Murphy by 26 going into the winner-take-all finale.

That race will be broadcast live on 7plus on Sunday.

ENTRY LIST:

Morris sweeps home round in TekworkX 1-2

Two rounds remain in Sprint Challenge fight as unpredictable season continues

NASH MORRIS has led teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons to an emphatic TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 sweep of the fourth round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia at Queensland Raceway. 

Morris led from lights-to-flag to claim victory in the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy race on Sunday morning at the Ipswich circuit to sweep all three races at his home circuit.

He was chased hard by his teammate all race but was up to the task of holding onto his race lead to complete a rear Sprint Challenge sweep.

Morris has won five of the last six races since joining the championship while TekworkX have now claimed the last two rounds.

Morris’ won the round ahead of Fitzsimmons and Grove Racing junior Oscar Targett, while Matt Slavin led David Grieg and newcomer Ramu Farrell in Pro-Am.

Lachlan Harburg claimed the Class B victory for the round.

While Morris commanded the enduro race all the way, the battle was on for second.

Fitzsimmons had run second for the entire duration of the race however was caught on the final lap by a chasing pack that included Oscar Targett, championship leader Marco Giltrap and Sydney winner, Aron Shields.

The pair were three wide at times though Fitzsimmons was able to hold on to claim second for the race and the round.

Targett was third in the race and the round while Marco Giltrap took further advantage of challenging weekends for his title rivals to further extend his championship lead.

With Shields fifth, a racy Harrison Goodman charged his way to sixth position with Caleb Sumich, Tom McLennan, Zac Stichbury and Pro-Am winner Sam Shahin claiming tenth.

Brad Carr came back from a challenging race on Saturday evening to win Class B in the race, while Lachy Harburg won the round.

With two rounds of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series remaining, Team Porsche New Zealand / Earl Bamber Motorsport’s Marco Giltrap remains well in command of the championship.

The young kiwi provisionally enjoys a 141-point lead over Aron Shields, who moves to second in the series.

A tough weekend for Ronan Murphy – a puncture in the final race saw him forced to pit for a replacement – has him in third, tied on 402 points with Zac Stichbury. Oscar Targett has moved to fifth in the series.

Sam Shahin continues to lead Matt Slavin in the Pro-Am title fight, with David Grieg now third, while Phil Morris continues to lead the Class B battle, with Brad Carr and Lachlan Harburg tied on points in second.

The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series will see the championship rejoin the Shannons Trophy Series at The Bend Motorsport Park on October 13-15.

Morris Saturday sweep sets up Sunday showdown

Chaotic sprints leave enduro race as weekend decider in Queensland

NASH Morris has added another pair of race wins to his ever-expanding CV, taking both sprint races in Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Queensland Raceway. 

With one race remaining in the round, Morris finds himself in a similar position to his debut round in Sydney a fortnight ago, where he ultimately finished second overall.

A dramatic day of racing at the Ipswich venue saw Morris commence proceedings by winning an arm-wrestle with Oscar Targett on the opening lap of the first race before edging away to claim the race win.

Starting from pole, Targett made a strong start however Morris pounced at turn three and completed the move at four to grab a lead he’d never lose.

Targett then held of Marcos Flack to secure second – his third of the season – with Flack scoring his best result of the season in third.

Hamish Fitzsimmons and Macro Giltrap were next, in close company with the leaders, with Aron Shields, Caleb Sumich, Tom Taplin, Zac Stichbury and Tom McLennan completing the top-10.

Pro-Am went the way of Matt Slavin, who capitalised on a late race incident that included Sam Shahin being forced off the road and out of the race three laps from home.

Also in strife was Ronan Murphy, who spun onto the infield at Turn four early in the race, making contact with Lachlan Bloxsom as he speared across the road. The damage forced the Sonic racer out of the race.

Race two saw more of the same with Morris smartly away from pole position and into the race lead.

Targett held on around the outside of turn two, however dropped all four wheels of the road and into the dirt, which dropped the Grove junior down the order.

That shuffled the pack with Hamish Fitzsimmons and Flack battling for second, swapping the place twice before the former held on with a late pass.

With Flack third, Tom Taplin was an outstanding fourth in his best race of the season.

Sheilds, Giltrap, Targett, Stichbury, a recovering Lachlan Bloxsom and McLennan completed the top-10.

The race was brought under the control of a Safety Car following contact between Brad Carr and Tim Wolfe at Turn 2, that saw both cars deposited into the gravel trap at turn two.

That set up a two-lap dash to the line, with Morris ultimately holding on to claim the win.

Pro-Am went the way of Ramu Farrell, while Shahin charged from the back of the field to 2nd in class, with Slavin third.

Lachlan Harburg completed a sweep of Class B wins across the two races today.

The end of the final race saw a serious crash involving Richard Cowen and Andrew Goldie.

Both drivers were taken to hospital for further observation. We thank our medical teams and all our officials for their prompt response.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns for a third and final race – the next edition in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy – on Sunday morning at Queensland Raceway.

Record-setting session delivers Targett pole by 0.001 seconds

Closest pole, Top 3, Top 5 and Top 10 margins in series history at Queensland Raceway

THE closest qualifying session in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series history has seen teenager Oscar Targett grab his first pole award of the year.

Targett, a Grove Racing junior driver and karting graduate, scored pole by a tiny margin of 0.0012 seconds as he bumped Nash Morris off the top spot late in Friday’s 20-minute session.

It’s the closest 1-2 qualifying margin in series history, and came in a session that also delivered the closest top three, top five and top 10 qualifying results in the history of the championship, as well as the quickest ever lap of Queensland Raceway in the process.

He’s the fourth different polesitter from four rounds this year, also a series record.

Targett’s 1m09.944s flyer displaced Morris for the top spot, the Queenslander having earlier set the first sub-70 second lap of his home circuit earlier in the session.

Morris had looked likely to hold on with his then-record lap and it took a late flyer from Targett on his second set of Michelin slick tyres to displace the Porsche newcomer, who continues to excel after a stunning debut in Sydney last time out.

The pair will share the front row for race one tomorrow with Marcos Flack and Lachlan Bloxsom on row two.

Flack had earlier topped both practice sessions by tiny margins and ultimately missed pole position by 0.0085 seconds – making it the closest top three in series history.

Lachlan Bloxsom was in the midst of that battle and was only fractions away from a spot on the front row. Aron Shields, who won last time out in Sydney, qualified fifth but only missed pole position by 0.087s.

Behind them, Ronan Murphy, Caleb Sumich – a personal best seventh – championship leader Marco Giltrap, Hamish Fitzsimmons and Pro-Am polesitter Ramu Farrell were all within 0.397s of the pole position time.

The top 14 cars were split by 0.6 seconds in a remarkable session that will likely stand as one of the series’ best for some time.

Newcomer Farrell grabbed the Pro-Am pole award on his series debut and qualified an outstanding 10^th outright in the process.

The local driver is racing for home-town team McElrea Racing this weekend and made an instant impact, finishing the opening practice session inside the top three.

Pro-Am Championship leader Sam Shahin qualified 15^th outright and second in the Pro-Am class, himself less than 0.9s away from Targett’s impressive pole lap.

Matt Slavin qualified third in Pro-Am with Richard Cowen just behind in fourth.

Defending class champion Lachy Harburg powered his The Cover Shop entry to pole in Class B, edging out Brad Carr by three-tenths to score a strong pole position.

They qualified 18^th and 19^th, respectively, in their older-generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars with Harburg just 1.5s away from outright pole.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns for two races sprint races on Saturday, both broadcast live on Stan Sport.

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia racer and former champion Fabian Coulthard will join the commentary team for the races tomorrow.

Team switch for McLennan as he prepares for home race in Queensland

Team switch for Michelin junior ahead of next PMSC round

Tom McLennan has joined Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) for the remaining rounds of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, with Round 4 to be run at Queensland Raceway this weekend.

The 18-year-old switches from McElrea Racing who have helped him sit ninth in the standings.

The Earl Bamber Motorsport drive will see McLennan compete in the final three rounds of the all-Porsche series at Queensland Raceway, The Bend and Mount Panorama, plus a series of testing opportunities in the new-generation Porsches 992s that EBM compete in Carrera Cup – the highest level of Porsche racing in Australia.

The change of team coincides with McLennan’s home round – Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. McLennan has enjoyed plenty of testing and racing at the 3.1km venue over the past few years, racing in Formula Ford, production cars and Porsche racing.

McLennan has secured one podium finish in 2023 (at Symmons Plains Raceway) and will be looking to use his local knowledge against some of the young stars of the Porsche series.

The fourth round will be held in conjunction with the Shannons SpeedSeries. All of the racing can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport.

Practice starts on Friday, with qualifying and racing held on Saturday and Sunday.

Tom McLennan
#81 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche

“It will be great to start with EBM and I am excited to work with Earl Bamber, Ben Jenkins and the team,” said McLennan.

“EBM has extensive experience and success in Porsche and GT racing at all levels, here in Australia, Asia, Europe, and America. It’s a great fit for me.

“The car will be set-up differently, but I’m up for the challenge and ready to see how I stand.

“The team certainly has a clear direction with an eye to progress into the future, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we take this new partnership.

“I’ve done plenty of laps around Queensland Raceway, so I definitely know the track well.

“It will be a weekend for me to adjust and understand all of the new processes, but I’m really excited.

“I’d also like to thank the team at McElrea Racing for helping me in my first start in Porsches. They are a professional team and have made me raise my own game.”

Ben Jenkins
Team Manager, Earl Bamber Motorsport

“Having Tom join our team is a great addition to our EBM line-up,” said Jenkins.

“He has some strong results already in the Porsche category and we will be looking to build on that.

“Tom will compliment the young guys that we have in the team already. It’s an easier start for him, given that this is his home track. We won’t need to help him understand where the circuit goes.

“Of our drivers, he will be the most experienced driver for Queensland Raceway, so he’ll be handy to lean on.

“We’re looking forward to watching his development and moving him forward in his career, like we have done with many other drivers under the EBM stable.”

Morris returns as Michelin Sprint Challenge field heads to Queensland

First Shannons SpeedSeries round of the year as title battle builds

NASH MORRIS will continue his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series campaign, having been locked in by TekworkX Motorsport for the remainder of the 2023 season.

It comes after a stunning one-make Porsche debut at Sydney Motorsport Park last week where he scored pole, won two races and finished second overall for the weekend, behind only teammate Aron Shields.

Morris’ will aim to pick up where he left off at Queensland Raceway this weekend as the Michelin Sprint Challenge field enjoys a quick turnaround from the Sydney event.

24 cars will line up at the 3.2km circuit outside of Ipswich as the launches into the second half of the season.

It comes with Kiwi teenager Marco Giltrap enjoying a solid lead over countryman Ronan Murphy in the series standings, with Zac Stichbury making it a New Zealand 1-2-3.

Giltrap is the only driver to have finished every race in the outright top ten this season, underpinning his impressive championship lead.

After winning last time out in Sydney, Aron Shields sits fourth in the championship just four points out of the top three, with Harrison Goodman in fifth.

Sam Shahin takes a formidable lead in the Pro-Am class to Queensland Raceway, though the battle will be on for second in the championship with Brett Boulton on the sidelines for this round.

That opens the door for the likes of Matt Slavin – who was a career-best second in class in Sydney – third-placed Andrew Goldie and local Richard Cowen, who sits fourth in the standings, to step up further and put pressure on the runaway leader.

Points leader Phil Morriss and defending champion Lachy Harburg will battle for Class B honours in the Gen I 991 GT3 Cup Car fight.

The field also welcomes debutant Ramu Farrell, who makes his PMSC debut driving the #888 Kaldewelg Auto GT3 Cup Car in the Pro-Am Class.

The Queensland Raceway event will see the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series rejoin the Shannons SpeedSeries for the first time this year.

Both of Saturday’s Sprint Races will be shown live on Stan Sport, while the Jim Richards’ enduro cup race will decide the weekend first thing on Sunday morning.

SCHEDULE – ROUND 4, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

Friday, 11 August

Practice 1 – 10:15am
Practice 2 – 13:40pm
Qualifying – 16:05pm

Saturday, 12 August

Race 1 – 13:00pm (20 Minutes)
Race 2 – 17:05pm (20 Minutes)

Sunday, 13 August

Race 3 – 9:10am (45 Minutes)

ENTRY LIST

Shields claims maiden Porsche Sprint Challenge win

Adrian Flack, Stephen Moylan claim Pro-Am, Class B wins respectively in Sydney

ARON SHIELDS has powered to his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia round victory by virtue of a stunning race win in the final race at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

In a weekend-long battle with TekworkX Motorsport teammate Nash Morris, Shields was leading the final race when Morris spun out of second position at Turn 11, giving the former all the points he needed to claim his first round success in circuit racing.

Morris, who had earlier won race two, finished second overall while championship leader Marco Giltrap finished third to extend his series lead aboard his Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche.

Adrian Flack claimed the Pro-Am class win over Matt Slavin and Sam Shahin, while Stephen Moylan took advantage of a Brad Carr non-finish in race three to claim the Class B win on debut.

At the half-way point of the series, Marco Giltrap continues to lead Ronan Murphy, with the margin now 38 points.

Aron Shields’ superb weekend rocketed him to fourth, just behind Zak Stichbury fourth and Harrison Goodman now fifth.

In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin still continues to lead, with Andrew Goldie now second, while Phil Morriss extended his Class B lead following a consistent weekend in Sydney.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series resumes in two weeks time at Queensland Raceway for Round 4 of the series, racing with the Shannons SpeedSeries on August 11-13.

RACE 2

Nash Morris maintained his perfect record in Porsche competition after making a bold last lap move on his TekworkX Motorsport teammate Aron Shields in Race Two of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.

In a repeat of the Saturday night race, the two TekworkX cars ran riot, Morris and Shields the only two drivers to set lap times in the 1m 32s range in the race.

Shields led the field away from the outside of the front row, and led the whole race right until Morris made his move at turn six on the fourteenth and final lap.

The TekworkX teammates gapped the field to the tune of almost ten seconds, with Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM’s Marco Giltrap rounding out the podium.

Giltrap made a brilliant overtake of his own to take third place, capitalising on a slight error from Lachlan Bloxsom to dive down the inside at turn seven on lap before covering aggressively at turn eight.

Bloxsom would take fourth for Bloxsom Team Navy, with Oscar Targett continuing to recover from his poor qualifying in fifth for Grove Racing.

In sixth was Pro-Am winner Adrian Flack, who put in a standout performance amongst the front runners, running in the top five for the majority of the race before being overtaken late by Targett.

Second in Pro-Am was Sam Shahin, who went on a tear in the opening laps, gaining twelve places in the first lap and a half, finishing thirteenth outright after starting in twenty eighth.

Matt Slavin rounded out the Pro-Am podium in his Ares Group entry in sixteenth outright.

Class B was won by the Car Mods Australia entry of Bradley Carr in twentieth outright, ahead of Lachlan Harburg in twenty second, with Brayden Taylor rounding out the podium in twenty seventh outright for Wall Racing.

RACE 3

TekworkX Motorsport’s Aron Shields won the final race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park, clinching the round win after teammate Nash Morris had a difficult race.

Morris made a poor start from pole position, allowing Shields to take a lead he would not lose, and allowing Marco Giltrap to jump into second from third on the grid.

Morris was in the process of getting back past the Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM driver when the Safety Car was deployed following an incident at turn one between Pro-Am runners Andrew Goldie and Matt Slavin.

The lead Class B runner of the weekend, Bradley Carr, also found trouble on the first lap, losing power almost immediately.

The race went green again on lap five, and Shields began to inch away from the field as the TekworkX cars had done all weekend, with Giltrap finding himself coming under pressure from the recovering Morris.

Morris made his move on lap eight, bumping doors with the championship leader as they went through turn four.

Also on the charge was Grove Racing’s Oscar Targett, who moved by Lachlan Bloxsom at turn two off the restart and followed Morris to go past Giltrap into third.

Targett then gained another position when Morris spun by himself at turn ten on lap thirteen, dropping from second to fifteenth.

Though Morris would eventually recover to twelfth at the finish, the mistake cost the Porsche debutant the round win, as Shields cruised to a comfortable win by just over two seconds.

Targett finished second, with Hamish Fitzsimmons rounding out the podium in the third TekworkX entry, ahead of Rohan Murphy with Giltrap rounding out the top five.

The Pro-Am Class was won by AGAS National’s Damian Flack, who secured another top ten outright result in a strong performance, with Sam Shahin second in fourteenth outright for The Bend Motorsport Park, and Casper Tresidder claiming third in class with sixteenth outright for Wall Racing/Hillcrest.

The Class B race blown wide open after Carr’s issues off the start, with Lachlan Harburg claiming the class win for Autohouse Racing in nineteenth outright, with Stephen Moylan second and twenty fifth outright, with Brayden Taylor rounding out the podium in twenty sixth outright.

Morris dominates Porsche debut under Sydney lights

Shields, Bloxsom on podium, Flack, Carr claim class wins

Nash Morris has dominated his Porsche debut, leading a TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 in the opening race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Morris and teammate and polesitter Aron Shields got an even launch off the front row and were side-by-side for the opening four corners in a great exchange, Morris eventually gaining the upper hand after hanging tough around the outside of turn two.

Morris and Shields proceeded to march away from the chasing pack over the course of the thirteen lap journey, gaining over ten seconds on Marcos Flack who finished third on road.

Morris’ win came on his one-make Porsche debut and adds to prior success in other categories including Super3 and Trans Am.

While he finished third on the road, Flack’s race was over before it had ever really begun – a five second penalty for creeping outside of his grid box whilst the grid was forming demoting the Sonic driver from third to eleventh in the final results.

After Flack’s post-race penalty was applied, Lachlan Bloxsom was promoted to third in the Bloxsom Team Navy entry, a position sealed with a racy move on Ronan Murphy at turn five on lap seven.

Sonic’s Murphy finished fourth, with Marco Giltrap completing the top five for Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM.

There was plenty of drama throughout the race, as first Class B runner Lachlan Harburg and Pro-Am competitor Eric Constantinidis had contact on the second lap, Harburg eventually retiring due to the damage sustained.

Constantinidis’ night wouldn’t get any better following a second incident, this this time Pro-Am runner Lachlan Gilksten, breaking the right front suspension on his Upto11 Motorsport entry and forcing him out of the race.

A spin at turn 12 from West Aussie young gun Caleb Sumich was the only other notable incident from an otherwise clean display of racing from the 30-strong field.

Pro-Am was won by AGAS National’s Adrian Flack in seventh outright, helped by Sam Shahin having a wild off at turn one on lap eleven, easing the pressure on Flack.

Matt Slavin finished second in class, his best-yet result in PMSC competition. He was followed home by Andrew Goldie, who spent much of his race battling with the Class B winner – Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr who finished seventeenth outright.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns to the track for two more races tomorrow at 10:10am and 1:35pm.

Both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

Aron Shields first pole position comes in tight Sydney session

0.1 seconds cover top three cars as Flack, Carr grab class poles

ARON SHIELDS has edged teammate Nash Morris by under one-tenth of a second to score pole position for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series today at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

In a thrilling qualifying session that went down to the wire, Sheilds’ 1m29.9891s flyer edged Porsche debutant Morris by 0.0171s to give TekworkX Motorsport a 1-2 result in qualifying and the driver his first career pole.

Shields is the third different polesitter from three rounds this year, while TekworkX become the third different team to qualify on pole.

The tight session saw times consistently drop as teams switched from their first set of Michelin slicks to their second late in the session.

Late improvement from Marcos Flack saw him storm to third in his Sonic entry, the second-generation Porsche racer only 0.0277s from pole and even less from a spot on the front row.

Zac Stichbury was fourth, while the third row of the grid will be comprised of Ronan Murphy in fifth and championship leader Marco Giltrap in sixth.

Even then, the latter was just 0.35s from pole position.

Lachlan Bloxsom was next, while Adrian Flack starred on his Pro-Am class return to Sprint Challenge – not only taking pole in class but qualifying well inside the top-10 in the process.

Harrison Goodman and Tom Taplin completed the top-10. The top 15 cars were covered by under one second in one of the most stacked Sprint Challenge fields in history.

Second in Pro-Am was championship leader Sam Shahin, the Pro-Am rivals in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup continuing their rivalry into the Sprint Challenge series.

Shahin was 12th outright, while Brett Boulton was third in class and 16th outright, not far behind.

Matt Slavin was fourth in class, with Richard Cowen a strong fifth in the Pro-Am fight.

Brad Carr continued his strong recent form – he won the Symmons Plains round last time out – to grab pole in Class B, with defending champion Lachlan Harburg and Brayden Taylor next in class.

After a busy Friday that saw two practice sessions and a qualifying session in a single day, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field now waits until later on Saturday for the first time this weekend, with the opening race of the weekend set for a 6:25pm start tomorrow night.

That race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

Preparation key as Tom McLennan makes Sydney Motorsport Park debut

Strong momentum from a pre-event test for McLennan

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge young gun Tom McLennan is hoping he can bring the strong momentum from a pre-event test to Round 3 of the title chase at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Many of the leading Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge teams including McLennan as part of McElrea Racing were part of the test day at the venue recently where he impressed. It also provided useful miles around the Eastern Creek-based circuit as McLennan prepares for his first national racing weekend there.

Sitting fifth in the standings after demonstrating frontrunning pace in Tasmania where the second-tier Porsche category also supported the Repco Supercars Championship as it does this weekend as part of the Sydney SuperNight.

McLennan will be aiming to learn as much as possible during Friday’s two practice and qualifying sessions.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will also race under lights right before the Supercars hit the track making for a new experience for many drivers in the field, including McLennan. Two races round out the weekend of action on Sunday.

QUOTES

Tom McLennan

#81 Macpro Properties

“It’s been a long time between drinks, but I’m ready to get back on track at Sydney Motorsport Park,” said McLennan.

“We did a test day with McElrea Racing and a lot of my Pro competitors were there too a couple of weeks ago. It was a fairly confidence building test; we were one of the quickest on used tyres and were up there on a new set. It’s left me excited for a good weekend ahead.

“We’re aiming to climb up the title ladder in Sydney, so another good event this weekend will ensure we go a long way in doing that. We struggled in qualifying last time out and if I rectify this, we’ll be on for a top five across the races.

“It was good to race with the Supercars in Tasmania. It puts on the pressure for everyone, but it’s good to have this environment and the live TV is good as well.

“I’ve only completed a state round in the older spec Porsche at Sydney Motorsport Park making this a new experience for me.”

TekworkX Trio Excited by Sydney Night Challenge

Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport

Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport will tackle a unique weekend on the support bill for the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

Aron Shields and Hamish Fitzsimmons are joined for the third round of the championship by Dunlop Super2 Series regular Nash Morris, with the trio all coming off a recent test day at the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit.

Friday will see two practice sessions and qualifying all packed into a five-hour window starting at 9:30am. The solitary session for the category on Saturday will be a 14-lap hit out under lights at 6:25pm, coming well after sunset at 5:10pm. Another sprint race kicks off the Sunday action at 10:10am before the 25 lap Enduro Cup finale at 1:35pm.

Now into his second season in the category, Shields will be able to draw from his experience racing around SMP in 2022, which netted him two top five finishes.

“I enjoyed racing around Eastern Creek last year, and we benefitted from some valuable testing in the lead up to this round as well,” said Shields.

“The conditions will be pretty changeable across the weekend, with the first race under lights and the other two through the day, which is going to be the biggest challenge. It’s a busy programme on Friday, hopefully we can roll out strong.

“It felt like the crew found a good direction for the car during the test day which felt comfortable, so there’s a strong platform for us to start the weekend,” concluded Shields.

Fitzsimmons has stormed to fifth place in the Enduro Cup races at the opening two rounds of the season, also setting a new lap record for the category in Symmons Plains.

“This is the first round where I’ve got a bit of prior experience on the circuit, which is immediately a much better position for me to be in, thanks to the testing miles,” said Fitzsimmons.

“We had a couple setbacks in the opening races so far, which have been a bit unavoidable, which means the key for us will be a better run through the start of the weekend so that we aren’t having to come through the field at the end again.

“The night racing is going to be pretty cool, it always feels like you’re going faster when it’s dark and the atmosphere is always special at night. It should be a good weekend of racing,” concluded Fitzsimmons.

Stepping in for a one-off appearance, Morris is focused on gaining more mileage behind the wheel as he dovetails his season in Dunlop Super2.

“We had a good test in Sydney, which a lot of the teams were at. It’s a great track for these cars, with some high-speed corners that work well with the downforce and grip you get from the tyre in the Porsche,” said Morris.

“We’re just looking to do the best we can during the weekend. The category is full of top-level drivers, so you can’t take a mindset that you expect to go out and win. We’ll see what the result is at the end of it,” concluded Morris.

TekworkX Motorsport’s three-pronged attack in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge is also joined at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight by the team’s Toyota 86 department, with four entries for round two of their season.

31 cars ready for Sydney Motorsport Park battle

Huge field set for racing under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park

A STUNNING season-high field of 31 cars will tackle the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Sydney Motorsport Park next week. 

One of the most broadly competitive grids assembled in series history, the field includes 13 drivers in the Pro class – a record since the introduction of the current class structure.

The series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park with New Zealand teenager Marco Giltrap leading the standings following victories in the first two rounds, at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains, respectively.

He leads Ronan Murphy in the series standings, the second-generation racer fresh from his first race win on Aussie soil last time out in Tasmania.

A consistent performance so far this year has Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T-Marts racer Harrison Goodman third in the standings, breaking up what has otherwise been a series dominated by Kiwi drivers.

That’s reflected with Zac Stichbury sitting fourth in the standings, just ahead of young Aussie Michelin Junior driver, Tom McLennan.

Meanwhile, Nash Morris will add to the broad list of cars he has raced this year by making his one-make Porsche racing debut aboard a car entered by TekworkX Motorsport.

In the Pro-Am battle, Sam Shahin and Brett Boulton have finished first and second in every race so far this season, though a Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia ring-in could upset the applecart this weekend.

Adrian Flack will join the field this weekend to gain more racing laps amidst his Carrera Cup campaign, where he and Shahin regularly go head-to-head.

Class B, which caters to the previous-generation Type 991.1 GT3 Cup Car, will see its strongest entry yet with five cars to race for class honours.

Phil Morriss has a comfortable lead in the championship thanks to finishing second or third in every race so far, however 2022 champion Lachy Harburg – who swept the opening round this year – returns this weekend having missed the Tasmanian event.

Round 2 winner Brad Carr sits equal second in the championship having won all three races in Tasmania, but missed the first round.

Sydney Motorsport Park was a highlight of the 2022 Michelin Sprint Challenge season with Ryan Wood and Tom Sargent going head to head across three gripping races.

Wood scored pole and the first two race wins, while Sargent claimed the finale’ after plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing.

Carrera Cup graduate Courtney Prince finished third overall while Sam Shahin won Pro-Am.

The series hits the track for the first time at 9:35am on Friday, July 28 for practice one, followed by the second session at 12:30pm.

The grid will be set at 2:40pm that afternoon with the three races spread across Saturday and Sunday.

Race one will be run under lights at 6:25pm on Saturday evening as the lead-in act to the Supercars Championship race that evening.

Races two and three will start at 10:00am and 1:35pm respectively on Sunday. All three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports, plus Sky Sports NZ.

ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
Sydney Motorsport Park

Nash Morris Set for Porsche Debut in Sydney

TekworkX squad grabs Super3 winner for Sydney round

Nash Morris will make his debut in one-make Porsche racing at Sydney Motorsport Park in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for race winning team TekworkX Motorsport.

Morris, the son of 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner Paul Morris, will drive a third Pro class entry for the Gold Coast based team who have already won multiple races across both Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge in 2023.

Lining up alongside Aron Shields and Hamish Fitzsimmons, Morris will contest the third round of the Championship as part of the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

The 2021 Dunlop Super3 Series winner has made a habit out of driving a wide variety of vehicles as the 20-year-old forges his racing career.

Alongside his 2022 and 2023 Dunlop Super2 campaigns, Morris has enjoyed race-winning starts in the TA2 Muscle Car Series, Trans Am Australia and GT4 Australia.

His start in Sprint Challenge will mark Morris’ fifth category in which he’s featured so far in 2023.

Round three of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes place at Sydney Motorsport Park from July 28-30, with Morris lining up alongside Shields and Fitzsimmons for TekworkX Motorsport.

Nash Morris, Driver, #67

“The Porsche is a very cool car, it’s a fast car around a fast track which is more good mileage for me,” said Morris.

“We had a good test in Sydney, which a lot of the teams were at. It’s a great track for these cars, with some high-speed corners that work well with the downforce and grip you get from the tyre in the Porsche.

“I’ve known Rob and the team for a while, they’ve been very involved at Norwell. It’s cool that I have got the opportunity to drive one of his cars now. A lot of the team’s drivers in Toyota 86 and Porsche have done some training with the Norwell team.

“We’re just looking to do the best we can during the weekend. The category is full of top-level drivers, so you can’t take a mindset that you expect to go out and win. We’ll see what the result is at the end of it,” concluded Morris.

Rob Woods, Team Owner

“We are thrilled to have Nash racing for us in Sydney, he’s an extremely talented driver who we’ve had a relationship with for a while now,” said Woods.

“Nash and Paul have been great supporters through Norwell Motorplex, providing training and support to our drivers between rounds, which is how our relationship with him has grown. We’re excited to see how Nash goes in Sydney, as we know he’s fast in everything he drives.

“Having Nash in the team will also be great for our full-time drivers Aron and Hamish, who can hopefully benefit from the experience Nash brings behind the wheel,” concluded Woods.

Tom McLennan secures maiden podium result in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Storming drive to third in enduro cup race a highlight for Macpro driver

First win for Ronan Murphy, second win for Marco Giltrap

Sam Shahin claims Pro-Am victory and Brad Carr class B on history-making day in Tassie

Son-of-a-gun Ronan Murphy has claimed his first win on Aussie soil after racing his way to the front in a 40-lap Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia showdown at Symmons Plains Raceway, while Marco Giltrap claimed his second round win in a row. 

Murphy started on the second row but passed both Giltrap and Zac Stichbury – with a series of decisive passes at the famous Symmons hairpin to take the race lead and ultimately pull away to grab the victory in the Enduro Cup race.

Sam Shahin claimed the race and the round in the Pro-Am Class, while Brad Carr also completed his clean-sweep of the Class B battle to cap off a perfect weekend.

The Jim Richards Enduro Cup race started in cool but clear conditions with Giltrap leading teammate Stichbury into the first corner.

Murphy, however, had pace to burn and passed his first Kiwi rival to move to second on lap 7.

He only needed three more laps to pressure and ultimately pass Giltrap to take the race lead on the 11th tour.

Murphy pulled away gradually in the lead while a five-car fight evolved for the minors, Giltrap slipping several spots back as Lachlan Bloxsom, Oscar Targett and others charged forward.

Murphy ultimately claimed his first victory, his first of his career on Aussie soil. He was also the third different race winner from six races this year – and the first for the Sonic team this year.

Targett and Bloxsom spent much of their race battling for second, and though he crossed the line behind Bloxsom he inherited the position post race on account of a five-second penalty for the latter after on-track contact.

That contact was with Zac Stichbury, who was spun down the order and out of podium contention.

The penalty ultimately dropped Bloxsom to sixth, behind Murphy, Targett and a fast-finishing Tom McLennan – who scored his first top three in PMSC competition – Marco Giltrap and Hamish Fitzsimmons.

Caleb Sumich raced to seventh position in the Enduro Cup race with Shahin, Harrison Goodman and Tom Taplin completing the top-10 for the race.

Giltrap ultimately did enough to claim his second-straight round win in PMSC competition, taking the overall round honours over Murphy with Grove junior Targett on the overall podium on his round debut.

Shahin’s win in the Pro-Am class came ahead of Brett Boulton and Andrew Goldie, who finished third in class.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will return to the Repco Supercars Championship for Round 3 of the series at the Sydney SuperNight event on July 28-30, while the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia returns to the circuit at the Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley on June 16-18.

MARCO GILTRAP – ROUND WINNER

“Yeah, it’s a little bit bittersweet after that last race. You know, we really really struggled. I think it was p4 on the end after if so it was just a bit of damage limitation.

“But it was a good weekend, we can’t let it take away from that pole to race wins, so I’m very happy and have the championship lead and I think it’s pretty wide open – it’s going to be a good season.”

SAM SHAHIN – PRO-AM WINNER

“It’s been a great weekend with great championship points, three wins and good points. I learned a lot from a tricky and un-conventional track, but it’s an absolute cracker. You only need one passing point to make it a great track, so this is a wonderful circuit, just a perfect weekend for us.”

BRAD CARR – CLASS B WINNER

“I’m really happy to finally come away with the win. I’ve had a few mistakes in the last, you know, two rounds I did last year, so yeah, really happy. The car was a little bit under gunned, I suppose, with the 3.8 litre engine, but that was fun.

“I was just defending – I was the hunted this weekend but had a really good weekend.”

Giltrap leads Kiwi lockout in Symmons openers

1-2 result for Team Porsche NZ duo as Shahin, Carr take class wins

MARCO GILTRAP led a Kiwi 1-2 in a pair of combative races that opened the second round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Symmons Plains Raceway. 

The 18-year-old Aucklander, who won the opening round of the series at Phillip Island, started from pole and won the opening race after leading all the way.

He then battled closely with his Team Porsche NZ / EBM teammate Zac Stichbury in race two before executing a nice move mid-race to get the lead and grab his second win of the day.

Sam Shahin claimed both races in the Pro-Am class while Bradley Carr won both times in Class B.

Giltrap made the best start in race one and led the field into turn one, while Bloxsom was wide at turn two and dropped several spots.

Two separate incidents early in the race brought the Safety Car out, the first a spin from Hamish Fitzsimmons who was turned around at the Turn 4 hairpin.

The second was contact between Ross McGregor and Eric Constandinidis on the exit of turn three, which saw both cars make contact with each other and then the wall.

On the restart, Giltrap led the field back to green while some enthusiastic racing broke out behind for the podium spots.

Marcos Flack and Aron Shields ran second and third, before contact between the pair at the hairpin saw Flack spun.

Shields also rotated and was collected by Bloxsom on his way though, damaging his car in the process.

Ronan Murphy avoided the chaos to climb to second while impressive rookie Oscar Targett jumped to third – the pair finishing in that order behind eventual winner Giltrap.

Sam Shahin claimed the Pro-Am win ahead of Brett Boulton and Andrew Goldie, while Brad Carr claimed class B and finished a stout 11th outright.

In race two, a frenetic opening lap saw Giltrap survive a wild moment at turn three as his car slid sideways, allowing a fast-starting Stichbury to take the lead.

The pair ran nose-to-tail for the first half of the race before Giltrap pounced and passed his teammate for the lead.

They ran nose-to-tail for the remainder in the first 1-2 finish for Earl Bamber Motorsport and Team Porsche NZ in local Porsche competition.

Harrison Goodman finished third while Ronan Murphy was in the mix throughout, finishing fourth.

Oscar Targett ran third in the early stages before dropping back to fifth in just his second ever Porsche race, while Tom Taplin was a stout sixth.

Shahin again claimed the Pro-Am battle and placed seventh outright, ahead of the race one recoverees including Caleb Sumich, Lachlan Bloxsom, Aron Shields and Marcos Flack.

Flack had made the most headway early and had powered his Sonic Motor Racing entry as high as sixth before a spin at turn six while attempting a pass on Targett saw him spinning back to just outside the top-10.

Brett Boulton finished second in Pro-Am with Richard Cowen third in class, while Carr again claimed Class B.

Sunday will see the third and final race of the weekend battled out over 40 minutes, representing the second round of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.

That race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

MARCO GILTRAP – Race 1 and 2 winner

“I made it hard for myself at the start but we got there in the end. I just think I just went in too deep. You know, I was watching Ronan on the right of me.

“I had a monumental moment out of Turn 3, I thought I was about to go around but kept it in it!

“I covered off Oscar who was coming in behind me and from there with me and Zac had a really good pace at the start for about the first three quarters of the race.

“I could see. Zac was struggling the same with me and I just went for a move. It was pretty pretty big one and I was like lucky to get a stopped. But from there, we just pressed on.”

Giltrap snares pole in closest ever Sprint Challenge qualifying

Less than 0.1 seconds covering top 4 in tight Symmons fight

MARCO GILTRAP has picked up where he left off in his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia campaign, grabbing pole position for Round 2 of the series at Symmons Plains Raceway in one of the series’ closest ever qualifying sessions. 

Giltrap set a Porsche track-record 52.2810s best mid-way through the qualifying session and, with the track temperature decreasing, watched as everyone tried but ultimately failed to dislodge his Team Porsche NZ / EBM Porsche from pole position.

Full qualifying results: Click Here

The session was the closest ever in Sprint Challenge history with Lachlan Bloxsom a career-best second, trailing Giltrap by just 0.0464s.

The bonus point for Giltrap extends his championship lead, the 18-year-old Kiwi having won the opening round at Phillip Island in March.

Round 1 polesitter Marcos Flack qualified third – one of only a few to improve late in the session on a second new tyre run – with Ronan Murphy fourth.

The top four cars were covered by just 0.0792 seconds, while Zac Stichbury was fifth and just 0.17s from pole.

Round 1 podium finisher Aron Shields was sixth while Sam Shahin was seventh outright and first of the Pro-Am contenders.

Shahin’s 52.6417s was just 0.3 seconds from pole position and 0.6 seconds quicker than the next closest Pro-Am runner.

Grove Racing junior Oscar Targett qualified an impressive eighth on his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debut with Harrison Goodman and Tom McLennan rounding out the top-10.

The 10 quickest cars were split by just 0.45 seconds – the closest on record – while exactly one second covers the top 14 of the 23-strong field this weekend.

Included in that was Class B polesitter Brad Carr, who qualified his Generation 1 991 GT3 Cup Car 13th outright and only 0.8 seconds from the outright pole position time.

Just behind him was Brett Boulton, who was second in Pro-Am, while his McElrea Racing teammate Richard Cowen was 15th outright and third in Pro-Am – his best ever qualifying effort in PMSC.

The second round of the 2023 series continues tomorrow with two sprint races ahead of a longer enduro race on Sunday morning to complete the round.

All the races this weekend will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports this weekend.

MARCO GILTRAP – Pole Position / Michelin Junior

“It was pretty surprising given where we came from in practice. We struggled quite a bit but we moved on from there and we improved.

“It takes a while for the tyres to come in. Ultimately we got that time, then we changed tyres and couldn’t go any quicker. My time was set earlier in the session and it was enough to clinch pole.

“It reminds me of back home in New Zealand, it’s tight, there’s walls close by. The racing is going to be super intense. There’s going to be a lot on that first lap with people getting to the front.

“I think it will be a good watch – make sure to tune in for that. It’s going to be close – there’s nothing in it.”

SAM SHAHIN – Pro-Am Pole Position

“Very pleasing. I started having some dreams after finishing second in practice one, but it was back to reality in qualifying.

“I’m really happy. I’ve not driven this car since Phillip Island and it’s a real handful, it’s very different to the 992 (that Sam races in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia). There are only a couple of corners you need to absolutely nail and it’s a technical little circuit.

“I’m very pleased to start a little bit forward, looking forward to some great racing – this track always produces it.”

TekworkX duo ready for Tasmanian trip

Hamish Fitzsimmons and Aron Shields will both take to the track at Symmons Plains Raceway for the first time

Hamish Fitzsimmons and Aron Shields will both take to the track at Symmons Plains Raceway for the first time, when Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge heads to Tasmania for round two of the season.

The TekworkX Motorsport duo found immediate success at the season opening round at Phillip Island, with Shields earning his maiden victory while Fitzsimmons raced his way to a top five in his first event out of karting.

The up-and-coming drivers are both benefitting from a strong testing and coaching programme. The team completed a test day at Queensland Raceway in between the opening two rounds and the pair have also spent time at Norwell Motorplex, receiving extensive coaching and training.

Last time Sprint Challenge raced in Tasmania was in 2019, before TekworkX Motorsport had formed, however the team has strong ties to the track and category combination. Max Vidau swept all three races when Sprint Challenge last visited Tasmania, and the current Carrera Cup Championship leader will be on hand to lend his expertise over the weekend.

Shields is in his second year in the category and sits second in the championship after the opening round of the 2023 season.

“I’m really looking forward to tackling a new track, as I’ve been to most of the circuits on this year’s calendar,” said Shields.

“Phillip Island was a really strong weekend for us, and I felt that I unlocked a new level of speed in my driving. We saw a really competitive round in the Pro class, and I’m expecting much of the same in Tasmania.

“It’s pretty cool to be racing on the support bill for Supercars, it’s the first time I’ve had that opportunity. I’ll try to soak in the atmosphere and the event but I’m there to do a job and all the focus will be on performing as best we can on track,” concluded Shields.

Fitzsimmons showed experience beyond his years when he carved his way through the pack in races two and three at Phillip Island, culminating in a fifth-place finish to end his debut weekend.

“The confidence levels are much higher than they were at this point prior to round one,” said Fitzsimmons.

“I learnt a lot through that weekend at Phillip Island, and I’ve been working hard since then to continue improving in preparation for round two. The time at Norwell has helped me to iron out some bad habits and I’ve really benefited from the training from Anton De Pasquale and Paul Morris up there.

“Symmons Plains is obviously a lot tighter and shorter than Phillip Island, there’s not much room for error and the field is going to be extremely close. I’m keen to go racing at a different style of circuit and also live out a dream of mine, which is to go racing at a Supercars event,” said Fitzsimmons.

Round two of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes place at Symmons Plains Raceway as part of the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint, from May 19-21. All three races will be live on Fox Sports and Kayo.

McLennan looking forward to racing in front of big Tasmanian crowd

Rising Porsche star Tom McLennan says he feels ready for the challenge of racing on a brand-new track for the second round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Symmons Plains Raceway this weekend.

The Queenslander has never raced on the 2.4km Tasmanian track, but was fortunate to have visited the track earlier this year for an initial look at the venue.

With 23 cars entered for this weekend’s round, McLennan knows that getting qualifying right on the seven-turn layout, including the famous hairpin, will be crucial.

“I was down at Symmons Plains earlier this year and it’s a cool little track, but the hairpin – I’ve never seen anything like it before!” Said McLennan.

“There are plenty of lines you can take into it, so it’ll be interesting to find out the one that suits the Porsche.

“It’s such a tight circuit where the racing will be close and I’m guessing there will be a lot of door-to-door banging as well. No doubt, it will make for an entertaining weekend.

“Qualifying will also be critical. The most important thing is that you’ll need to put a lap together with no mistakes.”

The Porsche racing will support the Repco Supercars Championship, meaning a big crowd and great television broadcast through Foxtel and Kayo.

McLennan is no stranger to racing on the big stage and is keen to do it all again this weekend.

“Supporting the Supercars is really cool,” he said.

“I did it in Formula Ford last year at Winton and it was a great experience. It’s great to see a large crowd watching and you get to watch all the main guys race on the same track you are.

“It’s always good to go into these type of rounds, and knowing you’ve got the full support available through McElrea Racing makes it so much easier.”

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will be on track on Friday for two practice sessions and qualifying, followed by two races on Saturday and the final race on Sunday.

For Australian viewers, all of Saturday and Sunday’s racing can be seen live on Foxtel and Kayo.

Scene set for Symmons showdown as Sprint Challenge returns

Young stars assemble as PMSC returns to Apple Isle for Round 2

THE most wide-open Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field in years will return to Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania this weekend for the second round of an already compelling 2023 series. 

A 23-strong field will head to the Apple Isle to contest three races at this weekend’s Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint event, competing alongside the Repco Supercars Championship for just the second time in series’ history.

It comes following a compelling opening round at Phillip Island in late February that saw 18-year-old New Zealand rising star Marco Giltrap claim two of the three races and win the round.

Giltrap starred on his debut performance in Australia, qualifying fourth before racing his way to victory in the opening race, backing that up with second in Race 2 and another win in the finale’.

Aussie teenager Marcos Flack grabbed pole at the opening round while Australian karting graduate, Aron Shields, won his first race and finished second overall.

Second-year Michelin Sprint Challenge racer Harrison Goodman enjoyed his best weekend yet by finishing third aboard his Bob Jane T-Marts-backed Sonic entry.

All three will be in action this weekend to be joined again by a host of fiercely competitive young stars all looking to make their impression felt early in the series.

The 23-strong Tassie grid includes some new talent joining the series for the first time.

17-year-old karting sensation Oscar Targett will make his debut this weekend, competing for the Grove Racing Junior team and supported by Earl Bamber Motorsport.

Target, a top-20 ranked driver in the FIA’s World Karting Championship, is a highly-rated prospect and joins a host of other rising stars on this year’s grid.

Following Giltrap, Shields and Goodman, second-generation star Ronan Murphy (Sonic) sits fourth in the standings while Porsche New Zealand scholarship winner Zac Stichbury is fifth.

The stacked Symmons Plains Pro field also includes McElrea Racing’s Caleb Sumich, Tom McLennan and Lachlan Bloxsom, TekworkX Motorsport’s young star Hamish Fitzsimmons and South Aussie driver, Tom Taplin.

In the Pro-Am ranks, two former class champions battled it out for the Round 1 victory with no signs of that intensity reducing heading into Round 2.

Sam Shahin (The Bend Motorsport Park) claimed round 1 ahead of McElrea Racing’s Brett Boulton, with Matt Slavin in third place.

Both Shahin and Boulton featured prominently at Symmons Plains on the last visit in 2019, with Shahin claiming the round win in the Pro-Am class and Boulton finishing second.

In Class B, Round 1 winner and defending champion Lachy Harburg misses Tasmania, opening the door to rivals Brad Carr and Phil Morris to score points.

The last time the series raced in Tasmania, Harri Jones scored pole position while Max Vidau swept the three races to claim the round honours.

Jones’ finished second and Ryan Suhle third, with Aaron Love just off the podium.

This weekend, Jones will make his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup debut while Vidau currently co-leads the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship and Love is a leading light in the Super2 Series.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field hits the track on Friday for two practice sessions and qualifying.

The first two races will then be contested on Saturday, ahead of the 40-minute finale’ on Sunday morning.

All three races across the weekend will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports, with coverage on Sky Sport New Zealand for Kiwi viewers.

ENTRY LIST

EVENT SCHEDULE:

Friday, May 19

Practice 1 – 11:05am
Practice 2 – 12:50pm
Qualifying – 14:50pm

Saturday, May 20
Live on Fox Sports & Kayo

Race 1 – 11:40am (20 Minutes)
Race 2 – 14:40pm (25 Minutes)

Sunday, May 21
Live on Fox Sports & Kayo

Race 2 – 11:50am (40 Minutes)

Sonic ready for Symmons as Ronan Murphy reveals new Porsche backers

Sonic trio ready for big weekend on the Apple Isle

Targett locked for Grove junior team, PMSC debut

Youn-gun set for Sprint Challenge debut in Tasmania

Grove Junior Team rising star, Oscar Targett is set to take on two of Australia’s most competitive Junior Series, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and the Toyota Gazoo 86 Racing Series. 

With the continued backing of the Grove Group, the 17-year-old Queenslander has shown his talent throughout his karting career where in 2022 he moved to Italy to race with the Official BirelART Karting Team.

Oscar competed in the FIA European Championship finishing 8th in Cremona, Italy and ended the season inside the top 20 at the FIA World Championship amongst a field of 126 drivers. 

With his car racing debut on the horizon, Stephen and Brenton Grove as well as Penrite Racing Team Principal, David Cauchi have expressed their high regard for the junior driver who is set to take on the TGRA Scholarship Series kicking off at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.  

The TGRA Scholarship series involves three qualifying sessions constructed to finalise the grid for the main rounds which commence on July 7-9 at the Townsville 500.  

Oscar’s first round of The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will be at Queensland Raceway April 28 – 30 where he will also be supported by Earl Bamber Motorsport. 

TEAM OWNER, STEPHEN GROVE SAID:

“We are very proud to be supporting Oscar as he transitions to car racing this year. It is an exciting stage in his career and the start of what we believe will be a long and successful one.” 

“Oscar’s capability is highly impressive, and it was evident from the moment we met him that he embodies all the values we look for in our junior drivers. Racing both the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Toyota Gazoo 86 Racing Series will allow him to build his door-to-door race craft as well as his speed which is our main focus through this season. 

“We are all excited to see what he can achieve this year,” said Stephen. 

TEAM PRINCIPAL, PENRITE RACING, DAVID CAUCHI SAID:

“Oscar has shown he is an impressive young driver.”

“He achieved some strong results karting in Italy last year and that experience will no doubt help him as he transitions to car racing.  

“Grove Racing are proud to be a part of Oscar development so far and we will continue to support him to build the foundation of his professional racing career. Having access to the resources of the Supercars team and our drivers Matt Payne, Dave Reynolds and Garth Tander will be valuable to his learning,” said Cauchi. 

OSCAR TARGETT, GROVE JUNIOR TEAM DRIVER SAID:

“For the 2023 season I begin my move from Karting into cars with the amazing team at Grove Racing.” 

“I’m extremely excited and fortunate to be competing in both the Toyota 86 and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge. We have done 2 days testing in the Porsche with the team at Earl Bamber Motorsport where I have been happy with my speed. This weekend we start off at Sydney Motorsport Park in the Toyota 86 scholarship series. 

“I have a lot of learning to do this year to prepare myself for the future but I’m up for the challenge and keen to get to work.  

“I can’t thank Stephen, Brenton and the whole team at Grove Racing enough for their support,” said Oscar.  

Date change for Queensland PMSC Round confirmed

Sprint Challenge to link with Shannons SpeedSeries event in August

Porsche Motorsport Australia has made the difficult decision to move what was planned to be the second round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia at Queensland Raceway.  

Our original calendar had the series running with the Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway on April 28-30.

That round will no longer proceed, with Round 2 of the series instead now set for Symmons Plains on May 19-21.

As an alternative to the planned ASBK event, the series will now return to Queensland Raceway at the Shannons SpeedSeries event on August 11-13.

Though the date changes, this move ensures the venue and state remains the same.

Our Queensland round will therefore become the fourth round of the series – following the Sydney SuperNight event with Supercars in late July.

“There are significant differences between two and four-wheeled events – including officiating, broadcast expectations, and important timing logistics – that proved extremely challenging for us to overcome,” Porsche Motorsport Australia Manager Barry Hay explained.

“To deliver the same consistently high level of product that our teams, competitors and supporters are accustomed to, we have elected instead to shift our Queensland trip to the SpeedSeries Program in August.

“We would like to thank Simon Maas and the team at the Australian Superbikes for their efforts to accommodate us, and Adrian Coppin and his team at Motorsport Australia for offering an alternative event.

“We understand the challenges involved; however it is our opinion that this will represent a better outcome in terms of quality of event, broadcast and media exposure not to mention the overall event experience for our PMSC competitors.”

The Porsche Motorsport team will work closely with event organisers on the category schedule at Queensland Raceway, in an effort to best manage the turn-around time between that weekend, and the subsequent Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia round at The Bend Motorsport Park the following week.

The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will be held at Symmons Plains Raceway on May 19-21.

PORSCHE MICHELIN SPRINT CHALLENGE
Revised 2023 Calendar

Round 1 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, PIARC March Access, March 4-5 (Complete)
Round 2 – Symmons Plains Raceway, TAS, Supercars Tasmania SuperSprint, May 19-21
Round 3 – Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW, Supercars Sydney SuperNight, July 28-30
Round 4 – Queensland Raceway, QLD, Shannons SpeedSeries, August 11-13
Round 5 – The Bend Motorsport Park, SA, Shannons Motorsport Australia Trophy Series, October 13-15
Round 6 – Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW, Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, November 10-12

Giltrap stars in wild Sprint Challenge season opener

Kiwi sensation claims the Island, as Shahin and Harburg take class wins

NEW ZEALAND teenager Marco Giltrap has launched his Australian career in style, claiming victory in the opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

The Team Porsche NZ / EBM driver won two of Sunday’s three races to take the round overall in a thrilling weekend of competition to kick off the new one-make Porsche season in Australia.

RESULTS: Round 1, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge 

Sam Shahin claimed victory over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin in Pro-Am, while Lachlan Harburg won Class B to kick off his title defence.

Giltrap’s path to victory came via a consistent day that saw him leap from fourth to win in the first 10-lap sprint race of the year.

He then finished second in the second sprint, behind first-time race winner Aron Shields, to set up a race-three tiebreaker in the 25-lap Jim Richards Enduro opener on Sunday afternoon.

His path to victory was less than clear, however, gaining the lead – then losing it in a hesitation with lapped traffic – before re-passing Harrison Goodman to take the lead and pull away to victory.

It ensured he won the round over Shields and Goodman, who completed the podium.

“I’ve finished with the round win and a couple of race wins – can’t get a much better stuff than that,” Giltrap said.

“We’re pretty sure we had some pretty good pace coming into the weekend. There’s still some room for improvement as always, but that third race was pretty hectic. I mean, it was a long one.

“There’s a bit of tyre conservation and then the traffic got involved and we sort of slipped back to second.

“Ultimately, we knew we had the pace towards the end of the race and we kept strong and ultimately, we came on top.”

Sam Shahin swept the weekend in the Pro-Am class, winning all three races.

Brett Boulton kicked off his title defence with a solid second overall while Matt Slavin scored his second podium finish, scoring third overall for the weekend.

Lachy Harburg was similarly unbeaten in Class B, sweeping all three wins to take the round over Brayden Taylor and Phil Morris.

All three races were thrilling affairs setting the tone for a competitive Sprint Challenge season ahead.

In race one, a flying start saw Giltrap leap to the lead from fourth of the grid, pulling away from a furious fight for second position to claim his debut victory in his first one-make Porsche race.

Aron Shields spent much of his race in a pitched battle for second position with Lachlan Bloxsom, the pair battling until the former slipped through with a few laps remaining to secure second.

That left Bloxsom in third heading a train comprised of Harrison Goodman, Ronan Murphy, Zak Stichbury and Pro-Am winner, Sam Shahin.

Stichbury had challenged for a top-three spot on the last lap before he ran wide at Siberia, surrendering two spots.

Tom Taplin, Brett Boulton and Tom McLennan completed the top-10, while Lachy Harburg claimed Class B.

In race two, the start was again critical as Shields launched into the lead from second position, pulling away from Marco Giltrap to claim a strong win – his first in PMSC competition.

It was also the first race win for TekworkX Motorsport in the series.

Harrison Goodman finished a stout third following a combative drive, while Lachlan Bloxsom crossed the line in fourth – however was later penalised two positions for a breech of driving standards regulations.

That elevated Stichbury to fourth and Murphy to fifth, with Shahin (Pro-Am) and Harburg (Class B) again triumphing.

The Jim Richards Enduro season opener was a wild one, with a battle of tyre conservation seeing drivers rise and fall dramatically throughout the leaderboard.

Marcos Flack was one who charged through the field, running as high as second before he fell close to the finish – Tom Taplin another to star before failing to finish.

Giltrap claimed the lead early but lost it negotiating traffic, Harrison Goodman assuming point for several laps as the pair battled before the young Kiwi re-took the lead.

Ronan Murphy was a big winner – storming past both Flack and Goodman, his two Sonic teammates, to score a personal-best second in the feature race.

Zac Stichbury stormed through to fourth while Hamish Fitzsimmons was fifth, from well outside the top-10.

Sam Shahin ran with the Pro drivers en-route to the Pro-Am class victory, Brett Boulton second in class.

The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will see the field head to Queensland Raceway for Round 2, racing alongside the Australian Superbike Championship on April 28-30.

Marcos Flack charges to debut Porsche pole

Sam Shahin, Lachy Harburg take class poles at the Island

TEENAGER Marcos Flack has sensationally charged to pole position for the opening round of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. 

The second-generation Porsche racer hovered around the top group of contenders for the first phase of today’s 30-minute qualifying session, however flew to the top of the charts on his final flying lap – in dominant style.

His 1m31.3032s flyer delivered him pole position by 0.48 seconds – a massive margin given the top-8 cars had been covered by less than that margin for much of the session.

In the Pro-Am class, Sam Shahin held out some intense competition to grab top spot in his category, while 2022 champion Lachlan Harburg topped Class B to kickstart his title defence.

Flack’s flyer delivered Sonic Motor Racing their first Sprint Challenge pole in several years and will see a pair of teenagers on the front row: Flack lining up alongside Team Porsche NZ junior Zak Stichbury.

“It was amazing,” Flack said.

“Being the first round good to start the season this way. We’ve got the job to do tomorrow – but this is the best way to start.”

The session was held in warm conditions at Phillip Island, with peak lap speed coming relatively early on each drivers’ run on a new set of Michelins.

Stichbury held top spot in the early stanza of qualifying before being bumped off pole by Flack late in the session.

The Team Porsche NZ driver was strong throughout practice and qualifying in what was a strong day for the Kiwi Porsche squad.

The second row will be made up of Aron Shields, who is making his first round start with TekworkX Motorsport, and Marco Giltrap.

Fifth was fast teenager Hamish Fitzsimmons, who enjoyed a strong debut session despite beaching his car at the top of Lukey Heights mid-way through qualifying – bringing out the red flag.

Lachlan Bloxsom was sixth for McElrea Racing, Ronan Murphy seventh on his debut and his Sonic teammate Harrison Goodman eighth.

Perth teenager Caleb Sumich was ninth and Tom Taplin tenth. Just one second covered Stichbury in second to Goodman in eighth, while six of the top 10 drivers were on their one-make Porsche debut today.

In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin grabbed top spot in qualifying but faced strong challenges from David Grieg, who qualified a personal-best second.

Grieg was just three-tenths behind Shahin with Brett Boulton just 0.1 seconds further back in third as he commences his Pro-Am class title defence.

Matt Slavin was fourth in class with Richard Cowen – who survived a wild ride on the exit of the final corner – and Andrew Goldie next.

Lachy Harburg scored pole in Class B – and 18th outright – with Brayden Taylor and Phil Morriss next.

The opening round of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series kicks off at Phillip Island tomorrow, with three races to be contested.

The first two will be a pair of competitive 10-lap sprints, with the finale’ the first round of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy series.

All three races will be streamed live on Blend Line TV via YouTube.

McLennan ready for start of new Porsche racing season

Tom McLennan says he has never felt more ready for a racing season ahead of his assault on the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge this year.

McLennan will compete in the all-Porsche series, driving for McElrea Racing that kicks off at the famous Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit this weekend.

The Queenslander is coming off the back of five-straight weekends of racing in New Zealand after completing the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championships.

In what was his first motorsport in a high-powered open wheel race car, McLennan scored his best results of the five-round season in the final weekend of the championship at Taupo, and he says that he is ready and raring to go for his return to Porsche racing at Phillip Island.

“The New Zealand experience was awesome and I’m really glad that I did it,” said McLennan.

“The things that I learnt the most were a lot about how to set up a race car, plus race craft, qualifying techniques and to maximise a new green tyre.

“I learnt a heap from it, and the aim will be to transform what I learnt there into my Porsche racing.”

Ahead of his return to Porsche competition, McLennan jumped back behind the wheel of a first generation of the 991 example at Queensland Raceway to reacquaint himself to racing with a roof over his head.

While he will step back into a Gen 2 car for his racing proper with McElrea Racing, he said that it was handy to get back into the groove in the older model car.

“It was nice to step back into the Porsche. Compared to the Formula Regional car, it felt easier, but that is to be expected. They are certainly different machines,” he said.

“It took all day to really get back into the swing, but doing that test was definitely an advantage for me.

“It’s only a two-day race meeting at Phillip Island. There are two practice sessions before we jump into qualifying, so I feel that I will have plenty of time to get right up to speed.”

McLennan is part of a great crop of young talent contesting the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge this year.

He says that he expects the competition to be fierce.

“There’s a lot of new guys in the series, plus some who are back for their second or third years,” he said.

“It will be a strong field, for sure, but I have never felt more ready for a season of racing.

“Hopefully we can get some strong results to kick off the year.”

Practice and qualifying will be held at Phillip Island this Saturday, followed by three races on Sunday.

Porsche Michelin Junior program participants named for 2023

Young stars of the sport put through their paces in extensive two-day training camp prior to launching racing year.

PORSCHE Motorsport Australia has announced a record class of drivers taking part in the 2023 Porsche Michelin Junior Program.

21 young rising stars from Australia and New Zealand hold official Michelin Junior Status this year and will compete across the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series and Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

Top juniors in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge receive support to progress to Carrera Cup, while the top-performing Michelin Junior in Carrera Cup receives an invite to compete in the global Porsche Michelin Junior shootout each year.

Porsche Motorsport Australia graduates Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Jordan Love and 2022 champion Harri Jones are all recent shootout participants.

The Porsche Michelin Junior program is a core element of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and gives young drivers opportunities to not only progress their career, but also improve their own physical and mental performance on their individual pathways to becoming professional racing drivers.

A majority of the Michelin Juniors were put through their paces in an extensive two-day camp in Melbourne earlier this year, developed by Porsche and specialist motorsport trainers, Reaction Performance.

“This year in the Porsche Michelin Junior Program we’re giving these guys, over a two day workshop, as much of an introduction to the different elements they need to bring in to improve their performance,” said Leigh Stamation, Reaction Performance.

“We did some reaction time testing; we did some body composition testing and we’ve moved on to do a beep test.

“Beyond that we do a spin test. We then had a seminar based on different elements, coaching, training, mindset, and the guys really absorbed it a lot through that.”

Stamation explained that the group showed enormous promise across the extensive, intense two-day program.

“There’s some standouts in the group, but there’s also the quiet achievers who show great promise,” he said.

“We’ve seen some real opportunities with some of these young kids and bringing them all together like this is a great way to observe where those future champions are going to come from.”

Barry Hay, Porsche Motorsport Australia Motorsport Manager said: “The biggest thing about Porsche is that everything is about development. We want to continually be at the top of our game in Motorsport throughout the world, and the best way to build champions is at the grass roots level.

“We’ve basically got some of the biggest hot shots in Australian Motorsport as juniors coming through.

“There are names here you’ll be hearing lots about in the next five years.”

Eleven Michelin Juniors will be in action this weekend within a strong 24-car field contesting the opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

The 2023 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship commences at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this March 30-April 2.

2023 PORSCHE MICHELIN JUNIOR DRIVERS:

Live Streaming coverage of Round 1 confirmed

Qualifying and all three races to be streamed live from Phillip Island

Three Pro-Am entries for Ashley Seward Motorsport

Triple threat for ASM team in PMSC opener

Ashley Seward Motorsport will field three Pro-Am entries in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the season-opening event at Phillip Island this weekend, Andrew Goldie, Matt Slavin and Tim Wolfe.

Goldie and Slavin return after contesting selected rounds of the 2022 season with ASM. Wolfe will make his debut in Sprint Challenge and is a new signing for the team.

Wolfe has previously raced in various TARGA Competitions in the West and has a number of rounds under his belt in the Porsche 944 Challenge in Victoria. The debutant is supported by PER Equipment Rentals.

“This year is all about learning and doing my apprenticeship, so to speak,” said Wolfe.

“In 2019 I made the step to Porsche 944 Challenge over in Victoria and really enjoyed that, but then 2020 and 2021 was disrupted by covid. I did some more rounds in 2022 and then decided that it would be the right time to make the leap into Sprint Challenge.

“I had the 991 that I was doing some local sports car stuff in, and then I knew Andrew Goldie who races for ASM, it all came together and I decided to hit the button and make it happen. I did my first test with the team just over a week ago at Phillip Island,” concluded Wolfe.

Goldie will be one of the favourites to fight for podiums in Pro-Am with his demonstrated history of pace in the one-make category. In 2022 Goldie finished the season third in the Pro-Am class, despite missing the round at Sandown Raceway. The result came off the back of six podium finishes throughout the year for the Cirrus Aircrafts backed driver.

“I am really looking forward to having another crack, the category is so professional and the sharpness of the front running drivers can’t be understated,” said Goldie.

“Last year ended up being a great year for me considering I missed a round. We were very strong through the season at the rounds we did do, which boosts the confidence for this season where I’m locked in for the full year.

“I love running at Phillip Island, it’s a fast and flowing European style track that really suits the Porsche’s. I’ve probably done more racing there than at any other track as well so that familiarity with the circuit will really help to hit the ground running,” concluded Goldie.

Slavin made his debut in the category in 2022 at the Bathurst International where he impressed with a top five finish in race two. From his five races last season, Slavin finished in the top 10 four times. Ares Group will continue as primary sponsor for Slavin in 2023.

“I have been itching to get back on-track and Phillip Island is the perfect place to get back to it,” said Slavin.

“I’m really fortunate to have Ares Group on board for the year and we are committed to doing the full season. Putting an entire season together is going to be an exciting challenge.

“With the amazing support from Ash Seward and the team, it’s up to me to tighten the belts and move towards the pointy end,” concluded Slavin.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season gets its six round calendar underway this weekend at Phillip Island from March 4-5.

Two-car PMSC attack for Wall Racing in 2023

Sydney team confirms two new names for Michelin Sprint Challenge season

Wall Racing has announced a two car line-up for the opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Phillip Island this weekend, with Caspar Tresidder to line up in the Pro-Am Class and Brayden Taylor to compete in Class B.

While the Phillip Island race meeting will mark Tresidder’s first foray into national-level competition, he already has several years’ experience of Porsche racing, having driven his Hillcrest Merimbula Motel 991 Mk2 GT3 Cup car in the NSW Production Sports Car Championship since 2019.

Tresidder will also be able to tap into a handy bank of family knowledge – his father Paul is an experienced Porsche competitor, having raced some of the German marque’s finest machines for almost two decades in both Australia and Asia. Paul even owns the Porsche 911 GT3-R driven to a spectacular victory by Matt Campbell, Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner in the 2019 Bathurst 12 Hour.

“It will be my first time racing at Phillip Island, and Dad has already given me plenty of advice,” Caspar Tresidder said.

“I’ve been doing some simulator training to prepare myself for the event, and Dad has been giving me tips on corners and car positioning.

“I’m just so excited to race at Phillip Island. I’ve only heard good things about it and it’s a track that will really suit the Porsche.”

Tresidder is expecting the progression to Porsche Sprint Challenge to be challenging, and is thankful to have the support of the experienced Wall Racing outfit to assist his transition.

“There’s no doubt it’s a big jump – in NSW Prod Sports, there might have been four or five other cars I would be battling against for a class win, but in Sprint Challenge there will be at least 15 good drivers in the Pro-Am Class, so the level of competition will be more intense” he said.

“I’m just so thankful to have David (Wall) and his team by my side – David’s knowledge when it comes to Porsche racing is unparalleled. His Dad Des actually raced against my dad, so he’s been a family friend for a long time and being able to tap into his expertise will make my learning curve much more comfortable.”

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Brayden Taylor will make his car racing debut, competing in Class B aboard David Wall’s 2017 Carrera Cup title-winning 991 Mk1 GT3, supported by All Workshop Services and Maha Australia.

Taylor raced go-karts up until 2019, while his father also has a motorsport background, formerly competing in Sports Sedans and Production Sports.

Taylor currently works in the Wall Racing workshop during the week and is also studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wollongong.

“I’ve done some practice days in the Porsche and I’m excited for my first car race, but I’m not going into the weekend with any expectations of results – I just want to learn as much as I can,” Taylor said.

“I’m trying to understand as much about the sport as I can, and actually going racing will complement everything I’m learning in my engineering course – I’ll be able to understand the way setup changes affect how the car feels from the driver’s seat.”

Team owner David Wall said the two drivers will provide a nice balance for Wall Racing’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge program.

“On one hand, we have Brayden who’s young, enthusiastic and eager to learn, and then we have Caspar who is racing for fun but is also very competitive and keen to keep improving.

“They both have a very positive attitude and their main priority is to enjoy the experience of racing Porsches at Phillip Island, so it should be a fun weekend for our team,” Wall concluded.

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season to launch at Phillip Island

Second-generation drivers highlight competitive start to 2023 season

THE 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will launch into life at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit this weekend, a 24-strong field set to be among the series’ most competitive yet.

Nine drivers will make their PMSC debut this weekend, including a remarkably strong Michelin Junior class that points to incredibly close competition at the top of the field.

Meanwhile, two defending class champions return in an effort to defend their respective Morris Pro-Am and Class B victories last year.

The 9 Porsche rookies include a host of second – or third – generation drivers all making the next step in their racing careers.

As well as Ronan Murphy, the son of four-time Bathurst champion Greg, Sonic Motor Racing will have the services of teenager Marcos Flack this year. Flack is the son of noted Carrera Cup racer Damien and returns to Australia after tackling open-wheel racing overseas.

Team Porsche New Zealand’s two-car attack includes Zac Stichbury, the son of Kiwi racing great, the late Ashley, while Marco Giltrap is the grandson of legendary New Zealand motoring and motorsport figure, Sir Colin Giltrap.

Caspar Tresidder is the son of well-known Sydney Porsche racer Paul, who has raced Carrera Cup Australia and Asia extensively, and makes his national racing debut this weekend.

Also joining the field are Perth teenager Caleb Sumich, who graduates from Radical Cup competition with McElrea Racing, Wall Racing’s Brayden Taylor – who will race David Wall’s 2017 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia title-winning car – Tim Wolfe and Hamish Fitzsimmons.

In the Pro class, returning drivers Harrison Goodman (Sonic), Lachlan Bloxsom and Tom McLennan (McElrea), Aron Shields (Who joins TekworkX Motorsport this sea) and Tom Taplin will hope to use their Porsche experience to get an early advantage over the fleet of newcomers.

In Pro-Am, Queenslander Brett Boulton returns to defend his hard-won 2022 title having finally make the breakthrough last season.

Boulton, who had twice finished runner-up in the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’, claimed the title last year over Sam Shahin – who also returns this year.

Andrew Goldie and David Grieg continue their ongoing battle, while Richard Cowen, Jonathan Glicksten, Matt Slavin, and Travis Knipe all add to the Pro-Am battle.

In Class B, Lachlan Harburg returns to commence the defence of his own class title from 2022 this weekend, however will again face strong competition in the category for the generation-1 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car, including newcomer Brayden Taylor and the experienced Phil Morriss.

The addition of nine further names to Porsche one-make competition this weekend takes to 26 the number of debutants in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in the last seven rounds.

This weekend marks the 15^th time that the series, a key part of the Porsche Pyramid, will have visited the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and the second time in as many rounds – the famous Victorian circuit having hosted the 2022 season finale’ last November.

There, Thomas Sargent claimed the title while Ryan Wood won both races and the round for Team Porsche NZ / EBM.

Sargent will tackle Porsche Carrera Cup North America this year, while Wood progresses to the Super2 series.

The 24-strong Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field will practice and qualify this Saturday at Phillip Island, with three races to be held on Sunday morning – culminating in the first Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race of the season.

Qualifying and all three races will be streamed live and free from the Island, with further details to follow.

ENTRY LIST – Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 1.

New colours for Boulton in Pro-Am title defence

McElrea driver returns to defend crown with new paint in 2023

DEFENDING Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Morris Pro-Am champion Brett Boulton has shown off bold new colours for his title defence this year. 

The Queenslander returns for a fifth season with McElrea Racing with a striking new livery that features support from Correct Connections Electrical and Clipsal Home.

Boulton claimed last years’ title in style, winning six races in total to claim the title over long-time rival, Sam Shahin.

Boulton had finished runner-up in the championship twice, to Danny Stuttered in 2018 and behind Sam Shahin 2019, however turned the tables last year in another highly competitive season between the pair.

He will make his 23rd round start when the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series commences at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this March 4-5.

He’ll join another strong McElrea Racing program, which will include the recently confirmed Caleb Sumich among their Pro Driver ranks.

The 2023 PMSC field is expected to be among the most competitive yet, with a host of rising stars already confirmed in the Pro category ranks.

That includes young-gun Marco Giltrap and Zac Stichbury driving for Porsche Team NZ, while Sonic Motor Racing have confirmed second-generation racers Ronan Murphy and Marcus Flack will be joined by the returning Harrison Goodman in their three-car team.

More drivers will be confirmed prior to the opening round of the series at the high-speed Victorian venue.

Marco Giltrap to Drive for Team Porsche New Zealand in 2023

Iconic Kiwi surnames join forces for Sprint Challenge campaign

Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport have announced that Marco Giltrap is confirmed to drive for Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) in the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia.

With a strong background in the Toyota 86 (GR86) racing series, Giltrap was the rookie of the year in the 2021 championship. This was followed up with a third place overall in the 2022 championship.

Later that year he transitioned from GR86 to a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car and was immediately successful, claiming a double-class victory in the New Zealand Endurance Championship 1-hour race (Class 2 and 3). Giltrap then teamed up with Simon Evans to win the 3-Hour GT4 class crown in a Porsche 718 GT4.

He will be debuting with TPNZ and Earl Bamber Motorsport in a 991.2 GT3 Cup car in the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series, with testing already underway in Australia.

Giltrap will be joining scholarship recipient Zac Stichbury who is also confirmed to be driving with TPNZ in the 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge, and Callum Hedge who will compete in the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia scholarship seat.

The addition of Giltrap in the Sprint Challenge this year will see a competitive grid of young kiwi drivers with Ronan Murphy also recently announced to compete with Sonic Motor Racing Services, along with Stichbury.

Greg Clarke, General Manager of Porsche New Zealand
“We’re pleased to have Marco representing Team Porsche New Zealand in the Sprint Challenge this year. As the current New Zealand 1-hour Endurance champion, he has already proven his natural talent in the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car.”

“It’s great to see a growing pool of young kiwi drivers competing in Porsche racing in Australia. We’re looking forward to seeing both Marco and Zac go head-to-head this season.”

Earl Bamber
“We are really excited to have Marco Giltrap join the team under the Team Porsche New Zealand banner. He has done a great job in Toyota 86 and we have followed what he has done closely in the New Zealand Endurance Championship in a Porsche. I think it’s only a natural progression for Marco and so far he has impressed us in testing. He and Zac are going to be a great combination and team together this year for the Sprint Challenge, hopefully getting a lot of podiums and race wins for Team Porsche New Zealand.”

Marco Giltrap
“I’m excited to say I’ll be joining Team Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport to race in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, it’s an absolute privilege to drive for Earl Bamber and work alongside his team. After racing a Porsche in New Zealand for almost a year I believe with the help of Earl Bamber Motorsport and Team Porsche New Zealand we can have some great success in 2023.”

Caleb Sumich to join McElrea attack in 2023

Radical Cup rising star makes tin-top switch for Porsche campaign

Sumich, 17, graduates to one-make Porsche racing following a successful karting career, and an impressive debut circuit racing season in sports car racing last year.

Caleb started his racing career in karts, with a successful career that spanned nine years and saw Caleb win a host of individual races, multiple series wins and become the State Champion.

His karting career took him racing across Australia, Singapore and saw him contest the World Championships in Italy.

In 2022 he shifted his focus to circuit racing, having claimed the Arise Racing junior driver seat following a talent search won by the Perth-based team.

He starred in his first year of circuit racing, winning multiple races and finishing second in the WA-based FSR Championship.

Alongside his state-based racing, Sumich also contested a limited campaign in the competitive Radical Cup Australia series, culminating in winning the final round of the 2022 championship at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Caleb steps into the McElrea Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car with ambitions of a career racing GT cars in Europe or the United States.

He successfully tested for McElrea Racing at Queensland Raceway this week, impressing the team with his speed and feedback instantly.

Sumich will join another fiercely competitive Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge grid when the series commences at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on March 3-5.

CALEB SUMICH:

“It’s definitely a great opportunity and I’m really excited to be racing with McElrea this year, they’re such a good team.

“I went to Queensland earlier this week and the team are amazing and have a lot of fun, too. The Cup Car is awesome to drive, very different to the Radical but lots of fun.

“The competition in Michelin Sprint Challenge looks really competitive this year, but hopefully we can get some good results and move forward.

“The plan is to end up racing GT cars in America or Europe. The pathway here, from Sprint Challenge to Carrera Cup Australia and then onward is ideal to get into those championships.”

ANDY McELREA:

“We are very excited to be running Caleb in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge this year and hopefully, in the near future, Carrera Cup.

“He has been well trained and developed by BD Soutar-Dawson in karts and Radicals and although only 17, is a very mature young driver.

“After watching how quickly he took to the Cup Car at a recent test day, I have no doubt Caleb will be right in the thick of the action up front this season.”

Sonic confirms young three driver line-up for 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Two rookies to be joined by returning Goodman in 2023 campaign

Sonic Motor Racing Service will field a youthful line-up for its Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge campaign in 2023.

Ronan Murphy, son of four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg, will make his Australian racing debut this year, competing with Sonic in the development Porsche category.

Murphy, 21, will be joined by 16-year-old rookie Marcus Flack and second-year Porsche driver Harrison Goodman in a strong three car line-up for the champion Sonic team.

All three drivers enjoyed a solid test session at Phillip Island yesterday, and for Murphy, it was the first time that he had driven a race car in Australia.

Murphy has spent his formative racing years in his home land of New Zealand, competing in Formula Ford and Toyota 86 racing. This year will mark his first full season racing away from home.

Flack also has racing in his blood. His father, Adrian, is a stalwart of Carrera Cup competition in Australia having competed in the Pro-Am class for a number of seasons.

The 16-year-old has made a fast start to his racing career, competing across the world in various junior open wheel categories, including Formula 4 and Formula 3.

Goodman returns for his third-straight season with Team Sonic after contesting 2021 in the team’s famous Formula Ford program, before stepping up to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge last year.

Goodman has made great gains in the latter part of 2022, running inside the top five in what was heralded as the most competitive Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge on record.

The opening round of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will be held at Phillip Island on March 3-5.

QUOTES

Ronan Murphy

Driver, Team Sonic, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

“I’m super pumped to join Team Sonic and join the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for 2023,” said Murphy.

“It’s my first time racing in Australia and I couldn’t be more stoked to be doing it and joining a team like Sonic for the season. A huge thank you to Michael and Maria Ritter for the opportunity and all my supporters who have made this happen.”

“This was my first laps at Phillip Island today in a Gen II Porsche. I have a little bit of experience previously in New Zealand with Porsche but not this car and certainly not this track. I absolutely loved it, I have just been working on a few things with the team but we’re getting there slowly so I can’t wait for the season to roll around.

“My goal for the season is just to get some really good consistent results and see where we end up in the championship, ideally in the top five somewhere. Hopefully we will be fighting at the front come the season’s end.

“I certainly respect everything Dad has done in his time in Australia. He obviously had a half-decent run at things but I’m here to do my own thing and just do the best I can with what I have and the people around me and the support I’ve got and see how far it takes me. 

“I’m just going to give it 110 percent, take every opportunity and hopefully we will come out of it successful in the end.”

Harrison Goodman

Driver, Team Sonic, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

“It’s great to be continuing this year in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge with Sonic,” said Goodman.

“I’m really looking forward to this year. We showed lots of progress last year and I’m looking to continuing to grow and understanding the car.

“My goal is to be up the front of the pack. That’s the aim you always want to have.

“After a year of learning, this year is my chance to move forward, so I’m looking to make the steps I need to make to be up the front.”

Marcus Flack

Driver, Team Sonic, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

“It’s amazing to come home for a year and race in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge with Sonic. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Flack.

“I’ve never driven a tin top before, so I’m looking forward to being home and being racing.

“Like everyone, I want to win the championship, but I’m also respectful that this is my first year in tin tops. The most important thing is that I want to learn as much as possible.”

Michael Ritter

Owner, Sonic Motor Racing Services

“This is going to be one of the most competitive Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge seasons on record, and I feel that we have the right mix to be very competitive,” said Ritter.

“All three drivers, despite their youthfulness, have a vast array of experience in different categories. I know our team will be able to get the most out of them every race weekend.

“It was an important test for us at Phillip Island. We have one more coming up at Winton before the series starts, so it’s great to get these guys in the cars, get them comfortable to launch into the season the best we can.”

2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar announced

Six national rounds across five states make-up the 2023 calendar

Porsche Cars Australia is pleased to announce its 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar, with the National Porsche One-make Series featuring on a variety of Australia’s premier events throughout the year, ranging from Repco Supercars Championship rounds to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

Porsche customer teams will again campaign both the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991.2) in both the Pro and Morris Pro-Am class, with Class B providing a home for many new drivers in the 991.1 generation. The 2022 season witnessed some of the most entertaining and intense on track battles in each of the three classes, with the National Series hosting record fields at several rounds.

Now in its 14^th year, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series kicks-off in early March at the same venue it concluded last season, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The Victorian track is a favourite among Porsche teams and drivers due to its fast, flowing turns which are well suited to the 911 GT3 Cup car.

Teams then head north to Queensland Raceway in April, before one of two Repco Supercar Championship rounds follow on the 19-21 May (NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint) and the 28-30 July (Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight). Both Supercar events are new additions to the Sprint Challenge calendar and offer teams, drivers, partners and fans live race coverage on Foxtel and Kayo Sports with highlights on Channel 7 Plus following each round.

The penultimate round takes place at The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend for before the Series returns to the infamous Mount Panorama Circuit, as part of the support category line-up for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International in early November.

QUOTES:     

Barry Hay, Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager: “Despite many of the 2023 Speed Series dates not being feasible for our teams logistically this year – due to their proximity to Carrera Cup rounds – we feel confident we’ve put together an unbelievable calendar with the support of a range of promoters, on some of the country’s biggest events. A real highlight for all our teams, drivers and partners this year will be not only the two Repco Supercar Championship rounds but returning to the Bathurst International event in November next year for our season finale. Phillip Island and The Bend Motorsport Park circuits are both hugely popular with our drivers and well suited to our 911 GT3 Cup cars.”

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Calendar

*All rounds are subject to change

Eric Constantinidis breaks Bathurst Production Car Lap Record in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS

Porsche enthusiast sets new Australian Record at Challenge Bathurst

Long-time Porsche Centre Sydney South customer, Eric Constantinidis, has broken the Bathurst Production Car Lap Record in his road registered Porsche 911 GT2 RS (Type 991.2) at the recent Challenge Bathurst event held at the Mount Panorama Circuit.

The new Bathurst Production Car lap record time of 2min12, is  2.2 secs faster than the previous record (2min14.2) set by Targa enthusiast, Jeff Morton, at the same event in 2020 in his Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

Constantinidis, who runs an IT and Technology Managed Services Industry business in Sydney, purchased his first Porsche – a Cayenne S – in 2004 and attended his first track day in 2006 at Wakefield with friends. He loved the experience and over the course of the next eight years owned several Porsche vehicles, mostly Cayenne and Panameras, as his business grew.

It was in 2014, during a visit to his local Porsche Centre Sydney South (PCSS) dealership that Eric noticed a rare Panamera Turbo S on the dealer floor. He subsequently bought the car and was then invited to attend a PCSS track day.

His passion for motor racing continued to grow, and Eric went on to purchase a 991.2 911 Turbo S followed by a 991.2 generation GT2 RS in 2018. During that time, he completed Level 1 to 4 of the Porsche Track Experience to gain valuable track experience and knowledge from the likes of Head Instructor and Carrera Cup Australia Pro driver, Luke Youlden.

In 2020, Eric formed the UpTo11 Motorsport team with friends and took part predominantly in local track days, before climbing further up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge National Series with the help of Michael Newton Automotive and the purchase of a 991.2 generation 911 GT3 Cup car earlier this year.

After finishing second in the Porsche Cup Class Category on his Bathurst 12Hr debut, Eric felt Jeff Morton’s record was within his reach. He was also fortunate that in early November, Round 5 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series allowed him more track time to learn the intricacies of the challenging Mountain Panorama Circuit.

Eric was able to break the Production Car Record on his first day at the Challenge Bathurst event and reduce it even further the following morning to 2min13.1.

After fitting a new set of magnesium wheels and Michelin Cup2 R tyres, Constantinidis’ Porsche was then able to deliver a blistering time of 2min12, which is now the fastest time to date for a production road registered vehicle around the infamous circuit.

QUOTES:

Eric Constantinidis:

“I knew both the car and I had the ability to break the previous record and that was the only thing on my mind when I went out for Sprint 1. After achieving the 2m13.9 lap, it felt easy and I knew I could do better than that. In Friday morning’s first session, I further reduced the lap time to a 2min13.1 and had one more shot at the record, before the track heated up. I put a fresh set of magnesium wheels with Michelin Cup2 R tyres on and in the next session, delivered a 2min12 on the very first lap. My predictive time on the Motec was even faster on my second lap but I caught traffic and had to roll off. Either way, I was ecstatic knowing I had achieved a massive lap record.”

“Seat time is key (at Bathurst) and I had to trust the aero, handling and performance in a car that truly is an engineering feat by Porsche. What makes this moment even more special for me is that a Porsche GT2 RS will continue to maintain the record at such an iconic track over other manufacturers. It is a credit to Porsche, the quality and engineering of the car and in essence what brand is all about. This car is simply a road car that performs like a race car. I am looking forward to seeing what the RS Porsche cars of the future will bring to us.”

To follow Eric’s journey up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Wood wins battle, Sargent the war in Phillip Island finale

Three championships decided in dramatic final round at Phillip Island

THOMAS SARGENT did everything he needed to do to claim the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in the final round at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. 

Ryan Wood swept to the final round win with a pair of race victories, but couldn’t overhaul his season-long rival in the title battle.

A pair of second place finishes in two races held at the high-speed Victorian capped off a remarkable year for Sargent, who finished first or second in every race this year.

It was also the second consecutive one-make Porsche title for Sargent’s CHE Engineering / Tegra Australia team, who claimed the 2021 Carrera Cup title with Cameron Hill, and also comes in the same year the two drivers teamed up to win the Bathurst 6 Hour endurance race.

Meanwhile, Brett Boulton claimed the Morris Pro-Am class title victory, his first in one-make Porsche competition, while Danny Stuttered won the round.

Lachlan Harburg claimed the Class B title, while home-town hero Jacob Li dominated the final round to take the weekend.

Saturday’s race day was a dramatic affair much as the entire season has been, and ultimately saw the second of three races declared early with no points awarded.

In Race 1, Sargent beat Wood into the first corner and led the race until a Safety Car slowed the field on lap two.

That yellow was caused when Tom Taplin and Lachlan Bloxsom made contact at Turn four, the damage ending Taplin’s day and sending Bloxom – at the time a contender for third in the championship – to the back of the field.

Wood pounced on the restart, passing his season-long rival to grab a race lead he would never lose.

Sargent fended off advances from Courtney Prince to hold on to second, with the Sonic driver a strong third.

Aron Shields was next, while Adrian Flack claimed Morris Pro-Am and finished fifth outright.

Sam Shahin was second in Pro-Am, marginally closing the championship lead to Brett Boulton, who was fourth in class.

Jacob Li claimed Class B in the opening race and claimed an outstanding 11th outright in the 30-car field.

Race two started with Wood out-muscling Sargent for the lead on the run into turn one, while Harrison Goodman charged up from the third row to run third.

However the race was brought under Safety Car after four laps when contact between Danny Stuttered and Sam Shahin saw the former turned into the barriers on the exit of Turn 10.

The lengthy Safety Barrier repair forced the race to be red flagged and ultimately declared, with no points awarded.

That left the final race to decide two of the three titles – Boulton provisionally taking home the Morris Pro-Am crown following the race two no result.

The final race was gripping as Wood and Sargent again battled hard in the early stages, Wood taking the early lead and leading a freight train of cars before he was able to pull away.

The EBM / Team Porsche NZ driver claimed his eighth race win of the year – one more than Sargent – however the latter’s safe second position was more than enough to seal the title.

He ultimately won the title by 19 points, with Aron Shields completing the podium both for the Phillip Island round and the season.

Shields had been forced to fend off Courtney Prince for much of the race before ultimately pulling away in third.

Prince would drop back to fifth position by the flag, behind a charging Lachlan Bloxsom who finished fourth thanks to a late pass on the Sonic driver.

In Morris Pro-Am, Adrian Flack was an early non-finisher after an incident – that also included Sam Shahin – saw him spun to the inside of turn four on the opening lap, reduced to being a spectator. Shahin also dropped to the back of the field after being spun around and was forced to recover.

That left Stuttered in the key position to take the class race and round victory, with Boulton second and Ben Stack third in both the race and the round.

In Class B, Lachlan Harburg needed only to start and finish race three to claim the title, which he did successfully.

Li won the race over Carr and Sticklen, with the round result reflecting that race result as well.

Thomas Sargent – 2022 Pro Champion & Jim Richards Endurance Champoionship winner

“It has been a very, very hard fought year, it was a late year due to Covid we started quite late and since then has been very awesome to have all this racing at the end of the year. The racing has been awesome between Ryan and I and the rest of the field so I’ve learnt so much about Porsche driving and race craft. I have had a great time and I’m super stoked to have wrapped up the championship, its something we want to achieve and it’s been amazing to do it with the CHE Racing Team again.

“This car has a lot of pedigree having won the Carrera Cup championship with Cameron and now Sprint Challenge with myself.

“That was one good thing coming into this year we knew where we stood with the car and the team, so it came down to me and it showed in the end. Its great to add another championship to that car’s record.”

Brett Boulton, Morris Pro-Am Championship winner

“Yes I had to bring it home in that last race, pressure was off it was such good fun. The guys just said go out and have some fun and that’s what we did, it was great. We knew we needed consistency to win the Championship, Sam (Shahin) is an awesome driver, does plenty laps and racing, so for us it was just about being there getting as many wins as possible, being consistent.

“I’m really proud of my driving considering I haven’t been in the car for two years. Its great to get the championship third time lucky, I knew I had to get the job done otherwise it would have been a bit embarrassing, but its an awesome team and I couldn’t be happier.”

Lachy Harburg, Class B Champion

“The start of this year we got the car and we said we might do one or two rounds and see how it goes, so to be here, now having done five rounds and have won the championship is amazing, I’m absolutely elated it means a lot to me.

“I was never the fastest car, I was just consistent. So to finish the season and do the job its really satisfying. It has been a really competitive season with Jacob (Li), Brad (Carr) and Nathan (Sticklen) we’ve always been at close quarters with our pace, I felt bad that the guy I had to beat was also the best guy in the field. Its really good to race him thjough considering Nathan’s experience.”

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS:

Pro:

1. Thomas Sargent 852
2. Ryan Wood 833
3. Aron Shields 627
4. Courtney Prince 585
5. Lachlan Bloxsom 573
6. Jason Miller 476
7. Harrison Goodman 445
8. Madeline Stewart 365
9. Tom McLennan 182
10. Tom Taplin 171

Morris Pro-Am

1. Brett Boulton 822
2. Sam Shahin 699
3. Andrew Goldie 530
4. David Grieg 485
5. Indiran Padayachee 385

Class B

1. Lachlan Harburg 578
2. Jacob Li 552
3. Nathan Sticklen 552
4. Brad Carr 386
5. Jonathan Glicksten 300

Ryan Wood completes 2022 Pole Position sweep

Title battle poised as key rivals lock out front-row at Phillip Island

RYAN WOOD has completed a remarkable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia sweep, claiming his sixth pole position from six rounds in an action-packed session at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit this afternoon.

The Team Porsche NZ scholarship winner punched out a 1m30.9661s best on his eighth of 11 laps in the 20-minute session to claim the top spot at every round this year.

He edged out championship leader Thomas Sargent by 0.26 seconds with the pair to start alongside each other for the sixth consecutive round tomorrow in race one.

The pair duelled for pole from the outset, running nose-to-tail for much of their initial run, Wood leading Sargent by just 0.01 seconds as they pitted for their second set of Michelin tyres half way through the session.

Wood was able to marginally improve on his second run while Sargent found no further time aboard his Tegra Australia 911, locking them into the front row of the grid.

Several drivers struggled to improve in their second runs after being delayed by several spinning cars while on their hot laps.

The bonus point for pole position draws the young Kiwi closer to Sargent in the title battle, the pair now separated by just 31 points – with 180 up for grabs across Saturday’s three races.

Fresh from his first podium finish at Mount Panorama last time out, Lachlan Bloxsom was third outright aboard his Team Navy / McElrea Racing entry.

He will line up alongside Courtney Prince, who was a late improver aboard her Local Legends / Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic entry to fourth of the Pro class runners.

Tom Taplin and Harrison Goodman will make up row three for the first race on Saturday.

The Morris Pro-Am fight took a compelling turn as not only were the key title rivals well separated on the grid, a wildcard entry usurped them all to throw his hat into the ring.

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia regular Adrian Flack made the most of his Sprint Challenge cameo this weekend, jumping back into the Type 911.2 GT3 Cup Car with ease to score pole position in the series ‘race within a race’.

Not only did he score the top spot in class, he qualified fourth outright among the Professional cars, less than one second from Ryan Wood’s outright pole time. It also gave the Earl Bamber Motorsport team pole in both classes.

Sam Shahin – second in the championship – was second in Pro-Am and 8^th outright, while class leader Brett Boulton could do no better than sixth: David Grieg, Andrew Goldie and Daniel Stuttered between he and his closest pursuer.

Potential title-effecting results were also seen in the Class B battle, with home town hero Jacob Li claiming pole position in class for the third time this year.

Furthermore, his flying 1m32.7234s lap put him 10^th outright and among the Morris Pro-Am heavy hitters.

Li sits third in the Class B standings and is in pursuit of Nathan Sticklen – who was third in class – and series leader Lachlan Harburg, who was fourth in class today.

Three races will decide the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season tomorrow at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit, competing at the Island Magic event.

All three races (9:30am, 12:30pm and 3:30pm local time) will be battled out over 13 laps and will be broadcast live on Blend Line TV’s You Tube Channel.

Ryan Wood, Pro:

“Its great to get six poles from all six races this year, it’s a good way to start the weekend. We had trouble in practice with a couple of gremlins that krept in, but at the end of the day we did it when it mattered. Looking forward to tomorrow, we just need some luck to go our way finally. In terms of the Championship, all I can do is try get all the wins and pole for the extra point and see what happens in the end.”

Adrian Flack, Morris Pro-Am:

“I feel young again. It was such a fun session to be fourth overall, I absolutely love this place. Driving the old car is so much fun to drive, I’ve had a really good time. I want to thank the Earl Bamber Motorsport Team, we all just having fun and its really good. Its great having both EBM cars on pole in both classes, Ben (Jenkins) gave us instructions that he wouldn’t accept anything less, but seriously the car’s great and I put it together when it counts.”

Jacob Li, Class B:

“I’m super happy about it, I want to just say thanks to my team and Ashley he’s been very helpful, as well as all the friends and family that came here to support me. It was a good qualifying session, but a shame I didn’t get to finish my flying lap, I was 0.5 tenths quicker than I had been until there. It’s a good start though and I need to keep pushing for the races.”

Twelve up-and-coming racers eager to become the new Porsche Junior

Selection for Porsche's international motorsport talent development programme

Twelve particularly accomplished racing drivers took part in a three-day shootout in Jerez, Spain, with the intention of becoming the 2023 Porsche Junior.

For the last 26 years, the sports car manufacturer’s exemplary junior programme has been one of the most successful of its kind in motorsport. This initiative has paved the way for many talented youngsters to pursue professional careers as works drivers, producing numerous world champions and Le Mans winners in the process. The successful candidate receives a sponsorship package of up to 225,000 Euros. The new Porsche Junior will be announced at the “Night of Champions” on December 17th at the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach (Germany).

All the invited candidates share these factors: they are no older than 24 and have finished in the top five of one of the more than 30 Porsche one-make cup series around the world in the past year, driving the ca. 375 kW (510 PS) 911 GT3 Cup. And they all had to showcase their prowess on and off the 4.428-kilometre Grand Prix circuit. The jury took into account not only top lap times and the general performance on the track, but also looked at how they interacted with the race engineers, their technical competence, their interaction with the media as well as the results of mental and physical tests. In the coming days, the intensive analysis of the collected results and findings will serve as the basis for deciding who will be allowed to compete as the new Porsche Junior in 2023.

Of all twelve young drivers from ten countries, the longest journey was made by Australian Harri Jones. The 23-year-old won the Carrera Cup in his home country in 2022. Luo Kailuo, also 23, travelled to Spain from China as runner-up in the Carrera Cup Asia. Dorian Boccalacci finished second in the Carrera Cup France. The 24-year-old Frenchman has already gained experience in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. This season he finished seventh. The same applies to Bastian Buus. The busy driver from Denmark was nominated for the Junior shootout through the German Carrera Cup after claiming fourth place overall. At the same time, he contested the Carrera Cup France and the Supercup, where the 19-year-old claimed two victories and took home the rookie title as the best newcomer. At 20, Kiern Jewiss has won the Carrera Cup Great Britain in his home country. Keagan Masters from South Africa (22) represents the Carrera Cup Italy as runner-up. Kay van Berlo from the Netherlands, Enzo Elias from Brazil and Harry King (United Kingdom) have taken part in the selection process for the second time. Contesting the Carrera Cup North America, 21-year-old van Berlo finished his season in second place. At 20 years old, Elias can already look back on two Carrera Cup titles in his home country, while Harry King won the Carrera Cup Benelux and finished fifth in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Rounding out the swift dozen as wildcard entrants are Dutchman Loek Hartog, Giorgio Amati from Italy and Jasin Ferati from Switzerland. At 20 years of age and standing almost two metres tall, Hartog finished the Carrera Cup Deutschland season in fifth and the Supercup in eighth as the second-highest-placing rookie. Amati (23) wrapped up his second season in the Carrera Cup Italy in fourth place, while Ferati is the youngest of the twelve rookie drivers. The 19-year-old won the GT3 Cup classification in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Switzerland.

The successful Porsche Junior Programme reaches far beyond financial support. The holistic concept focuses on all aspects of a professional motorsport career. This includes, for example, comprehensive support provided by Sascha Maassen. The former Porsche works driver is on hand to mentor the juniors before, during and after each race weekend. The University of Potsdam provides sports medicine support. Mental training, media seminars, PR commitments and other marketing activities are also part of the training regime.

“Porsche has provided the most level playing field possible in Jerez so that it’s the participants in our shootout who make the difference,” emphasises Maassen. “We have a huge responsibility in selecting the new Porsche Junior, and we take great care in doing so. Of course, fast lap times and a performance that’s as flawless as possible with the 911 GT3 Cup are important to us – that’s the baseline. But we look just as closely at how talented the drivers behave beyond that: What feedback they give the engineers and their ability to learn, whether they can motivate a team and represent Porsche, how they handle media, and whether they are capable of developing mentally. Ultimately, it’s all about the overall package that the participant offers us.”

Porsche’s Junior programme has boosted the careers of 28 racing drivers since 1997. Of particular note are the careers of today’s Porsche brand ambassador Timo Bernhard (Porsche Junior from 2000 to 2001), Marc Lieb (2000 to 2002) and Earl Bamber (2014): All three won the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans at least once with the Porsche 919 Hybrid, as well as titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Thomas Preining, Porsche Junior from 2017 to 2018, secured two victories in the DTM this year with the 911 GT3 R. At the end of 2021, Laurin Heinrich from Würzburg was chosen. The now 21-year-old finished the current season as the champion of the Carrera Cup Deutschland and secured third place in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Heinrich attended the shootout in Jerez as a reference driver.

“We are proud of the Porsche Junior concept – after all, it is one of the most successful junior programmes in motorsport,” emphasises Marc Lieb, one of the first participants in this talent development initiative and current Sports Communications Manager at Porsche. “This programme also played an important role in my career and opened the door to professional motorsport for me 22 years ago. Without this support, my dream of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans would probably have never materialised.”

Carrera Cup Australia has produced two Junior Shootout winners to date: Matt Campbell (2016) and Jaxon Evans (2018) who both have gone onto forge international careers with Porsche.

Details of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme in Australia can be found here:

https://www.carreracup.com.au/junior-programme/
https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/junior-programme/

Record field to decide all three Championship titles at Island Magic

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season finale’ to determine 2022 Champions

• In Pro Class, Thomas Sargent leads Ryan Wood by 32 points with 180 points up for grabs
• In Morris Pro-Am, Brett Boulton has a 99-point lead over Sam Shahin in his quest for a maiden championship
• In Class B, Lachlan Harburg leads Nathan Sticklen by 38 points, with Jacob Li just 24 further back
• At 31 entries, Round 6 will be the largest of the season and is a Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge record at the Phillip Island Circuit

The final round of 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series will see a record field of 31 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Gen I & II) cars roll out at the 32nd running of Phillip Island Auto Racing Club’s (PIARC) Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this Friday and Saturday.

The 4.45 km Circuit will host the 78^th round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (formerly GT3 Cup Challenge) marking the 14^th time the National Series has visited the track – which is also the most of any Australian track in Series history.

This weekend will also be the eight time in Series history that Phillip Island has hosted the series finale’, with the 2022 Championship set to go down to the wire in all three classes. Notably, five of the last six Pro round winners at the circuit have all gone on to progress to Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia the following year, including the most recent winner, Ryan Suhle.

With a welcome respite in the Victorian weather forecast for the Friday’s practice and qualifying as well as Saturday’s three sprint races, the introduction of the 991 Gen II models this year should see the 2014 lap record of Matt Campbell and 2015 pole lap record of Ryan Simpson be toppled.

The two most likely to achieve this are the Series Pro Championship contenders, Thomas Sargent, and Porsche Team New Zealand’s Ryan Wood. The pair have dominated 2022, with Sargent finishing either first or second in every race this year and the pair finishing 1-2 in four of the five rounds to date.

After finishing runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 Morris Pro-Am Championship, Brett Boulton will be hoping his 99-point buffer over Sam Shahin, is sufficient to see him through to his maiden Championship title this year. Another two notable Carrera Cup Australia regulars that may mix up the class results this weekend include Ben Stack and Adrian Flack.

Meanwhile, the battle in Class B for 991 Gen I cars is still wide open between Lachlan Harburg and Nathan Sticklen with only 38 points separating the leading pair. Round 5 winner, Jacob Li carries good momentum into the finale’ following Bathurst and lies a further 24 points back in third.

Along with various National and regional series at the Island Magic event this year, the German marque will also be well represented by the Endeavour Cup Porsche 944 Challenge with 18 drivers on track.

All three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge races on Saturday 26 November will be livestreamed via the Blendline Tv channel on YouTube. For further event information, ticketing and streaming information, follow the PIARC website: piarc.com.au   

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 6, Phillip Island Magic

ENTRY LIST:

BROADCAST SCHEDULE: Blendline TV Livestream (YouTube)

Saturday 26 November

09:30 – 09:50 Race 1 (13 laps / 20min)

12:30 – 12:50 Race 2 (13 laps / 20min)

15:30 – 15:50 Race 3 (13 laps / 20min)

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Lap Record:

Matt Campbell (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car) 1m31.1140s – 2014

Wood takes Bathurst as title fight goes to season finale

Shahin, Li claim class wins with all titles up for grabs at Phillip Island

THOMAS SARGENT and Ryan Wood will battle for the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge title at Phillip Island after Wood claimed victory at Mount Panorama to firmly keep his title hopes alive. 

Having qualified on pole but finished second to Sargent in the first race on Friday, Wood struck back on Saturday with a series of decisive performances to claim the Bathurst round and keep the pressure on points leader Sargent heading into the Grand Finale’.

In Morris Pro-Am Sam Shahin claimed a Bathurst victory to keep the pressure on title leader Brett Boulton, while Jacob Li claimed the Class B victory.

Wood’s pathway to a Bathurst win started early in race two when he and Sargent battled for the lead early in the race.

The young Kiwi was able to slip by at the Chase and then fended off his year-long rival for the remainder to claim the win.

He then backed that up with a more comfortable win in race three to claim the round for Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport.

Sargent scored a pair of seconds on Saturday to finish second overall for the round and ensure he retains a solid championship lead heading to the Phillip Island finale’.

Third overall at Mount Panorama was Team Navy / McElrea driver Lachlan Bloxsom, who scored a round podium following several near-misses this year.

The racing gods were clearly on his side after his car suffered a damage radiator at turn one on the opening lap of race two, but was not damaged enough to force him out of the race.

He edged out Aron Shields for third in race two, and then finished fourth in the finale to secure his podium finish.

The ever-consistent Shields just missed the podium. while the Sonic Motor Racing duo of Courtney Prince and Harrison Goodman were next.

Sam Shahin’s pathway to victory in Morris Pro-Am was far from easy, claiming the race win in the second sprint before surviving to finish fourth in class in the finale’ – racing with bent steering after earlier contact, he was running second on the final lap before a spin at the chase dropped him to fourth.

Much like Sargent in the Pro class, Brett Boulton’s second place at Bathurst ensures he heads to Phillip Island leading the championship, his class victory in the final race helping him maintain his margin over nearest rival Shahin.

Richard Cowen jumped to the round podium via an outstanding second place in Morris Pro-Am in Race 2, following a seventh-placed finish in the earlier race.

Jacob Li’s Class B win was no more straightforward than any other category.

He won both races ahead of Friday winner Nathan Sticklen, and points leader Lachlan Harburg.

The final round of the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will be contested at the iconic Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit on November 25-26.

Ryan Wood, Pro winner

“It was another great race, had a good start this time which made my life a bit easier. I’m still bit annoyed with myself after race 1, but I learnt alot yesterday in those conditions, so we punch on to Phillip Island and hopefully carry this form. Its been a huge season between me and Tom (Sargent), its been great for the fans, so we’ll see what we can do at Phillip Island. I think the championship is a little bit far away for us now, but we’ll just try to keep winning races and see what happens.”

Sam Shahin, Morris Pro-Am

“I had a terrific start and everything was going to plan until the safety car. I don’t know what on earth (Sam) Fillmore was doing, but I honestly think there should either be a disqualification or some serious penalty by the way he managed that restart. He then slammed into me into turn 1 and bent the steering arm, as a result the steering wheel was at 45 degrees from the start of that lap and the car was unbelievably sketchy at the top of the mountain.

“I managed to get back to second on the last lap, we had the opportunity to get on the inside of Boulton for the race win. I was extra ordinarily nice and ended up spinning myself. I probably should have been more assertive as the win was there, but that one just got away. Happy with the round win, absolutely thrilled to take the win here. I go to Phillip Island way behind in Championship points but as this round has demonstrated anything can happen you just have to be around the front and if you have the pace anything can happen.”

Jacob Li, Class  B

“I can’t believe I’m up here because from race 1 we had a lot of misfortune with the mechanical. I’m very happy I can make up the places from the very last position in the class and it was a very good recovery. The last three or four rounds it hasn’t gone very well for us, as I always had a bit of drama so its great to on the podium here.”

Sargent strikes again in Bathurst Sprint Challenge opener

Sam Shahin claims Morris Pro-Am victory in Bathurst opener

THOMAS SARGENT has extended his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series, edging out Ryan Wood in a tense opener at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, today. 

Sargent led from lights-to-flag in the opening race at the Bathurst International, holding off Wood for the duration with Lachlan Bloxsom finishing third.

Sam Shahin claimed victory in the Morris Pro-Am battle over Brett Boulton, while Nathan Sticklen claimed Class B.

The 10-lap race commenced on a wet but drying circuit at Mount Panorama, though the record 26-strong field made a clean start and opening lap.

Sargent and Wood battled for the lead early before the former was able to edge away from Wood, who had earlier claimed pole position.

Behind the leading pair, Harrison Goodman worked his Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic car through the field, passing Aron Shields for fourth on lap five before climbing into the top three two laps later.

Unfortunately, he ran off the road at turn one a lap later, bringing out the Safety Car.

The race resumed for a one-lap dash to the line with Sargent again fending off Wood for the win.

With Bloxsom third, Shields finished fourth and Courtney Prince fifth.

Morris Pro-Am winner Sam Shahin finished sixth, one spot ahead of his nearest rival Brett Boulton – the class championship leader.

Tom Taplin was eighth, Daniel Stuttered ninth and third in Pro-Am while Jason Miller finished 10th.

Nathan Sticklen claimed the Class B honours over Lachlan Harburg and Jacob Li.

The Michelin Sprint Challenge field returns for two further races tomorrow at Mount Panorama.

Both races will be broadcast live on Stan Sport tomorrow as part of the bumper Supercheap Auto Bathurst International program.

Earlier, Ryan Wood rebounded from an earlier accident in practice to take the TAG Heuer pole award, thanks to a record 2m07.9652s lap.

He took pole from championship leader Thomas Sargent by the sizable margin of 0.9400s.

Sam Shahin qualified on pole in Morris Pro-Am and an outstanding third outright, ahead of Pro runner Aron Shields in fourth.

Lachlan Bloxsom, Jason Miller, Tom Tamplin, Harrison Goodman, Daniel Stuttered – second in Morris Pro-Am – and Courtney Prince completed the 10.

The sole qualifying session was influenced by a rain shower mid way through its duration, meaning times banked early were the ones that delivered the best results.

Thomas Sargent, Pro: “The start was the secret and whoever was going to start in front was going to be making there life a bit easier. I got the jump, which was good and it was just about pioneering across the top on that first lap. It was a bit unfortunate that the safety car came out because the track was just getting better. After the restart that last lap was just hectic with Ryan (Wood), it was awesome racing, nice and clean, we didn’t touch each other. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, just hope it’s not as wet.”

Sam Shahin, Morris Pro-Am: “It was a wet track and fairly slippery at the start. I thought we might start behind the safety car, but the start was clean and everyone behaved. Some guys at the front were having some issues with the grip, I just had to keep it clean and bring the car home safely. The car felt amazing and I feel it was a good win, but I would have liked to have pushed a little more. I still have flashbacks of my crash here a few years ago, so wanted to get it home safely and very glad with the win.”

Nathan Sticklen, Class B winner: “To win my first ever race at Bathurst, was spicy, but I love driving in the wet and I had really good confidence. I didn’t overextend and just chipped away. I just couldn’t be happier to be honest, it really was as mint a race as it gets. The was a group of us and I just covered them off, I was a bit faster in some places, but they’re (Gen II cars) faster elsewhere, overall it was just a great race.”

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns to Bathurst after 12-year hiatus

Sargent and Wood to resume Championship battle at Mount Panorama

• Long standing lap and qualifying records set to fall at Mount Panorama
• 28-car field entered for this weekend eclipses the previous Series record of 21 set in both 2009 and 2010
• In Pro Class, Thomas Sargent leads Ryan Wood by 39 points heading into the final two rounds and six races
• In Morris Pro-Am, Brett Boulton has a 100-point lead over Sam Shahin

The penultimate round of the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series sees Porsche teams head to Mount Panorama in Bathurst, New South Wales after a 12-year hiatus. Arguably, the highlight of the 2022 calendar, the Supercheap Bathurst International event marks the longest ever gap in Series history between visits to any given circuit since its inception.

The Sprint Challenge has only raced at Mount Panorama on two occasions, in 2009 and 2010, out of the76 rounds and 223 races contested in Series history. As a result, only four of the drivers entered for Round 5 this weekend – Madeline Stewart, Sam Shahin, Indiran Padayachee and Graham Williams – have raced at Bathurst previously in one-make Porsche racing.

Others, including 2022 Bathurst 6 Hour winner, Sargent, have raced there before in other categories, and include: Courtney Prince (Aussie Racing Cars), Brad Carr (Bathurst 6 Hour), Lachlan Bloxsom and Ryan Wood (Toyota 86s).

Remarkably, Tony Quinn still holds both the race and qualifying records at Mount Panorama for Sprint Challenge (Formerly known as GT3 Cup Challenge) competition and they remain the oldest records among active circuits currently used by one-make Porsche racing in Australia.

Should the weather remain as forecast for Friday’s qualifying and Saturday’s races, these current lap records are almost certain to fall as the lap records for the Type 991.2 GT3 Cup Car – used in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia through to the end of the 2021 season – now campaigned in Sprint Challenge, are over 10 seconds quicker.

The last two occasions Sprint Challenge raced at Bathurst, the Series shared / split grid with the Victorian Porsche 944 Challenge category. In 2009, there were 42 entries, of which 21 were 944s, while in 2010 there were 32 in total – and eleven 944s. As such the 28-car field entered this weekend eclipses the previous Series record of 21 set in both 2009 and 2010.

In the championship battle, Race 2 at The Bend was the first of the ten races held so far this season that did not see Thomas Sargent and Ryan Wood finish 1-2. The nine consecutive races they did lock out the top two spots is a record in series history.

Wood’s ninth place finish is the first time either driver has been split by more than 15 points this season, with Sargent now leading by 39 points heading into the final two rounds and six races.

The battle for third remains highly competitive, Aron Shields leading Courtney Prince by just seven points, with Lachlan Bloxsom a further 30 points further back in fifth. Jason Miller is only 74 points off third in the championship but sits sixth, while Madeline Stewart in seventh is 98 points away from third.

Aron Shields (2^nd), Madeline Stewart (3^rd) and Tom McLennan (4^th) all scored season best race results in Race 2 at The Bend. While four Porsche teams – CHE Racing, Team Porsche NZ / EBM, McElrea Racing and Sonic Motor Racing – fill the top four spots in the Championship.

In Morris Pro-Am, Brett Boulton’s double win at The Bend (coupled with Sam Shahin’s Race 1 DNF) has him clear by a full 100 points heading into the final two rounds. Andrew Goldie sits third, just 40 points ahead of old sparring partner and former Class B title rival, David Grieg, in their fight for the final step on the podium.

In Class B, Lachlan Harburg now leads the standings having either won or finished second in his last four races. He leads Nathan Sticklen by 57 points and Bradley Carr by 67 with two rounds to go.

A single practice session, qualifying and the first sprint race will take place on Friday 11 November. Both Saturday’s 25-minute Sprint races will be broadcast LIVE on Stan Sport.

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 5, Bathurst Intl

ENTRY LIST:

BROADCAST SCHEDULE: Stan Sport

Saturday 12 November

12:40 -13:05   Race 2

14:30 -14:55  Race 3

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Lap Record:

Tony Quinn (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car) 2m16.7271s – 2009
*991.2 GT3 Cup Car: Jaxon Evans (Porsche 911.2 GT3 Cup Car) 2m06.2285s – 2018

(*Cited for a current day reference)

The Bend’s Race 3 declared ‘No Race’ following torrential downpour

FOR the second consecutive round, a Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series race has been declared a non-event following torrential rain. 

Race three of Round four at The Bend Motorsport Park commenced behind the Safety Car, however due to the increasingly poor conditions was ultimately red flagged and not resumed.

The race was declared a ‘No Race’, meaning no points will be awarded.

The following is attributable to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Race Director, David Stuart:

“Given the weather and the track conditions, the decision was made to start the race under the Safety car.

“During the formation lap, a car stopped on track which required recovering and resulted in an additional formation lap.

“Once the race got to a position to be able to start, it was clear that due to the amount of standing water and resultant spray, that the race could not continue and was suspended, and subsequently not restarted.”

The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will see the series return to Mount Panorama, Bathurst, at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International on November 11-13.

Thomas Sargent to lead McElrea Racing campaign to USA

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge leader to graduate to Carrera Cup North America

20-YEAR-OLD Australian talent Thomas Sargent will lead McElrea Racing’s charge to the United States, joining the team to contest the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Cayman Islands championship.  

Sargent, who hails from the country town of Young in New South Wales, currently leads the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series as the series enters the second half of the season.    

The impressive young driver has had a fast start to his racing career, already achieving success in key national championships and major endurance races alike.  

Moving from karting to cars in 2018, Sargent quickly made his mark in Formula Ford competition, ultimately claiming the 2021 Australian Formula Ford Championship.  

In 2022 he partnered with current team owner Cameron Hill to win the Bathurst 6 Hour endurance race at Mount Panorama on the Easter long weekend.  

Driving a BMW M2 Competition, Sargent played a starring role in the Production Car classic after starting the race from 63^rd position before charging the car to the lead before he completed his first stint, the team going on to claim victory.  

His move to one-make Porsche competition this year delivered immediate success: winning five races and leading the championship as the series heads into the final two rounds of the six-round season.  

Sargent, who turns 21 in just a few weeks, will move to Mooresville, North Carolina to be near the team’s newly-established base next year.  

He is the first driver to be confirmed amidst McElrea’s multi-car attack on the 2022 Carrera Cup North America Championship, with further announcements to follow.  

THOMAS SARGENT 

“It’s super exciting, going overseas is something I’ve always wanted to do, so to have this opportunity with McElrea Racing is fantastic,” Sargent said.  

“I was planning to follow the route to Europe, but then I had a conversation with (Jaxon’s father) John Evans who put me on to Andy, who said this was something he was planning to do.  

“We went over there, checked it out and it looked like the way to go. I’m looking forward to going over there.  

“(Porsche Michelin Sprint challenge) has been very valuable. It’s been great to get some laps in the car, get some racing and some racing experience.”  

ANDY McELREA  

“His performance over here was what drew me to Thomas. He’s a Formula Ford champion and I’m a huge Formula Ford fan so that was what attracted me in the first place,” McElrea said.   

“He’s been a standout in Sprint Challenge this year. We wanted to start our team in the US with an Australian flavour and a race winning driver and we have managed to get all that in one guy.  

“We want to create a pathway to the US and IMSA racing from Australia and this is a fantastic way to launch that.  

“I want it to be January now! We’re going to hit the track testing in January with Tom and his teammate so we’re looking forward to that.”  

Advantage Sargent, Boulton after dramatic day at The Bend

Title leaders strike issues across two races in South Australia

THOMAS SARGENT has gained a key advantage in a potentially championship-changing day in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at The Bend Motorsport Park. 

Both Pro and Morris Pro-Am championship pictures were dramatically altered today as key contenders in each series struck dramas at the South Australian circuit.

Tegra Australia driver Sargent’s championship lead was on a knife’s edge following the opening sprint race of the weekend after finishing second to nearest rival Ryan Wood – taking their streak of 1-2 finishes to eight, with four wins each.

The pair were then battling furiously throughout the early stages of the 22-lap Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race, Sargent fending off attack after attack from the team Porsche New Zealand / Earl Bamber Motorsport entry.

However, Wood’s car dramatically slowed following a mid-race Safety Car, fuel pressure issues ultimately forcing the young Kiwi out of the race.

In such a tight season, it was a critical moment in the pair’s ongoing title battle as the series enters the second half of the year.

Wood had led Sargent in race one after a furious early battle saw the Kiwi pass the early leader.

The pair finished 1-2 again with Lachlan Bloxsom third, while Brett Boulton took Morris Pro-Am over Andrew Goldie and David Grieg.

In the Enduro Cup race Sargent again grabbed the early lead after starting second, before holding on in a furious battle throughout the first eleven laps.

The mid-race Safety Car, for Courtney Prince’s stranded Local Legends entry at Turn one, slowed things up before Wood’s issues became apparent on the restart.

His slow restart bottled the field up with Bloxsom swamped by his closest contenders after being unable to overtake before the control line.

He dropped back to fifth before recovering to third after a tense final lap battle from Tom McLennan.

Madeline Stewart was fifth while Jason Miller had held third until the closing stages before dropping back to sixth.

It was a dramatic day for class leaders at The Bend after both Morris Pro-Am and Class B contenders struck issues at various points.

Pro-Am points leader Sam Shahin was a non-finisher in race one of the weekend after a sizable turn six incident, handing the championship lead to nearest rival Brett Boulton.

In Class B, Brad Carr won the opening race before he spun off in the Enduro Cup affair, handing the top spot to Lachlan Harburg.

Shahin then charged through to grab the Pro-Am lead in race two before he again struck issues, Boulton in the best possible position to capitalise and grab the Morris Pro-Am win over Goldie, Pan Boyaci and Shahin in fourth.

Harburg claimed Class B after Carr’s issue, Nathan Sticklen next.

One race completes the round on Sunday afternoon, set to start at 11:10am local time with live streaming on 7plus.

Thomas Sargent, Pro:

“Very chuffed with that one, its always good racing the long (endurance) one, unfortunately it got shortened by the safety car. Its unfortunate to see those things happen with Ryan, but it’s important for us to capitalise on those races when you can get them so, it was just our day today so very, very lucky. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and some more hard racing , couple more changes on the car and will be good for the race.”

Brett Boulton, Morris Pro-Am:

“It was an awesome race, I’m pooped after that one, but it was great fun. After the restart Sam (Shahin) caught us pretty quickly, he’s very fast here and an awesome driver, so I was just trying to hang onto the back of him and be as quick as I could off the restart. Sam made an error and I went through and it was just a case of trying to manage the race from there.”

Lachlan Harburg, Class B:

“I would like to say it was down to skill but it was more luck, unfortunately Brad (Carr) had a spin, so I’m not getting ahead of myself, but its really good to come away with the win. It was just nice to keep clean with a lot of guys making mistakes out there. It’s just a mega track as it’s really designed for these cars, it really rewards bravery through the fast stuff. I’m trying to get my head around it but just loving this car here, its been awesome.”

Wood streak continues with The Bend pole award

Sam Shahin tops Morris Pro-Am and Brad Carr class B

RYAN WOOD has continued his ongoing Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge fight for supremacy with Thomas Sargent, grabbing the TAG Heuer Pole Award today at The Bend Motorsport Park. 

A late flyer was good enough to pop the Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport driver to the top of the charts, bumping Sargent to second with a The Bend record 1m50.4916s flyer.

It’s his fourth consecutive pole position in Sprint Challenge this season.

Home town hero Sam Shahin grabbed the Morris Pro-Am pole award, while Brad Carr topped the competitive Class B fight.

Sargent’s pole position came by just 0.3 seconds, championship leader Sargent improving on his final flying lap though unable to better Wood’s time.

The pair will line up together on the front row for the third time this season in race one tomorrow.

Lachlan Bloxsom was third – making it three teams in the first three positions – with Tom McLennan fourth.

Sonic racer Courtney Prince and Aaron Shields make up the third row, with Harrison Goodman in seventh just behind.

Shahin, the Pro-Am frontrunner, was eighth and in front of Madeline Stewart and Jason Miller who completed the top-10.

Pro-Am contenders Brett Boulton and Andrew Goldie were next in the order in their pursuit of Shahin in the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’.

Brad Carr qualified 13th outright in his Class B-leading entry, topping Nathan Sticklen and Lachlan Harburg in the class running.

Saturday action commences with the first eight-lap race at 10:10am ACDT, followed by the 22-lap Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race at 12:45pm.

Both races will be broadcast live on 7plus on Saturday, with Sunday’s final race also live on the streaming application.

Ryan Wood, Pro Pole Position “I was pretty happy with that, it was back and forth between myself and Tom the whole session, but I had to jag one out at the end there. But moving forward we should be good in the races and hopefully take out a couple race wins this weekend. I literally did it with a lap to go, we’re just getting used the green tyre as we don’t run a lot of greens. With the rain forecast for tomorrow, hopefully we can carry on where we left in Sandown, I haven’t driven much in the wet, Sandown was my first time, so hopefully we can come away with the race win.”

Sam Shahin, Morris Pro-Am “It was an interesting qualifying session, the track felt a lot better than it did earlier today, the car felt good. But the times just weren’t there, I really felt like I was driving Miss Daisy out there and we had a bit of confusion (in the team) I was meant to come in and put another set of tyres, but we didn’t end up doing that. The Porsche on this track, as usual, was just amazing, The Bend is just built for these cars. This track is actually very good in the wet, we spent a lot of time and effort on the drainage in the design, its exceptionally good and a different circuit to drive in the rain.”

Brad Carr, Class B Pole “I think there was a bit more in it, but we just didn’t piece it all together, but still a really good lap time and I was happy with the time. I really am enjoying the Porsche, it’s a very different car to the production car and requires a different driving style. The production car moves around a lot more, but the Porsches have more grip and more aero, so you have to be more precise and trust the grip, that’s probably my bigest point of difference, just building that trust in the grip.”

Record Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field for The Bend Autofest

Sargent and Wood to resume battle at The Bend Motorsport Park

A record twenty-five car Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field will roll out at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia this weekend.  With 25 entries, this weekend marks the fourth consecutive round where the series has either set or equalled a record for the largest grid to race at that particular circuit.

The Bend AutoFest also signifies the start of the second half of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season with both the Pro and Morris Pro-Am Championship battles still wide open.

While this round marks the final Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship event for the year, competition in the Porsche one-make National Series is only hotting up, with Rounds 5 (Bathurst International) and Round 6 (Phillip Island Island Magic) still to come later this year.

In the Pro class, it’s been a two-horse race so far this season between series leader, Thomas Sargent (519 points) and Porsche Team New Zealand driver, Ryan Wood (510 points). While the ever-present Local Legends entry of Courtney Prince lies a further 126 points adrift in third, ahead of McElrea Racing debutants Aron Shields (348 points) and Lachlan Bloxsom (330 points).

The Morris Pro-Am battle is even tighter than that of the pros, with The Bend Motorsport Park owner, Sam Shahin (503 points) lying only five points ahead of the Bold Living entry of Brett Boulton (498 points). That points gap may well increase after this weekend though, with the South Australian naturally enjoy home advantage at his own circuit – the same venue he sealed the Pro-Am Championship title in 2019 when the National Series last raced here.

On that occasion, Harri Jones played a conservative role across the three sprint races to ensure he claimed the 2019 Sprint Challenge Pro title. The weekend was however dominated by Sonic Motor Racing drivers, Max Vidau and Aaron Love, sharing the wins, with the latter claiming the overall event.

With both current Class B leaders, Jacob Li and Gerard Murphy, missing the round this weekend, Nathan Sticklen, Lachlan Harburg and Bradley Carr all have a strong opportunity to take out the class win.

All five of these Class B runners are among 17 first-time drivers in the series this year, with South Australian driver, Pan Boyachi, making his series debut at The Bend. The Adelaide local has a lot of experience behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car at The Bend and is a regular in local State Racing competition at the circuit. This will be his first national-level event.

Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series is just one of number of headline acts fans can enjoy at The Bend AutoFest, which includes The Bend Classic and the Adelaide Hills Rally – a round of the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC).

Following two practice sessions and a qualifying on Friday, both Saturday’s races and Sunday’s will be streamed live on 7plus together with the final sprint race on Sunday morning. Highlights of all three races will also be broadcast on 7mate in the weeks following the event

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 4, The Bend Motorsport Park

ENTRY LIST: 

BROADCAST SCHEDULE:  

Friday 21 October

09:10-09:40    Practice 1

12:55-13:25    Practice 2

16:30-16:50    Qualifying

Saturday 22 October

10:10-10:30    Race 1 (8 laps)

12:45-13:30    Race 2 (22 laps)

Sunday 23 October

11:10-11:30    Race 3 (8 laps)

Round winners at The Bend Motorsport Park:

2019: Aaron Love (Sonic), Max Vidau (Sonic), Ryan Suhle (McElrea)
Pole: Ryan Suhle. Race Winners: Aaron Love x2, Max Vidau.
Pro-Am: Sam Shahin Class B: Andrew Goldie

2018: Max Vidau (Sonic), Cooper Murray (McElrea), Ryan Suhle (McElrea)
Pole: Simon Fallon. Race Winners: Max Vidau x2, Cooper Murray
Pro-Am: Sam Shahin Class B: Richard Bloomfield

Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet claim the 2022 IMSA Drivers’ Championship with Porsche customer team

Porsche wins all GTD-Pro titles with Pfaff Motorsports

Porsche wins all GTD-Pro titles with Pfaff Motorsports

• Porsche clinches manufacturer’s title in the new GTD-Pro class
• Customer squad Pfaff Motorsports claims the team classification
• Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet win the drivers’ championship
• Porsche 911 GT3 R scores strong results in the season finale

Porsche has won the manufacturer’s championship in the GTD-Pro class. The customer team Pfaff Motorsports secured the title, with 2016 Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet crowned the new driver champions.

These were the results after the finale of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. The Porsche customer team from Canada finished the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta in third place. The Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Wright Motorsports crossed the finish line in fourth place in the GTD category.

For Pfaff Motorsports, the wait was over immediately after the ten-hour race began: With the successful start of the 2022 Petit Le Mans, the team had already notched up enough points to hand all three titles in the new GTD-Pro class to Porsche, the Canadian squad and the two works drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet. This was the second title in a row for the team with the distinctive and extremely popular Porsche 911 GT3 R decked out in the lumberjack livery. In 2021, Pfaff Motorsports won the GTD category.

The successful Porsche works factory driver duo Campbell and Jaminet, who are known in the North American sports cars scene as “CamJam”, received reinforcement from Felipe Nasr for the endurance race at Road Atlanta. The Brazilian drove strong stints in the first two and a half hours and handed the 911 off to his Australian teammate running in sixth place. Campbell, however, was hit by bad luck: After contact with another GT vehicle, he had to slowly and carefully navigate his Porsche 911 GT3 R back to the pits with a puncture. Consequently, the team lost two laps to the leading vehicles. However, with a clever strategy and some conveniently-timed yellow phases, Pfaff managed to close the gap to the leaders within just one hour. Campbell and Jaminet continued their charge, at times even taking the lead. After the final full course yellow with around 35 minutes left on the clock, a gripping fight for class victory unfolded. After an action-packed race, Pfaff Motorsports’ No. 9 car took the flag in fourth place but ultimately inherited third place after a rival was handed a penalty.

“Congratulations to Pfaff Motorsports, our victorious works drivers and the entire team from Weissach, who made the other title victories with the Porsche 911 GT3 R possible. Last year’s triumph in the GTD category, now the championship title in the new GTD-Pro class – we’re delighted with the Pfaff squad,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.

“We’re just as proud of our partners in the GTD class. Wright Motorsports were in close contention for the title right up to the final race. That’s an honourable achievement. We’ve given the current generation GT3 R a fitting farewell in North America. We’re now looking forward to the brand new 911 GT3 R in the GT categories and the 2023 season with the Porsche 963 in the new GTP class.”

“We didn’t have the fastest car on the track today, but the experienced Pfaff and Wright customer teams managed to get the best out of it,” concludes Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“It’s a great story that Pfaff Motorsports secured the 2021 title in the GTD class and did it again the following year in the new GTD-Pro category. Five wins this season is tremendous – no one has ever achieved that many wins in one season before in the GT classes of the IMSA championship. Our Porsche 911 GT3 R was able to showcase its potential over and over again this year. Now we’re excited about its successor, which will make its debut at Daytona in 2023.”

The Wright Motorsports customer team headed into the 2022 Petit Le Mans with an outside chance of winning the title. The squad from the US state of Ohio drove a flawless race with its drivers Ryan Hardwick (USA), Zacharie Robichon (Canada) and Jan Heylen (Belgium), but failed to score enough points to outstrip the two top teams. The No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R crossed the finish line fourth in the GTD class. Nevertheless, the crew did not go home empty-handed: Ryan Hardwick was presented with the “Bob Akin Award” as the best amateur. This accolade guarantees the American business man a grid spot at the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.

For the Hardpoint team, the final race of the 2022 season ended after seven hours. The American Rob Ferriol hit the barriers at turn five with the No. 99 Porsche. The amateur drive was unhurt. Ferriol shared the cockpit with his fellow countryman Nick Boulle and Katherine Legge from the UK.

The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season is now over. Spectators were given a preview of the coming year with the presentation of four racing cars in the new GTP class, which will race for victory at Daytona, Sebring and other races. This quartet also included the new Porsche 963, which was displayed to the public for the first time in the USA at Road Atlanta. The new hybrid prototype will take part in official tests at Daytona on 6-7 December before tackling the opening round of the 2023 season at the same venue on the last weekend in January.

Drivers’ comments on the race and the 2022 season
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R #9): “It feels totally surreal. We’ve won every title in this tremendous year and we’re back on the podium again at the final race. It’s amazing what we have achieved as a team. There was only one race where we didn’t end up on the podium. That’s phenomenal. On one hand, it’s a pity that our journey with the Pfaff Motorsports squad ends here. On the other hand, I’m really excited about racing the Porsche 963 next year with Porsche Penske Motorsport.”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #9): “Once again, the final phase in the dark was crazy – Petit Le Mans is famous for that. We didn’t have the fastest car today, but I still thought I had good chances in the thrilling finale. It was a four-way fight with an open-ended outcome. There was a lot of swapping of paint and positions. We love such situations. It wasn’t enough to win today but that’s okay. Thanks so much to the team for all the great work and strategy. Every single member of the team has become a lifelong friend!”

Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #16): “We tried out very best but we couldn’t do more today. I’m extremely proud of the team and my teammates Jan and Zach. Everyone did their utmost but in the end, we were just a few points short of winning the title. Two years ago with Patrick Long, I missed out on winning the big trophy by just two points. Something like that always hurts. On the other hand, it’s a huge success to be in the fight for the title all the way to the finale. Now I’m looking forward to the coming year. I accept the invitation to Le Mans and I’ll drive the 911 RSR there. And I’m very excited about the new 911 GT3 R in the IMSA series!”

Race results
GTD-Pro class:
1. Hawksworth/Barnicoat/Kirkwood (UK/UK/USA), Lexus RC F GT3 #14, 386 laps
2. De Phillippi/Edwards/Krohn (USA/USA/FIN), BMW M4 GT3 #25, 386 laps
3. Campbell/Jaminet/Nasr (AUS/F/BR), Porsche 911 GT3 R #9, 386 laps

GTD class:
1. Farnbacher/Bechtolsheimer/Simpson (D/UK/USA), Acura NSX GT3 #66, 387 laps
2. Iribe/Pepper/Priaulx (USA/RSA/UK), McLaren 720S GT3 #70, 387 laps
3. Foley/Auberlen/Dinan (USA/USA/USA), BMW M4 GT3 #96, 386 laps
4. Hardwick/Heylen/Robichon (USA/B/CDN), Porsche 911 GT3 R #16, 386 laps
12. Ferriol/Legge/Boulle (USA/UK/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #99, 264 laps

Full results: https://imsa.alkamelsystems.com.

Island Magic to host final round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Phillip Island set for Porsche’s National Series season finale

Following the cancellation of the Shannons Nationals event that was due to take place from the 24-26 June at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit earlier this year, Porsche Cars Australia is now pleased to confirm that the final round of the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will take place at the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club’s Island Magic event from 25 and 26 November later this year.

Round 6 of the Porsche National one-make Series will see previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars enjoy a 50-minute practice and 20-minute qualifying session on Friday 25 November as well as three 20-minute sprint races on the Saturday 26 November, to conclude the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season.

Broadcast details and coverage of the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Quotes:

Barry Hay, PCA Motorsport Manager: “Phillip Island is a fantastic circuit and very popular among our Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia competitors and teams. We are naturally very happy that we will be able to host the final round of the 2022 Series at the Island Magic event later this year and would like to thank the PIARC team and event organisers for the help and assistance in accommodating us, for what will be a very exciting climax to our 2022 season.”

Phillip Island Auto Racing Club (PIARC) President, Nick Scarcella: “We welcome Porsche Cars Australia and the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia to PIARC’s Island Magic joining our existing categories for this signature event. This annual event enjoyed by spectators, competitors, and officials alike in this year’s event, will be a highlight in the club’s 70th anniversary year.”

“We look to a great final round that will no doubt crown a worthy winner of one of Australia’s most sought-after National Series, at one of the world’s most picturesque circuits in Phillip Island. We look forward seeing one and all in November, it will be magic.”

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Wood takes round, Sargent enduro cup thriller at Sandown

Morris Pro-Am goes to Brett Boulton while Lachlan Harburg takes Class B

RYAN WOOD has won a thrilling third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series by a single point following a dramatic, rain-affected Enduro Cup race at Sandown Raceway.

Thomas Sargent won the 40-minute affair, however in finishing second Wood did enough to claim the round overall ahead of his championship rival and Courtney Prince.

Brett Boulton claimed the Morris Pro-Am round win over Sam Shahin and Matt Slavin, while Lachlan Harburg won for the first time in Class B.

The results don’t indicate how dramatic the final race of the weekend was, with a rain shower moments before the race commenced splitting the field – half of the grid electing to pit and put wet tyres on.

That resulted in Aron Shields bursting into an early race lead, before he tripped up in the wet conditions and spun at turn three.

Through all the drama Eric Constantinidis assumed the lead, while drivers who had elected to fit wet-weather tyres carved their way through the field.

Among them were Race 1 winner Ryan Wood and his closest rival Sargent, who both made quick work through the out-of position drivers.

Sargent led the charge and assumed the lead by lap five, only to be passed by Wood a lap later.

The pair then spent the next stanza of the race running nose-to-tail in a continuation of their battle that started in the opening race of the championship.

Sargent then pounced on the 21^st lap to re-take the lead, despite a trip through the mud at turn 2 that damaged his front splitter.

He would hold off his young Kiwi rival to take the race victory, however Wood’s second place was enough to give the Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport ace the round victory.

The battle behind was equally furious with a drying circuit giving those who started the race on slicks an opportunity to shine as the race evolved.

One of those drivers was Lachlan Bloxsom, who dropped to as low as 16^th position but began to march his way forward as the race evolved.

He reached the top-10 on lap 14 and climbed to fifth by the 19^th tour, often lapping three seconds quicker than the leaders as the race evolved and the circuit dried.

Then on a thrilling final lap he passed both Courtney Prince and Harrison Goodman to climb into the top three at the final corner.

The battle for Morris Pro-Am honours was equally competitive, especially when race one winner Danny Stuttered struck dramas early on, dropping to the back of the field.

That handed the advantage to Constantinidis, who would lead outright before he too slipped down the order.

The experienced Indiran Padayachee then assumed point in Pro-Am only to fall to the flying Brett Boulton, who like his McElrea teammate Bloxsom was charging through the field late in the race.

Boulton would ultimately claim the class with Matt Slavin a late charge to second and Sam Shahin third – passing Padayachee for a spot in the top three late in the race.

Lachlan Harburg’s run to Class B victory was no easy drive either, though the Queenslander found himself running second outright for a time on the opening lap thanks to the split strategies employed by the field.

He ultimate finished 19^th outright to not only win the class in the Jim Richards Enduro Cup race, but for the round Overall.

With three rounds complete, Thomas Sargent now provisionally leads the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series by 9 points over Ryan Wood, with Courtney Prince in third position.

The next round of the championship will see the field head to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on October 21-23, joining the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at the venue just outside of Adelaide.

QUOTES:

Ryan Wood, Pro round winner:

“It was pretty intense those opening laps, starting from pitlane and battling with Tom for 30 odd laps. Its bittersweet though, I feel like I could have won that last race but it is, what it is. We’ve closed the Championship gap, even though its only a few points its just so close. We’ll now go to The Bend and have a proper crack and see where we end up.”

Brett Boulton, Morris Pro-Am round winner:

“We turned up here and it was dry with some dry running in practice, then obviously the wets came out. I’ve been struggling with flu all weekend, so I was quite glad it was wet and not too hot inside the car. The decision to go from slicks to wet basically came down to my decision and the team asked me which way I wanted to go. We swopped on the dummy grid and went out on slicks and then I said to the guys lets roll the dice and go with the wets, because it was raining quite hard on the back straight and I’m glad we did as coming through the field was great fun.”

Lachlan Harburg, Class B round winner:

“To win just my second Sprint Challenge race is kind of surreal, if you told me on Friday afternoon when I was dead last, that I would win Class B this round I wouldn’t have belived you. I’m so stoked, it means so much to me to win a trophy in a national Porsche category and add to our family history, its hugely emotional and I’m wrapped. I just want to keep coming back and doing this, on Friday I had thought was I out of my league, but this (win) is a massive confidence boost. I’m looking forward to the next round at Tailem Bend, another new track and new experince for me, I’m relishing the challenge.”

Wood wins wet-weather Sandown opener before rain halts play

Daniel Stuttered takes Morris Pro-Am win in comeback drive

RYAN WOOD has broken Thomas Sargent’s winning streak at the top of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, claiming the opening race in round three at Sandown.

The sole race of the day was held in wet conditions at the Victorian circuit, with the scheduled second race postponed due to torrential rain just before it was scheduled to start.

Motorsport Australia are looking to reschedule the program on Sunday at Sandown.

Wood started second in today’s race but had to work hard to secure his third win of the season.

Starting from the front row, Aron Shields led the field on the opening lap as the 27-strong grid launched towards turn one in wet conditions.

The race was held under Safety Car for several laps following contact between Nathan Sticklen and Marc Cini at the start of the race.

Sticklen spun across the field and made contact with the wall on the inside of the circuit, while Cini was stranded on drivers right, necessitating a recovery and the Safety Car.

A feisty restart saw Shields leading from Ryan Wood and Thomas Sargent amidst the spray.

Shields led for a time before Wood was able to slip past for the lead at turn one with two laps remaining; Shields running wide while trying to defend his position from the flying Kiwi.

Sargent followed his Michelin Junior rival through to grab second, while Shields was able to finish third, Courtney Prince fourth and Tom McLennan fifth in his debut in a Pro Class car.

Lachlan Bloxsom and Jason Miller were next, the latter – a former Australian Water-skiing champion – revelling in the wet conditions in seventh.

Daniel Stuttered celebrated his return to the series by taking out the Morris Pro-Am class victory – his first since claiming the class title – ahead of series leader Sam Shahin and Brett Boulton, while Jacob Li won Class B.

An updated Sunday on-track and broadcast schedule will be released in due course following consultation with Motorsport Australia race officials at Sandown.

QUOTES:

Ryan Wood, Pro:

“It was a pretty weird race, we had to change from slicks to wets and then follow the safety car for the majority of the race. It was unfortunate for Aron to run off there, but you got to capitalized when they come.”

Danny Stutterd, Morris Pro-Am:

“It was a bit sad to be honest, after we got away we came around that first lap and there was a bit of carnage, so I feel sad for all the competitors involved at least we got a few laps. All in all, I got a great start so that was awesome, I just hope all the guys are ok and the cars get fixed for the next one.”

Jacob Li, Class B:

“The race was great, it was my first time racing here in wet conditions, it was pretty awesome. Unfortunately I didn’t see the lights at the start, so I lost four places, but I managed to get them back over the last few laps and I’m very happy with the result.”

Wood wins wet-weather pole in Sandown shootout

Daniel Stuttered scores Pro-Am pole on series return

RYAN WOOD has scored a stunning pole position in qualifying for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, setting the fastest time in a wet-weather shootout at the end of qualifying today. 

Persistent rain saw the entire field running on Michelin’s wet weather tyre at the end of qualifying, times dropping consistently despite the increasingly wet conditions.

In a rapidly evolving session, a series of flyers saw Wood’s 1m17.4840s best be just enough for pole position.

Wood, driving for Team Porsche New Zealand / Earl Bamber Motorsport, won the opening two races and first round of the championship in Sydney earlier this year but trails Thomas Sargent in the series, following a runner-up finish in Queensland last time out.

A late flyer from rookie Aron Shields saw him leap to second, just 0.4s behind Wood.

The Sydney driver hustled his McElrea Racing Porsche hard at the end of qualifying and jumped to the front row on his 10th and final lap of the session to record his best-ever starting position.

Courtney Prince topped the session for some time before the rush of quick laps dropped her to third by the end of the 20-minutes, while championship leader and Round 2 winner Thomas Sargent was fourth.

He’ll line up directly behind nearest title rival Wood in tomorrow’s opening race.

Four different teams are represented on the first two rows of the grid for race one on Saturday.

Lachlan Bloxsom and Tom McLennan comprise the third row of the grid for race one tomorrow, with Harrison Goodman a strong seventh.

In Pro-Am, Daniel Stuttered’s return to one-make Porsche racing saw him edge out class championship leader Sam Shahin by just 0.1 seconds to score pole.

Brett Boulton was third in class, a further 0.1 seconds behind and lines up directly behind his two class rivals in 10th outright.

Jacob Li scored pole in Class B ahead of Nathan Sticklen and Lachlan Harburg, just 0.1 seconds between the top two in the class.

Earlier in Practice, Sargent edged out Ryan Wood by just 0.04s across a pair of 30-minute sessions, held in dry conditions on Friday morning.

Lachlan Bloxhom was third with Sam Shahin fourth outright and first of the Morris Pro-Am runners.

Aron Shields was fifth with Courtney Prince, Jason Miller, Tom McLennan, Danny Stuttered and Christian Fitzgerald rounding out the top-10.

Jacob Li headed the Class B field over Jonathan Glicksten.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will race twice on Saturday, with both sprint races to be broadcast live on Stan Sport.

Sunday’s Jim Richards Enduro Trophy race completes the third round of the series.

Ryan Wood, Pro, “It was my first time driving a Porsche without ABS at the this track this weekend in the wet so pretty happy to be honest. Its very good, happy with where we ended up, still a little gutted that we didn’t get a clean lap in but it’s the same for everyone. We’ll take the positives away, have a look at the data tonight and lets claw back this points deficit.”

Daniel Stutterd, Morris Pro-Am, “It was just a matter of finding where the limits were and we got it right there, tried staying off kerbs and feeding the throttle. I can’t complain it was a really nice session. I haven’t been in the rain for years and the car felt awesome, the TekworkX guys have done an awesome job. I’m really loving my racing this weekend, having a ball and the whole experience is exceeding expectations to be honest. I thought to come here after a few years it would take a bit to blow the cobwebs off, but I’m right here and I’m feeling ok.”

Jacob Li, Class B, “Its not too bad, its actually my first time driving in wet conditions at Sandown, so I was surprised to get P1 (in Class B), so I’m looking forward to the races. Hopefully it doesn’t rain, otherwise I’ll just need to try harder.”

Marc Cini and Daniel Stutterd to return to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sandown

Thomas Sargent and Ryan Wood to resume battle in Round 3

Marc Cini will make his return to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge this weekend, when the National one-make Series travels to the Sandown International Raceway in the South-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria for Round 3. The Porsche Centre Melbourne driver is the most experienced Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia driver in the Championship’s history and has started more one-make Porsche races in the southern hemisphere than any other driver.

The Hallmarc backed driver returns to Series, having last raced in the Sprint Challenge Australia (formerly GT3 Cup Challenge) back in 2014. Also making his comeback in Round 3 is Daniel Stutterd who returns to the Series, having last raced in the 2018 season where he won the Morris Pro-Am Championship after a season-long battle with Brett Boulton. Stutterd won seven Pro-Am races that season and finished sixth outright in the Series along the way.

Ten drivers made their Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debut in Sydney for the opening round of the 2022 Series. This was the most first-time racers in any one round of Sprint Challenge in the last decade of competition.

Included in that list of starters were six drivers in the Pro class, two in Morris Pro-Am and three in Class B including: Thomas Sargent, Lachlan Bloxsom, Ryan Wood, Jason Miller, Harrison Goodman, Aron Shields (All pro), Christian Fitzgerald, Emanuel Mezzasalma (Morris Pro-Am) and Jacob Li, Nathan Sticklen and Gerard Murphy in Class B.

Last time out at Queensland Raceway for Round 2, Eric Constantinidis, Tom McLennan, Bradley Carr and Lachlan Harburg joined the list, all campaigning previous-gen 991.1 cars in Class B, taking the list to 14.

Sandown will see two further debutants join the Sprint Challenge field: Matt Slavin and Travis Knipe.

Should all 27 entries start, this will be the largest Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field ever assembled for a Sandown round of the Series, and the largest of the season to date.  This is the third consecutive round where Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge has set a record for the largest grid to race at that particular circuit.

Thomas Sargent has now won the last four consecutive races, having finished second in the opening pair of sprints at Sydney Motorsport Park’s season opener. Closest rival Ryan Wood, trails Sargent by just 10 points in the standings, having finished second in the last four consecutive races.

While that pair of Michelin Juniors have locked out the top spots so far, behind them the battle for third has been highly competitive; three different drivers having occupied the last podium step in the six races held so far. After Courtney Prince was third in all three Sydney races, Aron Shields and Lachlan Bloxsom shared the honours at Queensland Raceway – their home circuit.

The Morris Pro-Am fight closely mirrors the Pro class battle, with Sam Shahin dominating four races and Brett Boulton claiming line honours in the remaining pair. After Tom Taplin elected to move up to the Pro class, Bradley Carr and young Tom McLennan start as favourites in Class B for Round 3. The pair will resume battle with both Jacob Li and Gerry Murphy.

Following two practice sessions and a qualifying on Friday, both Saturday’s two 14-lap Sprint races and Sunday’s 45-minute Enduro will be broadcast LIVE on Stan Sport.

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 3, Sandown

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