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.
