Round | Event | Date |
---|---|---|
Round 1 | Phillip Island | Mar 3 - 5 |
Round 2 | Tasmania SuperSprint | May 19 - 21 |
Round 3 | Sydney SuperNight | Jul 28 - 30 |
Round 4 | Queensland SpeedSeries | Aug 11 - 13 |
Round 5 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Oct 13 - 15 |
Round 6 | Bathurst International | Nov 9 - 11 |






Standings
Pro
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Marco Giltrap | 803 |
2 | Aron Shields | 690 |
3 | Oscar Targett | 662 |
4 | Hamish Fitzsimmons | 635 |
5 | Marcos Flack | 561 |
Pro-Am
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Sam Shahin | 938 |
2 | Matt Slavin | 805 |
3 | Brett Boulton | 624 |
4 | David Grieg | 623 |
5 | Andrew Goldie | 402 |
Class B
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Phil Morris | 810 |
2 | Lachlan Harburg | 801 |
3 | Bradley Carr | 782 |
4 | Brayden Taylor | 300 |
5 | Stephen Moylan | 258 |
Michelin Jnr Driver
Position | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Marco Giltrap | 803 |
2 | Aron Shields | 689 |
3 | Oscar Targett | 661 |
4 | Hamish Fitzsimmons | 635 |
5 | Harrison Goodman | 465 |
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Morris sweeps Bathurst round to end 2023 season
Stutterd, Carr take class wins in action-packed Sprint Challenge sprints
THE PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series has been decided across a pair of action-packed sprint races at Mount Panorama.
Nash Morris swept the weekend in Bathurst to claim his second round of the 2023 season, winning the weekend ahead of Hamish Fitzsimmons and Oscar Targett.
Meanwhile, Danny Stutterd claimed the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Sam Shahin, while Brad Carr took the Class B win.
Champions were decided this weekend with Marco Giltrap sealing the Michelin Sprint Challenge crown, and the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.
Sam Shahin locked in the Pro-Am title while Phil Morris claimed Class B overall by just nine points in the tightest class battle of the three.
Race 2
Nash Morris made it two from two in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, controlling Race Two at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International before a safety car curtailed the event.
Morris and Marcos Flack made an even jump off the front row, however the TekworkX Motorsport driver was aided by the inside line as he maintained his pole advantage at Hell Corner.
Flack would once again go with Morris in the early stages before having a major lose at McPhillamy Park on lap two, surfing through the gravel and losing two spots to Marco Giltrap and Hamish Fitzsimmons.
Morris would skip away after Flack’s moment, as the battle for second between Giltrap and Fitzsimmons intensified.
The race would soon be placed under safety car on lap four as three separate incidents occurred in three different sections of Mount Panorama.
The first incident involved Class runner Jacque Jarjo, who ran deep into Hell Corner and backed his Jacqu Fine Jewellery into the tyre barriers.
Further behind at Murray’s Corner, Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider spun heading onto Pit Straight, clipping the Class B entry of Dave Allan and sending the LocalsCo car head on into the outside concrete wall.
Just prior to the deployment of the safety car, Giltrap clipped the wall at The Grate after sustaining a puncture, forcing the champion-elect into retirement from second position.
With three separate recoveries required, the race would ultimately finish under yellow flag conditions, with Morris heading Fitzsimmons in TekworkX one-two, with Oscar Targett rounding out the podium.
The Pro-Am class was won by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin in eight outright.
Class B was taken out by Bradley Carr in fifteenth outright for Car Mods Australia, ensuring the Class B title fight would come down to the wire between Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg, and Carr.
Race 3
Nash Morris has taken his first career clean sweep in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, heading up a TekworkX Motorsport podium lockout in the season finale at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris leapt away from pole position and controlled the race as he had done all weekend long in another impressive performance.
The focus was centred around champion-elect Marco Giltrap, who started from twenty-fifth following his crash in Race Two.
The Team Porsche New Zealand driver made up eight positions on lap one alone, and kept on charging towards the front, including making a move around the outside of Skyline on his way to fourteenth.
The New Zealander’s charge was ultimately halted by a safety car on lap five for Sprint Challenge debutant Slade Orsmond had a big crash at Griffins Bend after spinning on fluid from his damaged radiator.
Morris would cross the line under yellow for the second time in as many races, with teammates Fitzsimmons and Aron Shields in behind.
The Pro-Am class was won by Sprint Challenge returnee Daniel Stutterd in ninth outright for TekworkX Motorsport.
The Class B race was taken out by Autohouse Racing’s Lachlan Harburg in sixteenth outright, whilst the Class B championship went to Phil Morriss for Morriss Racing Service after finishing twenty-fifth outright and fourth in class.
Goodman, Bob Jane T-Marts and Sonic raising awareness for men’s health
Sonic driver raising awareness and funds for the Movember charity
Morris dominates Porsche debut under Sydney lights
Shields, Bloxsom on podium, Flack, Carr claim class wins
Nash Morris has dominated his Porsche debut, leading a TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 in the opening race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Morris and teammate and polesitter Aron Shields got an even launch off the front row and were side-by-side for the opening four corners in a great exchange, Morris eventually gaining the upper hand after hanging tough around the outside of turn two.
Morris and Shields proceeded to march away from the chasing pack over the course of the thirteen lap journey, gaining over ten seconds on Marcos Flack who finished third on road.
Morris’ win came on his one-make Porsche debut and adds to prior success in other categories including Super3 and Trans Am.
While he finished third on the road, Flack’s race was over before it had ever really begun – a five second penalty for creeping outside of his grid box whilst the grid was forming demoting the Sonic driver from third to eleventh in the final results.
After Flack’s post-race penalty was applied, Lachlan Bloxsom was promoted to third in the Bloxsom Team Navy entry, a position sealed with a racy move on Ronan Murphy at turn five on lap seven.
Sonic’s Murphy finished fourth, with Marco Giltrap completing the top five for Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM.
There was plenty of drama throughout the race, as first Class B runner Lachlan Harburg and Pro-Am competitor Eric Constantinidis had contact on the second lap, Harburg eventually retiring due to the damage sustained.
Constantinidis’ night wouldn’t get any better following a second incident, this this time Pro-Am runner Lachlan Gilksten, breaking the right front suspension on his Upto11 Motorsport entry and forcing him out of the race.
A spin at turn 12 from West Aussie young gun Caleb Sumich was the only other notable incident from an otherwise clean display of racing from the 30-strong field.
Pro-Am was won by AGAS National’s Adrian Flack in seventh outright, helped by Sam Shahin having a wild off at turn one on lap eleven, easing the pressure on Flack.
Matt Slavin finished second in class, his best-yet result in PMSC competition. He was followed home by Andrew Goldie, who spent much of his race battling with the Class B winner – Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr who finished seventeenth outright.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns to the track for two more races tomorrow at 10:10am and 1:35pm.
Both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
Townsville 500 added to 2024 Sprint Challenge calendar
Shannons SpeedSeries, Supercars rounds make up 6-round schedule for 2024
A BLOCKBUSTER 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar has been announced, with the series set to continue its incredible recent momentum across six rounds next year.
The calendar mixes high profile national events with sensational permanent circuits and what is likely to be the series’ best media and broadcast package yet.
The calendar is headlined by the series’ street racing debut at the NTI Townsville 500 in North Queensland on July 5-7.
While Sprint Challenge has supported Supercars Championship rounds in the past, the category has never competed on a street circuit in its 16-year history.
The spot on the Townsville program effectively replaces Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the North Queensland event.
The addition of the Townsville event will allow for the young drivers in the field to gain experience on street circuits prior to their progression through the Porsche Pyramid to Carrera Cup, while offering a high-profile event and outstanding location for all competitors to enjoy.
The 2024 series will commence at the Shannons SpeedSeries event at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria in April, allowing for a longer off-season for teams and drivers to prepare for the year ahead.
From there, the series shifts to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend on 31 May – 2 June for the second round, prior to the trip to North Queensland one month later.
The series will stay North in the winter months, returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.
A return to the popular NED Whiskey Tasmania Supersprint will add a second Supercars round to the program next year, following a successful and popular return to the Apple Isle this year.
The series will conclude with a two-day event at Sydney Motorsport Park as the key support to the TCR World Tour event at Race Sydney on the November 1-3 weekend.
The full broadcast package will be announced in due course; however, the Supercars rounds will include coverage on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, with the Townsville event also being broadcast on free-to-air via the Seven Network.
Broadcast details for Shannons SpeedSeries rounds’ will be confirmed soon.
2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series Calendar
- Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC (Shannons SpeedSeries) April 12-14
- Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, SA (Shannons SpeedSeries) May 31-June 2
- NTI Townsville 500, QLD (Repco Supercars Championship) July 5-7
- Queensland Raceway, QLD (Shannons SpeedSeries) August 2-4
- Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint, TAS (Repco Supercars Championship) August 16-18
- Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW (Race Sydney / SpeedSeries) November 1-3
BARRY HAY – Motorsport Manager, Porsche Motorsport Australia
“The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes another step forward in 2024 with what we think is the best calendar yet for the series.
“It mixes incredible permanent circuits, high profile events and the first opportunity for the Sprint Challenge field to go street circuit racing in Townsville.
“It’s a great opportunity for the series on a major national stage and one of the larger motorsport events on the calendar.
“We’re looking forward to returning to Symmons Plains with the Supercars, and to returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries show with what is looking to be a massive year on that program.
“Sprint Challenge has been incredible this year and we’re incredibly proud of the series and everyone who competes in it. There is no doubt 2024 is shaping up to be even better.”
Ben Taylor joins PMSC, partners with auticon
Autistic Porsche Sprint Cup driver partners with the largest autistic-majority professional services firm in the world
Autistic race car driver Ben Taylor on debut, in his first race out of karting, won the first round of the Australian F3 Championships in Sydney in 2021. In 2024, he’ll debut in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, but this season will be different. This season he’s partnering with the largest autistic IT consulting business in the world and they’re planning to use autistic strengths to give him a winning edge.
Today marks the official launch of Ben Taylor’s auticon car. The launch was held at Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport’s dedicated motor racing facility in Collingwood. The facility is factory owned and one of the few Porsche owned racing facilities that exist outside of Germany.
At the car’s unveiling, it was revealed that auticon, a company that employs over 465 autistic people in 15 countries around the world will be helping to advance Ben’s driving through providing analytics support specifically looking at Ben’s on track data. The company will deploy its autistic data analysts and software engineers to build insights that will take Ben’s driving to the next level.
This strategy will bring a new way of thinking to motorsport. It will see autistic IT professionals using their strengths in coding and analysis supporting a highly focused and skilled autistic driver making the auticon car and Ben Taylor racing, a team with a difference.
At the age of 17, Ben was formally diagnosed as autistic with ADHD. He believes that this gives him unique strengths, helping his performance on the track. Ben wants to inspire people on the autism spectrum to have the courage to believe in their capabilities and find their strengths.
“auticon is an organisation that focuses on the strengths of autistic people like me. As an IT professional services business, the team at auticon have adopted a saying, “autism is not a processing error, it’s a different operating system.” Meaning autism is really a different way of thinking.”
“One of the more common traits of people on the spectrum is an ability to be hyper focused. In IT this helps with things like error detection and strengths in data analysis and coding. For me, I believe that my autism helps to keep me to be hyper focused on the intricate details of racing, such as timing stopping distances and corner speeds. It really enables my abilities as a high-performance athlete.
“Through this partnership I really want to start a conversation about the key strengths of autism, and I want to inspire others on the spectrum not to underestimate what they have to offer our community.
“I thank auticon for their support this season, and I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Motorsport enthusiast and television presenter Glenn Ridge hosted today’s car launch and spoke about how the sport was transforming, becoming far more inclusive and what this means for the future of motorsport.
“As I stroll through the Porsche Motorsport stable here in Collingwood, we’re starting to see some real diversity. Not only is this a second home for Ben Taylor and the auticon team but rising Porsche Carrera Cup star Courtney Prince, she also calls Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport home.”
“This diversity brings new people, new ideas and new ways of thinking about our sport. This not only leads to innovation and enhancement to the way cars perform but it will inspire kids that may see their own image reflected in these great drivers and know that anyone with a passion and desire to succeed in motorsport can make the jump. This sport really can be for anyone. That’s what is truly exciting about today.”
Managing Director and CEO of auticon Australia & New Zealand Bodo Mann was excited to get behind Ben. He discussed the partnership and opportunity for auticon’s skilled technologists.
“We’re looking forward to applying some fresh thinking to motorsport data analytics. The team have already identified some opportunities to enhance racing insights and really add value to Ben’s on track performance.”
“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to showcase autistic strengths in action and we want to demonstrate the power of neurodiversity and how thinking differently can be a real asset. We believe that what is true in sport is true in business, and we plan to illustrate how embracing neurodiversity can offer a competitive advantage,” said Mr. Mann.
The racing team is not the only connection between auticon and Porsche, Bodo went on to talk about the organisations close affiliation to the German car maker.
“As auticon also began in Germany. As it happens one of the first investors in the company was the Porsche family and it fills us with great pride to know that we are now working alongside this great brand in such an important venture.”
Morris wins enduro, Giltrap, Shahin lock in titles
Class B title heads to final day after dramatic Enduro encounter
Nash Morris has survived a late race safety car restart to claim victory in the first race for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris held off Marcos Flack in a race-long battle, whilst Marco Giltrap in third wrapped up the Jim Richards Enduro Cup and became the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge champion-elect.
Meanwhile, Sam Shahin also did enough to seal the Pro-Am title, now mathematically unbeatable in tomorrow’s two races.
Morris made the most of his pole position to head the field into Hell Corner, whilst Marcos Flack fell behind Oscar Targett who made a good start from third on the grid.
Flack would get back by the Grove Racing driver before the end of the first lap, and by the end of lap two was all over the back of the Morris’ TekworkX Motorsport entry, leaving Targett behind, who now had Hamish Fitzsimmons for company.
There would be drama behind on lap six, when Sonic Motor Racing’s Harrison Goodman retired to the pits from fifth with damage to the right-rear of his Bob Jane T-Marts car after contact with the wall.
Oscar Targett also dropped two spots in an unrelated incident, promoting Fitzsimmons and Giltrap into third and fourth.
The safety car would make its first appearance on lap nine as Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider found trouble in his Wall Racing / Hillcrest Merimbula entry.
The field would see the green flag once again on lap twelve, as Morris once again led the field away, with Flack in tow as had been the case all race.
Fitzsimmons ran wide on the exit of Murray’s Corner at the restart, allowing Giltrap to get alongside and complete the move at Hell Corner to move onto the podium.
Giltrap’s timing proved fortuitous as the safety car would come out for the second and final time after Tim Wolfe found drama on top of the mountain in his Pro-Am PER Equipment Rentals entry.
The field would have one final green flag lap, however the order at the front of the field remained unchanged as Morris remained in total control.
The Pro-Am class was won by Sam Shahin in tenth outright for The Bend Motorsport Park, becoming Pro-Am champion-elect in the process.
Class B was taken out by Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr in sixteenth outright, setting up an intense finals day tomorrow as he and second-placed Lachy Harburg continue to pursue class leader, Phil Morriss.
Race Two for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia starts at 12:05pm AEDT tomorrow.
Both Saturday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.
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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Morris dominates Porsche debut under Sydney lights
Shields, Bloxsom on podium, Flack, Carr claim class wins
Nash Morris has dominated his Porsche debut, leading a TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 in the opening race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Morris and teammate and polesitter Aron Shields got an even launch off the front row and were side-by-side for the opening four corners in a great exchange, Morris eventually gaining the upper hand after hanging tough around the outside of turn two.
Morris and Shields proceeded to march away from the chasing pack over the course of the thirteen lap journey, gaining over ten seconds on Marcos Flack who finished third on road.
Morris’ win came on his one-make Porsche debut and adds to prior success in other categories including Super3 and Trans Am.
While he finished third on the road, Flack’s race was over before it had ever really begun – a five second penalty for creeping outside of his grid box whilst the grid was forming demoting the Sonic driver from third to eleventh in the final results.
After Flack’s post-race penalty was applied, Lachlan Bloxsom was promoted to third in the Bloxsom Team Navy entry, a position sealed with a racy move on Ronan Murphy at turn five on lap seven.
Sonic’s Murphy finished fourth, with Marco Giltrap completing the top five for Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM.
There was plenty of drama throughout the race, as first Class B runner Lachlan Harburg and Pro-Am competitor Eric Constantinidis had contact on the second lap, Harburg eventually retiring due to the damage sustained.
Constantinidis’ night wouldn’t get any better following a second incident, this this time Pro-Am runner Lachlan Gilksten, breaking the right front suspension on his Upto11 Motorsport entry and forcing him out of the race.
A spin at turn 12 from West Aussie young gun Caleb Sumich was the only other notable incident from an otherwise clean display of racing from the 30-strong field.
Pro-Am was won by AGAS National’s Adrian Flack in seventh outright, helped by Sam Shahin having a wild off at turn one on lap eleven, easing the pressure on Flack.
Matt Slavin finished second in class, his best-yet result in PMSC competition. He was followed home by Andrew Goldie, who spent much of his race battling with the Class B winner – Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr who finished seventeenth outright.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns to the track for two more races tomorrow at 10:10am and 1:35pm.
Both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
TekworkX Trio Excited by Sydney Night Challenge
Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport
Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport will tackle a unique weekend on the support bill for the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.
Aron Shields and Hamish Fitzsimmons are joined for the third round of the championship by Dunlop Super2 Series regular Nash Morris, with the trio all coming off a recent test day at the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit.
Friday will see two practice sessions and qualifying all packed into a five-hour window starting at 9:30am. The solitary session for the category on Saturday will be a 14-lap hit out under lights at 6:25pm, coming well after sunset at 5:10pm. Another sprint race kicks off the Sunday action at 10:10am before the 25 lap Enduro Cup finale at 1:35pm.
Now into his second season in the category, Shields will be able to draw from his experience racing around SMP in 2022, which netted him two top five finishes.
“I enjoyed racing around Eastern Creek last year, and we benefitted from some valuable testing in the lead up to this round as well,” said Shields.
“The conditions will be pretty changeable across the weekend, with the first race under lights and the other two through the day, which is going to be the biggest challenge. It’s a busy programme on Friday, hopefully we can roll out strong.
“It felt like the crew found a good direction for the car during the test day which felt comfortable, so there’s a strong platform for us to start the weekend,” concluded Shields.
Fitzsimmons has stormed to fifth place in the Enduro Cup races at the opening two rounds of the season, also setting a new lap record for the category in Symmons Plains.
“This is the first round where I’ve got a bit of prior experience on the circuit, which is immediately a much better position for me to be in, thanks to the testing miles,” said Fitzsimmons.
“We had a couple setbacks in the opening races so far, which have been a bit unavoidable, which means the key for us will be a better run through the start of the weekend so that we aren’t having to come through the field at the end again.
“The night racing is going to be pretty cool, it always feels like you’re going faster when it’s dark and the atmosphere is always special at night. It should be a good weekend of racing,” concluded Fitzsimmons.
Stepping in for a one-off appearance, Morris is focused on gaining more mileage behind the wheel as he dovetails his season in Dunlop Super2.
“We had a good test in Sydney, which a lot of the teams were at. It’s a great track for these cars, with some high-speed corners that work well with the downforce and grip you get from the tyre in the Porsche,” said Morris.
“We’re just looking to do the best we can during the weekend. The category is full of top-level drivers, so you can’t take a mindset that you expect to go out and win. We’ll see what the result is at the end of it,” concluded Morris.
TekworkX Motorsport’s three-pronged attack in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge is also joined at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight by the team’s Toyota 86 department, with four entries for round two of their season.
Morris claims Bathurst pole as season finale commences
Shahin, Carr take class poles ahead of Enduro Cup race on the Mountain
TekworkX Motorsport’s Nash Morris has claimed his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge pole in qualifying for the final round at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris, who has impressed since making his category debut at Sydney Motorsport Park in July, set a 2m 07.7338s to pip Sonic Motor Racing’s Marcos Flack by just over five hundredths of a second.
The lead pair were the class of the field, with Oscar Targett best of the rest in third for Grove Racing, just over half a second behind Morris.
Championship leader Marco Giltrap will line up fifth for this afternoon’s first race, where the Team Porsche New Zealand driver can clinch the Pro title with two races left in the season.
Pro-Am pole was taken by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin, who will start from tenth outright, two places ahead of the second-best Pro-Am entry of Daniel Stutterd for TekworkX Motorsport.
Pole for Class B went to championship contender Bradley Carr for Car Mods Australia, who will line up in sixteenth outright, with fellow contenders Lachlan Harburg and Phil Morriss third and fifth in class respectively.
Race One for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge begins at 4:40pm AEDT at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Porsche title season begins with Sprint Challenge Bathurst showdown
Three titles on the line this weekend at Mount Panorama
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON has come to Porsche Motorsport Australia, with the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series to kick off an amazing two weeks of title-deciding action this weekend at Mount Panorama.
The sixth and final round of a record-breaking Sprint Challenge season will see the category race three times at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International this weekend and decide the Pro, Pro-Am and Class B titles.
That will be followed two weeks later by a climactic Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia showdown at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on the Adelaide streets.
The Sprint Challenge season has been an unpredictable affair though series leader Marco Giltrap’s consistency has him entering the final round with a commanding lead.
The 19-year-old New Zealander leads by 171 points with 180 up for grabs this weekend, meaning a 17th-placed finish in the opening race would be enough to deliver the Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport driver his first Porsche title.
Giltrap has won four races this season, has never finished lower than fifth in a race and claimed round victories at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains to entrench himself at the top of the standings early in the year, where he has since remained.
The fight for the final steps on the podium is well and truly alive, however, with Aron Shields and Oscar Targett set to battle for second and third.
Shields leads Targett by just 32 points heading into this weekend with the pair arguably the most in-form drivers among the whole field.
Targett won two of the three races at The Bend last time out, with Shields claiming the epic enduro cup race at the South Aussie venue.
The Pro-Am fight will also be decided this weekend with Sam Shahin holding a 118-point lead over newcomer Matt Slavin in Porsche’s ‘race within a race’ title battle.
Shahin will be seeking his second PMSC Pro-Am title, having previously won the title in 2019.
Meanwhile, a fast-finishing Brett Boulton will be aiming to overhaul David Greig in the battle for third position in the final round.
Class B, for first generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars, sees the most exciting title battle of all with Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr all firmly in contention for the title.
The consistent Morriss leads Harburg by just 51 points heading to Bathurst with Carr a further 26 behind in third.
A bumper 29-strong field will contest the three races this weekend, including 13 in the Professional class.
The field includes the addition of Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am regular Danny Stutterd, while Nash Morris will also return aboard his TekworkX Motorsport entry.
Last year at Mount Panorama, Kiwi Ryan Wood scored pole position with a Sprint Challenge record 2m07.9652s flyer.
Wood then claimed the round with two wins from three starts, would-be champion Tom Sargent claiming the first and second overall.
Wood also holds the Bathurst Sprint Challenge lap record at 2m07.7595s.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will hit the track for a 45-minute practice session on Friday morning, ahead of qualifying at 1:50pm that afternoon.
Race one will be the enduro cup title decider and is due to commence at 4:40pm and run for 18 laps.
Two 7-lap sprint races on Sunday will then decide the title, with the first sprint at 12:05pm and the second at 2:50pm.
Both Sunday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.
ENTRY LIST – Round 6, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
No | Car # | SPONSOR | C/L | DRIVER | SURNAME | STATE | MAKE | MODEL |
1 | 3 | Racing to Beat FA | Pro-Am | Jonathan | Gliksten | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
2 | 4 | Grove Racing | Pro | Oscar | Targett | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
3 | 5 | Jacque Fine Jewellery | Class B | Jacque | Jarjo | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
4 | 7 | Se7en Racing, InnovationTANK, AeroAscent, JSW Powersports | Pro | Slade | Orsmond | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
5 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
6 | 11 | Aera Cloud & Security | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
7 | 12 | Ares Group | Pro-Am | Matt | Slavin | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
8 | 13 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Pro-Am | Sam | Shahin | SA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
9 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
10 | 15 | POWER AND EARTH. COM | Pro | Clay | Osborne | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
11 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
12 | 23 | Bloxsom Team Navy | Pro | Lachlan | Bloxsom | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
13 | 27 | LocalsCo | Class B | Dave | Allan | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
14 | 34 | Wall Racing / Hillcrest Merimbula | Pro-Am | Caspar | Tresidder | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
15 | 35 | Hyundai Forklifts | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
16 | 64 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Marco | Giltrap | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
17 | 66 | PER Equipment Rentals | Pro-Am | Tim | Wolfe | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
18 | 67 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
19 | 77 | Sonic / Dayle ITM | Pro | Ronan | Murphy | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
20 | 78 | Sonic Motor Racing / Rosche Paper / Supa Straws | Pro | Marcos | Flack | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
21 | 81 | McElrea Racing / McLennan Motorsports | Pro | Tom | McLennan | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
22 | 84 | Bold Living | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
23 | 86 | Morriss Racing Service | Class B | Phil | Morriss | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
24 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
25 | 88 | Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T Marts / True Grid | Pro | Harrison | Goodman | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
26 | 91 | Autohouse Racing | Class B | Lachlan | Harburg | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
27 | 99 | Southern Star Windows P/L | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
28 | 116 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Aron | Shields | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
29 | 702 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro-Am | Daniel | Stutterd | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
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
Shields, Giltrap both elevated in Enduro Cup thriller
Race of the year at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park
ARON SHIELDS has claimed a remarkable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge enduro in South Australia that saw the race result change after the flag and the round result tipped on its head in dramatic fashion.
The wild race had seen Lachlan Bloxsom cross the line first only to be penalized post-race, handing win to Shields and his TekworkX Porsche.
Shields had led the race briefly on two separate occasions before initially crossing the line third behind Bloxsom and Oscar Targett.
A further time penalty for young star Oscar Targett then denied him the round win, handing that honour to series leader Marco Giltrap.
The New Zealand teenager now holds a mighty 171-point lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia standings with 180 up for grabs in the season finale’ at Mount Panorama.
The Sunday race was a thriller from the outset in one of the best displays of one-make Porsche racing this year.
The race commenced in changeable conditions as light rain swept across the circuit.
The unpredictable affair saw Lachlan Bloxsom initially credited with the race win following an absolute thriller that saw five lead changes between four different drivers across its duration.
He led home Oscar Targett, Aaron Shields, Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack on track – with the top five covered by just 1.5 seconds in one of the most unpredictable races the series has seen.
The pulsating race saw Giltrap take the early lead with positions behind him changing rapidly as conditions gradually improved.
Polesitter Targett dropped to fourth initially before climbing back to second by lap three.
He was then passed by Shields on the 10th lap, the latter then deposing Giltrap for the lead on lap 14 when the former ran wide at Turn 17, dropping off the road briefly before recovering.
Shield’s time in front was short lived however as he was delayed at Turn six on the following lap, taking evasive action as Ross McGregor spun in front of him, handing the lead back to Giltrap and dropping the TekworkX driver back to fourth.
Targett pounced on the climactic lap 19 to grab the lead from Giltrap as Lachlan Bloxsom followed him through to second and Shields to third.
With Flack keeping the leaders in close company in fifth, Bloxsom jumped to the lead on the following lap and then fended off attack after attack from the Grove car across the final 4.9km to cross the line first.
That Bloxsom should have been in the fight at all was remarkable given he very nearly stalled his Bloxsom Team Navy / McElrea entry at the start, his rear wing clipped by another car as he tried to get away.
He crossed the line ninth at the end of lap one however recovered rapidly to carve his way to the field to run third by lap 15 and ultimately pass for the lead with two laps to go.
However, results changed quickly following the race.
Bloxsom was penalized five seconds for contact with Giltrap as the pair battled for position late in the race.
That would have elevated Targett to the potential race win, however he too was penalized, this time having 15 seconds added to his race time for overtaking under yellow flags at Turn one with two laps remaining – just prior to the Bloxsom – Giltrap contact.
The penalties dropped Bloxsom to fifth and Targett to eighth in the final reckoning.
Impressive New Zealand rookie Clay Osborne was also penalised five seconds for a start infringement, as was Pro-Am racer Brett Boulton.
Their penalties saw Osborne – who at one point had run third – finish sixth and Boulton 13th, though he maintained his second position in the Pro-Am class.
With the penalties applied, Marco Giltrap claimed Round 5 over Targett and Marcos Flack.
In Pro-Am, a remarkable comeback drive from Sam Shahin saw him recover from a spin on the formation lap, and a second one on the opening lap, to charge through the field and claim the round overall.
He won the round over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin.
Class B was a thriller as the older-specification cars ended up dicing in the outright top 10 in the inclement conditions at the start of the race.
The race ended with newc0omer Jacques Jarjo the race winner while Brad Carr took the round.
It means three different drivers claimed the class win this weekend in the best weekend for the 991.1 generation cars yet this year.
More importantly, the Class B title will now go down to the wire at Mount Panorama this November with leader Phil Morriss, Harburg and Carr covered by 79 points.
ROUND 5 RESULTS:
- Marco Giltrap 162
- Oscar Targett 147
- Marcos Flack 144
Pro-Am
- Sam Shahin 181
- Brett Boulton 150
- Matt Slavin 150
Class B
- Brad Carr 168
- Lachy Harburg 163
- Jacque Jarjo 156
PROVISIONAL SERIES STANDINGS:
- Marco Giltrap 739
- Aron Shields 568
- Oscar Targett 536
- Hamish Fitzsimmons 485
- Ronan Murphy 452
Pro-Am
- Sam Shahin 791
- Matt Slavin 673
- David Grieg 509
Class B
- Phil Morriss 678
- Brad Carr 632
- Lachy Harburg 627
Oscar on Targett for South Australian Sweep
Two wins from two the perfect start as Targett joins the winners list
OSCAR TARGETT has added his name to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia winners roster, charging from pole position to a pair of commanding race victories today at the Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
The Grove Racing driver was in stunning form on Saturday as he swept to back-to-back wins in The Bend’s sprint races, leading home series leader Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack in both races today.
A further 45-minute enduro race completes the penultimate round of the series tomorrow.
In the Pro-Am class, home-town hero Sam Shahin won both races today, while Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr split the honours in Class B.
Race one commenced with Targett making a strong start from pole position, while Giltrap was slower away from the outside of the front row, allowing Flack to gain an early advantage.
However, the race was quickly slowed behind the Safety Car following a significant impact on the left-hand side of the circuit for Zak Stichbury.
The Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport Whittaker’s driver was in a three-wide battle as the field charged up the hill to turn one, contact sending the young Kiwi spearing across the circuit in front of the field and into the concrete wall.
Stichbury emerged unscathed from the incident however will take no further part in the weekend.
Following a two-lap Safety Car period, Targett led the field to green, while Giltrap was able to slice past Flack to secure second position.
Further back, newcomer Clay Osborne passed Ronan Murphy for seventh position in a strong debut Porsche performance.
Targett ultimately drove a measured race to beat Giltrap by just over one second, with Flack completing the top three.
Hamish Fitzsimmons finished fourth on the road, however was penalized five seconds for weaving under safety car and relegated to seventh.
Lachlan Bloxsom therefore climbed to fourth and Aron Shields fifth in a side-by-side battle for the spot with Bloxsom.
Behind Fitzsimmons, Osborne, Murphy, Nash Morris – who started 17th – and Tom McLennan completed the top-10.
Sam Shahin had a clean run to claim the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin, while Lachy Harburg took the Class B win over Brad Carr.
A straightforward second race saw Targett again lead Giltrap from pole position, with Flack settling in third position.
He, Lachlan Bloxsom and Aron Shields spent much of the race dicing for third before finishing in that order, with Clay Osborne improving further to finish sixth.
Hamish Fitzsimmons was seventh, Ronan Murphy eighth and Nash Morris continued his recovery in ninth – Tom McLennan completing the 10.
Harrison Goodman started race two from last position having missed race one due to illness, charging his way through the field from 28th to 12 position in the eight-lap duration.
In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin won the class after Brett Boulton spun down the order on the opening lap.
That saw the South Australian clearly in front of Matt Slavin and fellow Adelaidean Pan Boyaci, with Boulton recovering to fourth.
In Class B, Brad Carr turned the tables on rival Harburg, taking the class B win over his fellow Queenslander, with Jacque Jarjo third on debut.
Round 5 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge concludes on Sunday at The Bend with the 40-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race.
In the penultimate round of the PMSC ‘series within a series’. Marco Giltrap leads the series of the longer-distance races, with Hamish Fitzsimmons in second and Ronan Murphy third.
Four different winners have won the Enduro Cup races so far this season.
Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on 7+ tomorrow.
Targett on top again in thrilling qualifying shootout
Less than 0.05s between front row as another young-gun shootout awaits
OSCAR TARGETT has become the first repeat pole sitter of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, edging Marco Giltrap for the top spot in qualifying today at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
The pair traded blows at the top of the times in the 20-minute qualifying session with Targett on top early, before Giltrap responded with less than three minutes remaining to go to the top spot.
RESULTS: Qualifying, Round 5
The series’ leader didn’t remain on top for long, however, with Targett’s final flyer returning the Grove Group-supported car back to the top with his 1m50.4916s flyer.
It means the teenager edged Giltrap by 0.0488 seconds, the fourth consecutive round where the pole has been decided by less than 0.05 seconds.
It also ended a series-record streak of four different polesitters from four rounds, Targett backing up his debut pole effort in Queensland at the last round.
With the series leader second, Sonic’s Marcos Flack was third and just 0.3 seconds from pole position.
The in-form Hamish Fitzsimmons was fourth for TekworkX Motorsport, just pipping Zac Stichbury to the second row of the grid.
The Whittaker’s driver will line up fifth alongside Lachlan Bloxsom for race one on Saturday.
Ronan Murphy qualified seventh in his Muscle Car Warehouse-backed Sonic entry with rookie Clay Osborne eighth aboard his McElrea Racing #15 car.
The Kiwi first-timer had been impressive throughout practice earlier in the day and continued that form in his first Porsche qualifying session, ending the 20-minutes just 0.71s from pole.
Harrison Goodman qualified ninth and Aron Shields 10th, with Tom McLennan just missing the top-10.
Notable among those missing the top-10 was Nash Morris, who has won five of the last six races in the championship.
Stricken down by the Flu, Morris missed both practice sessions earlier on Friday meaning his first laps of The Bend in a Porsche were in qualifying trim.
He did enough to qualify 17th outright with a view to moving forward in tomorrow’s pair of sprint races.
Sam Shahin qualified his car on pole in the Pro-Am class and will also line up 12th outright in race one tomorrow.
He bested the returning Brett Boulton for the top spot with Matt Slavin third, South Aussie racer Pan Boyaci fourth and David Grieg fifth in class.
Meanwhile, a thrilled Lachy Harburg made it two EBM Poles in three classes today by topping the largest Class B grid of the year to date.
Harburg not only scored pole but out qualified all bar two of the key Pro-Am contenders in an outstanding performance that saw him lap nearly three seconds quicker than he did in 2022.
Brad Carr qualified second in class – and 18th outright – with newcomer Jacque Jarjo third in class and 22nd outright.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns to the circuit tomorrow for a pair of 20-minute sprint races at The Bend.
The 45-minute Jim Richards Enduro Championship finale will be held on Sunday, and will be shown on 7plus.
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
Morris sweeps Bathurst round to end 2023 season
Stutterd, Carr take class wins in action-packed Sprint Challenge sprints
THE PORSCHE Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series has been decided across a pair of action-packed sprint races at Mount Panorama.
Nash Morris swept the weekend in Bathurst to claim his second round of the 2023 season, winning the weekend ahead of Hamish Fitzsimmons and Oscar Targett.
Meanwhile, Danny Stutterd claimed the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Sam Shahin, while Brad Carr took the Class B win.
Champions were decided this weekend with Marco Giltrap sealing the Michelin Sprint Challenge crown, and the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.
Sam Shahin locked in the Pro-Am title while Phil Morris claimed Class B overall by just nine points in the tightest class battle of the three.
Race 2
Nash Morris made it two from two in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, controlling Race Two at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International before a safety car curtailed the event.
Morris and Marcos Flack made an even jump off the front row, however the TekworkX Motorsport driver was aided by the inside line as he maintained his pole advantage at Hell Corner.
Flack would once again go with Morris in the early stages before having a major lose at McPhillamy Park on lap two, surfing through the gravel and losing two spots to Marco Giltrap and Hamish Fitzsimmons.
Morris would skip away after Flack’s moment, as the battle for second between Giltrap and Fitzsimmons intensified.
The race would soon be placed under safety car on lap four as three separate incidents occurred in three different sections of Mount Panorama.
The first incident involved Class runner Jacque Jarjo, who ran deep into Hell Corner and backed his Jacqu Fine Jewellery into the tyre barriers.
Further behind at Murray’s Corner, Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider spun heading onto Pit Straight, clipping the Class B entry of Dave Allan and sending the LocalsCo car head on into the outside concrete wall.
Just prior to the deployment of the safety car, Giltrap clipped the wall at The Grate after sustaining a puncture, forcing the champion-elect into retirement from second position.
With three separate recoveries required, the race would ultimately finish under yellow flag conditions, with Morris heading Fitzsimmons in TekworkX one-two, with Oscar Targett rounding out the podium.
The Pro-Am class was won by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin in eight outright.
Class B was taken out by Bradley Carr in fifteenth outright for Car Mods Australia, ensuring the Class B title fight would come down to the wire between Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg, and Carr.
Race 3
Nash Morris has taken his first career clean sweep in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, heading up a TekworkX Motorsport podium lockout in the season finale at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris leapt away from pole position and controlled the race as he had done all weekend long in another impressive performance.
The focus was centred around champion-elect Marco Giltrap, who started from twenty-fifth following his crash in Race Two.
The Team Porsche New Zealand driver made up eight positions on lap one alone, and kept on charging towards the front, including making a move around the outside of Skyline on his way to fourteenth.
The New Zealander’s charge was ultimately halted by a safety car on lap five for Sprint Challenge debutant Slade Orsmond had a big crash at Griffins Bend after spinning on fluid from his damaged radiator.
Morris would cross the line under yellow for the second time in as many races, with teammates Fitzsimmons and Aron Shields in behind.
The Pro-Am class was won by Sprint Challenge returnee Daniel Stutterd in ninth outright for TekworkX Motorsport.
The Class B race was taken out by Autohouse Racing’s Lachlan Harburg in sixteenth outright, whilst the Class B championship went to Phil Morriss for Morriss Racing Service after finishing twenty-fifth outright and fourth in class.
Goodman, Bob Jane T-Marts and Sonic raising awareness for men’s health
Sonic driver raising awareness and funds for the Movember charity
Morris dominates Porsche debut under Sydney lights
Shields, Bloxsom on podium, Flack, Carr claim class wins
Nash Morris has dominated his Porsche debut, leading a TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 in the opening race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Morris and teammate and polesitter Aron Shields got an even launch off the front row and were side-by-side for the opening four corners in a great exchange, Morris eventually gaining the upper hand after hanging tough around the outside of turn two.
Morris and Shields proceeded to march away from the chasing pack over the course of the thirteen lap journey, gaining over ten seconds on Marcos Flack who finished third on road.
Morris’ win came on his one-make Porsche debut and adds to prior success in other categories including Super3 and Trans Am.
While he finished third on the road, Flack’s race was over before it had ever really begun – a five second penalty for creeping outside of his grid box whilst the grid was forming demoting the Sonic driver from third to eleventh in the final results.
After Flack’s post-race penalty was applied, Lachlan Bloxsom was promoted to third in the Bloxsom Team Navy entry, a position sealed with a racy move on Ronan Murphy at turn five on lap seven.
Sonic’s Murphy finished fourth, with Marco Giltrap completing the top five for Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM.
There was plenty of drama throughout the race, as first Class B runner Lachlan Harburg and Pro-Am competitor Eric Constantinidis had contact on the second lap, Harburg eventually retiring due to the damage sustained.
Constantinidis’ night wouldn’t get any better following a second incident, this this time Pro-Am runner Lachlan Gilksten, breaking the right front suspension on his Upto11 Motorsport entry and forcing him out of the race.
A spin at turn 12 from West Aussie young gun Caleb Sumich was the only other notable incident from an otherwise clean display of racing from the 30-strong field.
Pro-Am was won by AGAS National’s Adrian Flack in seventh outright, helped by Sam Shahin having a wild off at turn one on lap eleven, easing the pressure on Flack.
Matt Slavin finished second in class, his best-yet result in PMSC competition. He was followed home by Andrew Goldie, who spent much of his race battling with the Class B winner – Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr who finished seventeenth outright.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns to the track for two more races tomorrow at 10:10am and 1:35pm.
Both races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
TekworkX Trio Excited by Sydney Night Challenge
Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport
Three Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Pro class entries for TekworkX Motorsport will tackle a unique weekend on the support bill for the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.
Aron Shields and Hamish Fitzsimmons are joined for the third round of the championship by Dunlop Super2 Series regular Nash Morris, with the trio all coming off a recent test day at the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit.
Friday will see two practice sessions and qualifying all packed into a five-hour window starting at 9:30am. The solitary session for the category on Saturday will be a 14-lap hit out under lights at 6:25pm, coming well after sunset at 5:10pm. Another sprint race kicks off the Sunday action at 10:10am before the 25 lap Enduro Cup finale at 1:35pm.
Now into his second season in the category, Shields will be able to draw from his experience racing around SMP in 2022, which netted him two top five finishes.
“I enjoyed racing around Eastern Creek last year, and we benefitted from some valuable testing in the lead up to this round as well,” said Shields.
“The conditions will be pretty changeable across the weekend, with the first race under lights and the other two through the day, which is going to be the biggest challenge. It’s a busy programme on Friday, hopefully we can roll out strong.
“It felt like the crew found a good direction for the car during the test day which felt comfortable, so there’s a strong platform for us to start the weekend,” concluded Shields.
Fitzsimmons has stormed to fifth place in the Enduro Cup races at the opening two rounds of the season, also setting a new lap record for the category in Symmons Plains.
“This is the first round where I’ve got a bit of prior experience on the circuit, which is immediately a much better position for me to be in, thanks to the testing miles,” said Fitzsimmons.
“We had a couple setbacks in the opening races so far, which have been a bit unavoidable, which means the key for us will be a better run through the start of the weekend so that we aren’t having to come through the field at the end again.
“The night racing is going to be pretty cool, it always feels like you’re going faster when it’s dark and the atmosphere is always special at night. It should be a good weekend of racing,” concluded Fitzsimmons.
Stepping in for a one-off appearance, Morris is focused on gaining more mileage behind the wheel as he dovetails his season in Dunlop Super2.
“We had a good test in Sydney, which a lot of the teams were at. It’s a great track for these cars, with some high-speed corners that work well with the downforce and grip you get from the tyre in the Porsche,” said Morris.
“We’re just looking to do the best we can during the weekend. The category is full of top-level drivers, so you can’t take a mindset that you expect to go out and win. We’ll see what the result is at the end of it,” concluded Morris.
TekworkX Motorsport’s three-pronged attack in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge is also joined at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight by the team’s Toyota 86 department, with four entries for round two of their season.
Townsville 500 added to 2024 Sprint Challenge calendar
Shannons SpeedSeries, Supercars rounds make up 6-round schedule for 2024
A BLOCKBUSTER 2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia calendar has been announced, with the series set to continue its incredible recent momentum across six rounds next year.
The calendar mixes high profile national events with sensational permanent circuits and what is likely to be the series’ best media and broadcast package yet.
The calendar is headlined by the series’ street racing debut at the NTI Townsville 500 in North Queensland on July 5-7.
While Sprint Challenge has supported Supercars Championship rounds in the past, the category has never competed on a street circuit in its 16-year history.
The spot on the Townsville program effectively replaces Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the North Queensland event.
The addition of the Townsville event will allow for the young drivers in the field to gain experience on street circuits prior to their progression through the Porsche Pyramid to Carrera Cup, while offering a high-profile event and outstanding location for all competitors to enjoy.
The 2024 series will commence at the Shannons SpeedSeries event at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria in April, allowing for a longer off-season for teams and drivers to prepare for the year ahead.
From there, the series shifts to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend on 31 May – 2 June for the second round, prior to the trip to North Queensland one month later.
The series will stay North in the winter months, returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.
A return to the popular NED Whiskey Tasmania Supersprint will add a second Supercars round to the program next year, following a successful and popular return to the Apple Isle this year.
The series will conclude with a two-day event at Sydney Motorsport Park as the key support to the TCR World Tour event at Race Sydney on the November 1-3 weekend.
The full broadcast package will be announced in due course; however, the Supercars rounds will include coverage on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, with the Townsville event also being broadcast on free-to-air via the Seven Network.
Broadcast details for Shannons SpeedSeries rounds’ will be confirmed soon.
2024 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series Calendar
- Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC (Shannons SpeedSeries) April 12-14
- Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, SA (Shannons SpeedSeries) May 31-June 2
- NTI Townsville 500, QLD (Repco Supercars Championship) July 5-7
- Queensland Raceway, QLD (Shannons SpeedSeries) August 2-4
- Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint, TAS (Repco Supercars Championship) August 16-18
- Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW (Race Sydney / SpeedSeries) November 1-3
BARRY HAY – Motorsport Manager, Porsche Motorsport Australia
“The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes another step forward in 2024 with what we think is the best calendar yet for the series.
“It mixes incredible permanent circuits, high profile events and the first opportunity for the Sprint Challenge field to go street circuit racing in Townsville.
“It’s a great opportunity for the series on a major national stage and one of the larger motorsport events on the calendar.
“We’re looking forward to returning to Symmons Plains with the Supercars, and to returning to the Shannons SpeedSeries show with what is looking to be a massive year on that program.
“Sprint Challenge has been incredible this year and we’re incredibly proud of the series and everyone who competes in it. There is no doubt 2024 is shaping up to be even better.”
Ben Taylor joins PMSC, partners with auticon
Autistic Porsche Sprint Cup driver partners with the largest autistic-majority professional services firm in the world
Autistic race car driver Ben Taylor on debut, in his first race out of karting, won the first round of the Australian F3 Championships in Sydney in 2021. In 2024, he’ll debut in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, but this season will be different. This season he’s partnering with the largest autistic IT consulting business in the world and they’re planning to use autistic strengths to give him a winning edge.
Today marks the official launch of Ben Taylor’s auticon car. The launch was held at Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport’s dedicated motor racing facility in Collingwood. The facility is factory owned and one of the few Porsche owned racing facilities that exist outside of Germany.
At the car’s unveiling, it was revealed that auticon, a company that employs over 465 autistic people in 15 countries around the world will be helping to advance Ben’s driving through providing analytics support specifically looking at Ben’s on track data. The company will deploy its autistic data analysts and software engineers to build insights that will take Ben’s driving to the next level.
This strategy will bring a new way of thinking to motorsport. It will see autistic IT professionals using their strengths in coding and analysis supporting a highly focused and skilled autistic driver making the auticon car and Ben Taylor racing, a team with a difference.
At the age of 17, Ben was formally diagnosed as autistic with ADHD. He believes that this gives him unique strengths, helping his performance on the track. Ben wants to inspire people on the autism spectrum to have the courage to believe in their capabilities and find their strengths.
“auticon is an organisation that focuses on the strengths of autistic people like me. As an IT professional services business, the team at auticon have adopted a saying, “autism is not a processing error, it’s a different operating system.” Meaning autism is really a different way of thinking.”
“One of the more common traits of people on the spectrum is an ability to be hyper focused. In IT this helps with things like error detection and strengths in data analysis and coding. For me, I believe that my autism helps to keep me to be hyper focused on the intricate details of racing, such as timing stopping distances and corner speeds. It really enables my abilities as a high-performance athlete.
“Through this partnership I really want to start a conversation about the key strengths of autism, and I want to inspire others on the spectrum not to underestimate what they have to offer our community.
“I thank auticon for their support this season, and I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Motorsport enthusiast and television presenter Glenn Ridge hosted today’s car launch and spoke about how the sport was transforming, becoming far more inclusive and what this means for the future of motorsport.
“As I stroll through the Porsche Motorsport stable here in Collingwood, we’re starting to see some real diversity. Not only is this a second home for Ben Taylor and the auticon team but rising Porsche Carrera Cup star Courtney Prince, she also calls Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport home.”
“This diversity brings new people, new ideas and new ways of thinking about our sport. This not only leads to innovation and enhancement to the way cars perform but it will inspire kids that may see their own image reflected in these great drivers and know that anyone with a passion and desire to succeed in motorsport can make the jump. This sport really can be for anyone. That’s what is truly exciting about today.”
Managing Director and CEO of auticon Australia & New Zealand Bodo Mann was excited to get behind Ben. He discussed the partnership and opportunity for auticon’s skilled technologists.
“We’re looking forward to applying some fresh thinking to motorsport data analytics. The team have already identified some opportunities to enhance racing insights and really add value to Ben’s on track performance.”
“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to showcase autistic strengths in action and we want to demonstrate the power of neurodiversity and how thinking differently can be a real asset. We believe that what is true in sport is true in business, and we plan to illustrate how embracing neurodiversity can offer a competitive advantage,” said Mr. Mann.
The racing team is not the only connection between auticon and Porsche, Bodo went on to talk about the organisations close affiliation to the German car maker.
“As auticon also began in Germany. As it happens one of the first investors in the company was the Porsche family and it fills us with great pride to know that we are now working alongside this great brand in such an important venture.”
Morris wins enduro, Giltrap, Shahin lock in titles
Class B title heads to final day after dramatic Enduro encounter
Nash Morris has survived a late race safety car restart to claim victory in the first race for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris held off Marcos Flack in a race-long battle, whilst Marco Giltrap in third wrapped up the Jim Richards Enduro Cup and became the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge champion-elect.
Meanwhile, Sam Shahin also did enough to seal the Pro-Am title, now mathematically unbeatable in tomorrow’s two races.
Morris made the most of his pole position to head the field into Hell Corner, whilst Marcos Flack fell behind Oscar Targett who made a good start from third on the grid.
Flack would get back by the Grove Racing driver before the end of the first lap, and by the end of lap two was all over the back of the Morris’ TekworkX Motorsport entry, leaving Targett behind, who now had Hamish Fitzsimmons for company.
There would be drama behind on lap six, when Sonic Motor Racing’s Harrison Goodman retired to the pits from fifth with damage to the right-rear of his Bob Jane T-Marts car after contact with the wall.
Oscar Targett also dropped two spots in an unrelated incident, promoting Fitzsimmons and Giltrap into third and fourth.
The safety car would make its first appearance on lap nine as Pro-Am runner Caspar Tressider found trouble in his Wall Racing / Hillcrest Merimbula entry.
The field would see the green flag once again on lap twelve, as Morris once again led the field away, with Flack in tow as had been the case all race.
Fitzsimmons ran wide on the exit of Murray’s Corner at the restart, allowing Giltrap to get alongside and complete the move at Hell Corner to move onto the podium.
Giltrap’s timing proved fortuitous as the safety car would come out for the second and final time after Tim Wolfe found drama on top of the mountain in his Pro-Am PER Equipment Rentals entry.
The field would have one final green flag lap, however the order at the front of the field remained unchanged as Morris remained in total control.
The Pro-Am class was won by Sam Shahin in tenth outright for The Bend Motorsport Park, becoming Pro-Am champion-elect in the process.
Class B was taken out by Car Mods Australia’s Bradley Carr in sixteenth outright, setting up an intense finals day tomorrow as he and second-placed Lachy Harburg continue to pursue class leader, Phil Morriss.
Race Two for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia starts at 12:05pm AEDT tomorrow.
Both Saturday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.
Morris claims Bathurst pole as season finale commences
Shahin, Carr take class poles ahead of Enduro Cup race on the Mountain
TekworkX Motorsport’s Nash Morris has claimed his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge pole in qualifying for the final round at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Morris, who has impressed since making his category debut at Sydney Motorsport Park in July, set a 2m 07.7338s to pip Sonic Motor Racing’s Marcos Flack by just over five hundredths of a second.
The lead pair were the class of the field, with Oscar Targett best of the rest in third for Grove Racing, just over half a second behind Morris.
Championship leader Marco Giltrap will line up fifth for this afternoon’s first race, where the Team Porsche New Zealand driver can clinch the Pro title with two races left in the season.
Pro-Am pole was taken by The Bend Motorsport Park’s Sam Shahin, who will start from tenth outright, two places ahead of the second-best Pro-Am entry of Daniel Stutterd for TekworkX Motorsport.
Pole for Class B went to championship contender Bradley Carr for Car Mods Australia, who will line up in sixteenth outright, with fellow contenders Lachlan Harburg and Phil Morriss third and fifth in class respectively.
Race One for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge begins at 4:40pm AEDT at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.
Porsche title season begins with Sprint Challenge Bathurst showdown
Three titles on the line this weekend at Mount Panorama
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON has come to Porsche Motorsport Australia, with the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series to kick off an amazing two weeks of title-deciding action this weekend at Mount Panorama.
The sixth and final round of a record-breaking Sprint Challenge season will see the category race three times at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International this weekend and decide the Pro, Pro-Am and Class B titles.
That will be followed two weeks later by a climactic Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia showdown at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on the Adelaide streets.
The Sprint Challenge season has been an unpredictable affair though series leader Marco Giltrap’s consistency has him entering the final round with a commanding lead.
The 19-year-old New Zealander leads by 171 points with 180 up for grabs this weekend, meaning a 17th-placed finish in the opening race would be enough to deliver the Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport driver his first Porsche title.
Giltrap has won four races this season, has never finished lower than fifth in a race and claimed round victories at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains to entrench himself at the top of the standings early in the year, where he has since remained.
The fight for the final steps on the podium is well and truly alive, however, with Aron Shields and Oscar Targett set to battle for second and third.
Shields leads Targett by just 32 points heading into this weekend with the pair arguably the most in-form drivers among the whole field.
Targett won two of the three races at The Bend last time out, with Shields claiming the epic enduro cup race at the South Aussie venue.
The Pro-Am fight will also be decided this weekend with Sam Shahin holding a 118-point lead over newcomer Matt Slavin in Porsche’s ‘race within a race’ title battle.
Shahin will be seeking his second PMSC Pro-Am title, having previously won the title in 2019.
Meanwhile, a fast-finishing Brett Boulton will be aiming to overhaul David Greig in the battle for third position in the final round.
Class B, for first generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars, sees the most exciting title battle of all with Phil Morriss, Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr all firmly in contention for the title.
The consistent Morriss leads Harburg by just 51 points heading to Bathurst with Carr a further 26 behind in third.
A bumper 29-strong field will contest the three races this weekend, including 13 in the Professional class.
The field includes the addition of Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am regular Danny Stutterd, while Nash Morris will also return aboard his TekworkX Motorsport entry.
Last year at Mount Panorama, Kiwi Ryan Wood scored pole position with a Sprint Challenge record 2m07.9652s flyer.
Wood then claimed the round with two wins from three starts, would-be champion Tom Sargent claiming the first and second overall.
Wood also holds the Bathurst Sprint Challenge lap record at 2m07.7595s.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will hit the track for a 45-minute practice session on Friday morning, ahead of qualifying at 1:50pm that afternoon.
Race one will be the enduro cup title decider and is due to commence at 4:40pm and run for 18 laps.
Two 7-lap sprint races on Sunday will then decide the title, with the first sprint at 12:05pm and the second at 2:50pm.
Both Sunday races will be live on Stan Sport, while the season finale’ will also be live on free to air via the Nine Network around Australia this weekend.
ENTRY LIST – Round 6, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
No | Car # | SPONSOR | C/L | DRIVER | SURNAME | STATE | MAKE | MODEL |
1 | 3 | Racing to Beat FA | Pro-Am | Jonathan | Gliksten | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
2 | 4 | Grove Racing | Pro | Oscar | Targett | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
3 | 5 | Jacque Fine Jewellery | Class B | Jacque | Jarjo | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
4 | 7 | Se7en Racing, InnovationTANK, AeroAscent, JSW Powersports | Pro | Slade | Orsmond | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
5 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
6 | 11 | Aera Cloud & Security | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
7 | 12 | Ares Group | Pro-Am | Matt | Slavin | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
8 | 13 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Pro-Am | Sam | Shahin | SA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
9 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
10 | 15 | POWER AND EARTH. COM | Pro | Clay | Osborne | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
11 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
12 | 23 | Bloxsom Team Navy | Pro | Lachlan | Bloxsom | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
13 | 27 | LocalsCo | Class B | Dave | Allan | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
14 | 34 | Wall Racing / Hillcrest Merimbula | Pro-Am | Caspar | Tresidder | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
15 | 35 | Hyundai Forklifts | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
16 | 64 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Marco | Giltrap | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
17 | 66 | PER Equipment Rentals | Pro-Am | Tim | Wolfe | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
18 | 67 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
19 | 77 | Sonic / Dayle ITM | Pro | Ronan | Murphy | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
20 | 78 | Sonic Motor Racing / Rosche Paper / Supa Straws | Pro | Marcos | Flack | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
21 | 81 | McElrea Racing / McLennan Motorsports | Pro | Tom | McLennan | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
22 | 84 | Bold Living | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
23 | 86 | Morriss Racing Service | Class B | Phil | Morriss | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
24 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
25 | 88 | Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T Marts / True Grid | Pro | Harrison | Goodman | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
26 | 91 | Autohouse Racing | Class B | Lachlan | Harburg | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I |
27 | 99 | Southern Star Windows P/L | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
28 | 116 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Aron | Shields | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
29 | 702 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro-Am | Daniel | Stutterd | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II |
Shields, Giltrap both elevated in Enduro Cup thriller
Race of the year at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park
ARON SHIELDS has claimed a remarkable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge enduro in South Australia that saw the race result change after the flag and the round result tipped on its head in dramatic fashion.
The wild race had seen Lachlan Bloxsom cross the line first only to be penalized post-race, handing win to Shields and his TekworkX Porsche.
Shields had led the race briefly on two separate occasions before initially crossing the line third behind Bloxsom and Oscar Targett.
A further time penalty for young star Oscar Targett then denied him the round win, handing that honour to series leader Marco Giltrap.
The New Zealand teenager now holds a mighty 171-point lead in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia standings with 180 up for grabs in the season finale’ at Mount Panorama.
The Sunday race was a thriller from the outset in one of the best displays of one-make Porsche racing this year.
The race commenced in changeable conditions as light rain swept across the circuit.
The unpredictable affair saw Lachlan Bloxsom initially credited with the race win following an absolute thriller that saw five lead changes between four different drivers across its duration.
He led home Oscar Targett, Aaron Shields, Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack on track – with the top five covered by just 1.5 seconds in one of the most unpredictable races the series has seen.
The pulsating race saw Giltrap take the early lead with positions behind him changing rapidly as conditions gradually improved.
Polesitter Targett dropped to fourth initially before climbing back to second by lap three.
He was then passed by Shields on the 10th lap, the latter then deposing Giltrap for the lead on lap 14 when the former ran wide at Turn 17, dropping off the road briefly before recovering.
Shield’s time in front was short lived however as he was delayed at Turn six on the following lap, taking evasive action as Ross McGregor spun in front of him, handing the lead back to Giltrap and dropping the TekworkX driver back to fourth.
Targett pounced on the climactic lap 19 to grab the lead from Giltrap as Lachlan Bloxsom followed him through to second and Shields to third.
With Flack keeping the leaders in close company in fifth, Bloxsom jumped to the lead on the following lap and then fended off attack after attack from the Grove car across the final 4.9km to cross the line first.
That Bloxsom should have been in the fight at all was remarkable given he very nearly stalled his Bloxsom Team Navy / McElrea entry at the start, his rear wing clipped by another car as he tried to get away.
He crossed the line ninth at the end of lap one however recovered rapidly to carve his way to the field to run third by lap 15 and ultimately pass for the lead with two laps to go.
However, results changed quickly following the race.
Bloxsom was penalized five seconds for contact with Giltrap as the pair battled for position late in the race.
That would have elevated Targett to the potential race win, however he too was penalized, this time having 15 seconds added to his race time for overtaking under yellow flags at Turn one with two laps remaining – just prior to the Bloxsom – Giltrap contact.
The penalties dropped Bloxsom to fifth and Targett to eighth in the final reckoning.
Impressive New Zealand rookie Clay Osborne was also penalised five seconds for a start infringement, as was Pro-Am racer Brett Boulton.
Their penalties saw Osborne – who at one point had run third – finish sixth and Boulton 13th, though he maintained his second position in the Pro-Am class.
With the penalties applied, Marco Giltrap claimed Round 5 over Targett and Marcos Flack.
In Pro-Am, a remarkable comeback drive from Sam Shahin saw him recover from a spin on the formation lap, and a second one on the opening lap, to charge through the field and claim the round overall.
He won the round over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin.
Class B was a thriller as the older-specification cars ended up dicing in the outright top 10 in the inclement conditions at the start of the race.
The race ended with newc0omer Jacques Jarjo the race winner while Brad Carr took the round.
It means three different drivers claimed the class win this weekend in the best weekend for the 991.1 generation cars yet this year.
More importantly, the Class B title will now go down to the wire at Mount Panorama this November with leader Phil Morriss, Harburg and Carr covered by 79 points.
ROUND 5 RESULTS:
- Marco Giltrap 162
- Oscar Targett 147
- Marcos Flack 144
Pro-Am
- Sam Shahin 181
- Brett Boulton 150
- Matt Slavin 150
Class B
- Brad Carr 168
- Lachy Harburg 163
- Jacque Jarjo 156
PROVISIONAL SERIES STANDINGS:
- Marco Giltrap 739
- Aron Shields 568
- Oscar Targett 536
- Hamish Fitzsimmons 485
- Ronan Murphy 452
Pro-Am
- Sam Shahin 791
- Matt Slavin 673
- David Grieg 509
Class B
- Phil Morriss 678
- Brad Carr 632
- Lachy Harburg 627
Oscar on Targett for South Australian Sweep
Two wins from two the perfect start as Targett joins the winners list
OSCAR TARGETT has added his name to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia winners roster, charging from pole position to a pair of commanding race victories today at the Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
The Grove Racing driver was in stunning form on Saturday as he swept to back-to-back wins in The Bend’s sprint races, leading home series leader Marco Giltrap and Marcos Flack in both races today.
A further 45-minute enduro race completes the penultimate round of the series tomorrow.
In the Pro-Am class, home-town hero Sam Shahin won both races today, while Lachlan Harburg and Brad Carr split the honours in Class B.
Race one commenced with Targett making a strong start from pole position, while Giltrap was slower away from the outside of the front row, allowing Flack to gain an early advantage.
However, the race was quickly slowed behind the Safety Car following a significant impact on the left-hand side of the circuit for Zak Stichbury.
The Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport Whittaker’s driver was in a three-wide battle as the field charged up the hill to turn one, contact sending the young Kiwi spearing across the circuit in front of the field and into the concrete wall.
Stichbury emerged unscathed from the incident however will take no further part in the weekend.
Following a two-lap Safety Car period, Targett led the field to green, while Giltrap was able to slice past Flack to secure second position.
Further back, newcomer Clay Osborne passed Ronan Murphy for seventh position in a strong debut Porsche performance.
Targett ultimately drove a measured race to beat Giltrap by just over one second, with Flack completing the top three.
Hamish Fitzsimmons finished fourth on the road, however was penalized five seconds for weaving under safety car and relegated to seventh.
Lachlan Bloxsom therefore climbed to fourth and Aron Shields fifth in a side-by-side battle for the spot with Bloxsom.
Behind Fitzsimmons, Osborne, Murphy, Nash Morris – who started 17th – and Tom McLennan completed the top-10.
Sam Shahin had a clean run to claim the Pro-Am win over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin, while Lachy Harburg took the Class B win over Brad Carr.
A straightforward second race saw Targett again lead Giltrap from pole position, with Flack settling in third position.
He, Lachlan Bloxsom and Aron Shields spent much of the race dicing for third before finishing in that order, with Clay Osborne improving further to finish sixth.
Hamish Fitzsimmons was seventh, Ronan Murphy eighth and Nash Morris continued his recovery in ninth – Tom McLennan completing the 10.
Harrison Goodman started race two from last position having missed race one due to illness, charging his way through the field from 28th to 12 position in the eight-lap duration.
In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin won the class after Brett Boulton spun down the order on the opening lap.
That saw the South Australian clearly in front of Matt Slavin and fellow Adelaidean Pan Boyaci, with Boulton recovering to fourth.
In Class B, Brad Carr turned the tables on rival Harburg, taking the class B win over his fellow Queenslander, with Jacque Jarjo third on debut.
Round 5 of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge concludes on Sunday at The Bend with the 40-minute Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race.
In the penultimate round of the PMSC ‘series within a series’. Marco Giltrap leads the series of the longer-distance races, with Hamish Fitzsimmons in second and Ronan Murphy third.
Four different winners have won the Enduro Cup races so far this season.
Sunday’s race will be broadcast live on 7+ tomorrow.
Targett on top again in thrilling qualifying shootout
Less than 0.05s between front row as another young-gun shootout awaits
OSCAR TARGETT has become the first repeat pole sitter of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, edging Marco Giltrap for the top spot in qualifying today at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in South Australia.
The pair traded blows at the top of the times in the 20-minute qualifying session with Targett on top early, before Giltrap responded with less than three minutes remaining to go to the top spot.
RESULTS: Qualifying, Round 5
The series’ leader didn’t remain on top for long, however, with Targett’s final flyer returning the Grove Group-supported car back to the top with his 1m50.4916s flyer.
It means the teenager edged Giltrap by 0.0488 seconds, the fourth consecutive round where the pole has been decided by less than 0.05 seconds.
It also ended a series-record streak of four different polesitters from four rounds, Targett backing up his debut pole effort in Queensland at the last round.
With the series leader second, Sonic’s Marcos Flack was third and just 0.3 seconds from pole position.
The in-form Hamish Fitzsimmons was fourth for TekworkX Motorsport, just pipping Zac Stichbury to the second row of the grid.
The Whittaker’s driver will line up fifth alongside Lachlan Bloxsom for race one on Saturday.
Ronan Murphy qualified seventh in his Muscle Car Warehouse-backed Sonic entry with rookie Clay Osborne eighth aboard his McElrea Racing #15 car.
The Kiwi first-timer had been impressive throughout practice earlier in the day and continued that form in his first Porsche qualifying session, ending the 20-minutes just 0.71s from pole.
Harrison Goodman qualified ninth and Aron Shields 10th, with Tom McLennan just missing the top-10.
Notable among those missing the top-10 was Nash Morris, who has won five of the last six races in the championship.
Stricken down by the Flu, Morris missed both practice sessions earlier on Friday meaning his first laps of The Bend in a Porsche were in qualifying trim.
He did enough to qualify 17th outright with a view to moving forward in tomorrow’s pair of sprint races.
Sam Shahin qualified his car on pole in the Pro-Am class and will also line up 12th outright in race one tomorrow.
He bested the returning Brett Boulton for the top spot with Matt Slavin third, South Aussie racer Pan Boyaci fourth and David Grieg fifth in class.
Meanwhile, a thrilled Lachy Harburg made it two EBM Poles in three classes today by topping the largest Class B grid of the year to date.
Harburg not only scored pole but out qualified all bar two of the key Pro-Am contenders in an outstanding performance that saw him lap nearly three seconds quicker than he did in 2022.
Brad Carr qualified second in class – and 18th outright – with newcomer Jacque Jarjo third in class and 22nd outright.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns to the circuit tomorrow for a pair of 20-minute sprint races at The Bend.
The 45-minute Jim Richards Enduro Championship finale will be held on Sunday, and will be shown on 7plus.
World Champion karter added to Sprint Challenge mix for The Bend
28-strong field heads to South Australia for critical penultimate round of PMSC Season
WORLD CHAMPION Karter Clay Osborne will join the already remarkable mix of young talent contesting this year’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series this weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park.
The 18-year-old from New Zealand will join what is already the most talented mix of young drivers Sprint Challenge has ever seen amidst a 28-strong field entered for the penultimate round of the series this weekend at the South Australian venue.
Set to drive for McElrea Racing, Osborne claimed a Karting world championship title in Italy in 2019, as well as a pair of National titles in his native New Zealand.
Following a brief stint in Formula First and Formula Ford, Osborne graduated to tin-top circuit racing in 2022 and has now contested two seasons of the New Zealand Toyota 86 Series prior to making his Porsche debut.
He joins the series at a remarkable time as the title race builds with just six races remaining in the season.
Fellow New Zealander Marco Giltrap holds a comfortable series lead of 141 points heading into The Bend’s three races however faces challenges from all angles.
The biggest threat of late has been Queenslander Nash Morris, who since making his debut for TekworkX at Sydney Motorsport Park has slammed home five race wins from six starts, including a clean sweep at his home circuit last time out.
His teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons has also been a mover in the last few races, claiming a pair of seconds at the last round.
Since joining the series’ at Round two at Symmons Plains, Oscar Targett has not finished a race lower than eighth position and has charged up the championship order – now sitting just 47 points behind second-placed Aron Shields in the Michelin Sprint Challenge series standings.
In the Pro-Am class, Sam Shahin continues to hold the lead in both major one-make Porsche titles this year – his Carrera Cup points lead mirrored by an even larger 87-point gap at the top of the Sprint Challenge standings.
Shahin will be challenged this weekend, however, as Queenslander Brett Boulton returns to the championship having missed the two most recent rounds.
Brad Carr and Lachy Harburg find themselves tied on points in second position in Class B – for the older-model Generation 1 991 GT3 Cup Cars – as they both race to chase down runaway series leader Phil Morriss.
The latter has a handy 118-point lead heading into the final two rounds and six races this year.
As well as the young Kiwi in the outright class, Class B will see a pair of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debutants, in the form of New South Wales driver Jacque Jarjo and fellow Class B runner, Dave Allen.
The Round 5 field includes 14 cars in the Pro class, 9 in Pro-Am and 5 in Class B.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field tackles three races this weekend as part of the Shannons Trophy Series Event at South Australia’s world-class racing venue.
Following practice on Friday, the field races twice on Saturday before the Jim Richards Endurance Championship decider will be held on Sunday.
There, Marco Giltrap leads Hamish Fitzsimmons by 16 points and Ronan Murphy by 26 going into the winner-take-all finale.
That race will be broadcast live on 7plus on Sunday.
ENTRY LIST:
No | Car # | SPONSOR | C/L | DRIVER | SURNAME | STATE |
1 | 4 | Grove Racing | Pro | Oscar | Targett | QLD |
2 | 5 | Jacque Fine Jewellery | Class B | Jacque | Jarjo | NSW |
3 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Pro | Bradley | Carr | QLD |
4 | 11 | Aera Cloud & Security | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis | NSW |
5 | 12 | Ares Group | Pro-Am | Matt | Slavin | VIC |
6 | 13 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Pro-Am | Sam | Shahin | SA |
7 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | WA |
8 | 15 | POWER AND EARTH. COM | Pro | Clay | Osborne | NZ |
9 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | QLD |
10 | 23 | Bloxsom Team Navy | Pro | Lachlan | Bloxsom | QLD |
11 | 24 | GRPB Racing | Pro-Am | Pan | Boyaci | SA |
12 | 27 | LocalsCo | Class B | Dave | Allan | |
13 | 35 | Hyundai Forklifts | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee | NSW |
14 | 47 | Effect Building Projects/ Beverage Distribution Australia | Class B | Stephen | Moylan | NSW |
15 | 64 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Marco | Giltrap | NZ |
16 | 66 | PER Equipment Rentals | Pro-Am | Tim | Wolfe | WA |
17 | 67 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | QLD |
18 | 72 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Zac | Stichbury | NZ |
19 | 77 | Sonic / Dayle ITM | Pro | Ronan | Murphy | NZ |
20 | 78 | Sonic Motor Racing / Rosche Paper / Supa Straws | Pro | Marcos | Flack | QLD |
21 | 81 | McLennan Motorsports | Pro | Tom | McLennan | QLD |
22 | 84 | Bold Living | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton | QLD |
23 | 86 | Morriss Racing Service | Class B | Phil | Morriss | VIC |
24 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig | VIC |
25 | 88 | Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T Marts / True Grid | Pro | Harrison | Goodman | VIC |
26 | 91 | Autohouse Racing | Class B | Lachlan | Harburg | QLD |
27 | 99 | Southern Star Windows P/L | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | VIC |
28 | 116 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Aron | Shields | QLD |
Morris sweeps home round in TekworkX 1-2
Two rounds remain in Sprint Challenge fight as unpredictable season continues
NASH MORRIS has led teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons to an emphatic TekworkX Motorsport 1-2 sweep of the fourth round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia at Queensland Raceway.
Morris led from lights-to-flag to claim victory in the Jim Richards Enduro Trophy race on Sunday morning at the Ipswich circuit to sweep all three races at his home circuit.
He was chased hard by his teammate all race but was up to the task of holding onto his race lead to complete a rear Sprint Challenge sweep.
Morris has won five of the last six races since joining the championship while TekworkX have now claimed the last two rounds.
Morris’ won the round ahead of Fitzsimmons and Grove Racing junior Oscar Targett, while Matt Slavin led David Grieg and newcomer Ramu Farrell in Pro-Am.
Lachlan Harburg claimed the Class B victory for the round.
While Morris commanded the enduro race all the way, the battle was on for second.
Fitzsimmons had run second for the entire duration of the race however was caught on the final lap by a chasing pack that included Oscar Targett, championship leader Marco Giltrap and Sydney winner, Aron Shields.
The pair were three wide at times though Fitzsimmons was able to hold on to claim second for the race and the round.
Targett was third in the race and the round while Marco Giltrap took further advantage of challenging weekends for his title rivals to further extend his championship lead.
With Shields fifth, a racy Harrison Goodman charged his way to sixth position with Caleb Sumich, Tom McLennan, Zac Stichbury and Pro-Am winner Sam Shahin claiming tenth.
Brad Carr came back from a challenging race on Saturday evening to win Class B in the race, while Lachy Harburg won the round.
With two rounds of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series remaining, Team Porsche New Zealand / Earl Bamber Motorsport’s Marco Giltrap remains well in command of the championship.
The young kiwi provisionally enjoys a 141-point lead over Aron Shields, who moves to second in the series.
A tough weekend for Ronan Murphy – a puncture in the final race saw him forced to pit for a replacement – has him in third, tied on 402 points with Zac Stichbury. Oscar Targett has moved to fifth in the series.
Sam Shahin continues to lead Matt Slavin in the Pro-Am title fight, with David Grieg now third, while Phil Morris continues to lead the Class B battle, with Brad Carr and Lachlan Harburg tied on points in second.
The next round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series will see the championship rejoin the Shannons Trophy Series at The Bend Motorsport Park on October 13-15.
Morris Saturday sweep sets up Sunday showdown
Chaotic sprints leave enduro race as weekend decider in Queensland
NASH Morris has added another pair of race wins to his ever-expanding CV, taking both sprint races in Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Queensland Raceway.
With one race remaining in the round, Morris finds himself in a similar position to his debut round in Sydney a fortnight ago, where he ultimately finished second overall.
A dramatic day of racing at the Ipswich venue saw Morris commence proceedings by winning an arm-wrestle with Oscar Targett on the opening lap of the first race before edging away to claim the race win.
Starting from pole, Targett made a strong start however Morris pounced at turn three and completed the move at four to grab a lead he’d never lose.
Targett then held of Marcos Flack to secure second – his third of the season – with Flack scoring his best result of the season in third.
Hamish Fitzsimmons and Macro Giltrap were next, in close company with the leaders, with Aron Shields, Caleb Sumich, Tom Taplin, Zac Stichbury and Tom McLennan completing the top-10.
Pro-Am went the way of Matt Slavin, who capitalised on a late race incident that included Sam Shahin being forced off the road and out of the race three laps from home.
Also in strife was Ronan Murphy, who spun onto the infield at Turn four early in the race, making contact with Lachlan Bloxsom as he speared across the road. The damage forced the Sonic racer out of the race.
Race two saw more of the same with Morris smartly away from pole position and into the race lead.
Targett held on around the outside of turn two, however dropped all four wheels of the road and into the dirt, which dropped the Grove junior down the order.
That shuffled the pack with Hamish Fitzsimmons and Flack battling for second, swapping the place twice before the former held on with a late pass.
With Flack third, Tom Taplin was an outstanding fourth in his best race of the season.
Sheilds, Giltrap, Targett, Stichbury, a recovering Lachlan Bloxsom and McLennan completed the top-10.
The race was brought under the control of a Safety Car following contact between Brad Carr and Tim Wolfe at Turn 2, that saw both cars deposited into the gravel trap at turn two.
That set up a two-lap dash to the line, with Morris ultimately holding on to claim the win.
Pro-Am went the way of Ramu Farrell, while Shahin charged from the back of the field to 2nd in class, with Slavin third.
Lachlan Harburg completed a sweep of Class B wins across the two races today.
The end of the final race saw a serious crash involving Richard Cowen and Andrew Goldie.
Both drivers were taken to hospital for further observation. We thank our medical teams and all our officials for their prompt response.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge returns for a third and final race – the next edition in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy – on Sunday morning at Queensland Raceway.
Record-setting session delivers Targett pole by 0.001 seconds
Closest pole, Top 3, Top 5 and Top 10 margins in series history at Queensland Raceway
THE closest qualifying session in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series history has seen teenager Oscar Targett grab his first pole award of the year.
Targett, a Grove Racing junior driver and karting graduate, scored pole by a tiny margin of 0.0012 seconds as he bumped Nash Morris off the top spot late in Friday’s 20-minute session.
It’s the closest 1-2 qualifying margin in series history, and came in a session that also delivered the closest top three, top five and top 10 qualifying results in the history of the championship, as well as the quickest ever lap of Queensland Raceway in the process.
He’s the fourth different polesitter from four rounds this year, also a series record.
Targett’s 1m09.944s flyer displaced Morris for the top spot, the Queenslander having earlier set the first sub-70 second lap of his home circuit earlier in the session.
Morris had looked likely to hold on with his then-record lap and it took a late flyer from Targett on his second set of Michelin slick tyres to displace the Porsche newcomer, who continues to excel after a stunning debut in Sydney last time out.
The pair will share the front row for race one tomorrow with Marcos Flack and Lachlan Bloxsom on row two.
Flack had earlier topped both practice sessions by tiny margins and ultimately missed pole position by 0.0085 seconds – making it the closest top three in series history.
Lachlan Bloxsom was in the midst of that battle and was only fractions away from a spot on the front row. Aron Shields, who won last time out in Sydney, qualified fifth but only missed pole position by 0.087s.
Behind them, Ronan Murphy, Caleb Sumich – a personal best seventh – championship leader Marco Giltrap, Hamish Fitzsimmons and Pro-Am polesitter Ramu Farrell were all within 0.397s of the pole position time.
The top 14 cars were split by 0.6 seconds in a remarkable session that will likely stand as one of the series’ best for some time.
Newcomer Farrell grabbed the Pro-Am pole award on his series debut and qualified an outstanding 10th outright in the process.
The local driver is racing for home-town team McElrea Racing this weekend and made an instant impact, finishing the opening practice session inside the top three.
Pro-Am Championship leader Sam Shahin qualified 15th outright and second in the Pro-Am class, himself less than 0.9s away from Targett’s impressive pole lap.
Matt Slavin qualified third in Pro-Am with Richard Cowen just behind in fourth.
Defending class champion Lachy Harburg powered his The Cover Shop entry to pole in Class B, edging out Brad Carr by three-tenths to score a strong pole position.
They qualified 18th and 19th, respectively, in their older-generation 991 GT3 Cup Cars with Harburg just 1.5s away from outright pole.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns for two races sprint races on Saturday, both broadcast live on Stan Sport.
Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia racer and former champion Fabian Coulthard will join the commentary team for the races tomorrow.
Team switch for McLennan as he prepares for home race in Queensland
Team switch for Michelin junior ahead of next PMSC round
Tom McLennan has joined Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) for the remaining rounds of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, with Round 4 to be run at Queensland Raceway this weekend.
The 18-year-old switches from McElrea Racing who have helped him sit ninth in the standings.
The Earl Bamber Motorsport drive will see McLennan compete in the final three rounds of the all-Porsche series at Queensland Raceway, The Bend and Mount Panorama, plus a series of testing opportunities in the new-generation Porsches 992s that EBM compete in Carrera Cup – the highest level of Porsche racing in Australia.
The change of team coincides with McLennan’s home round – Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. McLennan has enjoyed plenty of testing and racing at the 3.1km venue over the past few years, racing in Formula Ford, production cars and Porsche racing.
McLennan has secured one podium finish in 2023 (at Symmons Plains Raceway) and will be looking to use his local knowledge against some of the young stars of the Porsche series.
The fourth round will be held in conjunction with the Shannons SpeedSeries. All of the racing can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport.
Practice starts on Friday, with qualifying and racing held on Saturday and Sunday.
Tom McLennan
#81 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche
“It will be great to start with EBM and I am excited to work with Earl Bamber, Ben Jenkins and the team,” said McLennan.
“EBM has extensive experience and success in Porsche and GT racing at all levels, here in Australia, Asia, Europe, and America. It’s a great fit for me.
“The car will be set-up differently, but I’m up for the challenge and ready to see how I stand.
“The team certainly has a clear direction with an eye to progress into the future, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we take this new partnership.
“I’ve done plenty of laps around Queensland Raceway, so I definitely know the track well.
“It will be a weekend for me to adjust and understand all of the new processes, but I’m really excited.
“I’d also like to thank the team at McElrea Racing for helping me in my first start in Porsches. They are a professional team and have made me raise my own game.”
Ben Jenkins
Team Manager, Earl Bamber Motorsport
“Having Tom join our team is a great addition to our EBM line-up,” said Jenkins.
“He has some strong results already in the Porsche category and we will be looking to build on that.
“Tom will compliment the young guys that we have in the team already. It’s an easier start for him, given that this is his home track. We won’t need to help him understand where the circuit goes.
“Of our drivers, he will be the most experienced driver for Queensland Raceway, so he’ll be handy to lean on.
“We’re looking forward to watching his development and moving him forward in his career, like we have done with many other drivers under the EBM stable.”
Morris returns as Michelin Sprint Challenge field heads to Queensland
First Shannons SpeedSeries round of the year as title battle builds
NASH MORRIS will continue his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series campaign, having been locked in by TekworkX Motorsport for the remainder of the 2023 season.
It comes after a stunning one-make Porsche debut at Sydney Motorsport Park last week where he scored pole, won two races and finished second overall for the weekend, behind only teammate Aron Shields.
Morris’ will aim to pick up where he left off at Queensland Raceway this weekend as the Michelin Sprint Challenge field enjoys a quick turnaround from the Sydney event.
24 cars will line up at the 3.2km circuit outside of Ipswich as the launches into the second half of the season.
It comes with Kiwi teenager Marco Giltrap enjoying a solid lead over countryman Ronan Murphy in the series standings, with Zac Stichbury making it a New Zealand 1-2-3.
Giltrap is the only driver to have finished every race in the outright top ten this season, underpinning his impressive championship lead.
After winning last time out in Sydney, Aron Shields sits fourth in the championship just four points out of the top three, with Harrison Goodman in fifth.
Sam Shahin takes a formidable lead in the Pro-Am class to Queensland Raceway, though the battle will be on for second in the championship with Brett Boulton on the sidelines for this round.
That opens the door for the likes of Matt Slavin – who was a career-best second in class in Sydney – third-placed Andrew Goldie and local Richard Cowen, who sits fourth in the standings, to step up further and put pressure on the runaway leader.
Points leader Phil Morriss and defending champion Lachy Harburg will battle for Class B honours in the Gen I 991 GT3 Cup Car fight.
The field also welcomes debutant Ramu Farrell, who makes his PMSC debut driving the #888 Kaldewelg Auto GT3 Cup Car in the Pro-Am Class.
The Queensland Raceway event will see the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series rejoin the Shannons SpeedSeries for the first time this year.
Both of Saturday’s Sprint Races will be shown live on Stan Sport, while the Jim Richards’ enduro cup race will decide the weekend first thing on Sunday morning.
SCHEDULE – ROUND 4, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
Friday, 11 August
Practice 1 – 10:15am
Practice 2 – 13:40pm
Qualifying – 16:05pm
Saturday, 12 August
Race 1 – 13:00pm (20 Minutes)
Race 2 – 17:05pm (20 Minutes)
Sunday, 13 August
Race 3 – 9:10am (45 Minutes)
ENTRY LIST
No | Car # | SPONSOR | C/L | DRIVER | SURNAME | MAKE | MODEL | COLOUR |
1 | 2 | Cowen Schwarz Marschke Lawyers | Pro-Am | Richard | Cowen | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | Black |
2 | 4 | Grove Racing | Pro | Oscar | Targett | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White/Red |
3 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | Black / White / Red |
4 | 12 | Ares Group | Pro-Am | Matt | Slavin | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Black / Yellow |
5 | 13 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Pro-Am | Sam | Shahin | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Red / Blue |
6 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | Grey |
7 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
8 | 22 | Cirrus Aircraft | Pro-Am | Andrew | Goldie | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Grey |
9 | 23 | Bloxsom Team Navy | Pro | Lachlan | Bloxsom | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White/Blue |
10 | 26 | Taplin Group | Pro | Tom | Taplin | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | Blue |
11 | 64 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Marco | Giltrap | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Black / Orange |
12 | 66 | Per Equipment Rentals | Pro-Am | Tim | Wolfe | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
13 | 67 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
14 | 72 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Zac | Stitchbury | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Black / Red |
15 | 77 | Sonic / Dayle ITM | Pro | Ronan | Murphy | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
16 | 78 | Sonic Motor Racing / Rosche Paper / Supa Straws | Pro | Marcos | Flack | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
17 | 81 | McLennan Motorsports | Pro | Tom | McLennan | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | Blue |
18 | 86 | Morriss Racing Service | Class B | Phil | Morriss | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | White |
19 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Blue |
20 | 88 | Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T Marts / True Grid | Pro | Harrison | Goodman | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
21 | 91 | Autohouse Racing | Class B | Lachlan | Harburg | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | Blue |
22 | 99 | Southern Star Windows | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White / Yellow |
23 | 116 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Aron | Shields | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | White |
24 | 888 | Kaldewelg Auto | Pro-Am | Ramu | Farrell | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | Grey/ Gold |
Shields claims maiden Porsche Sprint Challenge win
Adrian Flack, Stephen Moylan claim Pro-Am, Class B wins respectively in Sydney
ARON SHIELDS has powered to his maiden Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia round victory by virtue of a stunning race win in the final race at Sydney Motorsport Park.
In a weekend-long battle with TekworkX Motorsport teammate Nash Morris, Shields was leading the final race when Morris spun out of second position at Turn 11, giving the former all the points he needed to claim his first round success in circuit racing.
Morris, who had earlier won race two, finished second overall while championship leader Marco Giltrap finished third to extend his series lead aboard his Team Porsche NZ / Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche.
Adrian Flack claimed the Pro-Am class win over Matt Slavin and Sam Shahin, while Stephen Moylan took advantage of a Brad Carr non-finish in race three to claim the Class B win on debut.
At the half-way point of the series, Marco Giltrap continues to lead Ronan Murphy, with the margin now 38 points.
Aron Shields’ superb weekend rocketed him to fourth, just behind Zak Stichbury fourth and Harrison Goodman now fifth.
In Pro-Am, Sam Shahin still continues to lead, with Andrew Goldie now second, while Phil Morriss extended his Class B lead following a consistent weekend in Sydney.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series resumes in two weeks time at Queensland Raceway for Round 4 of the series, racing with the Shannons SpeedSeries on August 11-13.
RACE 2
Nash Morris maintained his perfect record in Porsche competition after making a bold last lap move on his TekworkX Motorsport teammate Aron Shields in Race Two of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.
In a repeat of the Saturday night race, the two TekworkX cars ran riot, Morris and Shields the only two drivers to set lap times in the 1m 32s range in the race.
Shields led the field away from the outside of the front row, and led the whole race right until Morris made his move at turn six on the fourteenth and final lap.
The TekworkX teammates gapped the field to the tune of almost ten seconds, with Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM’s Marco Giltrap rounding out the podium.
Giltrap made a brilliant overtake of his own to take third place, capitalising on a slight error from Lachlan Bloxsom to dive down the inside at turn seven on lap before covering aggressively at turn eight.
Bloxsom would take fourth for Bloxsom Team Navy, with Oscar Targett continuing to recover from his poor qualifying in fifth for Grove Racing.
In sixth was Pro-Am winner Adrian Flack, who put in a standout performance amongst the front runners, running in the top five for the majority of the race before being overtaken late by Targett.
Second in Pro-Am was Sam Shahin, who went on a tear in the opening laps, gaining twelve places in the first lap and a half, finishing thirteenth outright after starting in twenty eighth.
Matt Slavin rounded out the Pro-Am podium in his Ares Group entry in sixteenth outright.
Class B was won by the Car Mods Australia entry of Bradley Carr in twentieth outright, ahead of Lachlan Harburg in twenty second, with Brayden Taylor rounding out the podium in twenty seventh outright for Wall Racing.
RACE 3
TekworkX Motorsport’s Aron Shields won the final race of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park, clinching the round win after teammate Nash Morris had a difficult race.
Morris made a poor start from pole position, allowing Shields to take a lead he would not lose, and allowing Marco Giltrap to jump into second from third on the grid.
Morris was in the process of getting back past the Team Porsche New Zealand/EBM driver when the Safety Car was deployed following an incident at turn one between Pro-Am runners Andrew Goldie and Matt Slavin.
The lead Class B runner of the weekend, Bradley Carr, also found trouble on the first lap, losing power almost immediately.
The race went green again on lap five, and Shields began to inch away from the field as the TekworkX cars had done all weekend, with Giltrap finding himself coming under pressure from the recovering Morris.
Morris made his move on lap eight, bumping doors with the championship leader as they went through turn four.
Also on the charge was Grove Racing’s Oscar Targett, who moved by Lachlan Bloxsom at turn two off the restart and followed Morris to go past Giltrap into third.
Targett then gained another position when Morris spun by himself at turn ten on lap thirteen, dropping from second to fifteenth.
Though Morris would eventually recover to twelfth at the finish, the mistake cost the Porsche debutant the round win, as Shields cruised to a comfortable win by just over two seconds.
Targett finished second, with Hamish Fitzsimmons rounding out the podium in the third TekworkX entry, ahead of Rohan Murphy with Giltrap rounding out the top five.
The Pro-Am Class was won by AGAS National’s Damian Flack, who secured another top ten outright result in a strong performance, with Sam Shahin second in fourteenth outright for The Bend Motorsport Park, and Casper Tresidder claiming third in class with sixteenth outright for Wall Racing/Hillcrest.
The Class B race blown wide open after Carr’s issues off the start, with Lachlan Harburg claiming the class win for Autohouse Racing in nineteenth outright, with Stephen Moylan second and twenty fifth outright, with Brayden Taylor rounding out the podium in twenty sixth outright.
Aron Shields first pole position comes in tight Sydney session
0.1 seconds cover top three cars as Flack, Carr grab class poles
ARON SHIELDS has edged teammate Nash Morris by under one-tenth of a second to score pole position for Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series today at Sydney Motorsport Park.
In a thrilling qualifying session that went down to the wire, Sheilds’ 1m29.9891s flyer edged Porsche debutant Morris by 0.0171s to give TekworkX Motorsport a 1-2 result in qualifying and the driver his first career pole.
Shields is the third different polesitter from three rounds this year, while TekworkX become the third different team to qualify on pole.
The tight session saw times consistently drop as teams switched from their first set of Michelin slicks to their second late in the session.
Late improvement from Marcos Flack saw him storm to third in his Sonic entry, the second-generation Porsche racer only 0.0277s from pole and even less from a spot on the front row.
Zac Stichbury was fourth, while the third row of the grid will be comprised of Ronan Murphy in fifth and championship leader Marco Giltrap in sixth.
Even then, the latter was just 0.35s from pole position.
Lachlan Bloxsom was next, while Adrian Flack starred on his Pro-Am class return to Sprint Challenge – not only taking pole in class but qualifying well inside the top-10 in the process.
Harrison Goodman and Tom Taplin completed the top-10. The top 15 cars were covered by under one second in one of the most stacked Sprint Challenge fields in history.
Second in Pro-Am was championship leader Sam Shahin, the Pro-Am rivals in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup continuing their rivalry into the Sprint Challenge series.
Shahin was 12th outright, while Brett Boulton was third in class and 16th outright, not far behind.
Matt Slavin was fourth in class, with Richard Cowen a strong fifth in the Pro-Am fight.
Brad Carr continued his strong recent form – he won the Symmons Plains round last time out – to grab pole in Class B, with defending champion Lachlan Harburg and Brayden Taylor next in class.
After a busy Friday that saw two practice sessions and a qualifying session in a single day, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge field now waits until later on Saturday for the first time this weekend, with the opening race of the weekend set for a 6:25pm start tomorrow night.
That race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
Preparation key as Tom McLennan makes Sydney Motorsport Park debut
Strong momentum from a pre-event test for McLennan
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge young gun Tom McLennan is hoping he can bring the strong momentum from a pre-event test to Round 3 of the title chase at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Many of the leading Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge teams including McLennan as part of McElrea Racing were part of the test day at the venue recently where he impressed. It also provided useful miles around the Eastern Creek-based circuit as McLennan prepares for his first national racing weekend there.
Sitting fifth in the standings after demonstrating frontrunning pace in Tasmania where the second-tier Porsche category also supported the Repco Supercars Championship as it does this weekend as part of the Sydney SuperNight.
McLennan will be aiming to learn as much as possible during Friday’s two practice and qualifying sessions.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will also race under lights right before the Supercars hit the track making for a new experience for many drivers in the field, including McLennan. Two races round out the weekend of action on Sunday.
QUOTES
Tom McLennan
#81 Macpro Properties
“It’s been a long time between drinks, but I’m ready to get back on track at Sydney Motorsport Park,” said McLennan.
“We did a test day with McElrea Racing and a lot of my Pro competitors were there too a couple of weeks ago. It was a fairly confidence building test; we were one of the quickest on used tyres and were up there on a new set. It’s left me excited for a good weekend ahead.
“We’re aiming to climb up the title ladder in Sydney, so another good event this weekend will ensure we go a long way in doing that. We struggled in qualifying last time out and if I rectify this, we’ll be on for a top five across the races.
“It was good to race with the Supercars in Tasmania. It puts on the pressure for everyone, but it’s good to have this environment and the live TV is good as well.
“I’ve only completed a state round in the older spec Porsche at Sydney Motorsport Park making this a new experience for me.”
31 cars ready for Sydney Motorsport Park battle
Huge field set for racing under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park
A STUNNING season-high field of 31 cars will tackle the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Sydney Motorsport Park next week.
One of the most broadly competitive grids assembled in series history, the field includes 13 drivers in the Pro class – a record since the introduction of the current class structure.
The series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park with New Zealand teenager Marco Giltrap leading the standings following victories in the first two rounds, at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains, respectively.
He leads Ronan Murphy in the series standings, the second-generation racer fresh from his first race win on Aussie soil last time out in Tasmania.
A consistent performance so far this year has Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T-Marts racer Harrison Goodman third in the standings, breaking up what has otherwise been a series dominated by Kiwi drivers.
That’s reflected with Zac Stichbury sitting fourth in the standings, just ahead of young Aussie Michelin Junior driver, Tom McLennan.
Meanwhile, Nash Morris will add to the broad list of cars he has raced this year by making his one-make Porsche racing debut aboard a car entered by TekworkX Motorsport.
In the Pro-Am battle, Sam Shahin and Brett Boulton have finished first and second in every race so far this season, though a Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia ring-in could upset the applecart this weekend.
Adrian Flack will join the field this weekend to gain more racing laps amidst his Carrera Cup campaign, where he and Shahin regularly go head-to-head.
Class B, which caters to the previous-generation Type 991.1 GT3 Cup Car, will see its strongest entry yet with five cars to race for class honours.
Phil Morriss has a comfortable lead in the championship thanks to finishing second or third in every race so far, however 2022 champion Lachy Harburg – who swept the opening round this year – returns this weekend having missed the Tasmanian event.
Round 2 winner Brad Carr sits equal second in the championship having won all three races in Tasmania, but missed the first round.
Sydney Motorsport Park was a highlight of the 2022 Michelin Sprint Challenge season with Ryan Wood and Tom Sargent going head to head across three gripping races.
Wood scored pole and the first two race wins, while Sargent claimed the finale’ after plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing.
Carrera Cup graduate Courtney Prince finished third overall while Sam Shahin won Pro-Am.
The series hits the track for the first time at 9:35am on Friday, July 28 for practice one, followed by the second session at 12:30pm.
The grid will be set at 2:40pm that afternoon with the three races spread across Saturday and Sunday.
Race one will be run under lights at 6:25pm on Saturday evening as the lead-in act to the Supercars Championship race that evening.
Races two and three will start at 10:00am and 1:35pm respectively on Sunday. All three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports, plus Sky Sports NZ.
ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia
Sydney Motorsport Park
No | Car # | SPONSOR | CLASS | DRIVER | SURNAME | STATE | MAKE | MODEL | CC |
1 | 2 | McElrea Racing | Pro-Am | Richard | Cowen | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
2 | 3 | Racing to Beat FA | Pro-Am | Jonathan | Gliksten | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
3 | 4 | Grove Racing | Pro | Oscar | Targett | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
4 | 8 | Car Mods Australia | Class B | Bradley | Carr | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | 3800 |
5 | 11 | UpTo11 Motorsport | Pro-Am | Eric | Constantinidis | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
6 | 12 | Ares Group | Pro-Am | Matt | Slavin | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
7 | 13 | The Bend Motorsport Park | Pro-Am | Sam | Shahin | SA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
8 | 14 | McElrea Racing | Pro | Caleb | Sumich | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
9 | 16 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Hamish | Fitzsimmons | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
10 | 19 | Wall Racing | Class B | Brayden | Taylor | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | 3800 |
11 | 20 | Agas National/ EBM | Pro-Am | Adrian | Flack | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3996 |
12 | 22 | Cirrus Aircraft | Pro-Am | Andrew | Goldie | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
13 | 23 | Bloxsom Team Navy | Pro | Lachlan | Bloxsom | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
14 | 26 | Taplin Group | Pro | Tom | Taplin | SA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
15 | 34 | Wall Racing/ Hillcrest Merimbula | Pro-Am | Casper | Tressider | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
16 | 35 | Hyundai Forklifts | Pro-Am | Indiran | Padayachee | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
17 | 47 | Effect Building Projects/ Bass Hill Electrical | Class B | Stephen | Moylan | NSW | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | 3800 |
18 | 64 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Marco | Giltrap | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
19 | 66 | PER Equipment Rentals | Pro-Am | Tim | Wolfe | WA | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
20 | 67 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Nash | Morris | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
21 | 72 | Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM | Pro | Zac | Stichbury | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
22 | 77 | Sonic / Dayle ITM | Pro | Ronan | Murphy | NZ | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
23 | 78 | Sonic Motor Racing / Rosche Paper / Supa Straws | Pro | Marcos | Flack | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
24 | 81 | McElrea Racing / McLennan Motorsports | Pro | Tom | McLennan | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
25 | 84 | Bold Living | Pro-Am | Brett | Boulton | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
26 | 86 | Morriss Racing Service | Class B | Phil | Morriss | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | 3800 |
27 | 87 | DW Motorsport | Pro-Am | David | Greig | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
28 | 88 | Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T Marts / True Grid | Pro | Harrison | Goodman | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
29 | 91 | Autohouse Racing | Class B | Lachlan | Harburg | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen I | 3800 |
30 | 99 | Southern Star Windows P/L | Pro-Am | Ross | McGregor | VIC | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
31 | 116 | TekworkX Motorsport | Pro | Aron | Shields | QLD | Porsche | GT3 Cup Gen II | 3966 |
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
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Porsche 963 prototype
- Porsche Penske Motorsport fields two cars each in world’s greatest endurance series
- Design of the new Porsche 963 hails from the victorious 956 and 962 classics
- Experienced works drivers and accomplished sportscar champions behind the wheel
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
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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.