Round | Event | Date |
---|---|---|
Round 1 | Phillip Island | Apr 12 - 14 |
Round 2 | Shell V-Power Motorsport Park | May 30 - Jun 2 |
Round 3 | Townsville 500 | Jul 5 - 7 |
Round 4 | Queensland Raceway | Aug 2 - 4 |
Round 5 | Tasmania SuperSprint | Aug 16 - 18 |
Round 6 | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW | Oct 18 - 20 |
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Round-3_WD-40-Phillip-Island-500.png)
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Round-6_The-Bend-SuperSprint.png)
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Townsville.png)
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/map-grey-newQR.png)
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/track-map-tasmainia-black.png)
![](https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Round-5_Sydney-SuperSprint.png)
Standings
Pro
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Oscar Targett | 449 |
2 | Brock Gilchrist | 423 |
3 | Hamish Fitzsimmons | 334 |
4 | Aron Shields | 325 |
5 | Clay Osborne | 308 |
Pro-Am
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Danny Stutterd | 467 |
2 | Lachy Harburg | 416 |
3 | Brett Boulton | 303 |
4 | Ross McGregor | 235 |
5 | Eric Constantinidis | 226 |
Class B
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Jacque Jarjo | 522 |
2 | Bradley Carr | 339 |
3 | Stephen Moylan | 270 |
4 | Keith Diano | 150 |
5 | Brayden Taylor | 126 |
Endurance Cup
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Brock Gilchrist | 156 |
2 | Hamish Fitzsimmons | 150 |
3 | Oscar Targett | 120 |
4 | Clay Osborne | 109 |
5 | Tyler Greenbury | 107 |
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Somers: ‘We will be back’ after tough Sonic weekend
Tough weekend for Sonic duo in North Queensland
It proved a tough yet rewarding third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for Sonic Motor Racing Services on the Reid Park Street Circuit in Townsville.
It was the first visit to the venue for the second-tier Porsche category and marked the first experience of a street circuit for Sonic’s two drivers.
Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers proved quick when track action started, but the attack was soon depleted after an incident in qualifying for the latter.
Leading the Sonic charge through practice, Somers caught slower traffic at Turn 10 during qualifying and was pitched into multiple rolls ending his weekend. Somers emerged uninjured from the incident, which is a credit to the strength of the Porsche.
“It was a disappointing weekend for us,” said Somers.
“We rolled out of the truck with a really fast car on Friday, but unfortunately we had an incident during qualifying, which resulted in a rollover to end our weekend.
“I’m just really disappointed we couldn’t get a result for everyone at Sonic for all the work they put in and getting a deserved result.
“Nevertheless, lots of hard work to be done, but we’ll be there ready to go at Queensland Raceway.”
Santalucia started the opening race from 10th and made moves early to be sixth until a mistake by a competitor in front led to heavy contact with the wall exiting Turn 6.
A superb effort from the Sonic team was duly rewarded by Santalucia on Sunday by two top results starting with eighth outright in the 45 minute Jim Richards Endurance event, then scoring sixth in the final.
“It was certainly a challenging weekend here at Townsville,” said Santalucia.
“First of all I’d like to thank the crew for working extremely hard to get my car back on-track for Sunday’s races after my crash in Race 1.
“In qualifying I got caught out by the red flag, but it’s not what you can prepare for and we started 10th.
“I made my way to seventh, but was involved in a crash and I had to start Sunday’s opening race from the back. It was quite exciting to drive through the field as in Race 2 I made up 15 positions. This proved the highlight of the day.
“I was chipping away, but was forced to manage a flat spot after the restart and lost a couple of spots after that.
“I have stuff to work on for myself, but I couldn’t have done it without the great team at Sonic.
“I can’t wait to hit the track again at Queensland Raceway.”
Both Somers and Santalucia will continue their maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge campaigns at Queensland Raceway as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries on August 2-4.
Targett takes the round, Fitzsimmons the finale’ in Townsville showdown
Fast-paced finale puts on a show as Sprint Challenge ends successful Townsville debut
OSCAR TARGETT claimed Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship with a fighting second position in Townsville’s finale – while Hamish Fitzsimmons powered to his second race win of the season in style.
It was a crushing performance from the TekworkX driver who launched from the second row of the grid and raced his way to the lead early in the final 20-minute sprint.
The win, his second of the season, completed a remarkable comeback that saw the TekworkX driver qualify on pole only to be relegated to a pit lane start for Race 1 following a start line infringement.
He then worked his way through the field to finish 14th in race one and 4th in the second to put himself at the pointy-end f0r the finale’.
That progression, coupled with a fresh set of Michelins saved for the final sprint race, saw him able to race to the lead and win by almost ten seconds.
It was double delight in Townsville for the Gold Coast-based TekworkX team with Danny Stutterd claiming the Pro-Am race and round victory as well.
Behind Fitzsimmons, Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist warred for second and third in what would be the battle to see who claimed the round overall.
Targett held the lead early only for Gilchrist to work his way past – though the positions would change several times throughout the race.
Ultimately Targett was able to squeeze past late to secure second which also delivered him the round win – his second in a row.
He claimed the top spot with Gilchrist second for the round – the pair also first and second in the championship at the half-way point.
Fitzsimmons claimed third for the weekend thanks to his mighty comeback, Clay Osborne narrowly missing the podium after receiving a five second penalty for a false start in race three.
Nash Morris ultimately finished fourth and Caleb Sumich fifth after a huge comeback following the late night rebuild – Jake Santalucia just behind in another huge comeback story for the Sonic team.
Osborne – fourth on the road – dropped to seventh with his penalty with Aron Shields and Ayrton Hodson battling furiously over eighth and ninth throughout the final sprint.
Danny Stutterd made it an incredible day for TekworkX thanks to claiming the Pro-Am victory and 10th outright, a result which also ensured he claimed the round overall and extending his championship lead.
Lachy Harburg finished second in class in race three and the round while Marc Cini completed the Pro-Am podium in third aboard his Hallmarc Property Group / Melbourne Performance Centre entry.
Jacque Jarjo took the Class B victory in Race 3, while Brad Carr and Stephen Moylan enjoyed a frenetic battle for second in class.
Carr, however, was able to claim the round victory to build his Class B title lead.
Targett on Enduro Cup with Sunday morning Townsville win
Kiwi drivers complete podium, Brad Carr, Danny Stuttered take class wins
OSCAR TARGETT survived early race pressure from Brock Gilchrist before edging away to victory in the Jim Richards Endurance Championship race on Sunday morning at the NTI Townsville 500.
The Grove Racing Junior made the best start of the leading bunch and led the field into turn two but had to spend the first several laps vigorously defending his position from nearest rival, race one runner-up Brock Gilchrist.
The Team Porsche NZ racer attacked on several occasions but was unable to break Targett’s defence and ultimately slipped a second behind the leader, who edged away to claim his third straight win and fourth of the season on Sunday morning.
Targett becomes the third winner from three Enduro Cup races to date this season following successes for Hamish Fitzsimmons (Phillip Island) and Brock Gilchrist (The Bend) previously.
After running with the leaders early, Clay Osborne slipped back to finish a consistent third and a bag of valuable championship points in the process.
Behind the leading trio, the same as in race one, there were a host of impressive drives as several contenders worked their way from the back of the field following race one dramas.
Hamish Fitzsimmons gained 10 spots to finish fourth, while Nash Morris worked his way from the back to finish sixth in his STM machine.
After late-night rebuilds, both Jake Santalucia and Caleb Sumich were able to make meaningful inroads through the pack in their repaired machines this morning.
Santalucia stormed to 8th position and Sumich 10th after both teams worked to beyond midnight to ensure their cars could start the Enduro Cup race.
There was action aplenty in the Pro-Am ranks, Race 1 winner Brett Boulton and Lachy Harburg making contact early on that would ultimately end the race one winner’s race on the sport.
While Harburg recovered – via a few exciting moments – to second in class, Daniel Stutterd extended his class championship lead with 12th outright and a class win.
They were all, however, trumped by Brad Carr who passed them all to claim 11th outright in his Class B winning 991.1 Cup Car, while Jacque Jarjo finished just behind Stutterd on the road to take second in class.
The 29-lap race ended behind the control of the Porsche Taycan Safety Car following a late spin for Eric Constantinidis, who was stranded at turn seven with less than five minutes remaining.
One final, 20-minute sprint will complete the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series on Sunday afternoon.
That race will start at 12:45pm local time and will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo and Channel 7.
FULL RACE REPLAY: Race1, Round 1 – Phillip Island
Gerry Murphy shows support for Australia Zoo
Gerry Murphy tells us about his unique livery and support of the Australia Zoo.
Round 1, 2023 – Phillip Island gallery
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Targett delivers in tricky Townsville Sprint Challenge opener
OSCAR TARGETT has extended his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, racing his way to the front in the first race at the NTI Townsville 500.
Starting third on the grid but with an open pole position in front of him on account of Hamish Fitzsimmons starting from pit lane, Targett settled into second early in the first 25-minute sprint race of the weekend before pouncing on Clay Osborne to take the race lead and ultimately take the win.
The Grove Racing / EBM driver edged away from a racy Brock Gilchrist – who also passed Osborne in the same move as Targett – with early leader Osborne finishing third.
The race began in strange circumstances as polesitter Hamish Fitzsimmons, who had radio issues, overshot his grid position on the formation lap. As a result, the start was delayed and an additional formation lap given to the field.
The TekworkX driver was forced to start from pit lane as a result and would charge through to 14th position and 7th of the Pro class cars at the end.
The race began in challenging conditions with a light rain shower passing over the circuit moments before the cars were released from pit lane.
That left Osborne alone on the front row with the New Zealander leaving Gilchrist and Targett away into turn one.
While everyone remained on slick tyres, conditions were challenging with slippery areas both on the circuit, painted lines and kerbs.
Nash Morris ran fourth early and well within touch of the leaders however was forced to pit lane with steering issues aboard his #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport entry.
Osborne led the first three before Targett pounced, the leader defending at turn two which compromised his exit from the left-hander and allowed the Grove Hire car to slip up the inside at turn four to grab the lead.
Gilchrist followed Targett through to grab second position with Osborne settling into third.
The battling behind was intense with a multi-car fight between Ayrton Hodson, Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and Aron Shields.
That waged for multiple laps before a moment on lap 13 caught Sumich out, running wide at turn seven onto the concrete apron on the exit of the corner, the lack of traction seeing his car spearing across to the inside fence. Santalucia was caught up in the incident with both cars damaged and out of the race as a result.
That drew the Safety Car out with the racing finishing under yellows.
With Targett, Gilchrist and Osborne the top three, Tyler Greenbury revelled in the challenging conditions to finish fourth in his Edge Designer Homes / TGR entry – his fourth, fourth-place finish of the season. Ayrton Hodson finished fifth and Aron Shields sixth.
Brett Boulton won the Pro-Am class after a strong drive to seventh position outright, leading Lachlan Harburg and Danny Stutterd home in the Sprint Challenge race within a race.
The pair finished well within the top-10 as a result of the dramas for several of the Pro class runners.
Brad Carr, meanwhile, claimed the Class B win and finished an outstanding 10th outright in the process, closest rival Jaque Jarjo just behind.
Earlier, Sonic Motor Racing’s Conor Somers walked away from an enormous crash at turn 10 that brought the qualifying session to a premature end.
Somers clipped another car approaching the high-speed kink and was launched into the air, his car making heavy contact with the catch fencing on the outside of the circuit.
His car landed on its roof, however Somers was able to climb from the wreck. He was checked by the medical team and released with no injuries – however his car was out for the remainder of the weekend.
Round 3 of the championship will conclude on Sunday at the NTI Townsville 500 with two races – kicking off on Sunday morning with the next instalment of the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy first thing on Sunday.
That will be followed by the final sprint race later in the afternoon, to be shown live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Channel 7.
Gilchrist on point as Sprint Challenge makes Street Circuit debut
Brett Boulton and Brad Carr on top in class battles as field turns attention to qualifying on Saturday
FAST New Zealander Brock Gilchrist has charged to the top of the times following a competitive and clean day of practice for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at the NTI Townsville 500 in Queensland.
Taking advantage of a new-tyre run at the end of the second, 25-minute practice session of the day, Gilchrist’s 1m14.4746s flyer not only topped the charts in the session, but did so overall in a fast Friday that saw both sessions run without interruption.
Click here to view results from qualifying at the NTI Townsville 500.
The pair of practice sessions were staged in uncharacteristically cloudy conditions in North Queensland with lower ambient and track conditions allowing for drivers to have several shots at qualifying simulation late in the second session.
Gilchrist, who sits second in the championship following the first two rounds and was a race winner last-time out at The Bend, lead Scott Taylor Motorsport’s Nash Morris on combined times, with the Flash having topped the opening session earlier on Friday.
The pair were split by two-tenths of a second with series leader Oscar Targett third overall in his EBM machine.
Ayrton Hodson was fourth aboard his McElrea Racing entry on his street circuit debut while teammate Caleb Sumich was fifth in the combined rankings.
Jake Santalucia was sixth for Sonic Motor Racing, narrowly edging out Clay Osborne and Aron Shields’ DNA Autosport entry.
Conor Somers and TekworkX driver Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top-10 on combined practice times on Friday, the 10 covered by exactly one second.
Brett Boulton led the way in the Pro-Am ranks, heading class leader Daniel Stutterd by 0.6 seconds, with Marc Cini third – the Victorian having topped the opening session aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry.
Brad Carr was a stout 14th outright aboard his Class-B leading entry with Jacque Jarjo second in class.
After a wild round at The Bend last time out, Friday in Townsville was free of major incident as the field set about learning the tricky 2.87km street circuit.
Just four drivers of the 25 entered have competed previously on the Reid Park streets making track time a premium as the field looks towards qualifying and the opening race on Saturday.
Qualifying – at 8:05am – and Race 1, which starts at 10:50am will both be live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports tomorrow.
Profile: Brett Boulton
Brett tells us about his life away from the track and his relationship with the McElrea Racing team
We catch-up with Porsche #Michelin Sprint Challenge Morris Finance Pro-Am, Brett Boulton, on his life away from the track and his relationship with the McElrea Racing team
Profile: Richard Cowen
We catch up with Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro-Am
We catch up with Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro-Am, Richard Cowen on his life away from the track as part of the McElrea Racing team
Profile: Jonathan Gliksten
The Morris Pro-Am tells us about his life away from the track and support of Friedreich Ataxia
Targett seals dramatic Round 2 victory to ignite Sprint Challenge season
Dramatic weekend in South Australia delivers three winners from three races
OSCAR TARGETT has survived one of the most unpredictable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia rounds in history to claim Round 2 of the championship at The Bend.
The Grove Racing / EBM driver claimed a dramatic race three victory to win the round overall over Brock Gilchrist and Aron Shields – but the story was in no way as simple as the results indicate.
Home-town hero Pan Boyaci claimed the win in Pro-Am over Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo won the Class B battle at the South Australian venue.
Targett’s pathway to victory was far from easy after he was penalised 10 seconds following race two earlier on Sunday morning.
That result dropped him from second on the road to 14th position which is where he started race three later in the afternoon.
Brock Gilchrist won the Enduro race on Sunday morning with Jake Santalucia and Hamish Fitzsimmons – who charged from 24th on the grid following his challenging race one on Saturday – to third position.
Targett was one of several to storm through the field in race three, which saw Gilchrist lead early. The Grove racer charged from 14th to seventh on the opening lap and had climbed as high as fourth by lap eight.
A storming Fitzsimmons passed Gilchrist for the lead on lap seven, however was carrying a five-second penalty for overlapping on a Safety Car restart, meaning he had to pull away in front in order to remain on the podium.
Gilchrist had settled into second position and was being chased by Kiwi compatriot Clay Osborne, when the pair made contact at turn six on the ninth lap of the race – causing Gilchrist to slip down the order and Osborne out of the race with left front damage on his McElrea entry.
That elevated Targett to second position, the Michelin Junior ensuring he finished well within striking distance of Fitzsimmons, ensuring he would claim the race victory once the five second penalty was applied. The TekworkX driver slipped to third at the line, with Aron Shields’ promoted to second.
The contact between Gilchrist and Osborne was more critical for the former, who finished eighth which was not enough to retain the points lead for the round overall – the Team Porsche NZ driver ultimately finishing second overall behind Targett.
Provisionally, Targett now leads the Sprint Challenge standings over Gilchrist and Aron Shields, Round 1 winner Caleb Sumich’s solid weekend ensuring he remains fourth and Fitzsimmons fifth.
The Pro-Am weekend was just as unpredictable as the outright fight with pacesetter Ramu Farrell enduring a challenging weekend that saw him fail to finish both races on Sunday.
The beneficiary of all the chaos was local racer Pan Boyaci, who claimed his first round win overall ahead of the ever-consistent Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg.
An outstanding weekend from Jacque Jarjo saw him claim the Class B round win with a pair of race wins on Sunday.
Gilchrist hits field for six with Enduro Cup win
Sprint race showdown set as fifth winner from five races
BROCK GILCHRIST has charged to his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series race win, claiming the Jim Richards Enduro Cup race at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on a freezing Sunday morning.
The Team Porsche NZ / EBM driver had to fight his way to the front in the 45-minute race, but survived a pair of Safety Car restarts and a one-lap dash to the flag to become the fifth winner from five races so far this year.
Oscar Targett charged through to second position and Aron Shields raced to third position, while Jacque Jarjo took the Class B win with 10th outright and local Pan Boyaci won the Pro-Am class.
The race commenced in clear but cold conditions with the ambient temperature just three degrees at the start of the race.
Race one winner Clay Osborne made the best start from pole position and led the opening lap before Gilchrist – who ended the first lap in fourth position – pounced on the second lap to take the lead.
A fast-starting Aron Shields then briefly jumped Osborne to second place before the latter was able to re-pass the DNA Autosport driver.
Targett, meanwhile, worked his way into contention as the race continued, passing Osborne to climb to second position on the 17th lap.
Osborne struggled with a broken splitter on his McElrea entry, a pair of restarts costing the Kiwi as the field bunched up and was able to attack the New Zealander who was struggling for front grip.
The first Safety Car was called for an off from Ben Taylor and Caspar Tresidder at turn four, which packed the field up.
Osborne tumbled down the order on the restart with Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and a charging Hamish Fitzsimmons taking the most advantage.
The final Safety Car was called for Ramu Farrell off at turn one, setting up a one-lap dash to the line at the end of the race.
There, Gilchrist held on to grab his race win with Targett second and Shields third.
Caleb Sumich and Jake Santalucia completed the top five, with Hamish Fitzsimmons storming through the field to finish sixth after an immense comeback drive. Tyler Greenbury, Ayrton Hodson, Conor Somers and Class B winner Jacque Jarjo completed the 10.
Osborne eventually finished 11th to salvage championship points while the Pro-Am class went the way of Pan Boyaci – the Rennen Motorsport driver grabbing the victory following the dramas for Farrell and fellow race one contenders, Brett Boulton and Danny Stutterd.
The results set up a thrilling finish to the round with a winner-take-all finale set for Brock Gilchrist and Oscar Targett – the pair split by just one point heading into the 25-minute sprint race finale’ this afternoon.
UPDATE: A raft of post-race penalties saw several drivers drop down the order following the completion of Race 2.
Seven different drivers were penalised post-race for varying incidents including Safety Car restart breeches and on-track incidents.
Drivers penalised included Oscar Targett – who dropped from second to 14th – and Aron Shields, who went from third to eighth.
Brock Gilchrist was not penalised and as such retained his race win.
Osborne launches to maiden win in The Bend opener
Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) take class wins in combative SA opener
CLAY OSBORNE has launched from second position to claim his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia race win at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
Starting second, the McElrea Racing Kiwi got the perfect start and led the field uphill to the first corner, beating polesitter Brock Gilchrist into a lead he’d never lose.
Osborne led home Oscar Targett and Gilchrist in Saturday’s 25-minute opener with Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) on top in the class battles.
In bright sunshine, the field launched into turn one with Osborne getting the better launch of the leading group, while Targett jumped Conor Somers to rise to third.
The Safety Car was called early after a series of events at turn five and six saw recoveries required.
The first was a drama that saw Hamish Fitzsimmons and Lachy Harburg spinning at turn five, fortunately avoiding any major contact as the field took evasive action.
Contact between Andrew Georgiadis and Caspar Tressider then saw the former stranded at turn seven, forcing a recovery.
A restart with 10 minutes remaining saw Osborne judge his jump perfectly and pull away in the race lead while Gilchrist had to fend off Targett in a battle for second, the latter ultimately sneaking through with a strong pass at turn one with a few laps remaining.
With Osborne catching lapped traffic on the final lap, Targett’s Grove Hire car closed on the leader on the final tour of the 3.41km West circuit but ultimately settled for second with Gilchrist third.
Osborne, who had a third, a second and a non-finish in the Phillip Island season opener, became the fourth different winner from four races this season.
Targett’s decisive move saw him move to a clear title lead over Osborne, the three-way tie-break at Round 1 finally broken.
Behind the leaders, Aron Shields gained ground to finish a stout fourth position in his Astrontech / DNA Autosport entry leading home Conor Somers’ Sonic Motor Racing entry.
Somers – who finished within three seconds of the winner at the end of a highly competitive race – also set the quickest lap of the race and what stands overnight as the lap record of The Bend’s 3.41km West circuit.
Caleb Sumich moved forward to sixth position while Ayrton Hodson passed Jake Santalucia to grab seventh mid-race.
Ramu Farrell finished ninth and claimed the Pro-Am class win after an adventurous race for the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’.
Brett Boulton finished second in class and 11th outright with Danny Stutterd third in class and just behind.
The outright top-10 was completed by Tyler Greenbury, while Brad Carr won Class B and finished an outstanding 13th outright in the 30-car field.
Fitzsimmons recovered from his lap one off to 17th position and will have work to do on Sunday, while Harburg recovered to 20th.
Two races on Sunday complete Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in South Australia, the 45-minute Jim Richards’ Endurance Trophy race to kick off proceedings on Sunday morning, followed by a second sprint race later in the day.
The second race will be broadcast live and free on 7plus on Sunday as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries coverage.
International viewers – including those in New Zealand – can watch via speedseries.com.au/TV.
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 3 Highlights
Highlights of the final race from Round 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 2 Highlights
Highlights of the 45-minute endurance race from Sydney Motorsport Park
Somers: ‘We will be back’ after tough Sonic weekend
Tough weekend for Sonic duo in North Queensland
It proved a tough yet rewarding third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for Sonic Motor Racing Services on the Reid Park Street Circuit in Townsville.
It was the first visit to the venue for the second-tier Porsche category and marked the first experience of a street circuit for Sonic’s two drivers.
Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers proved quick when track action started, but the attack was soon depleted after an incident in qualifying for the latter.
Leading the Sonic charge through practice, Somers caught slower traffic at Turn 10 during qualifying and was pitched into multiple rolls ending his weekend. Somers emerged uninjured from the incident, which is a credit to the strength of the Porsche.
“It was a disappointing weekend for us,” said Somers.
“We rolled out of the truck with a really fast car on Friday, but unfortunately we had an incident during qualifying, which resulted in a rollover to end our weekend.
“I’m just really disappointed we couldn’t get a result for everyone at Sonic for all the work they put in and getting a deserved result.
“Nevertheless, lots of hard work to be done, but we’ll be there ready to go at Queensland Raceway.”
Santalucia started the opening race from 10th and made moves early to be sixth until a mistake by a competitor in front led to heavy contact with the wall exiting Turn 6.
A superb effort from the Sonic team was duly rewarded by Santalucia on Sunday by two top results starting with eighth outright in the 45 minute Jim Richards Endurance event, then scoring sixth in the final.
“It was certainly a challenging weekend here at Townsville,” said Santalucia.
“First of all I’d like to thank the crew for working extremely hard to get my car back on-track for Sunday’s races after my crash in Race 1.
“In qualifying I got caught out by the red flag, but it’s not what you can prepare for and we started 10th.
“I made my way to seventh, but was involved in a crash and I had to start Sunday’s opening race from the back. It was quite exciting to drive through the field as in Race 2 I made up 15 positions. This proved the highlight of the day.
“I was chipping away, but was forced to manage a flat spot after the restart and lost a couple of spots after that.
“I have stuff to work on for myself, but I couldn’t have done it without the great team at Sonic.
“I can’t wait to hit the track again at Queensland Raceway.”
Both Somers and Santalucia will continue their maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge campaigns at Queensland Raceway as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries on August 2-4.
Targett takes the round, Fitzsimmons the finale’ in Townsville showdown
Fast-paced finale puts on a show as Sprint Challenge ends successful Townsville debut
OSCAR TARGETT claimed Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship with a fighting second position in Townsville’s finale – while Hamish Fitzsimmons powered to his second race win of the season in style.
It was a crushing performance from the TekworkX driver who launched from the second row of the grid and raced his way to the lead early in the final 20-minute sprint.
The win, his second of the season, completed a remarkable comeback that saw the TekworkX driver qualify on pole only to be relegated to a pit lane start for Race 1 following a start line infringement.
He then worked his way through the field to finish 14th in race one and 4th in the second to put himself at the pointy-end f0r the finale’.
That progression, coupled with a fresh set of Michelins saved for the final sprint race, saw him able to race to the lead and win by almost ten seconds.
It was double delight in Townsville for the Gold Coast-based TekworkX team with Danny Stutterd claiming the Pro-Am race and round victory as well.
Behind Fitzsimmons, Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist warred for second and third in what would be the battle to see who claimed the round overall.
Targett held the lead early only for Gilchrist to work his way past – though the positions would change several times throughout the race.
Ultimately Targett was able to squeeze past late to secure second which also delivered him the round win – his second in a row.
He claimed the top spot with Gilchrist second for the round – the pair also first and second in the championship at the half-way point.
Fitzsimmons claimed third for the weekend thanks to his mighty comeback, Clay Osborne narrowly missing the podium after receiving a five second penalty for a false start in race three.
Nash Morris ultimately finished fourth and Caleb Sumich fifth after a huge comeback following the late night rebuild – Jake Santalucia just behind in another huge comeback story for the Sonic team.
Osborne – fourth on the road – dropped to seventh with his penalty with Aron Shields and Ayrton Hodson battling furiously over eighth and ninth throughout the final sprint.
Danny Stutterd made it an incredible day for TekworkX thanks to claiming the Pro-Am victory and 10th outright, a result which also ensured he claimed the round overall and extending his championship lead.
Lachy Harburg finished second in class in race three and the round while Marc Cini completed the Pro-Am podium in third aboard his Hallmarc Property Group / Melbourne Performance Centre entry.
Jacque Jarjo took the Class B victory in Race 3, while Brad Carr and Stephen Moylan enjoyed a frenetic battle for second in class.
Carr, however, was able to claim the round victory to build his Class B title lead.
Targett on Enduro Cup with Sunday morning Townsville win
Kiwi drivers complete podium, Brad Carr, Danny Stuttered take class wins
OSCAR TARGETT survived early race pressure from Brock Gilchrist before edging away to victory in the Jim Richards Endurance Championship race on Sunday morning at the NTI Townsville 500.
The Grove Racing Junior made the best start of the leading bunch and led the field into turn two but had to spend the first several laps vigorously defending his position from nearest rival, race one runner-up Brock Gilchrist.
The Team Porsche NZ racer attacked on several occasions but was unable to break Targett’s defence and ultimately slipped a second behind the leader, who edged away to claim his third straight win and fourth of the season on Sunday morning.
Targett becomes the third winner from three Enduro Cup races to date this season following successes for Hamish Fitzsimmons (Phillip Island) and Brock Gilchrist (The Bend) previously.
After running with the leaders early, Clay Osborne slipped back to finish a consistent third and a bag of valuable championship points in the process.
Behind the leading trio, the same as in race one, there were a host of impressive drives as several contenders worked their way from the back of the field following race one dramas.
Hamish Fitzsimmons gained 10 spots to finish fourth, while Nash Morris worked his way from the back to finish sixth in his STM machine.
After late-night rebuilds, both Jake Santalucia and Caleb Sumich were able to make meaningful inroads through the pack in their repaired machines this morning.
Santalucia stormed to 8th position and Sumich 10th after both teams worked to beyond midnight to ensure their cars could start the Enduro Cup race.
There was action aplenty in the Pro-Am ranks, Race 1 winner Brett Boulton and Lachy Harburg making contact early on that would ultimately end the race one winner’s race on the sport.
While Harburg recovered – via a few exciting moments – to second in class, Daniel Stutterd extended his class championship lead with 12th outright and a class win.
They were all, however, trumped by Brad Carr who passed them all to claim 11th outright in his Class B winning 991.1 Cup Car, while Jacque Jarjo finished just behind Stutterd on the road to take second in class.
The 29-lap race ended behind the control of the Porsche Taycan Safety Car following a late spin for Eric Constantinidis, who was stranded at turn seven with less than five minutes remaining.
One final, 20-minute sprint will complete the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series on Sunday afternoon.
That race will start at 12:45pm local time and will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo and Channel 7.
Targett delivers in tricky Townsville Sprint Challenge opener
OSCAR TARGETT has extended his lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, racing his way to the front in the first race at the NTI Townsville 500.
Starting third on the grid but with an open pole position in front of him on account of Hamish Fitzsimmons starting from pit lane, Targett settled into second early in the first 25-minute sprint race of the weekend before pouncing on Clay Osborne to take the race lead and ultimately take the win.
The Grove Racing / EBM driver edged away from a racy Brock Gilchrist – who also passed Osborne in the same move as Targett – with early leader Osborne finishing third.
The race began in strange circumstances as polesitter Hamish Fitzsimmons, who had radio issues, overshot his grid position on the formation lap. As a result, the start was delayed and an additional formation lap given to the field.
The TekworkX driver was forced to start from pit lane as a result and would charge through to 14th position and 7th of the Pro class cars at the end.
The race began in challenging conditions with a light rain shower passing over the circuit moments before the cars were released from pit lane.
That left Osborne alone on the front row with the New Zealander leaving Gilchrist and Targett away into turn one.
While everyone remained on slick tyres, conditions were challenging with slippery areas both on the circuit, painted lines and kerbs.
Nash Morris ran fourth early and well within touch of the leaders however was forced to pit lane with steering issues aboard his #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport entry.
Osborne led the first three before Targett pounced, the leader defending at turn two which compromised his exit from the left-hander and allowed the Grove Hire car to slip up the inside at turn four to grab the lead.
Gilchrist followed Targett through to grab second position with Osborne settling into third.
The battling behind was intense with a multi-car fight between Ayrton Hodson, Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and Aron Shields.
That waged for multiple laps before a moment on lap 13 caught Sumich out, running wide at turn seven onto the concrete apron on the exit of the corner, the lack of traction seeing his car spearing across to the inside fence. Santalucia was caught up in the incident with both cars damaged and out of the race as a result.
That drew the Safety Car out with the racing finishing under yellows.
With Targett, Gilchrist and Osborne the top three, Tyler Greenbury revelled in the challenging conditions to finish fourth in his Edge Designer Homes / TGR entry – his fourth, fourth-place finish of the season. Ayrton Hodson finished fifth and Aron Shields sixth.
Brett Boulton won the Pro-Am class after a strong drive to seventh position outright, leading Lachlan Harburg and Danny Stutterd home in the Sprint Challenge race within a race.
The pair finished well within the top-10 as a result of the dramas for several of the Pro class runners.
Brad Carr, meanwhile, claimed the Class B win and finished an outstanding 10th outright in the process, closest rival Jaque Jarjo just behind.
Earlier, Sonic Motor Racing’s Conor Somers walked away from an enormous crash at turn 10 that brought the qualifying session to a premature end.
Somers clipped another car approaching the high-speed kink and was launched into the air, his car making heavy contact with the catch fencing on the outside of the circuit.
His car landed on its roof, however Somers was able to climb from the wreck. He was checked by the medical team and released with no injuries – however his car was out for the remainder of the weekend.
Round 3 of the championship will conclude on Sunday at the NTI Townsville 500 with two races – kicking off on Sunday morning with the next instalment of the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy first thing on Sunday.
That will be followed by the final sprint race later in the afternoon, to be shown live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Channel 7.
Gilchrist on point as Sprint Challenge makes Street Circuit debut
Brett Boulton and Brad Carr on top in class battles as field turns attention to qualifying on Saturday
FAST New Zealander Brock Gilchrist has charged to the top of the times following a competitive and clean day of practice for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at the NTI Townsville 500 in Queensland.
Taking advantage of a new-tyre run at the end of the second, 25-minute practice session of the day, Gilchrist’s 1m14.4746s flyer not only topped the charts in the session, but did so overall in a fast Friday that saw both sessions run without interruption.
Click here to view results from qualifying at the NTI Townsville 500.
The pair of practice sessions were staged in uncharacteristically cloudy conditions in North Queensland with lower ambient and track conditions allowing for drivers to have several shots at qualifying simulation late in the second session.
Gilchrist, who sits second in the championship following the first two rounds and was a race winner last-time out at The Bend, lead Scott Taylor Motorsport’s Nash Morris on combined times, with the Flash having topped the opening session earlier on Friday.
The pair were split by two-tenths of a second with series leader Oscar Targett third overall in his EBM machine.
Ayrton Hodson was fourth aboard his McElrea Racing entry on his street circuit debut while teammate Caleb Sumich was fifth in the combined rankings.
Jake Santalucia was sixth for Sonic Motor Racing, narrowly edging out Clay Osborne and Aron Shields’ DNA Autosport entry.
Conor Somers and TekworkX driver Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top-10 on combined practice times on Friday, the 10 covered by exactly one second.
Brett Boulton led the way in the Pro-Am ranks, heading class leader Daniel Stutterd by 0.6 seconds, with Marc Cini third – the Victorian having topped the opening session aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry.
Brad Carr was a stout 14th outright aboard his Class-B leading entry with Jacque Jarjo second in class.
After a wild round at The Bend last time out, Friday in Townsville was free of major incident as the field set about learning the tricky 2.87km street circuit.
Just four drivers of the 25 entered have competed previously on the Reid Park streets making track time a premium as the field looks towards qualifying and the opening race on Saturday.
Qualifying – at 8:05am – and Race 1, which starts at 10:50am will both be live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports tomorrow.
Street Circuit debut for Michelin Sprint Challenge field in Townsville
Compelling season heads to North Queensland for debut at NTI Townsville 500
ONE-MAKE Porsche racing returns to the streets of Townsville at the 2024 NTI Townsville 500 this weekend – but not quite in the way North Queensland Supercars fans have seen before.
In the past the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship has been a staple on the Reid Park Street Circuit, however this year it’s the turn of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series to put on a show.
Round 3 of the highly competitive series will be staged in the North Queensland city and it marks a major milestone for the category, founded in 2008.
Townsville won’t be the first time the championship has competed on the Repco Supercars Championship undercard – it featured on the Sydney SuperNight and Tasmania SuperSprint events last year – but it will be the first ever street circuit event for the category in its 16-year history.
Sprint Challenge’s Townsville debut comes at the time of peak competition for the category which features more depth than perhaps it has ever seen.
At the pointy-end of the field, a host of young stars are battling for the championship, with the top-10 drivers in the standings following the first two rounds having an average age of well under 20.
They’re young, hungry and the result has been feisty racing across two rounds contested to date, at Phillip Island and The Bend, respectively.
Young West Aussie star Caleb Sumich, who drives for McElrea Racing, won the opening round of the year at Phillip Island however it came in a three-way tie for round honours with Team Porsche New Zealand young-gun Brock Gilchrist and Grove Racing’s junior star, Oscar Targett.
Targett, an Australian karting prodigy taken who was under the wing of the Grove Racing group last year, struck at Round two in South Australia last month to claim the round and a narrow championship lead heading to Townsville.
In the six races so far, he’s also the only repeat winner – claiming the season opener at Phillip Island and the most recent race at The Bend – while other races have been shared by young Queenslander Hamish Fitzsimmons, Round 1 winner Sumich, speedy Kiwi import Clay Osborne and Brock Gilchrist.
Former Super2 racer Tyler Greenbury has made a welcome return to the championship this year aboard his own team and sits seventh in the standings.
This weekend will also feature the Sprint Challenge return of Nash Morris, who is this year contesting the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship full-time.
Morris, who won races in Sydney, Queensland and at Mount Panorama in a partial Sprint Challenge campaign last year, will race for Scott Taylor Motorsport again this weekend.
Marc Cini, the most experienced one-make Porsche racer in Australia, will also return to Sprint Challenge this weekend in a one-off event aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry.
As with Carrera Cup, Sprint Challenge features races within the race with class competition a talking point.
The Pro-Am ranks are led by Danny Stutterd with Lachlan Harburg and former champ Brett Boulton in close company. Class B, which features earlier-generation GT3 Cup Cars, is being dominated by Jacque Jarjo.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field will contest three races across the Townsville weekend, two sprints and one longer-distance race that has competitors battling for the prestigious Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.
The 25-strong Porsche field hits the track on Friday for practice with Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, with two races completing proceedings on Sunday.
As with all the action from the NTI Townsville 500, fans will be able to watch the racing on Fox Sports, Kayo and the Seven Network.
Sprint Challenge has evolved throughout its journey to become not just a key pathway category, but a headliner in its own right alongside Carrera Cup.
While the cars might look and sound the same, there are key differences between the two one-make categories.
Sprint Challenge is to Carrera Cup in the same way the Dunlop Series is to the Supercars’ main game.
Sprint Challenge was founded in 2008 and has evolved to become a key steppingstone in the fabled ‘Porsche Pyramid’, the developmental pathway that propels drivers through the ranks and ultimately to top-level competition either here or abroad.
Drivers like Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Aaron Love and more recently, Ryan Wood, have come via Sprint Challenge and into not only international competitions but also – in the case of Evans and Wood – into the Repco Supercars Championship.
Much like the Dunlop Series, the Porsche Sprint Challenge field uses previous-generation Cup Car machinery and serves as a perfect entry point for drivers and teams before stepping up to the ‘main game’, in this case, Carrera Cup.
The field is predominantly comprised of the Type 991.2 GT3 Cup Cars – the same ones that raced in Townsville’s Carrera Cup races prior to the 2022 season.
ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
No | Car # | SPONSOR | C/L | DRIVER | SURNAME | STATE |
1 | 3 | Racing To Beat FA | Pro-Am | Jonathan | Gliksten | VIC |
2 | 4 | Grove Racing / EBM | Pro | Oscar | Targett | QLD |
3 | 5 | Jacque Fine Jewellery | Class B | Jacque | Jarjo | NSW |
4 | 6 | Tyler Greenbury Racing | Pro | Tyler | Greenbury | VIC |
5 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr | QLD |
6 | 9 | Hallmarc Team M.P.C | Pro-Am | Marc | Cini | VIC |
7 | 10 | Team Porsche NZ / EBM | Pro | Brock | Gilchrist | QLD |
8 | 11 | Aera Cloud & Cyber Security Group | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis | NSW |
9 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | WA |
10 | 15 | Power and Earth . Com | Pro | Clay | Osborne | QLD |
11 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | QLD |
12 | 19 | Wall Racing | Class B | Brayden | Taylor | NSW |
13 | 25 | auticon / Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport | Pro | Ben | Taylor | VIC |
14 | 28 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Ayrton | Hodson | QLD |
15 | 34 | Hillcrest Merimbula | Pro-Am | Casper | Tresidder | NSW |
16 | 35 | Rentcorp Hyundai Forklift | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee | NSW |
17 | 47 | Effect Buuilding Projects | Class B | Stephen | Moylan | NSW |
18 | 71 | Sonic / Hi Tech Field Services | Pro | Conor | Somers | VIC |
19 | 84 | Bold Living | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton | QLD |
20 | 91 | The Cover Shop / EBM | Pro-Am | Lachlan | Harburg | QLD |
21 | 99 | Westcoast Windows / Southern Star Windows | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | VIC |
22 | 116 | Astrontech / DNA Autosport | Pro | Aron | Shields | NSW |
23 | 222 | Scott Taylor Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | QLD |
24 | 702 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro-Am | Daniel | Stutterd | VIC |
25 | 777 | Sonic / Vision One | Pro | Jake | Santalucia | VIC |
Targett seals dramatic Round 2 victory to ignite Sprint Challenge season
Dramatic weekend in South Australia delivers three winners from three races
OSCAR TARGETT has survived one of the most unpredictable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia rounds in history to claim Round 2 of the championship at The Bend.
The Grove Racing / EBM driver claimed a dramatic race three victory to win the round overall over Brock Gilchrist and Aron Shields – but the story was in no way as simple as the results indicate.
Home-town hero Pan Boyaci claimed the win in Pro-Am over Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo won the Class B battle at the South Australian venue.
Targett’s pathway to victory was far from easy after he was penalised 10 seconds following race two earlier on Sunday morning.
That result dropped him from second on the road to 14th position which is where he started race three later in the afternoon.
Brock Gilchrist won the Enduro race on Sunday morning with Jake Santalucia and Hamish Fitzsimmons – who charged from 24th on the grid following his challenging race one on Saturday – to third position.
Targett was one of several to storm through the field in race three, which saw Gilchrist lead early. The Grove racer charged from 14th to seventh on the opening lap and had climbed as high as fourth by lap eight.
A storming Fitzsimmons passed Gilchrist for the lead on lap seven, however was carrying a five-second penalty for overlapping on a Safety Car restart, meaning he had to pull away in front in order to remain on the podium.
Gilchrist had settled into second position and was being chased by Kiwi compatriot Clay Osborne, when the pair made contact at turn six on the ninth lap of the race – causing Gilchrist to slip down the order and Osborne out of the race with left front damage on his McElrea entry.
That elevated Targett to second position, the Michelin Junior ensuring he finished well within striking distance of Fitzsimmons, ensuring he would claim the race victory once the five second penalty was applied. The TekworkX driver slipped to third at the line, with Aron Shields’ promoted to second.
The contact between Gilchrist and Osborne was more critical for the former, who finished eighth which was not enough to retain the points lead for the round overall – the Team Porsche NZ driver ultimately finishing second overall behind Targett.
Provisionally, Targett now leads the Sprint Challenge standings over Gilchrist and Aron Shields, Round 1 winner Caleb Sumich’s solid weekend ensuring he remains fourth and Fitzsimmons fifth.
The Pro-Am weekend was just as unpredictable as the outright fight with pacesetter Ramu Farrell enduring a challenging weekend that saw him fail to finish both races on Sunday.
The beneficiary of all the chaos was local racer Pan Boyaci, who claimed his first round win overall ahead of the ever-consistent Danny Stutterd and Lachy Harburg.
An outstanding weekend from Jacque Jarjo saw him claim the Class B round win with a pair of race wins on Sunday.
Gilchrist hits field for six with Enduro Cup win
Sprint race showdown set as fifth winner from five races
BROCK GILCHRIST has charged to his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series race win, claiming the Jim Richards Enduro Cup race at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on a freezing Sunday morning.
The Team Porsche NZ / EBM driver had to fight his way to the front in the 45-minute race, but survived a pair of Safety Car restarts and a one-lap dash to the flag to become the fifth winner from five races so far this year.
Oscar Targett charged through to second position and Aron Shields raced to third position, while Jacque Jarjo took the Class B win with 10th outright and local Pan Boyaci won the Pro-Am class.
The race commenced in clear but cold conditions with the ambient temperature just three degrees at the start of the race.
Race one winner Clay Osborne made the best start from pole position and led the opening lap before Gilchrist – who ended the first lap in fourth position – pounced on the second lap to take the lead.
A fast-starting Aron Shields then briefly jumped Osborne to second place before the latter was able to re-pass the DNA Autosport driver.
Targett, meanwhile, worked his way into contention as the race continued, passing Osborne to climb to second position on the 17th lap.
Osborne struggled with a broken splitter on his McElrea entry, a pair of restarts costing the Kiwi as the field bunched up and was able to attack the New Zealander who was struggling for front grip.
The first Safety Car was called for an off from Ben Taylor and Caspar Tresidder at turn four, which packed the field up.
Osborne tumbled down the order on the restart with Caleb Sumich, Jake Santalucia and a charging Hamish Fitzsimmons taking the most advantage.
The final Safety Car was called for Ramu Farrell off at turn one, setting up a one-lap dash to the line at the end of the race.
There, Gilchrist held on to grab his race win with Targett second and Shields third.
Caleb Sumich and Jake Santalucia completed the top five, with Hamish Fitzsimmons storming through the field to finish sixth after an immense comeback drive. Tyler Greenbury, Ayrton Hodson, Conor Somers and Class B winner Jacque Jarjo completed the 10.
Osborne eventually finished 11th to salvage championship points while the Pro-Am class went the way of Pan Boyaci – the Rennen Motorsport driver grabbing the victory following the dramas for Farrell and fellow race one contenders, Brett Boulton and Danny Stutterd.
The results set up a thrilling finish to the round with a winner-take-all finale set for Brock Gilchrist and Oscar Targett – the pair split by just one point heading into the 25-minute sprint race finale’ this afternoon.
UPDATE: A raft of post-race penalties saw several drivers drop down the order following the completion of Race 2.
Seven different drivers were penalised post-race for varying incidents including Safety Car restart breeches and on-track incidents.
Drivers penalised included Oscar Targett – who dropped from second to 14th – and Aron Shields, who went from third to eighth.
Brock Gilchrist was not penalised and as such retained his race win.
Osborne launches to maiden win in The Bend opener
Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) take class wins in combative SA opener
CLAY OSBORNE has launched from second position to claim his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia race win at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
Starting second, the McElrea Racing Kiwi got the perfect start and led the field uphill to the first corner, beating polesitter Brock Gilchrist into a lead he’d never lose.
Osborne led home Oscar Targett and Gilchrist in Saturday’s 25-minute opener with Ramu Farrell (Pro-Am) and Brad Carr (Class B) on top in the class battles.
In bright sunshine, the field launched into turn one with Osborne getting the better launch of the leading group, while Targett jumped Conor Somers to rise to third.
The Safety Car was called early after a series of events at turn five and six saw recoveries required.
The first was a drama that saw Hamish Fitzsimmons and Lachy Harburg spinning at turn five, fortunately avoiding any major contact as the field took evasive action.
Contact between Andrew Georgiadis and Caspar Tressider then saw the former stranded at turn seven, forcing a recovery.
A restart with 10 minutes remaining saw Osborne judge his jump perfectly and pull away in the race lead while Gilchrist had to fend off Targett in a battle for second, the latter ultimately sneaking through with a strong pass at turn one with a few laps remaining.
With Osborne catching lapped traffic on the final lap, Targett’s Grove Hire car closed on the leader on the final tour of the 3.41km West circuit but ultimately settled for second with Gilchrist third.
Osborne, who had a third, a second and a non-finish in the Phillip Island season opener, became the fourth different winner from four races this season.
Targett’s decisive move saw him move to a clear title lead over Osborne, the three-way tie-break at Round 1 finally broken.
Behind the leaders, Aron Shields gained ground to finish a stout fourth position in his Astrontech / DNA Autosport entry leading home Conor Somers’ Sonic Motor Racing entry.
Somers – who finished within three seconds of the winner at the end of a highly competitive race – also set the quickest lap of the race and what stands overnight as the lap record of The Bend’s 3.41km West circuit.
Caleb Sumich moved forward to sixth position while Ayrton Hodson passed Jake Santalucia to grab seventh mid-race.
Ramu Farrell finished ninth and claimed the Pro-Am class win after an adventurous race for the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’.
Brett Boulton finished second in class and 11th outright with Danny Stutterd third in class and just behind.
The outright top-10 was completed by Tyler Greenbury, while Brad Carr won Class B and finished an outstanding 13th outright in the 30-car field.
Fitzsimmons recovered from his lap one off to 17th position and will have work to do on Sunday, while Harburg recovered to 20th.
Two races on Sunday complete Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in South Australia, the 45-minute Jim Richards’ Endurance Trophy race to kick off proceedings on Sunday morning, followed by a second sprint race later in the day.
The second race will be broadcast live and free on 7plus on Sunday as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries coverage.
International viewers – including those in New Zealand – can watch via speedseries.com.au/TV.
Gilchrist strikes for pole at The Bend, Osborne second
Kiwi lock-out at The Bend as field prepares for first sprint race
A 30-minute shootout for pole position has delivered New Zealand star Brock Gilchrist his first one-make Porsche pole, grabbing the top spot by a tiny margin at Shell V-Power Raceway in Round 2 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge.
An initially damp track saw a long build before fast times could be set with Gilchrist’s 1m18.9762s best set on his 17th and final lap of the session.
The 20-year-old from Auckland became the third different driver to score a Sprint Challenge pole for Team Porsche NZ, following in the footsteps of Ryan Wood and Marco Giltrap.
His Team Porsche NZ GT3 Cup Car took the top spot by 0.025s over Clay Osborne, who has been quick since the first session of the weekend.
Conor Somers was another to record a personal best result in Qualifying, his Sonic entry making it three teams in the top three with an outstanding third-place effort.
Oscar Targett will start race one on the outside of the second row, with Jake Santalucia in fifth position and Aron Shields in sixth.
The top six cars were covered by just 0.2276 seconds with everyone setting their best laps deep in the 30-minute session.
Championship leader Caleb Sumich was next with Hamish Fitzsimmons eighth but facing down a three grid position penalty for impeding another competitors in the busy session – 30 cars struggling to find pace on the 3.41km circuit.
Ayrton Hodson and Tyler Greenbury completed the top-10 runners with the first five rows covered by just 0.7 seconds.
In Pro-Am, Ramu Farrell continued his strong run of form by taking the class pole and grabbing 11th outright.
David Grieg was a strong second in class and will line up directly alongside Farrell on the sixth row of the grid, with Brett Boulton right behind.
Brad Carr was on top in Class B and a strong 15th outright.
The first of three races in Round 2 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will start at 1:35pm local time and will be broadcast live on 7plus.
Kiwi’s top the dry, Aussies the wet in mixed Practice day
Competitive field in wet and dry points to unpredictable Round 2 of 2024 season
CLAY OSBORNE and Oscar Targett have split the honours across a pair of mixed-weather practice sessions ahead of Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
Kiwi rising star Osborne topped a dry 30-minute session in the morning, while Targett was quickest in the wet weather later in what was an unpredictable day of running on the 3.41km West circuit for the first time.
Osborne, driving his Fendt / McElrea Racing entry, topped the dry session with a 1m18.6640s flyer but it wasn’t by much.
He was 0.01s faster than New Zealand compatriot Clay Osborne’s EBM-run machine and only 0.04s faster than TekworkX Racing’s Hamish Fitzsimmons.
The shorter circuit at The Bend produced remarkably close times with Oscar Targett fourth, still less than one-tenth from the quickest time.
Tyler Greenbury was fifth in a strong performance for the brand-new Porsche team owner, with Sonic’s Jake Santalucia sixth.
Ramu Farrell topped the Pro-Am runners in a strong 7th outright with Conor Somers, Aron Shields and Ayrton Hodson completing the top 10.
David Grieg was second in the Pro-Am class in the first practice session with Brett Boulton and the returning Caspar Tresidder next.
In the dry, Brad Carr was quickest of the Class B runners in a stout 15th outright amidst the 30 car field.
Rain came in the afternoon to the South Australian circuit forcing runners to the wet weather Michelin Control Tyre for the second 30-minute session.
In a session interrupted by two red flags, Targett topped the runners with a 1m28.2862s best, only 0.02s quicker than Ayrton Hodson.
Round 1 winner Caleb Sumich was third and Clay Osborne fourth completing a strong day.
Ramu Farrell again topped Pro-Am and was fifth outright in his Jones Motorsport-prepped #888 car.
Brock Gilchrist, Aron Shields, Tyler Greenbury, Class B runner Jacque Jarjo and Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top 10.
Andrew Georgiadis was second of the Pro-Am runners and 12th outright with Eric Constantinidis third in class.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series shifts to qualifying mode bright and early on Saturday morning, with a 30-minute session to decide the pole award for Round 2.
Scheduled for a 7:25am start time, the cold track conditions are likely to make the session a last-ditch shootout to secure pole.
The field then launches into a 25-minute sprint race (plus one lap) at 1:35pm local time.
That race will be broadcast live as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries coverage on 7plus.
Two series, four Porsche’s for TekworkX at The Bend
Michelin Sprint Challenge and GT4 entries locked for SA return
The TekworkX Motorsport team are headed to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park this weekend for the second round of the season in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Monochrome GT4 Australia.
In Sprint Challenge, Hamish Fitzsimmons enters the weekend fourth in the outright points after a breakout weekend at Phillip Island. The 18-year-old claimed a front row start for Race 1, going on to finish the opening race in second place. An extremely tightly contested Race 2 was the scene for Fitzsimmons’ maiden race victory in the category.
“It’s important to just do what I normally do and build into the weekend. I haven’t been in the car since round one, but we’ve got the experience at the track under our belt,” said Fitzsimmons.
“After the first round It’s good to know we have that speed in our hands, but it hasn’t come at the click of a finger. We’ve been working on it for a year now, and the team rolled out a really strong car which was always in the right window during the weekend.
“The new layout will introduce a bit more passing, the longer layout we used last year doesn’t really add any overtaking zones, so it just reduced the amount of opportunities you have.
“We’re just looking to have a consistent weekend, keep the nose clean and come away with some good points for the round,” concluded Fitzsimmons.
In the Pro-Am class, Danny Stutterd will also be picking up from some great form at the season opening event. The 2018 Champion marking his full-time return to the category with a race win and two runner-up results to take a 17-point lead in to the second round.
Team Owner Rob Woods bolsters the team’s line-up in the one-make category in his first event for 2024. The experienced Porsche racer most recently contested two rounds in 2022, which included a podium result at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Joining the Sprint Challenge trio at the track is Zoe Woods in her Porsche 718 GT4, competing in the Silver Class of GT4 Australia as a solo driver. Woods transitioned to GT4 racing strongly at Phillip Island with results of seventh and ninth in the weekend’s two races.
“The opening round really exceeded my expectations, it was my first round in the GT4, and I think overall I did well and I was really happy with my qualifying positions,” said Woods.
“Definitely learnt when to hold my ground within the category and racing, this is something I’ve had to learn and coach myself through and I felt like I really got involved in the second race at Phillip Island.
“I’m taking all the positives from that weekend into The Bend. It’s a shorter layout than usual, but I really love the track. Not many people would’ve done the West Circuit so we’ll all be in the same boat. It’ll make for some great racing and the extra practice on Thursday will be really helpful,” concluded Woods.
Round two for both Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Monochrome GT4 Australia takes place from May 31-June 2 at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries. Coverage is via 7plus from 10:00am to 4:30pm local time on Saturday and Sunday.
Sprint Challenge field grows to 32 for The Bend return
Huge field set for compelling second round of PSCA season in South Australia
THE PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series will showcase a capacity grid for Round 2 of the 2024 series at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend next week.
Fresh from a hugely competitive 26-strong field that contested the season opener, the series welcomes a 32-car field for the first Shannons SpeedSeries round to be held on the 3.41km West Circuit on May 31-June 2.
It will be the third time in the last six rounds that the series has attracted 30-plus entries; 30 cars contested the final round of the 2023 series at Mount Panorama while 31 raced at Sydney Motorsport Park last year.
The continued interest in Sprint Challenge comes following a compelling opening round of the series that saw three drivers effectively tie for the Pro class round win at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit last month.
There, Oscar Targett, Brock Gilchrist and Caleb Sumich left the weekend tied on points; the latter claiming the overall victory and therefore the early series lead by countback only thanks to winning the final race.
The round also saw Hamish Fitzsimmons claim his first Sprint Challenge victory, taking the opening Jim Richards Enduro encounter of the new season.
Danny Stutterd won the Pro-Am class over Ramu Farrell and Lachlan Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo took out Class B honours.
The Bend’s grid includes the record 11-strong Michelin Junior field fighting to climb the one-make Porsche Motorsport pyramid.
Additions to the grid already having contested the Phillip Island event are the returning Caspar Tressider, whose Hillcrest Merimbula-supported Pro-Am entry is fielded by Wall Racing, while Travis Knipe also returns to the grid.
Meanwhile, TekworkX Motorsport add a third car to their roster with team owner Rob Woods making his Sprint Challenge return next week.
South Australian squad Rennen Motorsport, headed up by well-known local Porsche tuner Mark Buik, will field multiple cars with a host of South Australian competitors joining the frey next week.
These include Emanual Palyaris, Pan Boyaci and Keith Dano – the latter making his PSCA debut.
12 cars will compete in the Pro Class and 15 in Pro-Am, both running the 991.2 GT3 Cup Cars, while 5 will compete in Class B for the first-generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia has raced at the South Australian Circuit every year since the circuit was opened in 2018, with the track noted for producing outstanding Porsche racing.
Last year, Oscar Targett scored two race wins and Aron Shields the Enduro Cup race, in what is widely regarded as one of the best races in series history.
2024 will mark the first time that the series will have raced on the shorter West circuit, with three races planned for next weekend as part of a bumper Shannons SpeedSeries event.
Coverage will be shown across the screens of Seven next weekend, with Races 1 and 3 to be shown live and free on 7plus.
ENTRY LIST: Round 2, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, South Australia
1 | 3 | Racing To Beat FA | Pro-Am | Jonathan | Gliksten |
2 | 4 | Grove Racing / EBM | Pro | Oscar | Targett |
3 | 5 | Jacque Fine Jewellery | Class B | Jacque | Jarjo |
4 | 6 | Tyler Greenbury Racing | Pro | Tyler | Greenbury |
5 | 7 | AeroAscent / InnovationTANK / EBM | Pro | Slade | Orsmond |
6 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr |
7 | 10 | Team Porsche NZ / EBM | Pro | Brock | Gilchrist |
8 | 11 | Aera Cloud & Cyber Security Group | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis |
9 | 14 | ECO Resources | Pro | Caleb | Sumich |
10 | 15 | Fendt / Juicy Fest | Pro | Clay | Osborne |
11 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons |
12 | 18 | Favrte Racing / Pinnacle Road & Race Works | Pro-Am | Travis | Knipe |
13 | 24 | GRPB Racing | Pro-Am | Pan | Boyaci |
14 | 25 | auticon / Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport | Pro | Ben | Taylor |
15 | 28 | Polyflor / Eye Spy Secruity | Pro | Ayrton | Hodson |
16 | 34 | Hillcrest Merimbula | Pro-Am | Caspar | Tresidder |
17 | 35 | Rentcorp Hyundai Forklift | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee |
18 | 37 | Bondi Carpets / Team DNA | Pro-Am | Andrew | Georgiadis |
19 | 47 | Effect Buuilding Projects | Class B | Stephen | Moylan |
20 | 55 | Rennen Motorsport | Class B | Emanuel | Palyaris |
21 | 71 | Sonic / Hi Tech Field Services | Pro | Conor | Somers |
22 | 84 | Bold Living / Clipsal | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton |
23 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig |
24 | 91 | The Cover Shop / EBM | Pro-Am | Lachlan | Harburg |
25 | 96 | Entertainment park | Pro-Am | John | Papantoniou |
26 | 99 | Westcoast Windows / Southern Star Windows | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor |
27 | 116 | Astrontech / DNA Autosport | Pro | Aron | Shields |
28 | 290 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro-Am | Rob | Woods |
29 | 702 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro-Am | Daniel | Stutterd |
30 | 777 | Sonic / Vision One | Pro | Jake | Santalucia |
31 | 888 | Jones Motorsport / Kaldewelg Auto | Pro-Am | Ramu | Farrell |
32 | 911 | Rennen Motosport | Class B | Keith | Diano |
Sumich claims Round 1 following dramatic Sprint Challenge opener
Danny Stutterd, Jacque Jarjo win Pro-Am and Class B trophies in Round 1
WEST AUSTRALIAN junior star Caleb Sumich has claimed a dramatic opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in a sensational conclusion to the first round of the new season.
The Perth-based teenager had run fourth in the final race of the weekend at Phillip Island before a remarkable turn of events saw him claim not only his maiden race victory – but the overall round win as well.
Sumich, who is in his second Porsche season, took advantage of a collision between the drivers in third and second – and then a post-race penalty to the leader – to claim the big trophy in a dramatic conclusion to an incredible Sprint Challenge season opener.
Sumich won on a countback by virtue of claiming the final race of the weekend, while Team Porsche New Zealand’s Brock Gilchrist was second.
Race one winner Oscar Targett finished third overall after a post-race penalty in the final race dropped him from the top step of the podium.
Danny Stutterd won the Pro-Am class for the round over Ramu Farrell and Lachlan Harburg, while Jacque Jarjo claimed the Class B trophy.
The scene was set for a thrilling showdown following the Enduro Cup race earlier on Sunday, won by Hamish Fitzsimmons in his maiden Sprint Challenge race victory.
Clay Osborne finished second and Oscar Targett third meaning any one of the three could claim the round should they win the finale.
The young trio swapped the lead between them multiple times to set up the three-way battle for the round in the sprint race decider.
Click here for the full Jim Richards Enduro race wrap
That turned into a frenetic affair with Osborne taking an early lead after running side by side on the outside of turn one at the start.
He and Fitzsimmons battled for the race lead on the opening lap, before Targett then assumed the attack from lap two.
Targett raced to the lead four laps into the race, following a restart from a Safety Car period, however his move on Osborne came as the pair crossed the control line – race control deeming that the young Queenslander had overlap prior to the line.
He was assessed a five second time penalty as a result, meaning the battle was then on between Hamish Fitzsimmons and Osborne.
Lap five would be the turning point when Fitzsimmons made contact with Osborne after dropping two wheels off the circuit on the run into MG corner, his TekworkX entry making contact with Osborne’s McElrea car and forcing both out of the race.
That brought the Safety Car out for a second time with Targett crossing the line in first position with Sumich in second.
Targett’s five-second penalty, however, dropped him to 12th in the final order; Sumich becoming the third winner from three races and also sweeping to the round win.
Aron Shields completed his remarkable comeback to second place with Brock Gilchrist’s third seeing him tied on points with Sumich, the latter claiming the win by virtue of finishing higher in the final race.
In the battle for Pro-Am, Brett Boulton claimed both races on Sunday at Phillip Island in a stout recovery from his race one non-finish.
That DNF would prove costly however, Danny Stutterd’s win and pair of second place finishes delivering him the round result.
Ramu Farrell was second overall with Lachy Harburg third – Boulton fourth in points for the round to commence his title quest.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field takes a short break before their next round at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia this May 31-June 2.
Prior to that the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns to action this week at the ITM Taupo Super400 event in New Zealand – the second ever international event for an Australian one-make Porsche category.
Fitzsimmons takes enduro epic at Phillip Island
Three-way fight delivers incredible race as Michelin Juniors put on a thriller
HAMISH FITZSIMMONS has stormed to a thrilling maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series race victory, claiming the 45-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race in style at Phillip Island.
The 18-year-old from Queensland engaged in an epic battle with Race 1 winner Oscar Targett in the early stages of the Sunday morning race, the pair of teenagers swapping positions on two occasions before Fitzsimmons was able to complete a pass at turn four.
Kiwi Clay Osborne then raced his way into the fight, catching the two leaders and passing Targett on lap 14 to move to second position.
The trio, representing three different teams, then raced nose-to-tail for the remainder of the race in an intense one-make Porsche fight.
Osborne stole the lead from Fitzsimmons with five minutes remaining after a bold move at the hairpin and led for a lap – only for Hamish to re-take the lead with three laps remaining.
The trio then battled in an intense final lap with Targett re-asserting his position in second with a bold move down the inside of MG within sight of the flag, grabbing second position back on the last lap.
After an intense race that featured five lead changes between the three Porsche Michelin Juniors, Fitzsimmons won from Targett and Osborne, in third.
Targett did claim a new Phillip Island lap record, however, his 1m31.1036s best on lap 5 finally unseating Matt Campbell’s 10-year-old Phillip Island benchmark.
While the leading three battled, Brock Gilchrist and Caleb Sumich completed the top five, with Tyler Greenbury making waves and moving to sixth position, overhauling Aron Shields late in the race.
Jake Santalucia was eighth – surviving a wild moment at turn 12 late in the race that claimed his Sonic Motor Racing teammate Conor Somers – with Slade Orsmond and Ayrton Hodson rounding out the top-10.
Brett Boulton claimed the Pro-Am class after starting from the back, overhauling early leader and race one winner Danny Stutterd in the closing stages, with Ramu Farrell third.
Jacque Jarjo recorded his second win of the weekend by taking out the Class B battle.
A third and final race will complete the opening Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series round at 12:55pm on Sunday, with the race to be shown live and free on 7plus.
Targett takes season opener in short Island shootout
Danny Stutterd takes Pro-Am win while Jacque Jarjo seals Class B
OSCAR TARGETT has opened his 2024 account in style, fending off a spirited challenge from Hamish Fitzsimmons to claim the opening race in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season at Phillip Island.
Targett held off his TekworkX Racing rival throughout the race distance to take the win, with Clay Osborne finishing third.
RACE 1 – Full Race Results
Ramu Farrell scored victory in the Pro-Am class while Jacque Jarjo took the Class B win in Race 1 of the new season.
The Grove Racing Junior / Earl Bamber Motorsport teenager started from pole and converted his start into an early lead, fending off Fitzsimmons on the opening lap before a Safety Car was called early.
He then judged the restart to perfection and led his Porsche Michelin Junior rival home to record a third career Sprint Challenge race win.
Fitzsimmons challenged Targett on the race start and then the restart before managing his race to finish second, while Clay Osborne was strong to record his best ever Sprint Challenge finish, in just his third round start.
EBM, TekworkX and McElrea completed the podium sweep today.
Brock Gilchrist charged his way to fourth position in the Team Porsche NZ entry, making a late move on Conor Somers’ Sonic Entry late in the race.
He was followed through by Caleb Sumich, who capitalised on a superb start to charge his way to fifth and his best ever Sprint Challenge race finish.
Somers finished sixth on his Porsche debut, finishing ahead of his teammate Jake Santalucia who was seventh.
Ninth was Aron Shields, who was stuck in the bottom half of the top 10 after his team was forced to change engines aboard his DNA Autosport entry overnight.
Ramu Farrell crossed the line first in the Pro-Am Class and finished an outstanding eighth outright in his Jones Motorsport #888 entry.
Farrell had struggled with niggling mechanical issues aboard his car in the leadup to the race however ran in the top 10 consistently throughout the 8-lap distance.
However, he was penalised five seconds post race and dropped to second, elevating Daniel Stutterd to the class win. Lachy Harburg finished third in his Pro-Am debut.
Class B went the way of Jacque Jarjo, who finished 14th outright.
The race was not drama-free with a start-line incident claiming two of McElrea Racing’s chargers, including Ayrton Hodson and Brett Boulton, both cars forced out of the race.
Later on the opening lap, Brad Carr was clipped after spinning at turn four, the hit damaging his radiator and forcing a recovery.
All four cars failed to finish however are expected to race tomorrow.
Sunday’s busy program will see the Jim Richards Endurance Championship commence with a 45-mintue enduro in the morning, to be followed by a second sprint race later in the Shannons SpeedSeries program at Phillip Island – the latter race to be shown live on 7plus.
Targett flies to Phillip Island pole to open 2024 account
Ramu Farrell on pole in Pro-Am, Brad Carr in Class B
OSCAR TARGETT has slammed home the quickest lap in qualifying to score the first pole position of the 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
The Queensland teenager set a Sprint Challenge-record 1m30.3286s flyer to top a competitive session held in overcast conditions on a Friday afternoon.
RESULTS: Qualifying, Round 1, Phillip Island
In the Pro-Am battle, Ramu Farrell put his Jones Motorsport-prepared car on pole position and 11th outright, pipping former Pro-Am winner Brett Boulton to the top spot by just one-tenth of a second, while Brad Carr took the top spot in Class B.
Targett’s lap was set mid-way through the session and stood for more than ten minutes as the time for rivals to beat – only for them all to fall short.
Having topped practice earlier in the day, Fitzsimmons nibbled away at Targett’s flyer however couldn’t beat the Earl Bamber Motorsport-run Porsche, despite improving on his tenth and final flying lap of the session.
Targett’s pole was the third of the Grove Racing Junior’s brief Porsche career – now just six rounds old – and came by 0.27s over Fitzsimmons.
Clay Osborne qualified third aboard his McElrea Racing-run entry while Conor Somers was fourth on his debut for Sonic Motor Racing, making it four teams in the top four.
Team Porsche NZ’s Brock Gilchrist was fifth on his debut in the championship, missing a spot on the second row of the grid by only 0.08s.
He’ll line up alongside another rookie in the form of Australian Formula Ford graduate, Jake Santalucia, who qualified his Sonic Porsche sixth.
Caleb Sumich ended his session in seventh with Tyler Greenbury eighth.
The former Australian Karting Champion is making a racing return this year having not competed at a national level since racing V8 Touring Cars more than six years ago.
Aron Shields was ninth aboard his DNA Autosport car with another rookie, Kiwi teenager Ayrton Hodson, completing the top 10.
Farrell and Boulton will line up side by side on the sixth row of the grid as they commence their battle for the Pro-Am title.
Brad Carr’s flyer was not only good enough for the Class B pole but also 13th outright and ahead of all bar two of the Pro-Am contenders in their later-model cars.
Jacque Jarjo was next in Class B with Stephen Moylan third in class.
26 cars will take the starter for Race 1 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season on Saturday at Phillip Island, as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries Ford Mustang 60th anniversary Race Phillip Island event.
The Porsche field will race once on Saturday with the season opener to be shown live on 7plus and 7mate around Australia.
Sunday morning will see the first race in the Jim Richards’ Endurance Trophy season followed by a final sprint race, also to be shown on 7plus.
Sonic duo make progression to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge
Jake Santalucia and Conor Somers step up to Sprint Challenge fight
Last year’s Australian Formula Ford Series runner-up Jake Santalucia and rising talent Conor Somers form a twin Sonic attack on the Australia’s second-tier Porsche title, kicking off at Phillip Island this weekend.
Sonic is the most successful team in the history of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in Australia, having won the inaugural series with Sven Burchartz in 2008 and later scoring an Australian Porsche Motorsport record four titles in a row between 2015 and 2018.
In what was Santalucia’s maiden national Formula Ford season in 2023 and he came of age by securing second in the standings as he broke through to secure a maiden round win at Symmons Plains, before a repeat success at The Bend finale.
Joining Sonic at the start of the 2023 season after running as a privateer, Somers was sixth in the standings after finishing multiple times on the podium. As part of Sonic’s crew at Carrera Cup events, Somers is experienced with Porsches and will be one to watch this season.
The duo have completed testing already in preparation for the season ahead.
The pathway through Sonic is one of prestige as the likes of Jamie Whincup, Will Davison, David Reynolds and Nick Percat have emerged to become Supercars race winners. This remains relevant this year as Marcos Flack won on debut in Carrera Cup following his graduation from Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge together with Harrison Goodman.
The opening round for the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge is at Phillip Island on April 12-14 as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries to be broadcast live on 7mate and 7plus.
Jake Santalucia
#777 Sonic/Vision One, Porsche 991 Cup Car Type 991.2
“I went through Formula Ford, because I thought that was the best pathway I could take and after we completed that season getting into Porsches was the best way to go,” Santalucia said.
“Going Porsche racing opens up opportunities all over the world and is something I want to do as I eventually want to compete against the best GT drivers in the world. Sonic has what I’m looking for in my progression and it was a simple choice to stay.
“I’ve spent four test days in the Porsche and I’m feeling comfortable in it. We’ve had some quick lap times, which is always a good thing, but racing is a different challenge and you can’t really test for that. It’s just going to be down to my ability to take on what’s coming and adapt the best that I can.
“I’m using this year as a building season, but also I want to go out and do the best that I can. Results-wise, I don’t know what’s coming, but as long as I start the year off solid and end the season well I might be able to progress in 2025.”
Conor Somers
#71 Sonic/Hi Tech Field Services, Porsche 991 Cup Car Type 991.2
“The Porsche is definitely a different car to drive compared to Formula Ford, but it has been good to have the experience of all the crew at Sonic to help us along the way,” said Somers.
“It’s definitely very different to go from a light car weighing 500kg to a 1.3 tonne sports car that moves around a bit and rolls, but the adaption has been really good.
“It was good to get a couple of test days done at a fast track like Phillip Island and we’ve got some great learnings from those runs, which will hopefully put us in a good position for the race weekend.
“I’m prepping the Sonic Porsches in the workshop. I’ve been learning about how these cars work the best through listening to the mechanics and engineers. This will help me when I jump into the driver’s seat because I’ll know a little bit more about how they all go together and what makes them tick.
“I’m in the right team, there’s no better place to do it. For us there are no expectations, we’re just going to try to do the best we can with what we have and see where we end up.”
Michael Ritter
Team owner, Sonic Motor Racing Services
“We’ve seen many of our Formula Ford drivers do this, and many with great success. We have every confidence that Jake and Conor will be perform very well in this class.
“Our career development pathways that we have at Sonic are something that we are very proud of and we are hoping, like last year in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, we will be fighting for race wins every race weekend.”
FULL RACE REPLAY: Race1, Round 1 – Phillip Island
Gerry Murphy shows support for Australia Zoo
Gerry Murphy tells us about his unique livery and support of the Australia Zoo.
Profile: Brett Boulton
Brett tells us about his life away from the track and his relationship with the McElrea Racing team
We catch-up with Porsche #Michelin Sprint Challenge Morris Finance Pro-Am, Brett Boulton, on his life away from the track and his relationship with the McElrea Racing team
Profile: Richard Cowen
We catch up with Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro-Am
We catch up with Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro-Am, Richard Cowen on his life away from the track as part of the McElrea Racing team
Profile: Jonathan Gliksten
The Morris Pro-Am tells us about his life away from the track and support of Friedreich Ataxia
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 3 Interviews
We catch up with Round 2 winners Christian Pancione (Mobil Pro) and Sam Shahin (Morris Finance Pro Am)
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 3 Highlights
Highlights of the final race from Round 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 2 Highlights
Highlights of the 45-minute endurance race from Sydney Motorsport Park
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 2 Interviews
Interviews with Christian Pancione (Mobil Pro) and Sam Shahin (Morris Finance Pro Am) following Race 2
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 1 interviews
We catch up with Race 1 winners Christian Pancione and Sam Shahin
We catch up with Race 1 winners Christian Pancione (Mobil Pro / Michelin Junior) and Sam Shahin (Morris Finance Pro Am)
Round 2 – Sydney – Race 1 Highlights
Highlights of Race 1 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge from Sydney Motorsport Park
Round 2 – Sydney – Qualifying interviews
We catch up with Ryan Suhle (Mobil Pro) and Sergio Pires (Morris Finance Pro Am) after qualifying
Round 2 – Sydney – Onboard: Bayley Hall
Onboard with Bayley Hall for a lap of the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit during Practice 1
We jump onboard with McElrea Racing’s Bayley Hall for a lap of the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit from Practice 1, Round 2, 2021
Round 2 – Sydney – Preview
Nathan Murray, David Greig and Bayley Hall share their impressions of Sydney Motorsport Park ahead of Round 2
Sydney Motorsport Park plays host to the second round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series from 30 April to 02 May. We catch up with
Matt Belford’s journey up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid
From track days to the top of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge podium
Round 1 – Phillip Island – Race 3 interviews
We catch up with Ryan Suhle and Matthew Belford after Round 1
Round 1 – Phillip Island – Race 3 Highlights
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge after accident red flags Race 3
Round 1 – Phillip Island – Race 2 interviews
Callum Hedge (Mobil Pro) and Matthew Belford (Morris Finance Pro-Am) speak to us after their debut wins in the series
Round 1, 2023 – Phillip Island gallery
Image Gallery
Porsche 963 prototype
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Australian driver Matt Campbell has been announced as a factory driver for the new Porsche Penske Motorsport operation, as the new Porsche 963 prototype was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
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Porsche has revealed the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The mid-engined race car from Weissach is based on the new 718 Cayman GT4 RS road car
The history of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in Australia
Image Gallery
Founded in the grass-roots desires of Porsche competitors simply looking for a place to race, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series has grown to become one of the great success stories from the last two decades of Australian Motorsport.
2019 Round 6 – The Bend Motorsport Park
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2019 Phillip Island – Sunday
2019 Phillip Island – Saturday
Instagram @PorscheMotorsportAU
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.