Targett: Championship as Oscar takes Tassie

Andrew Georgiadis claims maiden Pro-Am victory in Tasmania

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Targett, Gilchrist one-all after two Tassie races

Pro-Am wins split between Andrew Georgiadis and Eric Constantinidis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Osborne beats Gilchrist to maiden Porsche pole

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tasmania the scene for critical round in Sprint Challenge title chase

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ENTRY LIST – ROUND 5, Symmons Plains Raceway

Conor Somers returns to Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field in Tasmania

Welcome return for Porsche Michelin Junior following massive Townsville crash

Targett sweeps Queensland with first 2024 three-peat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2024 so far – the Rollercoaster ride

Recapping the incredible season so far in Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

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

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

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

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

Here’s how things have played out so far.

ROUND 1 – PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full Round 1 recap here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full Round 2 recap here.

ROUND 3 – NTI TOWNSVILLE 500

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full Round 3 recap here.

Sprint Challenge battle enters second half of competitive 2024 season

Queensland Raceway the scene for Round 4 this weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scott Taylor to perform double Porsche duties at Queensland Raceway

Welcome Sprint Challenge return for STM chief

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday
10:50 Practice 1
15:25 Practice 2

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

Sunday

11:55 Race 2

SCHEDULE, ROUND 4, PORSCHE MICHELIN SPRINT CHALLENGE

Friday
9:35 Practice

13:05 Qualifying
17:00 Race 1

Saturday
11:05 Race 2
14:45 Race 3

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

Tough weekend for Sonic duo in North Queensland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Targett on Enduro Cup with Sunday morning Townsville win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Targett delivers in tricky Townsville Sprint Challenge opener

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gilchrist on point as Sprint Challenge makes Street Circuit debut

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Street Circuit debut for Michelin Sprint Challenge field in Townsville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia

Targett seals dramatic Round 2 victory to ignite Sprint Challenge season

Dramatic weekend in South Australia delivers three winners from three races

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gilchrist hits field for six with Enduro Cup win

Sprint race showdown set as fifth winner from five races

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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