| Round | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Sydney Motorsport Park | Mar 27 - 29 |
| Round 2 | Winton Raceway | May 1 - 3 |
| Round 3 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Jun 12 - 14 |
| Round 4 | Morgan Park | Jul 3 - 5 |
| Round 5 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Aug 21 - 23 |
| Round 6 | Sandown Raceway | Sep 11 - 12 |
Standings
Mobil Pro
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harri Jones | 930 |
| 2 | Aaron Love | 902 |
| 3 | Max Vidau | 830 |
| 4 | Christian Pancione | 735 |
Pro-Am
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Shahin | 932 |
| 2 | Brett Boulton | 862 |
| 3 | Ross McGregor | 685 |
| 4 | Rob Woods | 572 |
Class B
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Greig | 996 |
| 2 | Andrew Goldie | 930 |
| 3 | Nathan Murray | 690 |
| 4 | Tony Martin | 594 |
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Callum Hedge to make Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debut in 2021
Young New Zealand driver to be mentored by Le Mans 24-hour winner
Callum Hedge is one of the exciting, young New Zealand drivers preparing to race in Australia this year in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series.
As part of the Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) squad, Hedge will start his ascent up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid in his debut Porsche season in Australia with support from Official Porsche Centres of New Zealand.
Running under the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ banner, Hedge will be competing alongside fellow New Zealander Madeline Stewart, as the pairing make-up the EBM entrants for the 2021 season.
Hedge said on the announcement, “It’s an honour and a privilege for me to be representing the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ and EBM brands. It’s going to be surreal to roll out at Phillip Island wearing colours I have watched since I started racing.”
As a Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge driver, Hedge will also be eligible to apply for not only the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme but the 2022 EBM Scholarship in collaboration with ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’, which looks to provide young up and coming drivers the opportunity to race in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
With several opportunities and challenges ahead, it is the mentoring from Earl Bamber and the EBM team that Hedge is most looking forward to, an opportunity to be envied by any young driver.
EBM Co-Director, Earl Bamber said, “Callum has already shown that he can compete with the best in Australia in the 2019 ‘Australian Formula Ford Championship’, he will be a strong competitor for the title this season.”
“There are going to be a number of challenges for Callum in the coming season, on and off the track, and were looking forward to seeing him grow as a driver. “
For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Bayley Hall joins McElrea Racing for 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season
McElrea Racing have announced that Bayley Hall will join the team for 2021
McElrea Racing have announced that Bayley Hall will join the team for 2021
McElrea Racing has announced that Bayley Hall, will join the Championship-winning Carrera Cup team for the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season.
As a Grade 12 student at Coomera Anglican College in Queensland, the talented GT racer sees 2021 as an opportunity to get acquainted with the first generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, before he starts his ascent up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
“I’m very excited for this new chapter in my racing career. It’s all a bit surreal, but it’s a dream come true to announce that I will be with the McElrea team in a Porsche next year,” Hall said.
Hall has already amassed a large amount of experience despite his young age, having competed a number of different racing series and cars. His natural speed and adaptability was apparent from early in his career, having finished second overall in both the 2019 Gold Coast round of the Australia GT Championship and the 2020 Bathurst combined sedans series. Hall also became the youngest ever podium finisher at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year, finishing third in class in a Marc Cars Mustang V8.
Andy McElrea said, “We’ve been watching Bayley’s progress for a couple of years and for such a young guy, he already has vast mileage and experience in a variety of cars. A year ago we chatted about a potential future with MR and having a shot at the Porsche Pyramid, following in the footsteps of Matt and Jaxon in Europe. We did an evaluation test with him a couple of weeks ago and we were very impressed with his first run in a cup car, needless to say, he has a very exciting few years ahead of him!”
Hall partnered with McElrea Racing’s Warren Luff for the Bathurst event, “I’m excited that Luffy will be one of my mentors at McElrea as he has known me since I was a toddler playing Mario kart. We get on very well and it was a huge experience to drive with him at one of the biggest races in Australia earlier this year.”
Hall will also be part of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme in 2021, which in the past has seen drivers like Nick Foster, Dylan O’Keeffe, Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Jordan Love and Matt Campbell go onto to compete at the highest level of the sport both locally and internationally.
Campbell and Evans both started their Porsche careers with McElrea Racing in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (formerly known as GT3 Cup Challenge) before going onto win the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup titles in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
On the prospect of joining Australia’s benchmark junior development programme Hall said, “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can in the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme and my goal is to ultimately win the Sprint Challenge series, before I make the step into the main game in Carrera Cup.”
“The opportunity to drive the GT3 Cup car in the test session for around 100 laps was incredible. Working with the likes of race engineer, Leigh Geyer and the rest of the McElrea team was also an amazing opportunity,“ Hall enthused.
“After seeing the success the team have had in the past with the likes of Matt and Jaxon, I’m really looking forward to stepping up to the Porsche one-make series next year, as the cars are identical and the national competition is at the highest level,” Hall concluded.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series gets underway at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in February.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Team Porsche New Zealand announces scholarship and 2021 Michelin Sprint Challenge driver line-up
Matthew Payne, Madeline Stewart and Callum Hedge line-up for Team Porsche New Zealand in 2021
Team EBM (Earl Bamber Motorsport) run by both Earl and Will Bamber, have announced that they will enter a 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for young New Zealand karting champion, Matthew Payne, in the 2021 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia series under the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ banner – supported by the Official Porsche Centers of New Zealand.
The partnership is a continuation of the team formed to enter the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship with Will Bamber securing four race victories and third overall in the Championship.
Team Porsche New Zealand will provide an opportunity to offer a scholarship for a young New Zealand talent to drive in Carrera Cup Australia. The oversight of Earl and Will Bamber will provide invaluable experience having success from Carrera Cup series, right to the top of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
“We are really excited about the Team Porsche NZ Scholarship. It is something we’re proud to offer and it gives a solid platform for young Kiwi drivers to aspire to from karts and other national championships. It’s about providing a path-way to a professional motorsports career” – Earl Bamber.
“2021 will be the first time Team Porsche New Zealand enter the series with their own Scholarship Programme, which is a further testament to the growing awareness and competitive standing our series is receiving across the region.” – Troy Bundy, Head of Motorsport Porsche Cars Australia
Matthew Payne
Matthew Payne, who hails from Auckland has extensive experience in karting after starting at age 5. In 2019 he won the KZ2 National Championship before relocating to base himself in Italy and race in a number of European series against the very best KZ kart drivers in the world. Payne has aspired to make the transition from karts to touring cars with the long-term goal of endurance racing as a factory driver for Porsche.
“To be the driver selected by Porsche New Zealand for their scholarship at this age is something very special, it will be awesome to be mentored by such an accomplished driver and team and I will take this opportunity with both hands and make them proud.
I’ve always wanted to race Porsche cars and race the Australian Championship. It’s a real privilege. It’s a step toward my ultimate goal of racing GT Endurance cars at famous tracks like Le Mans, Daytona, Bathurst. Nurburgring and many more.” – Matthew Payne
Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia to visit New Zealand
The Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Series will visit New Zealand for the first time. The round will run alongside the Repco Supercars Championship in early November.
“To race in New Zealand for the first time in our series history will be a huge highlight for all Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia drivers next year. I would like to again thank Porsche New Zealand for partnering with us to make this exciting opportunity a reality for our teams.” – Troy Bundy, Head of Motorsport Porsche Cars Australia
2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge
In addition to the scholarship offered in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia series, Team Porsche New Zealand will also support Madeline Stewart and Callum Hedge. Stewart and Hedge will be competing in the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in Australia with Earl Bamber Motorsport and under the Team Porsche New Zealand banner. As Sprint Challenge drivers as part of the team, both will be eligible to apply for the Carrera Cup scholarship in 2022.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to race with EBM in 2021. The Porsche pathway is really promising and provides a lot of opportunities for myself to progress with my racing experience and my career.
I’m looking forward to building up a good level of skill racing these cars and I’m lucky enough to have Earl Bamber’s help with driver coaching. I know I will gain a lot from listening to his expertise and knowledge.
I am a proud Kiwi so to have Porsche New Zealand’s support is an honor. I am really grateful to be representing their brand and proud to have them onboard for next year.” – Madeline Stewart
“It’s really cool to finally get some direction on where we are headed after almost a year of uncertainty with COVID. I am very excited to be running with the Team Porsche New Zealand/Earl Bamber Motorsport team in Sprint Challenge Australia. It is a privilege to be running under their colours and be chosen for this opportunity to represent Porsche New Zealand and EBM.” – Callum Hedge
Applications for the 2022 Team Porsche New Zealand Scholarship will be taken in the 4th Quarter of 2021. The criteria and application process will be announced by the EBM Team nearer to this time.
Michelin Junior Training Workshop 2020
Highlights of the 2020 Michelin Junior Driver Training Workshop
2019 Season Highlights
2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (GT3 Cup Challenge ) Season Highlights
2019 Round 6 – The Bend Motorsport Park
Image Gallery
Earl Bamber Motorsport and Porsche New Zealand to enter Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in 2021
Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) will enter a multi-car team in 2021
Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) will enter a multi-car team in both the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia (PCCA) and the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series in 2021.
The EBM team will receive support from Porsche New Zealand and will operate out of a new base on the Gold Coast. Run by the former Porsche Le Mans 24-Hour winner and his brother Will, EBM are looking to growing the team operations outside of Asia and are looking forward to the challenge of entering a new, highly competitive market.
On the announcement, Earl Bamber said, “With Covid-19 we were forced to look at other options in motorsport, and we feel Carrera Cup Australia will be a great fit for our team.”
“We are really excited to be joining the Carrera Cup Australia grid in 2021. Porsche Cars Australia do a fantastic job at promoting the series and provide a solid platform for us to grow as a team across the globe.”
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “Earl Bamber Motorsport are no strangers to racing in Australia, having won the Bathurst 12-hour in 2019 with our very own Matt Campbell, as well as competing in the joint round between Carrera Cup Australia and Asia in 2018.”
“We’re excited to welcome EBM into both Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Sprint Challenge for next year, along with the support of Porsche New Zealand, as 2021 is already shaping up to be one of our most competitive fields to date with strong grids across all classes.”
About EBM:
No strangers to success, EBM previously won the Australian Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-hour title in 2019, capturing Porsche’s first victory in the endurance classic on Mountain Panorama. Prior to 2020, the EBM team competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series, finishing third in the driver standings, collecting four victories and eight podiums along the way in 2019. The team have already contested joint rounds against Porsche Carrera Cup Australia drivers in previous years, which most recently saw Will Bamber place third in the invitational race in 2019.
With a well-established presence in the Australasian motorsport market, EBM also recently announced their expansion into the North American market. EBM’s joint venture with Team Hardpoint will see the team compete for the GTD title in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Porsche unveils 2021 Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
Bathurst International headlines 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
The majestic Mount Panorama Circuit will host the final round of the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Calendar at the Bathurst International, NSW.
The six-round series, which caters for the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, will again feature as one of the headline acts on the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships program for 2021.
After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the 2020 series could not take place due to the travel restrictions for many of the series’ competitors, the 2021 schedule sees the series start in February at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria. Competitors then travel to Sydney Motorsport Park in NSW in early May for round 2 before heading to Morgan Park in QLD for round 3 in late June.
Teams then return to the historic, Sandown International Raceway in Victoria in September before venturing further south to The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, South Australia for the penultimate round of the series in mid-October.
The final round will be held at the Bathurst International, and the series will again include endurance races as part of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, with all six rounds featuring a longer endurance-style race for maximum track time.
As a feeder category for Australia’s premier one-make championship, Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge forms the first domestic step for many young, talented racing drivers wishing to climb the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the successful Porsche Michelin Junior Program.
The series’ Pro-am class – last won by The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin in 2019 – is equally popular with Porsche enthusiasts, playing host to some of the best on-track racing at Shannon’s rounds each year.
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “We are really looking forward to having the championship back up and running again next year and we feel we have delivered a calendar that all competitors will enjoy, allowing them to race on some of the best tracks across the country .”
“Finishing the season at the Bathurst International will be a real highlight and will provide great coverage and exposure for all our teams, drivers and partners” Bundy concluded.
2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
| Round | Event | State | Date | Sprint Race | Endurance Race |
| 1 | Phillip Island | VIC | February
TBC |
2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 2 | Sydney Motorsport
Park |
NSW | 1-2 May | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 3 | Morgan Park | QLD | 25-27
June |
2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 4 | Sandown | VIC | 10-12 September | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 5 | Tailem Bend | SA | 15 -17 October | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 6 | Bathurst Int. | NSW | TBC | TBC | TBC |
*Please Note: dates and schedules are subject to change
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
CAMS interviews: 2019 Champions
interviews with 2019 Champions, Harri Jones and Sam Shahin from the 2019 Awards dinner
Interview: 2019 Class B champion – David Greig
We catch up with 2019 Class B champion 🏆David Greig after the third and final race from The Bend Motorsport Park Shannons Nationals
Interview: 2019 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Pro-Am Champion Sam Shahin
We catch up with TAG Heuer Pro-Am class champion, Sam Shahin at The Bend Motorsport Park after Race 2
2019 Phillip Island – Sunday
2019 Phillip Island – Saturday
Madeline Stewart to drive McElrea Racing Porsche at The Bend
Madeline Stewart will contest the Aussie Tin Tops Support category in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car
Madeline Stewart will get behind the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car this weekend in the Aussie Tin Tops category, one of the support races for The Repco SuperSprint at The Bend Motorsport Park.
Stewart graduated from karting to Super3 Series with Brad Jones Racing in 2019 and had similar intentions for this season, “We had been planning to race a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Asia with Earl Bamber Motorsport, alongside our Super3 campaign with BJR this year, but obviously, the global pandemic meant we weren’t able to do that.”
Although the 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge seasons were also halted as a result the Coronavirus pandemic, Porsche Cars Australia has in the interim, permitted drivers and teams to compete in localised state-level racing until the Porsche series resumes.
With the support of Motorsportsales.com.au, the Tin Tops Support category at the NTI Townsville SuperSprint round included GT3 cars, Porsche Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge 911 GT3 Cup cars, Super3, TA2, MARC Cars, Toyota 86 Series and other assorted touring cars.
Reigning 2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Champion, Harri Jones, took the round one victory ahead of Tony Quinn in a GT3-spec Aston Martin. Bathurst winner, Luke Youlden and Jones’ McElrea Racing teammate, Ryan Suhle, fought it out for the last step of the podium, making it three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in the top four overall results.
It was at the inaugural Tin Tops event in Townsville that Stewart saw the opportunity with McElrea Racing, “We were still keen to do some Porsche racing this year and after racing at Townsville in the Tin Tops we thought that if that class raced again it might be a good opportunity to give the Porsche a try.”
“There has been a lot of negatives from the pandemic but the Tin Tops has been a good positive, allowing people who essentially had nowhere to race to get some racing in. We saw McElrea Racing at Townsville and when the Tin Tops were announced for The Bend we approached them to see if they had any cars available and luckily they did” Stewart said.
McElrea Racing’s Andy McElrea said, “We are looking forward to welcoming Madeline to the team and very confident she will do a great job. We hope she has so much fun, that she wants to drive Porsches more in the future!”
While The Bend event will be the second time Stewart has driven a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car – her first was with Earl Bamber Motorsport at Sepang in February this year – she won’t have any time to test with the McElrea team before rolling out for practice one on the race weekend.
Stewart said, “The Porsche is quite different to drive to the Super3 car. One of the big differences is how much more traction it has off the corners. The throttle application in a Supercar is quite tricky because you have to progress it as fast as possible without it breaking into wheel spin. The Supercars have power and not a very big tyre.”
“The Porsche, by comparison, is rear-engined with a much better tyre and less power. You need to be a lot more aggressive on the throttle, carry more mid-corner speed and you can, of course, brake deeper.”
“At this stage, The Bend is a one-off for us and it’s hard to know what racing there will be for the rest of the year and what next year will look like. We will just be looking at any opportunity to get some racing in,” Stewart concluded.
As part of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship doubleheader, fans can expect two jam-packed weekends of racing at the Repco SuperSprint, with various ticket options available from the gate or The Bend Motorsport Park website.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Revised 2020 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar revealed
Bathurst International to host Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge finale
Porsche Cars Australia is pleased to announce its revised calendar for the Michelin Sprint Challenge series following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) – which delayed the start of 2020 season earlier this year.
The number of rounds will reduce from six rounds to five for the remainder of the year and retain their position as a feature support race of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship calendar.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar gets underway at the Sydney Motorsport Park on the 15-16 August, before heading south to the Sandown Raceway in Victoria a month later for round two.
The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia will then host the third round of the series in mid-October before the teams travel to the flowing, high-speed curves of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for round four. The season culminates at the Bathurst International event on 14-15 November.
On the announcement, Head of Motorsport at Porsche Cars Australia, Troy Bundy said, “We are pleased to reveal our revised Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar for 2020 and would like to take the opportunity to thank Motorsport Australia and the Australian Racing Group for the support they have given us in developing what we feel is a great line-up of events for the remainder of this season.”
“We are looking forward to returning to the track and continuing to provide an excellent show for our fans, customers, teams and partners and we would like to thank them for their patience and support during this time.”
Further details regarding race formats for each round as well as the revised 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia calendar will be announced in the coming weeks.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge: 2020 Revised Calendar
Sydney Motorsport Park – August 15 -16
Sandown Raceway – September 12-13
The Bend Motorsport Park – October 17-18
Phillip Island – TBC
Bathurst International (ARG) – November 14-15
Porsche unveil 2020 Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar
Porsche unveils 2020 calendar for the rebranded Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series
Porsche unveils 2020 calendar for the rebranded Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series
Following the announcement that the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge series will be rebranded to Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia from the start of the 2020 season and that the French tyre giant has again reaffirmed their support for the series for next year as Title partner, Porsche has revealed their race calendar for the 2020 season.
The six-round series, which caters for the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will again feature as a highlight of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships program for 2020.
Having celebrated the series 200th race in 2019, the 2020 schedule sees the series start in late March at the Sydney Motorsport Park in NSW, before heading south to Winton in early May and continuing onto The Bend Motorsport Park a month later.
The second half of the season sees the series travel north to Morgan Park in Queensland before returning to Victoria for the last two rounds at the Phillip Island and Sandown Raceway circuits respectively.
As a feeder category for Australia’s premier one-make championship, Porsche PAYCE Carrera cup Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge forms the first domestic step for Porsche enthusiasts and many young, talented racing drivers wishing to climb the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the successful Porsche Michelin Junior Program.
The series’ Pro-am class – won by The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin in 2019 – is equally popular with amateur Porsche drivers, hosting some of the best on-track racing at Shannon’s rounds last year.
The 2020 calendar is tailored to offer not only the best value but cut costs for all drivers and teams. Care was also taken that the dates do not conflict with any of the 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship rounds, which again feature on seven main marquee rounds of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship as well as the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
As in 2019, the series will again include endurance races as part of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, with the opening five rounds featuring an endurance-style race, followed by two sprint races. The season finale, to be held at Sandown raceway, will remain as a sprint format across all races.
“Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia certainly experienced its strongest year to date in 2019 and we look to build upon this success in 2020,” said Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy.
“With the Shannon’s Motorsport Australia Championships enjoying record: crowd attendance, social, online and live stream audiences in 2019, we feel this provides our teams, drivers and series partners with an incredible platform from which to start the 2020 series.”
“There is already great interest from those looking to race in Michelin Sprint Challenge next season and we expect to see a similar number of drivers and cars, if not more, on the grid in 2020.”
2020 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar
Round 1 Sydney Motorsport Park 27-29 March 2020
Round 2 Winton Raceway 1-3 May 2020
Round 3 The Bend Motorsport Park 12-14 June 2020
Round 4 Morgan Park 3-5 July 2020
Round 5 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 21-23 August 2020
Round 6 Sandown Raceway 11 – 12 September 2020
Round 6, The Bend – Race 1 interviews
RACE 1 INTERVIEW with race winner Max Vidau at Rd6 at The Bend Motorsport Park
Round 6, The Bend – Qualifying interviews
Interviews with Ryan Suhle (Pro) and Brett Boulton (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) after qualifying at The Bend
2019 Phillip Island – Friday
Callum Hedge to make Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debut in 2021
Young New Zealand driver to be mentored by Le Mans 24-hour winner
Callum Hedge is one of the exciting, young New Zealand drivers preparing to race in Australia this year in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series.
As part of the Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) squad, Hedge will start his ascent up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid in his debut Porsche season in Australia with support from Official Porsche Centres of New Zealand.
Running under the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ banner, Hedge will be competing alongside fellow New Zealander Madeline Stewart, as the pairing make-up the EBM entrants for the 2021 season.
Hedge said on the announcement, “It’s an honour and a privilege for me to be representing the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ and EBM brands. It’s going to be surreal to roll out at Phillip Island wearing colours I have watched since I started racing.”
As a Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge driver, Hedge will also be eligible to apply for not only the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme but the 2022 EBM Scholarship in collaboration with ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’, which looks to provide young up and coming drivers the opportunity to race in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
With several opportunities and challenges ahead, it is the mentoring from Earl Bamber and the EBM team that Hedge is most looking forward to, an opportunity to be envied by any young driver.
EBM Co-Director, Earl Bamber said, “Callum has already shown that he can compete with the best in Australia in the 2019 ‘Australian Formula Ford Championship’, he will be a strong competitor for the title this season.”
“There are going to be a number of challenges for Callum in the coming season, on and off the track, and were looking forward to seeing him grow as a driver. “
For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Bayley Hall joins McElrea Racing for 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season
McElrea Racing have announced that Bayley Hall will join the team for 2021
McElrea Racing have announced that Bayley Hall will join the team for 2021
McElrea Racing has announced that Bayley Hall, will join the Championship-winning Carrera Cup team for the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge season.
As a Grade 12 student at Coomera Anglican College in Queensland, the talented GT racer sees 2021 as an opportunity to get acquainted with the first generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, before he starts his ascent up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
“I’m very excited for this new chapter in my racing career. It’s all a bit surreal, but it’s a dream come true to announce that I will be with the McElrea team in a Porsche next year,” Hall said.
Hall has already amassed a large amount of experience despite his young age, having competed a number of different racing series and cars. His natural speed and adaptability was apparent from early in his career, having finished second overall in both the 2019 Gold Coast round of the Australia GT Championship and the 2020 Bathurst combined sedans series. Hall also became the youngest ever podium finisher at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year, finishing third in class in a Marc Cars Mustang V8.
Andy McElrea said, “We’ve been watching Bayley’s progress for a couple of years and for such a young guy, he already has vast mileage and experience in a variety of cars. A year ago we chatted about a potential future with MR and having a shot at the Porsche Pyramid, following in the footsteps of Matt and Jaxon in Europe. We did an evaluation test with him a couple of weeks ago and we were very impressed with his first run in a cup car, needless to say, he has a very exciting few years ahead of him!”
Hall partnered with McElrea Racing’s Warren Luff for the Bathurst event, “I’m excited that Luffy will be one of my mentors at McElrea as he has known me since I was a toddler playing Mario kart. We get on very well and it was a huge experience to drive with him at one of the biggest races in Australia earlier this year.”
Hall will also be part of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme in 2021, which in the past has seen drivers like Nick Foster, Dylan O’Keeffe, Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Jordan Love and Matt Campbell go onto to compete at the highest level of the sport both locally and internationally.
Campbell and Evans both started their Porsche careers with McElrea Racing in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (formerly known as GT3 Cup Challenge) before going onto win the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup titles in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
On the prospect of joining Australia’s benchmark junior development programme Hall said, “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can in the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme and my goal is to ultimately win the Sprint Challenge series, before I make the step into the main game in Carrera Cup.”
“The opportunity to drive the GT3 Cup car in the test session for around 100 laps was incredible. Working with the likes of race engineer, Leigh Geyer and the rest of the McElrea team was also an amazing opportunity,“ Hall enthused.
“After seeing the success the team have had in the past with the likes of Matt and Jaxon, I’m really looking forward to stepping up to the Porsche one-make series next year, as the cars are identical and the national competition is at the highest level,” Hall concluded.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series gets underway at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in February.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Team Porsche New Zealand announces scholarship and 2021 Michelin Sprint Challenge driver line-up
Matthew Payne, Madeline Stewart and Callum Hedge line-up for Team Porsche New Zealand in 2021
Team EBM (Earl Bamber Motorsport) run by both Earl and Will Bamber, have announced that they will enter a 485-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for young New Zealand karting champion, Matthew Payne, in the 2021 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia series under the ‘Team Porsche New Zealand’ banner – supported by the Official Porsche Centers of New Zealand.
The partnership is a continuation of the team formed to enter the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship with Will Bamber securing four race victories and third overall in the Championship.
Team Porsche New Zealand will provide an opportunity to offer a scholarship for a young New Zealand talent to drive in Carrera Cup Australia. The oversight of Earl and Will Bamber will provide invaluable experience having success from Carrera Cup series, right to the top of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
“We are really excited about the Team Porsche NZ Scholarship. It is something we’re proud to offer and it gives a solid platform for young Kiwi drivers to aspire to from karts and other national championships. It’s about providing a path-way to a professional motorsports career” – Earl Bamber.
“2021 will be the first time Team Porsche New Zealand enter the series with their own Scholarship Programme, which is a further testament to the growing awareness and competitive standing our series is receiving across the region.” – Troy Bundy, Head of Motorsport Porsche Cars Australia
Matthew Payne
Matthew Payne, who hails from Auckland has extensive experience in karting after starting at age 5. In 2019 he won the KZ2 National Championship before relocating to base himself in Italy and race in a number of European series against the very best KZ kart drivers in the world. Payne has aspired to make the transition from karts to touring cars with the long-term goal of endurance racing as a factory driver for Porsche.
“To be the driver selected by Porsche New Zealand for their scholarship at this age is something very special, it will be awesome to be mentored by such an accomplished driver and team and I will take this opportunity with both hands and make them proud.
I’ve always wanted to race Porsche cars and race the Australian Championship. It’s a real privilege. It’s a step toward my ultimate goal of racing GT Endurance cars at famous tracks like Le Mans, Daytona, Bathurst. Nurburgring and many more.” – Matthew Payne
Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia to visit New Zealand
The Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Series will visit New Zealand for the first time. The round will run alongside the Repco Supercars Championship in early November.
“To race in New Zealand for the first time in our series history will be a huge highlight for all Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia drivers next year. I would like to again thank Porsche New Zealand for partnering with us to make this exciting opportunity a reality for our teams.” – Troy Bundy, Head of Motorsport Porsche Cars Australia
2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge
In addition to the scholarship offered in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia series, Team Porsche New Zealand will also support Madeline Stewart and Callum Hedge. Stewart and Hedge will be competing in the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in Australia with Earl Bamber Motorsport and under the Team Porsche New Zealand banner. As Sprint Challenge drivers as part of the team, both will be eligible to apply for the Carrera Cup scholarship in 2022.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to race with EBM in 2021. The Porsche pathway is really promising and provides a lot of opportunities for myself to progress with my racing experience and my career.
I’m looking forward to building up a good level of skill racing these cars and I’m lucky enough to have Earl Bamber’s help with driver coaching. I know I will gain a lot from listening to his expertise and knowledge.
I am a proud Kiwi so to have Porsche New Zealand’s support is an honor. I am really grateful to be representing their brand and proud to have them onboard for next year.” – Madeline Stewart
“It’s really cool to finally get some direction on where we are headed after almost a year of uncertainty with COVID. I am very excited to be running with the Team Porsche New Zealand/Earl Bamber Motorsport team in Sprint Challenge Australia. It is a privilege to be running under their colours and be chosen for this opportunity to represent Porsche New Zealand and EBM.” – Callum Hedge
Applications for the 2022 Team Porsche New Zealand Scholarship will be taken in the 4th Quarter of 2021. The criteria and application process will be announced by the EBM Team nearer to this time.
Earl Bamber Motorsport and Porsche New Zealand to enter Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in 2021
Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) will enter a multi-car team in 2021
Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) will enter a multi-car team in both the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia (PCCA) and the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series in 2021.
The EBM team will receive support from Porsche New Zealand and will operate out of a new base on the Gold Coast. Run by the former Porsche Le Mans 24-Hour winner and his brother Will, EBM are looking to growing the team operations outside of Asia and are looking forward to the challenge of entering a new, highly competitive market.
On the announcement, Earl Bamber said, “With Covid-19 we were forced to look at other options in motorsport, and we feel Carrera Cup Australia will be a great fit for our team.”
“We are really excited to be joining the Carrera Cup Australia grid in 2021. Porsche Cars Australia do a fantastic job at promoting the series and provide a solid platform for us to grow as a team across the globe.”
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “Earl Bamber Motorsport are no strangers to racing in Australia, having won the Bathurst 12-hour in 2019 with our very own Matt Campbell, as well as competing in the joint round between Carrera Cup Australia and Asia in 2018.”
“We’re excited to welcome EBM into both Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Sprint Challenge for next year, along with the support of Porsche New Zealand, as 2021 is already shaping up to be one of our most competitive fields to date with strong grids across all classes.”
About EBM:
No strangers to success, EBM previously won the Australian Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-hour title in 2019, capturing Porsche’s first victory in the endurance classic on Mountain Panorama. Prior to 2020, the EBM team competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series, finishing third in the driver standings, collecting four victories and eight podiums along the way in 2019. The team have already contested joint rounds against Porsche Carrera Cup Australia drivers in previous years, which most recently saw Will Bamber place third in the invitational race in 2019.
With a well-established presence in the Australasian motorsport market, EBM also recently announced their expansion into the North American market. EBM’s joint venture with Team Hardpoint will see the team compete for the GTD title in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Porsche unveils 2021 Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
Bathurst International headlines 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
The majestic Mount Panorama Circuit will host the final round of the 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Calendar at the Bathurst International, NSW.
The six-round series, which caters for the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, will again feature as one of the headline acts on the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships program for 2021.
After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the 2020 series could not take place due to the travel restrictions for many of the series’ competitors, the 2021 schedule sees the series start in February at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria. Competitors then travel to Sydney Motorsport Park in NSW in early May for round 2 before heading to Morgan Park in QLD for round 3 in late June.
Teams then return to the historic, Sandown International Raceway in Victoria in September before venturing further south to The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, South Australia for the penultimate round of the series in mid-October.
The final round will be held at the Bathurst International, and the series will again include endurance races as part of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, with all six rounds featuring a longer endurance-style race for maximum track time.
As a feeder category for Australia’s premier one-make championship, Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge forms the first domestic step for many young, talented racing drivers wishing to climb the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the successful Porsche Michelin Junior Program.
The series’ Pro-am class – last won by The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin in 2019 – is equally popular with Porsche enthusiasts, playing host to some of the best on-track racing at Shannon’s rounds each year.
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “We are really looking forward to having the championship back up and running again next year and we feel we have delivered a calendar that all competitors will enjoy, allowing them to race on some of the best tracks across the country .”
“Finishing the season at the Bathurst International will be a real highlight and will provide great coverage and exposure for all our teams, drivers and partners” Bundy concluded.
2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar
| Round | Event | State | Date | Sprint Race | Endurance Race |
| 1 | Phillip Island | VIC | February
TBC |
2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 2 | Sydney Motorsport
Park |
NSW | 1-2 May | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 3 | Morgan Park | QLD | 25-27
June |
2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 4 | Sandown | VIC | 10-12 September | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 5 | Tailem Bend | SA | 15 -17 October | 2 x 20 min Races | 1 x 45 min Race |
| 6 | Bathurst Int. | NSW | TBC | TBC | TBC |
*Please Note: dates and schedules are subject to change
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Porsche to headline Shannons Motorsport Australia Festival at Sandown
Carrera Cup and Porsche Sprint Challenge competitors end 2020 on a high note
While national border closures and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge seasons could not be conducted as scheduled this year, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) is pleased to announce a one-off non-championship race weekend to be held on 11-13 December at the Sandown International Raceway in Victoria.
The Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Cup races will headline the Shannons Motorsport Australia Festival, which is being supported by the MG Car Club of Victoria. The combined event will see two generations of Porsche 991 Cup Cars, being the Gen I and Gen II, going head-to-head for the first time in a dedicated Porsche event.
The Porsche PAYCE & MICHELIN Cup will have a total of 4 classes in which competitors will compete for Mobil Pro and Pro-Am trophies, for each generation of Cup Car, with 2 x 25 minute races be conducted on the Saturday as well as a longer 40 min endurance race on the Sunday.
Due to maximum grid capacity for the event, first priority for entries will be given to 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge teams and drivers with eligible Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 991 Gen I and Gen II cars. All additional entry requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
PCA is currently working with the Porsche Club of Victoria with the intent of including super sprints over the weekend. The 944 Challenge racing series will also be in action.
On the announcement of Porsche’s involvement in the event, Toni Andreevski, Porsche Cars Australia’s Director of Marketing and Motorsport said, “As we approach the 70 year anniversary of Porsche Cars in Australia, we felt this was a great way to kick-off our celebrations of this milestone with both Porsche enthusiasts and our motorsport customers.”
While it is hoped some fans may be able to attend the Shannons Motorsport Australia Festival, any decision will be made closer to the event in line with any government restrictions.
For more race information, videos and interviews follow the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Madeline Stewart to drive McElrea Racing Porsche at The Bend
Madeline Stewart will contest the Aussie Tin Tops Support category in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car
Madeline Stewart will get behind the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car this weekend in the Aussie Tin Tops category, one of the support races for The Repco SuperSprint at The Bend Motorsport Park.
Stewart graduated from karting to Super3 Series with Brad Jones Racing in 2019 and had similar intentions for this season, “We had been planning to race a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Asia with Earl Bamber Motorsport, alongside our Super3 campaign with BJR this year, but obviously, the global pandemic meant we weren’t able to do that.”
Although the 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge seasons were also halted as a result the Coronavirus pandemic, Porsche Cars Australia has in the interim, permitted drivers and teams to compete in localised state-level racing until the Porsche series resumes.
With the support of Motorsportsales.com.au, the Tin Tops Support category at the NTI Townsville SuperSprint round included GT3 cars, Porsche Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge 911 GT3 Cup cars, Super3, TA2, MARC Cars, Toyota 86 Series and other assorted touring cars.
Reigning 2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Champion, Harri Jones, took the round one victory ahead of Tony Quinn in a GT3-spec Aston Martin. Bathurst winner, Luke Youlden and Jones’ McElrea Racing teammate, Ryan Suhle, fought it out for the last step of the podium, making it three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in the top four overall results.
It was at the inaugural Tin Tops event in Townsville that Stewart saw the opportunity with McElrea Racing, “We were still keen to do some Porsche racing this year and after racing at Townsville in the Tin Tops we thought that if that class raced again it might be a good opportunity to give the Porsche a try.”
“There has been a lot of negatives from the pandemic but the Tin Tops has been a good positive, allowing people who essentially had nowhere to race to get some racing in. We saw McElrea Racing at Townsville and when the Tin Tops were announced for The Bend we approached them to see if they had any cars available and luckily they did” Stewart said.
McElrea Racing’s Andy McElrea said, “We are looking forward to welcoming Madeline to the team and very confident she will do a great job. We hope she has so much fun, that she wants to drive Porsches more in the future!”
While The Bend event will be the second time Stewart has driven a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car – her first was with Earl Bamber Motorsport at Sepang in February this year – she won’t have any time to test with the McElrea team before rolling out for practice one on the race weekend.
Stewart said, “The Porsche is quite different to drive to the Super3 car. One of the big differences is how much more traction it has off the corners. The throttle application in a Supercar is quite tricky because you have to progress it as fast as possible without it breaking into wheel spin. The Supercars have power and not a very big tyre.”
“The Porsche, by comparison, is rear-engined with a much better tyre and less power. You need to be a lot more aggressive on the throttle, carry more mid-corner speed and you can, of course, brake deeper.”
“At this stage, The Bend is a one-off for us and it’s hard to know what racing there will be for the rest of the year and what next year will look like. We will just be looking at any opportunity to get some racing in,” Stewart concluded.
As part of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship doubleheader, fans can expect two jam-packed weekends of racing at the Repco SuperSprint, with various ticket options available from the gate or The Bend Motorsport Park website.
For more race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Revised 2020 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar revealed
Bathurst International to host Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge finale
Porsche Cars Australia is pleased to announce its revised calendar for the Michelin Sprint Challenge series following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) – which delayed the start of 2020 season earlier this year.
The number of rounds will reduce from six rounds to five for the remainder of the year and retain their position as a feature support race of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship calendar.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar gets underway at the Sydney Motorsport Park on the 15-16 August, before heading south to the Sandown Raceway in Victoria a month later for round two.
The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia will then host the third round of the series in mid-October before the teams travel to the flowing, high-speed curves of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for round four. The season culminates at the Bathurst International event on 14-15 November.
On the announcement, Head of Motorsport at Porsche Cars Australia, Troy Bundy said, “We are pleased to reveal our revised Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge calendar for 2020 and would like to take the opportunity to thank Motorsport Australia and the Australian Racing Group for the support they have given us in developing what we feel is a great line-up of events for the remainder of this season.”
“We are looking forward to returning to the track and continuing to provide an excellent show for our fans, customers, teams and partners and we would like to thank them for their patience and support during this time.”
Further details regarding race formats for each round as well as the revised 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia calendar will be announced in the coming weeks.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge: 2020 Revised Calendar
Sydney Motorsport Park – August 15 -16
Sandown Raceway – September 12-13
The Bend Motorsport Park – October 17-18
Phillip Island – TBC
Bathurst International (ARG) – November 14-15
Porsche unveil 2020 Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar
Porsche unveils 2020 calendar for the rebranded Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series
Porsche unveils 2020 calendar for the rebranded Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series
Following the announcement that the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge series will be rebranded to Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia from the start of the 2020 season and that the French tyre giant has again reaffirmed their support for the series for next year as Title partner, Porsche has revealed their race calendar for the 2020 season.
The six-round series, which caters for the previous generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will again feature as a highlight of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships program for 2020.
Having celebrated the series 200th race in 2019, the 2020 schedule sees the series start in late March at the Sydney Motorsport Park in NSW, before heading south to Winton in early May and continuing onto The Bend Motorsport Park a month later.
The second half of the season sees the series travel north to Morgan Park in Queensland before returning to Victoria for the last two rounds at the Phillip Island and Sandown Raceway circuits respectively.
As a feeder category for Australia’s premier one-make championship, Porsche PAYCE Carrera cup Australia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge forms the first domestic step for Porsche enthusiasts and many young, talented racing drivers wishing to climb the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid with the successful Porsche Michelin Junior Program.
The series’ Pro-am class – won by The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin in 2019 – is equally popular with amateur Porsche drivers, hosting some of the best on-track racing at Shannon’s rounds last year.
The 2020 calendar is tailored to offer not only the best value but cut costs for all drivers and teams. Care was also taken that the dates do not conflict with any of the 2020 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship rounds, which again feature on seven main marquee rounds of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship as well as the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
As in 2019, the series will again include endurance races as part of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, with the opening five rounds featuring an endurance-style race, followed by two sprint races. The season finale, to be held at Sandown raceway, will remain as a sprint format across all races.
“Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia certainly experienced its strongest year to date in 2019 and we look to build upon this success in 2020,” said Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy.
“With the Shannon’s Motorsport Australia Championships enjoying record: crowd attendance, social, online and live stream audiences in 2019, we feel this provides our teams, drivers and series partners with an incredible platform from which to start the 2020 series.”
“There is already great interest from those looking to race in Michelin Sprint Challenge next season and we expect to see a similar number of drivers and cars, if not more, on the grid in 2020.”
2020 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar
Round 1 Sydney Motorsport Park 27-29 March 2020
Round 2 Winton Raceway 1-3 May 2020
Round 3 The Bend Motorsport Park 12-14 June 2020
Round 4 Morgan Park 3-5 July 2020
Round 5 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 21-23 August 2020
Round 6 Sandown Raceway 11 – 12 September 2020
Michelin renew as Title Partner of the rebranded Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
GT3 Cup Challenge to be renamed Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia from 2020
GT3 Cup Challenge to be renamed Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia from
2020
Porsche have announced that their popular GT3 Cup Challenge national series will be renamed to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia from 2020 onwards. The decision to rename the series is to align to the global rebranding of the category by Porsche AG ensuring the product is consistent in every market it is conducted.
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy made the announcement to drivers, teams and partners at the 2019 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Awards dinner at the final round at The Bend Motorsport Park.
“The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge is an integral part of our motorsport program in Australia, which is the first step in our Porsche Motorsport pyramid, and is fortunate to currently enjoy its strongest ever levels of support from its competitor’s teams and it’s commercial partners.”
“2019 has been a break out year for the category in all measures but the exciting news is that the 2020 season is looking just as strong with an exciting calendar, extensive broadcast package, great prizes and support package and of course a comprehensive junior programme for the best young talent wanting to develop their career.”
“Aesthetically, all fans will notice is the change in the series logo and the corporate identity of the new Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia name.”
The second big announcement of the night was that French tyre giant, Michelin have again resigned as the title partner for 2020.
On the announcement, Bundy said, “We have had a fantastic group of partners on board this year and we would look to continue that in 2020 with discussions well underway and positive interest from all partners. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Michelin have secured the title partner rights for Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia for 2020.
“Michelin has been a key strategic partner globally for Porsche for many years now. They extended that partnership last year in Australia by securing the title partnership rights to the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. This partnership has been a great success for both parties this year and it’s great to be able to continue the relationship into 2020, cementing the partnership between Porsche and Michelin.”
“Partners like Michelin are incredibly important to us and share our vision in this development pathway, we just couldn’t deliver the level of programme we do without their support,” he continued.
Swaroop Tulsidas, Marketing Manager for Michelin Australia said, “Michelin has a strong relationship with the team at Porsche, both here in Australia and across the globe, and to continue our series support in 2020 with the Michelin Sprint Challenge is really exciting news for us.”
“It’s fantastic that we are able to announce the renaming of the series at the culmination of another extremely competitive race season. We have no doubt that the Michelin Sprint Challenge will continue to provide highly-contested fields, door to door racing, and importantly a pathway for the junior drivers to develop their skills through the elite Porsche Motorsport pyramid.”
Jones, Shahin & Greig clinch Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge titles
Harri Jones, Sam Shahin and David Grieg are the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Champions for 2019
Harri Jones, Sam Shahin and David Grieg are the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Champions for 2019
As the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams lined up on the sun-soaked Bend Motorsport Park for the last time in the 2019 season, just three races remained and all three titles were still up for grabs.
At the sharp end of the Pro field, it was again an age-old battle between Sonic Motor Racing (Aaron Love and Max Vidau) and McElrea Racing (Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle).
Sonic has dominated the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge’s top class in recent years with champions such as Simon Fallon and Jordan Love among that list. An outright Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge victory had always alluded McElrea Racing by contrast and the Queensland team were hoping that Jones could get the job done at The Bend.
With only a 92 point margin between Love and Jones, the Helimod backed driver, needed to just stay clear of trouble and show that finish among the leading Michelin Juniors in each race to win the overall title.
But it wasn’t going to be easy as Love and Vidau jumped passed pole-sitter Ryan Suhle into turn 1, with Jones opting to follow behind his teammate in fourth.
Further back disaster struck The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin when his clutch pedal stuck off the line. The TAG Heuer Pro-Am series leader must have seen his fairy tale finish to his championship slipping away, but managed to get his HTFU Porsche 911 GT3 Cup started and pulled away just before the recovery vehicle looked to remove him. Shahin was now almost 15sec behind the last car in the field though, setting the stage for a mammoth recovery drive from far behind the entire field.
TAG Heuer Pro-Am Pole sitter Brett Boulton meanwhile had pulled out a strong lead at the front of the class, while Andrew Goldie again found himself embroiled in a massive fight with David Greig in Class B. Goldie would depart the track on lap 5 though, handing Greig the advantage and the class lead to the finish line.
The high level of competition and raw pace shown by the Michelin Juniors at the front of the field this year, was again shown in the Friday qualifying when the pole time of Suhle would have put him fifth in recent Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup field. An incredible performance when you consider the GT3 Cup Challenge Cars cater for the previous-gen 2 Porsche 911 Cup cars that last raced in the premier class three years ago.
Love and Vidau soon proved to be the fastest on the track in Race 1, with South Australian overtaking his Sonic Racing teammate on lap 4. Vidau would also set a new lap record of 1:51:4875 in the process. Love fought him to the last corner and crossed the line only a tenth behind Vidau, with Suhle, Jones and Christian Pancione completing the all Michelin Junior top 5.
It was Vidau’s ninth win of the season, in what has been an impressive year despite the sporadic mechanical issues he suffered at crucial stages of the season.
Boulton was followed home by Ross McGregor and Michael Loccisano in the Pro-Am battle, with Sam Shahin recovering incredibly to ninth overall and fourth in class. Heading into Race 2, Shahin’s Buick Motorworks team did an amazing job to replace slave cylinder between sessions and by the end of lap one, he had already repaid them, passing both McGregor and Boulton for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am lead.
At the front end, Harri Jones put all the Porsche’s 460hp to good use off the line, but opted to stay well clear following the front trio of Vidau, Love and Suhle through turn one.
The first five cars were covered by less than a second as the race progressed before Vidau ran wide and understeered off on lap 5. He would recover to third behind Suhle and eventual race winner Love.
Jones would finish fourth, giving him a 62 point buffer into the overall standings. With only 60 pints on offer Jones was now the outright Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge champion for 2019, handing McElrea Racing their first outright trophy.
Shahin would finish just behind the Pro leaders in sixth, clinching TAG Heuer Pro-Am title at his home track from Brett Boulton. Andrew Goldie did what he could to take the Class B, but the ever consistent David Greig’s second place ensured he would take the Class B title.
With all three championships wrapped up, teams lined up for the final race of the season. Although the track temperatures had risen to 37 degrees, 11 degrees warmer than Race 2 at midday, the racing remained fierce and Sam Shahin now found himself dicing amongst the leading Juniors at the front of the field.
By the end of the shortened 8 lap race, Aaron Love took the final race win and with it the round victory followed by Max Vidau. Ryan Suhle would take his third podium of the weekend and occupy the last step of the podium.
Brett Boulton’s consistency saw him take the round win in TAG Heuer Pro-Am ahead of round (and series) winner Shahin, while Graham Williams put in one of his best performances of the year to finish the round and year in third.
Suhle and Boulton on top in Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Qualifying
McElrea Racing tops the timesheets in Pro and Pro-Am Cup Challenge finale
McElrea Racing top the timesheets in Pro and Pro-Am Porsche finale
Ryan Suhle has saved his best to last in qualifying for the final round of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge, taking his first pole position of the season today in the Grand Finale’ at The Bend Motorsport Park.
His teammate Brett Boulton made it a double delight for McElrea Racing, taking pole position in TAG Heuer Pro-Am as he attempts to overhaul local favourite Sam Shahin for the class championship.
In the dying laps of the 20-minute qualifying session, Suhle’s second-set of Michelin tyres worked superbly as his 1m50.9918s flying lap jumped him to the top of the charts on his penultimate lap of the session.
His lap was 0.2 seconds faster than the next best, Sonic Racing’s Aaron Love, and was so fast that it would have placed him fifth outright on the grid for the recent Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia round at The Bend.
After having already scored a pair of front-row starts this year, a breakthrough pole position came as a relief to the open-wheel graduate
“For me, it’s awesome to come out and do the job. We haven’t really shown our pace this year. We’ve been really fast but I’ve just made a few mistakes which means we’re not where we should be in the championship, in my opinion,” he said.
“I’ve never run here on new tyres. The first set I didn’t maximise the grip but the second set I put the lap time in and it was really good.”
Suhle said he was taking a measured approach to the final round off an often challenging season, as he looks ahead to a title tilt in 2020.
“I think this year I’ve tried to get involved a little bit too much which has meant I’ve had a few DNFs along the way, which has hurt my championship, so I’m trying to dial it down, get some good points and get some practice at that sort of mentality for next year – because next year I want to win the championship.”
Love was second, two spots ahead of championship leader and nearest title rival Harri Jones.
The pair were split by the second Sonic entry of local hero, Max Vidau, who qualified third.
Jones carries a 92-point lead into the final round of the season and while fourth place may not have been an ideal result for the title leader, it’s the third time this year the Queenslander will have started from that grid position.
Jones still retains a perfect podium finishing record this season with a series of solid top four results likely enough to see him crowned champion tomorrow.
Christian Pancione was fifth, less than a second from pole, while fellow Michelin Junior Tom Taplin qualified sixth.
In just his second-ever Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge round, Oliver Shannon qualified seventh and will start alongside TAG Heuer Pro-Am polesitter Brett Boulton.
Boulton trails class leader Sam Shahin by 76 points heading into tomorrow’s three races: his chances aided by The Bend Motorsport Park entry of Sam Shahin completing just one lap in qualifying after the car spun a belt on his out-lap.
As a result, Shahin will start race one from 16th position while Boulton’s hopes for a come-from-behind victory gained momentum.
“It’s going to be massive – I need a good sleep tonight,” Boulton said.
“I got a bit lucky because he had a few dramas, but you never know in this business so we’re going to come out all guns blazing tomorrow and see how we go.
“It’s unreal, it’s definitely a drivers track and perfect for these cars. I’ve had a fair few offs here trying to find the limit but it’s great fun, awesome.”
Andrew Goldie, who trails class leader David Grieg by just 18 points in the Class B battle, qualified on pole in his category and also an outstanding ninth outright – Grieg two places back in 11th.
Matt Belford rounded out the top 10 with second in TAG Heuer Pro-Am, one of the best performances of his season.
Ross McGregor – celebrating a record-breaking 35th GT3 Cup Challenge round this weekend – was 12th while Graham Williams, Rob Woods, Michael Loccisano, Shahin, Nathan Murray, Marty Ewer, Jonathan Glicksten and Tony Martin completed the field.
The three final races of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge series will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at The Bend Motorsport Park; all three to be streamed live via thenationals.com.au.
For more race information throughout the weekend, follow the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge social pages: Instagram – @CupChallengeAus / Twitter – @CupChallengeAus / Facebook.com/CupChallengeAus
Schedule – Round 6, The Bend
Saturday, 16 November
09:00-09:20 Race 1
11:45-12:05 Race 2
15:40-16:00 Race 3
TV Broadcast details
All three races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website
The Bend to decide Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge class titles in series finale
The Bend Motorsport Park to host the final round of the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
The Bend Motorsport Park to host the final round of the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
The sixth and final round of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge series gets underway this weekend in Tailem Bend in South Australia with all three class titles up for grabs. The fast and flowing turns of the 4.95km circuit that characterize The Bend Motorsport Park are tailor-made for the Porsche 911 GT3 cup cars and traditionally very hard on the Michelin control tyres.
The track is also the longest of all the tracks on the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge calendar and a favourite among both Pro and Pro-Am drivers due to its fast, but technical nature. With the outright, TAG Heuer Pro-Am and Class B titles all still to be decided, fans are likely to see the titles to go down to the wire in the final race on Saturday.
The Queensland based McElrea Racing team is leaving nothing to chance, having recently conducted test sessions at the circuit with their leading Pro and Pro-Am drivers including series leader Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle as well as TAG Heuer title contender Brett Boulton.
Jones sealed the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in the last round at Sandown Raceway, ahead of Aaron Love and Christian Pancione. With three races (180 points) available over the weekend, the Helimods backed driver will be hoping to extend to stay out of harm’s way and maintain his 92 point advantage over Sonic Racing’s Aaron Love in second.
Both Love and teammate Max Vidau (who trails Jones by 142 points) still have a mathematical chance of clinching the Pro title and come off strong form leading into the event after dominant race victories in Sandown. Others in the hunt for race wins will be Christian Pancione, Tom Taplin and Ryan Suhle who have all showed good qualifying pace and consistency in the second half of the 2019 season.
The ultra-competitive Pro battle will again welcome the GWR Australia run entry of Oliver Shannon after his debut in the series in Sandown. With the third-most starts in series history, Sam Shahin will be looking for a fairy tale ending to his 2019 campaign by clinching the TAG Heuer Pro-Am series title at his own track.
Shahin comes off an amazing Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia performance in recent weeks, after winning all three Pro-Am races on the final round on the Gold Coast. The South Australian has a 73 point lead over Brett Boulton in second in the TAG Heuer standings for Michelin GT3 Cup challenge and the battle between the pair will be one of the highlights of the race weekend.
The Southern Star Windows entry of Ross McGregor sits a strong third in the Pro-Am championship standings, with a small, but mathematical chance (157 points adrift of Shahin) of taking the class title should the front runners have misfortune. McGregor is well clear of Rob Woods, Michael Hovey and Graham Williams in the points table, who are locked in their own battle for fourth and fifth position in the series.
After Sandown, McGregor is now the record holder for the highest number of race starts in the series’ history at 101, a record previously held by John Goodacre. Round 6 will also see the return of experienced Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge campaigner Michael Loccisano in the Porsche Centre Melbourne prepared Hallmarc entry, after missing the Sandown round due to work commitments abroad.
The closest class battle to be contested this weekend, will not be at the sharp end of the field, however, but rather toward the rear in the Class B category. The 2019 Class B season has witnessed a season-long tussle between Andrew Goldie and David Greig, with only 30 points separating the pair heading into this weekend, every race will count. With Tony Martin injuring his hand earlier in the season, Nathan Murray is assured of third in the Class B classification.
After a pair of practice sessions and a late afternoon qualifying session on Friday, all three races will be held on a busy Saturday and streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.
For more race information throughout the weekend, follow the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge social pages: Instagram – @CupChallengeAus / Twitter – @CupChallengeAus / Facebook.com/CupChallengeAus
Entry list – Round 6, The Bend
Car # CLASS DRIVER SURNAME SPONSOR
1 3 Pro-Am Jonathan Gliksten Cure FA
2 5 Class B Nathan Murray Garage 1
3 7 Pro Ryan Suhle Ryan Suhle Racing – Ray White
4 9 Class B Tony Martin TM Motorsport / The Triffid Bar. Venue
5 10 Pro-Am Michael Loccisano Hallmarc
6 12 Pro Harri Jones Heli Mods
7 13 Pro-Am Sam Shahin The Bend/HTFU
8 14 Pro-Am Matt Belford ID Land
9 22 Class B Andrew Goldie Woodford Trailers
10 26 Pro Tom Taplin Taplin Real Estate
11 29 Pro-Am Rob Woods GWR/Commercial Interior Projects
12 38 Pro Oliver Shannon
13 76 Pro Christian Pancione VCM Performance
14 77 Pro Max Vidau Sonic Motor Racing
15 78 Pro Aaron Love Sonic Motor Racing / SRG Global
16 84 Pro-Am Brett Boulton Bold Living
17 87 Class B David Greig Daikin Air Conditioning / DW Motorsport
18 93 Pro-Am Marty Ewer Dr Marty Ewer
19 99 Pro-Am Ross McGregor Southern Star Windows P/L
20 131 Pro-Am Graham Williams Sonic Motor Racing / Williams Racing
LAP RECORD – THE BEND MOTORSPORT PARK
Cooper Murray – 1m53.9778s – (2018)
Schedule – Round 6, The Bend
Friday, 15 November
08:45-09:15 Practice 1
11:00-11:30 Practice 2
15:35-15:55 Qualifying
Saturday, 16 November
09:00-09:20 Race 1
11:45-12:05 Race 2
15:40-16:00 Race 3
TV Broadcast details
Qualifying and all three races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website
Vidau dominates Race 3 in Sandown while Jones takes Jim Richards Endurance Trophy
Max Vidau takes victory in Race 3 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Max Vidau takes victory in Race 3 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Race 3 of the penultimate round of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge saw Aaron Love and Max Vidau dominate from the start to finish. Harri Jones’ consistent run of form also saw him claim the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.
Clear sunny skies greeted the drivers as they lined up for Race 3 early on Sunday morning. The conditions were near perfect for close racing and a welcome sight from the cloud, wind and rain that characterised the previous days.
Max Vidau made a great start from the third row of the grid, immediately leapfrogging Harri Jones and slotting in behind Love into Turn 1. The Sonic Motor Racing teammates then pulled a small gap on the chasing field in the early laps, before contact between Nathan Murray and Jonathan Gliksten forced the NSW driver over the grass and into the side of luckless Matt Belford.
The first of two safety car periods bunched the field. Love then lead Vidau, Christian Pancione, Ryan Suhle and Harri Jones onto the pit straight as the green flag waived on Lap 6.
Sam Shahin too had made a strong start as he did in Race 2 to move ahead of championship rival, Brett Boulton in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle. Andrew Goldie lead the Class B battle from start to finish with David Greig consolidating a strong weekend by following him to the line in second and clinching the round victory.
A second safety car period came about after Matt Belford dived up the inside of Rob Woods into turn 9. Woods would spin and beach himself in the gravel trap while attempting to re-join the race.
The green flag waved with 23 laps remaining. In the fight for the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy, even if Love held his lead to the line, Harri Jones only needed to finish sixth or better to claim the Trophy. Ryan Suhle and Christian Pancione would then tangle onto the pit straight, leaving Jones to slot into third place.
Vidau would eventually pass Love for the lead at the mid-point of the race, while Ryan Suhle proved to be the fastest man on track for the second day in succession, breaking the lap record yet again with a time of 1:09.955.
Vidau grew his advantage over Love in the last laps and would hold onto take the race win.
After the race Sonic Racing Team Owner, Micheal Ritter spoke on the dominating performance of his two drivers, “We’ve had good results here and certainly had good speed this year, but not necessarily good results everywhere.”
“At the end of the day, the boys are racing each other no different to racing anyone else… other than a little bit more respect between them as teammates. In the end, I’m happy for Aaron to get the round win and a bunch of points as I am for Max to bounce back as he did for today’s win.
Jones would finish in third position over 9 seconds adrift of the leading pair. The McElrea Racing driver hasn’t been out of the top three this season and now holds not only the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy but the overall Championship lead with an advantage of 92 points heading into the final round.
Jones was followed home by Pancione and Suhle, while Sam Shahin would take a strong sixth overall and the round win in TAG Heuer Pro-Am. The South Australian built a gap of over 6secs to Brett Boulton, with Michael Hovey in third.
After the race, Shahin revealed he had been nursing the car to the finish, “I’m absolutely thrilled the way I drove that last race. I did my best lap in that third race on a used set of tyres. I knew the pace was there I just had to get it together. “
“But I kept getting a water pressure alarm as we had a hole in the radiator from about halfway through and I was really praying that the car was going to make it to the finish line. It gives me a lot of confidence and a lot of things have to go right over a race weekend for everyone to leave with a smile on their face.”
Shahin then pondered the prospect of clinching the Pro-Am title at his own circuit at the final round in November, “I don’t really want to think about it, but I can’t get it out of my head at the same time. I’ve finished second in Pro-Am in Cup Challenge in the past, so I just hope it goes well.”
The final round of the 2019 championship will take place the Bend Motorsport Park on 15-16 November.
Love wins Races 1 & 2 of Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Aaron Love takes victory in Races 1 & 2 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Aaron Love takes victory in Races 1 & 2 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Thanks to some long hours by the mechanics, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Australia field was back to full strength after Friday’s incidents with a 19-car field rolling out for Race 1 on Saturday morning.
As the lights went out, Harri Jones made the perfect start, launching past the Bob Jane T-Marts / Sonic Racing entry of Max Vidau into the lead in Turn 1. Vidau’s sluggish start also saw him get passed by Aaron Love, Christian Pancione and Tom Taplin on the first lap with Suhle making up one spot to sixth – after a pit lane infringement saw him starting seventh.
Brett Boulton would jump from tenth overall to seventh and lead the TAG Heuer Pro-Am field from Sam Shahin and Danny Stutterd.
Despite light rain and drizzle characterizing the early laps, the conditions didn’t hinder the early pace, with Jones pulling out a 2.278sec gap over Love in second. Andrew Goldie mechanical issues continued from his Friday accident and Jones would catch the Class B competitor just as the West Australian limped back to the pit lane.
Jones lost his early 2-second advantage as a result and Love quickly seized the opportunity to make his move taking the lead at the end of the back straight.
Meanwhile, Ryan Suhle was setting a blistering pace, breaking the lap record on more than one occasion and eventually passing Max Vidau. Vidau would then spin while attempting to retake the position on Lap 9.
At the front of the field, the pace of Jones’s Helimods 911 GT3 improved as the race went on allowing him to challenge Love toward the back end of the race. In a thrilling final few laps, Jones would get held up while lapping Graham Williams, while Suhle would spin challenging Love for the lead. Love too, would run wide on the final corners but hold onto his advantage over the line and take the Race 1 win.
By the time the flag fell, the times set by the top six cars were all below the existing lap record – with the fastest lap of 1:10.012 of Suhle a testament to the grip of the Michelin tyres throughout the race.
Brett Boulton would take TAG Heuer Pro-Am line honours, 2.5secs ahead of Danny Stutterd and Sam Shahin, while David Greig would go unchallenged in Class B
As the teams lined up for Race 2 on Saturday afternoon, Harri Jones consistency through the first five rounds meant the McElrea Racing driver held 110-point championship advantage.
Race 2 started with the leading quartet spread four-wide into turn 1. Suhle made the best stat from the second row, but out braked himself heading into turn 1, leaving Christian Pancione to take the early race lead.
Further down the field, Danny Stutterd would spin out of contention while Tom Taplin would make contact with Vidau onto the back straight, earning him a drive-through penalty from the race stewards. Class B Championship rivals, Andrew Goldie and David Greig would also spin after contact in turn 1.
At the front Love would take lead in a tenacious high speed move into the infamous turn 6, forcing Pancione to run wide, damaging his front splitter and relegating him to third just ahead of Jones. The championship leader got a good run on Pancione down the pit straight, passing him on outside into turn 1.
Meanwhile, Vidau had fought his way back to fifth with 3 laps to go, with teammate Love ahead of Suhle, Jones and Pancione at the head of the field.
Unlike the first race, the backmarkers didn’t alter the result and Love held off the chasing pack taking his second victory for the weekend.
After the race, Love said, “It was a really hard-fought race, but I’m absolutely stoked to get the win by getting passed Christian and holding off Ryan to the end of the race.”
Sam Shahin would finish sixth behind the five Michelin Juniors, making it a win apiece in TAG Heuer Pro-Am ahead of the round’s final race on Sunday.
After the race, the Bend Motorsport Park owner said, “I got squeezed out being a little too courteous in Race 1, so the Race 2 start was good and once I was in the lead, no one was going to pass me.”
David Greig would again take the Class B win from Murray and Goldie, while debutant Oliver Shannon continued to impress in seventh from eleventh on the grid, in only his first Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge event.
Tomorrow’s final race will also decide the Jim Richards Endurance Champion for 2019. The race starts at 09:40 and will broadcast live on the Shannon’s Nationals livestream
Schedule – Round 5, Sandown
Sunday, 4 August
09:40-10:00am: Race 3
Lap records tumble as Jones and Shahin set the pace in Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge
Harri Jones and Sam Shahin top the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge timesheets at Sandown
Harri Jones and Sam Shahin top the Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge timesheets at Sandown
Blustery grey skies greeted the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams and drivers as they arrived at Sandown Raceway for the Friday practice sessions for Round 5 of the 2019 championship.
A new section of freshly laid asphalt on the infamous track saw drivers struggle for consistency in the day’s first session. Sonic Racing teammates Aaron Love and Max Vidau would set the early pace on their home circuit.
With 15mins left in the session, Vidau’s pace was electric and he held over a second advantage over the chasing Pro field. But as the session continued, the chasing drivers slowly came to grips with changeable surface.
The gap between Vidau and the pack shortened to only a tenth of a second by the end of the session with championship leader Harri Jones improving to second, followed by McElrea Racing teammate, Ryan Suhle.
Danny Stutterd set the early pace on his return to the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, posting a time over a second clear of Sam Shahin in the early session, while David Greig held the early advantage in Class B.
Just as the times continued to fall through the day’s second practice, the session was red-flagged. The timesheets reaffirmed that 2019 will go down as one of the most competitive in Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge history. Vidau, Jones, Suhle and Love had all gone under the 2018 lap record time of 1:11.1226 – set by Vidau – in 2018. The four Michelin Juniors drivers also followed by TAG Heuer Pro-Am Championship leader, Sam Shahin in fifth.
The Bend Motorsport Park owner’s time was good enough to split the Pro field with a sizable 0,7sec gap to Stutterd and 0,9sec advantage over championship rival, Brett Boulton, heading into qualifying.
Andrew Goldie would also make his intentions clear finishing the day’s second session with a healthy advantage over Class B arch rival David Greig by the time the session was red-flagged – due to a turn 4 collision between Michel Hovey and Rob Woods.
Goldie’s fortunes would change in qualifying though. The West Australian out braked himself on his third flying lap skidding through the gravel trap into the fence at turn 1. This put pay not only to his session but brought out another red flag.
With 5 minutes remaining, the pace at the front of the field was intense. Vidau was first to post a time of 1:10.3259 – almost 0,8secs under his own lap record – only to topped by Harri Jones in the dying minutes. Vidau’s last lap edged him closer again to the top, but Jones too would improve his advantage again in the final minute, posting a blistering time of 1:10.0670.
After qualifying a relieved Jones said, “That was an awesome session, it was shortened due to a red flag but when we got back on track I decided not to mess around and get the job done. I left it to the dying moments to put in my best two laps, but I’m happy with the result and can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Jones and Vidau were followed by Suhle, Love, Pancione and Tom Taplin, with Sam Shahin lining up seventh overall – over 0.5secs faster than his nearest rival in the TAG Heuer Pro Am Class.
Shahin said, “The day started off very ordinary, I just couldn’t get a read on the car in P1. But P2 and qualifying was good and the track just kept getting better. It was a shame for the red flag, but I’m very happy and absolutely thrilled.”
Race 1 starts at 10:45 on Saturday and all three of the weekend’s races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website
Schedule – Round 5, Sandown Raceway
Saturday, 21 September
10:45-11:05: Race 1
15:05-15:25: Race 2
Sunday, 22 September
09:10-09:55: Race 3 (Jim Richards Endurance Trophy)
Sandown to crown Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Endurance Champions
Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge battle intensifies at Sandown
Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge battle intensifies at Sandown
After a six-week break, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Springvale, 25km to the south-east of Melbourne’s CBD to the historic Sandown Raceway for round 5 of the 2019 Championship.
The 3.1km track – which has played host to the likes of Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Juan Manuel Fangio and Jean-Louis Schlesser in its illustrious past – will be a fitting host to the finale of the Championship’s prized Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.
Named in honour of the Australasian racing legend, Jim Richards, the Trophy was first held in 2011 as a series within the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship. Past victors have included the likes of Roger Lago (2011); Fraser Ross (2014); Jaxon Evans (2016); Jordan Love (2017) and Cooper Murray (2018) to name but a few.
Only three drivers have a mathematical chance of claiming the 2019 Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in the final race at Sandown on Sunday. Among those in contention is current championship Pro class leader Harri Jones (228pts), followed by the SRG Global/Sonic Motor Racing entry of Aaron Love (198pts) and Melbourne resident, Christian Pancione on 180pts.
Jones, Love and Pancione are also among the leading protagonists for Pro class round honours this weekend, together with fellow Michelin Junior drivers Ryan Suhle and Max Vidau. Vidau will be hungry to get his championship fight back on track after he was forced to retire while leading Race 2 in Queensland Raceway.
Vidau broke the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Challenge lap record at the Sandown circuit in 2018 with a time of 1m11.1226s and will be a strong favourite for victory this weekend, thanks in part to the local knowledge of his Sonic Motor Racing Team.
With 60 points on offer per race, the championship is still wide open with Bob Jane T-Marts driver lying third in the overall championship, 8 points adrift of Sonic teammate Aaron Love and 24 points behind the Heli Mods entry of series’ leader Harri Jones.
Cameron Crick will hand over the reins to the GWR Australia entry in Sandown to Oliver Shannon from the NSW Production Touring series, after a successful test session for the talented junior under the guidance of team owner Garth Walden at Wakefield Park last Saturday. Shannon will race under the Race for a Cure banner and promises to be one of the most exciting additions to the competitive Pro field.
In the TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle, Sam Shahin holds a healthy 76 point advantage over Brett Boulton after dominating the class in the first two rounds of this season in Tasmania and Sydney Motorsport Park. Boulton then returned serve with four victories (and a second-place) from the last six races.
Shahin will be doing all in his power to maintain his point’s buffer, but Boulton looks to have the momentum and is working well with his McElrea Racing team.
The Southern Star Windows entry of Ross McGregor sits third in the Pro-Am championship standings, well clear of Rob Woods and Graham Williams who are locked in their own battle for fifth position. McGregor will equal the highest number of round starts in the series’ history this weekend, a record currently held by John Goodacre.
Sandown will also see the return of experienced Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge campaigners, Danny Stutterd and Jonathan Gliksten to the TAG Heuer Pro-am field. While Michael Loccisano will miss this round due to business commitments abroad.
In the hotly contested Class B championship, it remains a two-horse race between David Greig and Andrew Goldie, the 997 pair sharing every race win this season… Sandown should be no different. Tony Martin has injured his hand is out for the rest of the season, which leaves his third place in the championship in jeopardy from Nathan Murray.
After a pair of practice sessions and late afternoon qualifying on Friday, two races will be held on a busy Saturday. The final Jim Richards Endurance Trophy completes the round on Sunday morning, with all three races streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.
Car # CLASS DRIVER SURNAME SPONSOR
3 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Jonathan Gliksten Cure FA
5 Class B Nathan Murray Garage 1
7 Pro Ryan Suhle Ray White
12 Pro Harri Jones Heli Mods
13 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Sam Shahin The Bend/HTFU
14 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Matt Belford ID Land
22 Class B Andrew Goldie Woodford Trailers
23 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Danny Stutterd CB – Living
26 Pro Tom Taplin Taplin Real Estate
29 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Rob Woods Commercial Interior Projects
73 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Michael Hovey Triffid Bar
76 Pro Christian Pancione VCM Performance
77 Pro Max Vidau Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T-Marts
78 Pro Aaron Love Sonic Motor Racing / SRG Global
84 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Brett Boulton Bold Living
87 Class B David Greig Daikin Air Conditioning / DW Motorsport
99 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Ross McGregor Southern Star Windows P/L
131 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Graham Williams Sonic Motor Racing
222 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Scott Taylor Scott Taylor Motorsport
TBC Pro Oliver Shannon Race for a Cure
Schedule – Round 5, Sandown Raceway
Friday, 20 September
12:10-12:40: Practice 1
14:55-15:25: Practice 2
17:40-18:00: Qualifying
Saturday, 21 September
10:45-11:05: Race 1
15:05-15:25: Race 2
Sunday, 22 September
09:10-09:55: Race 3 (Jim Richards Endurance Trophy)
TV Broadcast details
Qualifying and all three races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website
Harri Jones extends Championship lead with victory in Race 3
Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR
Harri Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR
As a blanket of early fog lifted from the Queensland Raceway on Sunday morning, all eyes were on the front row-pairing Harri Jones and Christian Pancione for the final race of Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge.
The pair had traded blows the whole weekend and with championship rival, Max Vidau starting from the back of the field, Jones would be looking to extend his lead overall. Pancione, by contrast, would be hungrier than ever for his first win in Porsche GT3 Cup Car – having finished behind Jones in third and second respectively for the weekends’ first races.
Race 3 literally started with a bang near the back of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, with Matt Belford and Graham Williams coming together off the start line. Belford’s car would pivot into the newly-reinforced Queensland Raceway pit wall, while Williams’ car would limp on to the outside of Turn 1.
With both cars stranded, a lengthy safety car period ensued. Jones backed up the field before the restart as he had done successfully in Race 2 and was closely followed by Pancione, Aaron Love, Ryan Suhle and Tom Taplin.
Sam Shahin had got the jump on Brett Boulton in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class after the Race 2 winner struggled off the start. Andrew Goldie and David Greig meanwhile, resumed where they had left off and continued their weekend-long tussle in Class B.
The safety car period removed any concerns the drivers might have had regards tyre conservation for Race 3 and it would be an intense finish to the line.
Jones executed the perfect restart as the cars emerged onto the pit straight with 7 laps remaining. Pancione slotted into second but challenged Jones for the lead down the back straight.
Jones took a defensive line into Turn 2 and retained his slight advantage, while McElrea teammate, Ryan Suhle was held up behind Aaron Love in the battle for third.
Suhle had better tyres and race pace than Love, causing the Bob Jane T-Marts driver to defend aggressively for a number of laps. Suhle eventually lost patience and dove up the inside of the left-handed turn 3 in the dying laps.
The contact relegated Love to fifth behind Sonic Racing teammate Max Vidau, who had made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid. After the race, the stewards would hand down a 15sec post-race penalty to Suhle, dropping the McElrea Racing driver to 11th in the final classification.
Jones would hold off Pancione for the race (and round) win, while Sam Shahin and Goldie would take line honours in their respective classes.
After the race, Jones thanked his team and sponsors, “It’s been an awesome weekend, with two victories, a second and the round win, all in front of my support team and Heli Mods sponsors. The car was unreal and I can’t thank McElrea Racing team enough.”
“Taking the series’ 200th race yesterday afternoon, was one of the best races of my life and my season so far. With such a long race, it was probably one of the biggest challenges for myself and the team, as it’s easy to produce a car that’s quick in the first 10 laps, but producing a car that’s quick over 30 laps is just awesome.”
The Queenslander extends his lead in the overall Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship, as the teams now head south for Round 5 at Sandown Raceway on the 20-22 September
For race interviews, pictures and videos, follow the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge social pages: Instagram – @CupChallengeAus / Twitter – @CupChallengeAus / Facebook.com/CupChallengeAus
Full Results: https://gt3cup.wpengine.com/results/
Next race: Round 5, Sandown Raceway
20-22 August 2019
Michelin Junior Training Workshop 2020
Highlights of the 2020 Michelin Junior Driver Training Workshop
2019 Season Highlights
2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (GT3 Cup Challenge ) Season Highlights
CAMS interviews: 2019 Champions
interviews with 2019 Champions, Harri Jones and Sam Shahin from the 2019 Awards dinner
Interview: 2019 Class B champion – David Greig
We catch up with 2019 Class B champion 🏆David Greig after the third and final race from The Bend Motorsport Park Shannons Nationals
Interview: 2019 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Pro-Am Champion Sam Shahin
We catch up with TAG Heuer Pro-Am class champion, Sam Shahin at The Bend Motorsport Park after Race 2
Round 6, The Bend – 2019 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Champion
We catch up withe the 2019 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Outright Champion Harri Jones after Race 2 Shannons Nationals The Bend Motorsport Park
Round 6, The Bend – Race 1 interviews
RACE 1 INTERVIEW with race winner Max Vidau at Rd6 at The Bend Motorsport Park
Round 6, The Bend – Qualifying interviews
Interviews with Ryan Suhle (Pro) and Brett Boulton (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) after qualifying at The Bend
Round 6, The Bend – Aaron Love interview
Aaron Love interview following Practice 2, Round 6, The Bend - 2019 Shannons Nationals
Round 5, Sandown – Race 3 Highlights
Race 3 Highlights from Rd5, Sandown Raceway - 2019 Shannons Nationals
Round 5, Sandown – Race 2 Highlights
Race 2 Highlights from Rd5, Queensland Raceway - 2019 Shannons Nationals
Round 5, Sandown – Race 1 Highlights
Highlights from Rd5, Sandown Race 1 - 2019 Shannons Nationals
Round 4, QR – Race 3 Highlights
Race 3 highlights from Rd4, Queensland Raceway - Shannons Nationals 2019
Round 4, QR – Race 2 Highlights
Race 2 highlights from Rd4, Queensland Raceway - Shannons Nationals 2019
Round 4, QR – Race 1 Highlights
Race 1 Highlights from Rd4, Queensland Raceway
Round 5, Winton – Driver Chat
Greg Rust chats to some young Porsche stars
Round 5, Winton Preview
Our racers' thoughts ahead of the Winton battle
Round 4, QR – Race 3 replay
Highlights from Race 3 from Queensland Raceway
2019 Round 6 – The Bend Motorsport Park
Image Gallery
2019 Phillip Island – Sunday
2019 Phillip Island – Saturday
2019 Phillip Island – Friday
Twitter count: 13
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[text] => What a great weekend of racing at Sandown! Here's a look back on what happened across the weekend.… https://t.co/zlWU3JdnPW
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[text] => Here's our Top Ten from Race 3.
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#carreracupaustralia
#CarreraCupAus
#porschemotorsportau… https://t.co/mlC21wxVUm
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[text] => After a hard fought 45 minute race, here's our drivers to talk you through Race 3 of the Porsche Payce & Michelin C… https://t.co/uJWPAQfZAD
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[text] => Michael Almond made it three different winners from three races in a thrilling conclusion to the Porsche PAYCE and… https://t.co/jD7fr8DhOP
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[text] => Porsche PAYCE & Michelin Cup, Sandown:
Race 3 Results:
Carrera Cup Mobil Pro - Michael Almond
Carrera Cup Pro-Am -… https://t.co/hqEoRGPfWM
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Driver Bio
David Wall enters the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series with the coveted #1 on his new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Two-time Australian GT Champion David Wall made a triumphant return to the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2016, winning in Darwin, scoring 10 podium finishes and finishing an outstanding third in the championship.
Sydneysider Wall made his name in Carrera Cup between 2006-2008, before winning in Australian GT and then making the move into Supercars competition.
Wall has made eight Bathurst 1000 starts and in 2016 also scored a podium finish – his first in the sport – on the Gold Coast, sharing the No. 33 Garry Rogers Motorsport entry with Scott McLaughlin.
Wall returned to Carrera Cup full-time in 2016 with his own Wall Racing team and eventually achieved the ultimate success, claiming the 2017 Carrera Cup crown.
Driver Bio
Melbourne-based Stephen Grove is the epitome of a Porsche racer – a strong passion for motorsport and a vast appreciation of the 911 GT3 Cup race car.
A successful businessman away from the race track with his Grove Group company, which features on his Porsche 911 race car, Grove’s increasing experience behind the wheel has pushed him quickly towards the front of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am competition.
Grove debuted in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship mid-way through the 2012 season, when you could also you could find him competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series at the time.
Grove would go on to win the 2014 TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge title, finish second in the 2015 season and third in the 2016 title race. And then, in 2017, Grove impressed by claiming his second class crown.
Driver Bio
Greg Taylor returned to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia full-time in 2018 having sampled the series in the 2014 season.
The Sydneysider contested the Sydney, Sandown and Gold Coast rounds of the 2014 season before moving to GT racing and, ultimately, returning to the Porsche one-make series in 2018.
Taylor joined the 2017 championship winning team, Wall Racing, for his Carrera Cup comeback.
Driver Bio
Tim Miles has made a successful ascent of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid over the past few season, moving from the GT3 Cup Challenge series through to the ultra-competitive Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship.
Miles’ racing trajectory with Porsche has seen him rise through the GT3 Cup Challenge ranks to ultimately claim the 2016 Elite Class crown. His racing resume was also sprinkled with Porsche Pro-Am appearances as a co-driver for the likes of Renee Gracie, Matt Campbell and, in 2017, Jaxon Evans.
The Sydney based businessman then made his Carrera Cup debut as a single driver entry at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway in 2017, placing second in the TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge for the round, before a successful run to the end of the season, which included a class clean sweep at Bathurst.
Driver Bio
A young rising star based in Queensland – but with Kiwi heritage – Jaxon Evans continues to step up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid having finished a narrow second in the 2016 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia Series.
After two years learning the ropes of one-make Porsche competition, Evans stepped into Carrera Cup in 2017 behind the wheel of the car Matt Campbell took to the outright championship in season 2016.
Evans was well-prepared for his step into the big league, having won the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in 2016 – the GT3 Cup Challenge’s ‘series within a series’ for longer distance races.
Following the same career progression as his friend Campbell, Evans made a successful transition to Carrera Cup, finishing fifth in the standings with two convincing round wins at Darwin and Gold Coast.
Driver Bio
Nick McBride joined Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia in the hunt for a career in Supercars and has since forged a reputation as one of the series’ most competitive drivers.
The Victorian returned to Australia after a two and a half year campaign in the United Kingdom, competing in British Formula Ford and Formula 3. He finished 10th in the prestigious F3 title this year, but shifted his desire for an open wheel ambitions to one which would focus on a tin-top career in Australia.
McBride won his first Carrera Cup Australia race on home turf at Albert Park in 2015, and backed that up with his first ever round win at the Clipsal 500 in March 2016 and an eventual Sandown round victory in 2017.
McBride races a new-look Porsche entry in 2018 after joining Porsche Centre Melbourne’s Carrera Cup outfit.
Driver Bio
Seasoned Porsche racer Marc Cini has more experience in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship than any other, sitting at 95 round starts at the start of the 2018 season.
A successful businessman away from the track with his company Hallmarc Developments, this Porsche enthusiast scores one of his highlight achievements in 2017, claiming the inaugural 2017 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Endurance Cup title.
Driver Bio
Adam Garwood moved to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series after a stint in Touring Cars Masters.
The Tasmanian replaced his race-winning Holden Torana SL/R 5000, equiped with 600hp from a Chevrolet V8 engine, for one of the series’ new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars with a 485hp rear-mounted flat six.
Driver Bio
Sam Shahin is a product of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, entering Porsche one-make racing in the entry-level GT3 Cup Challenge series before making his Carrera Cup debut at the 2017 Pro-Am event at Phillip Island, where he teamed with Dan Gaunt to place third on the TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge class podium.
Shahin’s continued improvement in Porsche one-make series has seen the South Australian businessman develop into a hugely competitive Porsche racer among the Pro-Am ranks, though he shocked even the overall competition when taking the outright victory at the opening 2017 GT3 Cup Challenge round at Sandown.
Shahin then made his Carrera Cup debut as a single driver entry at Carrera Cup’s fourth round of 2017 in Darwin, where he claimed round honours in the Challenge class.
Racing with the Adelaide based Buik Motorworks, Shahin enters 2018 for his maiden full-time Carrera Cup season.
Driver Bio
Peter Major entered Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia with experience in both Porsche’s second-tier GT3 Cup Challenge series and the Australian GT Championship, where he is a dual race winner.
Major’s sole GT3 Cup Challenge saw the West Australian take second outright and second in the Professional Class at his Winton debut behind eventual champion and 2018 teammate Jordan Love.
Driver Bio
Josh Hunt joins Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia with a broad range of motor racing experience.
Hunt moved to Europe aged 16 to pursue his professional driving career. From karting in Italy, Hunt moved to USF2000 in the USA before a stint in Toyota Atlantic Championship. Since then, Hunt had a range of open wheel, sports car and prototype experience that saw him well-placed for the 2018 Porsche season.
Driver Bio
James Moffat joined an expanded Wall Racing outfit for the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship following a decade out of the Porsche series.
Moffat placed third in the 2008 Carrera Cup Australia series before a two-year stint in Super2 and seven years in the top-flight Supercars Championship.
Driver Bio
While Adrian Flack has limited Porsche experience, the ‘Flack’ name is well known in Carrera Cup circles.
Damien Flack was a regular in the 2011 and 2013 Carrera Cup seasons and since returned for several Pro-Am appearances.
Adrian also has Pro-Am experience, entering the 2016 two-driver event alongside David Wall before his full-time debut in the 2018 season.
Driver Bio
One of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia’s ‘originals’, Dean Cook returned to the championship in 2017 after a more than a 13-year absence.
Cook competed in the first two season of Carrera Cup Australia, finishing a strong 10th outright in the inaugural 2003 championship – in front of serious names like Andrew Miedecke, Rodney Jane, Peter Hill and Geoff Morgan.
That was despite a limited racing CV prior to his Carrera Cup campaign, that included several starts over two years racing in the popular GT Nations Cup series, also racing a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup.
He returned for several races in the 2004 Carrera Cup season however did not contest the full series and had not raced in a major championship until his successful return in 2017, when he claimed a class victory in the final round of the season in the Gold Coast.
Driver Bio
Roger Lago is highly credentialed in Porsche one-make series. The Queenslander is one of two former GT3 Cup Challenge champions in the Carrera Cup series and was a TAG Heuer Pro-Am front-runner in the 2015 series until a qualifying accident in Townsville ended his season campaign.
Lago returned to the series in 2018, coinciding with the introduction of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
Driver Bio
Indiran Padayachee is one of the many GT3 Cup Challenge graduates to compete in the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season.
The TAG Heuer Pro-Am ranked driver also entered the 2018 Carrera Cup season having 15 rounds of experience in the GT3 Cup Challenge category and a single round of Carrera Cup after partnering his son and former Carrera Cup driver, Duvashen Padayachee, in the 2015 Pro-Am event at Phillip Island.
Driver Bio
Michael Almond burst on to the Porsche scene in 2010, when he qualified on pole on his debut in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia – and he has since to go on and forge a strong career with the brand.
A race winner in GT3 Cup Challenge, Almond also won races in the classic Touring Car Masters series, racing a 1973 Porsche RS against much larger and more powerful cars – and drivers like Jim Richards, John Bowe and Glenn Seton.
A move to Carrera Cup in late 2012 has seen his career climb towards a breakout season in 2016 that netted his first career win. Appropriately for this Adelaide born and bread driver, it came in front of his home town fans and friends on the streets of Adelaide at the Adelaide 500.
Almond this season joins Sonic Motor Racing Services as one of the two Bob Jane T-Marts entries.
Driver Bio
Max Twigg returned to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series full-time in 2018 as the championship’s most successful TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver.
The Melbourne based driver was untouchable in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons, taking the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class title in each.
Twigg’s unprecedented Pro-Am record achievements include the most title wins (3), most round wins (13) and most race wins (46).
Driver Bio
Dylan O’Keeffe is a young Victorian driver going places in a hurry, as shown by his rapid rise through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid to be a contender for victories in just his second year of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia.
Graduating from success in the Porsche 944 series in his native Victoria, O’Keeffe burst onto the scene in 2015 by finishing second to Ryan Simpson in the GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series.
His elevation to Carrera Cup in 2016 saw him steadily progress until a breakout round in Darwin saw him achieve personal best results in Qualifying (4th), racing (4th) and the round result – 4th.
O’Keeffe’s impressive rise continued in 2017, ultimate becoming Carrera Cup Australia’s nominee for the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout in Europe before lining up full-time for the 2018 Carrera Cup season.
Driver Bio
Dale Wood enters Porsche one-make racing after a lengthy stint in Supercars.
Wood entered Supercars in 2007, racing in the Super2 Series and ultimately graduated to the Supercars Championship full-time in 2009. Wood would return to the Super2 Series and claim the series title in 2013 before securing a full-time Supercars drive from 2014 to 2017 and, ultimately, making his way to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series in 2018.
Driver Bio
Canberra racing driver Cameron Hill chose Porsche power for the next phase of his career, announcing he would undertake a full-time campaign in the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series following a stint in the Toyota 86 Racing Series.
The 21-year-old demonstrated his talent ahead of his Carrera Cup debut, winning the coveted Australian Formula Ford Series in 2015 and scoring more race victories than anyone else in the Toyota 86 Racing Series during 2016 and 2017.
Driver Bio
Graham Williams made his Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia debut in 2017 – but he’s also no stranger to Porsche competition.
He’s raced his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to strong results in Victorian State Production Sports Car competition, including a top-10 finish in the 2016 championship. He’s also competed in several Porsche Club sprint and driving events, building a wealth of experience behind the wheel of his 911 GT3 Cup.
Williams had a strong debut season in the Porsche series and returns in 2018, set to capitalise on the experience gained, with #131 – the number he raced in Motorcross during his teenage years in South Australia.
Driver Bio
Jordan Love made his Carrera Cup debut at Sandown in 2017 just one week after securing the outright GT3 Cup Challenge title at Phillip Island. Following the title win, Love announced a three-round initiation into Carrera Cup and an eventual full-time series entry in 2018.
Love was also named as an official Porsche Junior driver at the start of the 2017 GT3 Cup Challenge season, becoming only the second driver to be the recipient of the Jamey Blaikie Scholarship.
Driver Bio
John Steffensen’s pathway to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season was far different than most.
Before his stint in the driver’s seat, Steffensen was an Olympic sprinter and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist.
Upon his athletics retirement, Steffensen raced in GT3 Cup Challenge in 2017 before moving to Carrera Cup the following season.
