Cooper Murray and Max Vidau were Friday’s standout drivers as the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series kicks off round three, both setting blistering practice pace at Phillip Island.
Vidau was the practice one pacesetter, posting a time of 1:31.741, which placed the South Australian at the top of the times, a mere 00.012secs ahead of Murray and over 1.5 seconds ahead of their nearest rival.
Series leader Murray then turned the tables in practice two with a 1:31.4296 lap time, 0.2secs ahead of Vidau and over a second ahead of the third best driver, setting up the weekend for a battle between the two talented teenagers.
“It’s tight at the front between me and Max. It has been a great battle across the past two rounds and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this round,” said Murray.
“I’ve been here in a Formula Ford a few times so I definitely have confidence around this place, but I probably have more confidence around here in the Porsche. It’s only Friday so we’ll see how I go tomorrow for qualifying and race one.”
Vidau is also eager to continue his battle with Murray, this time at the picturesque Victorian circuit.
“Both practice sessions were super close in times between myself and Cooper. We’ve run close in every round this year and I’m expecting another close battle here this weekend,” said Vidau.
“My first and second sector is pretty good and I just need to work on my final sector ahead of tomorrow, but overall we’re pretty much there.”
Ben Stack was the best of the Pro-Am drivers across the two practice sessions from class points leader Danny Stutterd, Brett Boulton and Sam Fillmore.
Christian Pancione continued his impressive pace in his Class B Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, sneaking into the top 10 practice times with ninth overall from class rivals David Greig, series newcomer Vince Misuraca, Andrew Goldie and Sergio Pires.
Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia will return to the track at 10:30am AEST on Saturday for qualifying before the opening Phillip Island race at 1:25pm. The remaining two races will feature on Sunday, both of which can be viewed via the Shannons Nationals live stream, available from www.thenationals.com.au.
Race Schedule
Saturday June 2, 2018
10:30am Qualifying (20 minutes)
1:25pm Race 1 (20 minutes, TBC laps)
Sunday June 3, 2018
9:10am Race 2 (20 minutes, TBC laps)
12:05pm Race 3 (20 minutes, TBC laps)
Results: Practice 1 & 2 (combined)
1. #36 Cooper Murray (Pro) Lodge Bros Racing – 01:31.4
2. #77 Max Vidau (Pro) Sonic/Bob Jane T Marts – 01:31.6
3. #96 Simon Fallon (Pro) Sonic Motor Racing – 01:32.7
4. #7 Jimmy Vernon (Pro) McElrea Racing – 01:32.9
5. #38 Chelsea Angelo (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security – 01:33.1
6. #230 Luis Leeds (Pro) OPS Gateway – 01:33.4
7. #65 Ben Stack (Pro-Am) DNA Racing – 01:33.8
8. #23 Daniel Stutterd (Pro-Am) The Porsche Broker – 01:34.5
9. #76 Christian Pancione (Class B) VCM Performance – 01:34.9
10. #84 Brett Boulton (Pro-Am) Bold Living – 01:35.0
11. #27 Sam Fillmore (Pro-Am) The Porsche Broker – 01:35.3
12. #87 David Greig (Class B) Daikin – 01:35.4
13. #17 Marcel Zalloua (Pro-Am) 360 Motorsport/Valmont – 01:35.4
14. #15 Vince Misuraca (Class B) Pie-Face/United Petroleum – 01:35.5
15. #131 Graham Williams (Pro-Am) Sonic/Williams Racing – 01:35.5
16. #73 Michael Hovey (Pro-Am) Triffid Bar & Venue – 01:35.6
17. #99 Ross McGregor (Pro-Am) Southern Star Windows – 01:36.5
18. #21 Shane Barwood (Pro-Am) Melbourne Orthopaedic Group – 01:36.5
19. #10 Michael Loccisano (Pro-Am) Hallmarc – 01:36.6
20. #22 Andrew Goldie (Class B) Woodford Trailers – 01:36.7
21. #117 Sergio Pires (Class B) 360 Motorsport – 01:36.8
22. #57 Richard Bloomfield (Class B) Okey Dokey – 01:37.2
23. #29 Rob Woods (Pro-Am) Platinum Night Club Broadbeach – 01:37.5
24. #9 Tony Martin (Class B) Triffid Bar+Venue – 01:37.7
25. #88 Phil Morriss (Class B) Morriss Racing Services – 01:37.8