Two-round showdown awaits as Porsche titles on the line

Equity-One Pro, Pro-Am, Enduro and teams titles all still up for grabs with two rounds remaining

ALL PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship battles remain wide open following a dramatic sixth round of the 2025 championship at the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Three unpredictable races served to not only deliver another lead change in the pulsating Equity-One Professional class battle but also close up the Pro-Am fight and both Endurance Cup battles with two rounds remaining.

Equity-One Professional class

THE OUTRIGHT fight for the championship took a major turn on the Mountain with Dylan O’Keeffe wrestling the lead away from Harri Jones for the second time this season.

Jones, the defending champion, had led from Round 1 but ceded the lead following O’Keeffe’s spectacular win in Darwin in June.

Jones took point in front again at Queensland Raceway and then extended his lead at The Bend thanks to a clean sweep; however, a disastrous weekend at Bathurst saw a more than120-point swing towards the Dexion / GWR Australia / RAM Motorsport driver.

That was compounded by a post-race point penalty applied to Jones for contact in Race 3.

Jones was penalised 25 championship points after the fact for contact with Clay Osborne at turn one that pushed the young Kiwi into Bayley Hall, who subsequently spun across the road into the path of Jones’ car.

While Jones failed to finish, Osborne was initially penalised in-race with a drive-through penalty for the contact.

However, a post-race review by Motorsport Australia officials cleared the young New Zealander, who would ultimately finish 16th in the race, of any wrongdoing.

Jones points penalty compounded the success of O’Keeffe’s trio of second-placed finishes which now sees the Victorian 69 points clear of Jones’ with two rounds and six races remaining.

The battle for third position also changed hands with David Russell’s recent run of form and Bathurst clean-sweep hoisting the TekworkX driver ahead of Bayley Hall and into the top three for the first time this season.

29 points split the pair for the final step on the overall podium with two rounds remaining, while Hall retains a commanding lead in the Porsche Michelin Junior rankings.

Dale Wood’s strong weekend saw him climb to fifth in the points, with five different teams represented in the top five.

Pro-Am class

FOUR wins in the last six races have pushed Matt Belford to within 37-points of season long Pro-Am class championship leader Rodney Jane with two races to go.

Belford’s supreme run of form has seen him claim six race wins this year to Jane’s one; though the Bob Jane T-Marts / Sonic Racing driver’s consistency ensures he retains the championship lead.

Pro-Am drivers only count seven of their eight championship rounds towards their final score with the ability to drop their worst score at the end of the season. On corrected scores, Jane continues to lead however by a reduced margin of just 8 points.

Matt Slavin climbed to third position in the championship at Bathurst and with dropped scores taken into account – his worst round was a zero-score at the Australian Grand Prix – the Victorian ARES / ASM driver is also a title contender.

Enduro Cup

IN Equity-One Pro, Harri Jones retains the lead in the Porsche Endurance Cup title with a 12-point lead over Dylan O’Keeffe, with Bayley Hall just 24 points further back in third.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford now sits 15 points clear of Rodney Jane with Slavin in third place, eight points further back.

Teams Championship

THE Coveted Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia team’s championship, GWR Australia has a commanding lead over Sonic Motor Racing with two rounds remaining.

Considering the scores of two nominated drivers’ at each round, GWR’s supreme performance at Mount Panorama has seen them draw 349 points clear of their Melbourne-based rivals, with 362 points potentially available at each round.

EMA Motorsport and McElrea Racing sit third and fourth, respectively, and remain in contention for the title.

The winner of the Carrera Cup team’s championship receives the use of a Porsche Road car for the full 2026 season.

Russell sweeps, O’Keeffe claims title lead in climactic Bathurst event

Dramatic weekend ends with new championship leader as series heads to Queensland

DAVID RUSSELL has charged to his second Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship round victory in style at Mount Panorama, sweeping all three races for the first time in his career to deliver a perfect Panorama performance for TekworkX Motorsport. 

Meanwhile, round runner-up Dylan O’Keeffe’s strong weekend – coupled with a disaster for erstwhile leader Harri Jones – delivered the Dexion / RAM Motorsport / GWR Australia driver the championship lead for the second time this season with just two rounds remaining.

O’Keeffe’s brace of Equity-One Professional class podium finishes ensured he stormed to the top of the points, while Marco Giltrap celebrated a career first Porsche Carrera Cup podium at the same venue where he clinched his Michelin Sprint Challenge title two years ago.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford claimed the sixth round of the championship with wins in the first two races and second in the Sunday finale, following home Matt Slavin who was second overall. Rodney Jane was third for the round however now has a significantly reduced lead in the Pro-Am championship standings with two to go.

Russell’s race three victory didn’t come easy despite leading away from pole position and gapping the field in the opening laps of the Sunday sprint race.

A broken brake balance cable mid-race saw O’Keeffe close on the lead and set the pair up to battle for the line.

While the latter attempted several passes, Russell’s defence was steadfast as he held on to claim career race win number 22 and his second round win – his first since Taupo in 2024.

With O’Keeffe second, Giltrap secured third position in both the race and round after spending much of the opening laps fending off a spirited challenge from Hamish Fitzsimmons, who was another to enjoy a career-best weekend.

Giltrap scored his first Carrera Cup trophy while Fitzsimmons’ weekend ended in fourth overall for the Jamec Racing / MPC squad.

The race three top-10 was rounded out by the brothers Wood – Dale in front of Glen – and a charging Angelo Mouzouris. Marcus Amand was next, the polesitter starting the race 24th and ending the opening lap in 12th position following a flying start.

He then picked off several more to work his way well into the top 10 in a stout recovery drive following his disappointments in races one and two.

Max Vidau – in his best race since returning to the championship yet – and Oscar Targett completed the top-10.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the weekend was brutal for the man who led the championship coming into the weekend, Harri Jones.

Penalised after crossing the line in second position in the opening race, Jones’ could only manage 10th position in race two – ensuring he started back in the pack for race three.

Things got worse in race one after he made contact Clay Osborne in the first corner as the field charged into turn one.

As a result, Osborne was hit into Bayley Hall, who spun across the road and into the path of Jones’ #1 entry, damaging the car enough to force him out of the race. Osborne was penalised during the race for the contact, however a subsequent post-race investigation proved that the Kiwi Porsche Michelin Junior was not at fault.

While Osborne’s in-race penalty could not be reversed, Jones’ was penalised 25 championship points for his role in the contact.

The non-finish was Jones’ worst Carrera Cup race since the 2024 Adelaide finale’ opener – by which point he had already claimed his second Carrera Cup title – and was enough to ensure O’Keeffe wrestled the championship lead away once again.

Their arm-wrestle for Carrera Cup supremacy will continue in Surfers Paradise in two weeks time.

Hall’s non-finish was similarly costly for the Porsche Michelin Junior championship leader, dropping him from third to fourth in overall championship as a result – Russell climbing into the championship top three for the first time this season.

The Pro-Am battle was between Matt Slavin and Matt Belford on Sunday, the latter copping damage early in the race and dropping his front splitter – making his car hard to drive and giving Slavin the advantage.

He’d go on to claim the win however Belford’s two wins in the opening races were enough to ensure he sealed the deal to claim the round victory and a substantial haul of championship points.

With Slavin on the Bathurst podium for the second consecutive year, Rodney Jane’s consistency shone through as the Pro-Am championship leader banked enough points to secure the final step on the podium.

With two rounds remaining, Jane continues to lead the Pro-Am Championship by a now reduced margin to Matt Belford, with Matt Slavin moving to third place.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will return the championship to the streets of Surfers Paradise and three races at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, on October 24-26.

Wood claims first win of 2025 in Saturday shootout

Belford goes 2/2 in Pro-Am with one race remaining

UPDATED: David Russell has been delivered his second win on the trot at Mount Panorama, after Dale Wood – who crossed the line first – was penalised post-race for contact on the opening lap. 

Wood’s five second penalty dropped him from first to fifth position when the race had finished, elevating Russell to the win for the second time this weekend.

It came following another dramatic affair at Mount Panorama with Wood initially crossing the line first having assumed the lead when Marcus Amand clipped the wall at Reid Park while leading, delivering Wood a lead he’d never lose – until the penalty.

Before being promoted, race 1 winner David Russell chased down his Equity One Pro class rival to continue his strong weekend with second, while Dylan O’Keeffe took yet more points out of title rival Harri Jones in third.

In Pro-Am, Matt Belford made it two from two to continue his charge forward in the Carrera Cup race within a race, beating home Stephen Grove and Matt Slavin.

Amand made the best start from the front row of the grid, while Wood jumped from the second row of the grid to slot in behind the international ace on the run up the hill.

Behind there was contact as Caleb Sumich clipped a recovering Lockie Bloxsom, the former’s car jumped into the air after the contact and ultimately falling out of the race.

The race was neutralised early after Sam Shahin hit the wall hard at Reid Park, his The Bend Motorsport Park Porsche pulling to a halt just before the metal grate and bringing out the Porsche Taycan Safety Car. Shahin climbed from the car under his own power.

When the race resumed, Amand pulled away on the restart and looked in control – until a big sideways moment under the tree on the sixth lap saw his TekworkX Porsche hit the wall: Amand out of the race instantly with damage to the left rear suspension following the contact – as Wood claimed the race lead.

With Russell second and ultimately promoted to the win, O’Keeffe was a safe second on ammended results to scythe more margin out of Harri Jones in the chase for this year’s championship; the current series leader only managing 10th position having started a long way down the field on account of qualifying earlier in the weekend.

With the margin more than 80 points coming into the round, it provisionally stands at less than 20 with one race remaining this weekend.

Marco Giltrap backed up his race one podium finish with third and top Porsche Michelin Junior, while Hamish Fitzsimmons continued to impress in fourth

Bayley Hall backed up his race one charge through the field with another in race two as he ended up sixth, with Clay Osborne following him home in seventh.

Glen Wood slipped from fourth on the grid to eighth at the finish while a furiously battling Oscar Targett and Harri Jones rounded out the top-10.

Matt Belford dealt with his second late-race restart to claim another Pro-Am victory, his second of the weekend, ahead of the finale’ tomorrow morning.

Stephen Grove secured second, his best result since returning to the championship earlier this season, while Matt Slavin scored his second, third-placed finish of the weekend.

Starting last, Rodney Jane salvaged championship points with a solid fourth placed finish, with Marc Cini in fifth.

The final race of the Bathurst weekend doubles as the warmup act to Sunday’s Bathurst 1000, with a 9:35am start time. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo, Channel 7 and Sky NZ.

Russell claims race of the season in Bathurst thriller

Matt Belford claims Pro-Am win in one-lap thriller to the line in Bathurst

DAVID RUSSELL has stormed to victory in the best race of the season, as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship put on a finish for the ages at Mount Panorama.

The experienced Queenslander, who recently notched up his 200th race start, fended off championship leader Harri Jones and Dylan O’Keeffe in a climactic one-lap dash in today’s 40-minute Enduro Cup race to claim his ninth – and possibly best – Carrera Cup Equity-One Professional class race win.

Matt Belford powered to an emphatic Pro-Am victory over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin to continue his recent championship charge.

Starting second, Russell made the best start and beat teammate Marcus Amand to the first corner to build a lead he would never lose.

Leading by 1.8 seconds by the end of the first lap, he gapped Dale Wood and Amand in the early stages to look completely in control aboard his Hire-A-Hubby TekworkX entry.

Behind them, Jones and O’Keeffe were two drivers on the move having started the race in seventh and ninth places, respectively: the former quickly racing his way into the top four with his ever move mirrored by O’Keeffe just a few spots behind.

While Russell managed his lead in front, the battle for second gradually built as Amand caught second-placed Wood and Jones caught them both as he looked to recover from his worst qualifying performance of the season.

While Jones attempted several passes on Amand, the three-car battle came to a head with a climactic moment at Murray’s corner on the 13th lap, Jones diving up the inside at the corner while Amand tried to send it around the outside only to spin off the road and into the gravel trap – bringing out the Safety Car.

Amand would be recovered from the gravel and ultimately finish 23rd, however heads to tomorrow’s second race in an ideal place for redemption given he will start from pole once again.

With officials deeming there enough time for a one lap dash to the line, Russell led the field back to green conditions on a race track covered in dirt and debris from earlier incidents.

That cost Dale Wood a podium finish, the Connected Spaces driver wide at turn one and running off the road – allowing Jones a free pass to second as he recovered from bouncing through the runoff area. Wood ultimately finished seventh.

That set up the battle for the lead as Jones closed on Russell exiting the Elbow, the pair weaving down Conrod in the tow, before battling through the chase and into the final corner. Jones looked right, then left, but Russell’s defence was stout and saw him edge Jones to the line – O’Keeffe just behind them in third.

It was Russell’s first race win since Bathurst exactly twelve months ago and saw him gain considerable ground on Bayley Hall in their battle for third and fourth in the Equity-One Pro Class Championship.

Behind all that, Marco Giltrap equalled his career-best race finish with fourth position aboard his Team Porsche NZ entry, Glen Wood doing the same in fifth position aboard his Embrey Attachments car – also fielded by EBM.

Hamish Fitzsimmons was another to equal his PB result in sixth, with Wood seventh having recovered from his off at the start of the final lap.

Clay Osborne, Bayley Hall – who started 17th – and Lockie Bloxsom completed the top 10 in a thrilling race.

Pro-Am was Matt Belford’s race throughout, though the ID Land GWR driver was another to deal with the one-lap dash to the line to secure his third race win from the last four races.

He fended off Brett Boulton by less than one second to claim the win, while Matt Slavin was a mover and ended up third in class: Rodney Jane and Stephen Grove completing the top five.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field will have 24 hours to regroup from the opening race, Race 2 set for 3:25pm local time on Saturday at Mount Panorama, with live coverage on Fox Sports, Kayo, Sky NZ and the screens of Seven in Australia.

Amand, Belford claim Bathurst poles in unpredictable wet session

Jumbled grid to provide plenty of action come race one on Friday

MARCUS AMAND and Matt Belford have braved the Bathurst wet to claim the Tag Heuer Pole Awards at Mount Panorama in Round 6 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship. 

Heavy rain fell in the leadup to the Thursday afternoon session on the Mountain throwing plans for a dry run into disarray and creating a jumbled up grid for the first race tomorrow.

Two red flag interruptions broke the session up and restricted opportunities for long running, meaning the circuit remained wet throughout the 30-minutes and restricted sevral drivers to just one proper push lap – while needing two.

Amand was imperious and instantly to the top, the TekworkX driver having earlier topped the sole, 50-minute practice session earlier in the morning.

His first full flyer was more than two seconds quicker than anyone else and it took a well-timed run from teammate David Russell to close the margin just before another red flag flew. Ultimately, Amand’s 2m26.0920s was enough to grab pole by four-tenths in a TekworkX 1-2.

It’s the team’s first ever 1-2 result in qualifying and their first pole since Taupo in 2024, while Amand’s result comes just four days after he claimed the Porsche Carrera Cup France championship at Paul Ricard last weekend.

Third represented Dale Wood’s best qualifying result of the season aboard his Connected Spaces EBM entry, while two career personal bests followed from a pair of Porsche Michelin Juniors.

Marco Giltrap’s fourth represented the best ever in his Carrera Cup career, coming at the venue where he sealed his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship two years ago.

Fifth was also a personal best result for Tom McLennan, surpassing his previous best effort by six positions in what turned out to be an outstanding wet-weather performance for the TekworkX team.

Glen Wood was sixth, while an uncharacteristically scrappy day from the champion Harri Jones saw him finish the day seventh for race one – and even further back for the second race, where the grid is based on the second quickest lap time from qualifying.

Clay Osborne was eighth aboard his McElrea entry with Dylan O’Keeffe and Hamish Fitzsimmons completing the top-10 – the latter also securing his best ever qualifying performance in his brief Carrera Cup career.

Matt Belford beat several Equity-One Pro’s to end qualifying 14th outright and score his second TAG Heuer Pole Award of the season in the Pro-Am class, leaving him comfortably in front of Matt Slavin in second and the experienced Marc Cini, who was third.

The day was filled with several incidents including several spins in qualifying – one each from Rodney Jane, Sam Shahin and Indiran Padayachee – that saw the red flag fly.

Earlier in practice, Harri Jones and Matt Belford were both damaged in an incident at Murray’s Corner, while a large number of cars found the limits of grip at turn one and The Chase throughout the session.

Race one of the weekend is set for 2:20pm on Friday on the Mountain, with the race to double as the Enduro Cup affair for this weekend.

The race will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo, Channel 7 and Sky NZ.

Porsche battle heads back to Bathurst

21st visit to Mount Panorama for Carrera Cup with storylines aplenty

THE SIXTH round of the 2025 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship moves the title battle along to Mount Panorama, Bathurst – with key storylines abound coming into a critical round in the season-long fight.

Harri Jones (Equity-One Pro) and Rodney Jane (Pro-Am) will seek to continue their title-leading ways this weekend though it’s not likely to be easy.

The 26-strong field locked in for this weekend remains consistent from the most recent hit out at The Bend; 17 Equity-One Professional class cars and 9 Pro-Am contenders entered. Four drivers will run in the Masters category within the Pro-Am ranks.

Six drivers will race this weekend battle hardened following global Carrera Cup exploits last weekend.

French-Finnish young gun Marcus Amand returns to Australia as the newly crowned Porsche Carrera Cup France champion, having sealed the title last weekend at Paul Ricard.

It will mark the second time this season that Carrera Cup Australia will have hosted two current global one-make Carrera Cup champions on the same grid.

Dylan O’Keeffe, Bayley Hall, Matt Belford and Dean Cook all came away with silverware from last weekend’s Porsche Carrera Cup Asia finale’ in Singapore – the challenging Marina Bay circuit a perfect warm-up for the Mountain this weekend.

Meanwhile, Sonic’s Porsche Michelin Junior ace Marcos Flack snuck over to contest the final round of Porsche Carrera Cup Germany at the Hockenheim circuit, ensuring he’s likely to return battle hardened too.

Once again eyes will be on both the Porsches and the classic Bathurst enduro as well, with three Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia drivers to perform double duties this weekend, with championship leader Harri Jones to line up alongside Anton De Pasquale aboard the Team 18 DeWalt Chevrolet Camaro for his first Bathurst start.

David Russell, meanwhile, will make his 16^th Great Race start, returning to PremiAir Racing alongside James Golding.

Dale Wood will make his 18^th Bathurst start, driving alongside Penrite Racing young-gun Kai Allen. That team is owned by Carrera Cup competitor and multiple Pro-Am class champion, Stephen Grove who will also race this weekend.

It is not unprecedented for drivers to succeed doing both: Warren Luff won the 2013 Bathurst Carrera Cup round, before going on to finish a fighting third in the Great Race later that day.

Meanwhile, Steven Richards finished third overall in the 2015 Carrera Cup Bathurst round before winning the Bathurst 1000 later that day with Craig Lowndes.

They remain the only instances where a driver doing double duty has scored a pair of Bathurst podiums on the same day.

Five different drivers and five different teams have claimed the last five Bathurst rounds: David Wall (Wall Racing), Cooper Murray (McElrea Racing), Aaron Love (Sonic), Harry King (EMA Motorsport) and Harri Jones (Porsche Centre Melbourne) having taken the top spots.

Of the current field, Jones is the only driver to have won at Bathurst previously, claiming the round honours last year.

David Russell and Dale Wood completed the podium with the latter also claiming race three, the traditional Bathurst 1000 warm-up on Sunday morning.

Adrian Flack claimed two of the three races to win the Pro-Am round ahead of Rodney Jane, who won Race 1, and Matt Slavin.

Jones’ holds the qualifying record on the Mountain, his 2m04.6672s best set in 2023.

British ace Harry King owns the race lap record, the benchmark standing at 2m05.4074s also set in 2023.

This weekend marks the 21^st Porsche Carrera Cup Australia round at Mount Panorama, the most of any circuit on the calendar.

The event commences on Thursday morning with a solitary practice session ahead of the all-important qualifying for the TAG Heuer Pole Awards on Thursday afternoon.

From there, one race each day on Friday and Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, respectively, completes the weekend with the finale’ the traditional pre-Bathurst 1000 curtain-raiser.

All sessions will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo while all three races will also be shown on the Seven Network.

ENTRY LIST – Round 6, Mount Panorama, Bathurst

‘Famous’ new partnership as noted specialist insurance brokers join Porsche Carrera Cup

Passion for motorsport flows in new partnership with Famous Insurance Brokers

FAMOUS Insurance Brokers will bring their passion for motoring and motorsport as the Official Insurance Partner of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.

Famous branding appeared on the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field at The Bend Motorsport Park recently, with the new partnership racing into the second half of the 2025 season at major events including the Repco Bathurst 1000, Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 and BP Adelaide Grand Final.

An Australian family owned and run business, Famous are more than just insurance – they are a specialist team of motor enthusiasts supporting people on their journey making sure their pride and joy is protected.

Famous provides customers with policy features including Agreed Value, Your choice of repairer and salvage rights, among others.

Customers can request a quote online at the Famous Insurance website or by calling 1300FAMOUS (1300 32 66 87).

The recognisable Famous brand has already appeared in the championship this year as an ongoing partner of Embrey Attachments / EBM driver, Glen Wood.

“This partnership represents more than just brand alignment, it’s about building a future and creating memorable experiences for our customers and the Porsche Motorsport community,” said Famous Insurance Brokers owner, Belinda Scott.

“Both Porsche and Famous service high performance and premium markets and their history and passion for the sport mirrors our own.

“We look forward to building a successful, enduring relationship with Porsche built on our mutual pursuit of excellence.”

The new major partnership with Porsche Carrera Cup Australia runs through the end of the 2025 season, with Famous branding apparent on the field of Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Cars.

“We are proud to welcome Famous Insurance Brokers as a major partner to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia family,” said Porsche Cars Australia Senior Motorsport Manager Craig Nayda.

“With the brand’s long history in motoring and motorsport, Porsche is a brand all about passion. Our paddock is filled with passionate people who love the sport and make the cars they drive, own or work on their pride and joys.

“We’re excited to partner with Famous to showcase their similar passions to the motorsport community in Australia and we’re proud to fly their flag alongside Australia’s top one-make category.”

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see a 27-strong grid tackle Mount Panorama as a key act on the Repco Bathurst 1000 program on October 9-12.

Aussies winners in Carrera Cup Asia Singapore finale

Pro-Am win for Matt Belford, podiums for O'Keeffe, Hall and Cook in Singapore

PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia contenders have all grabbed some silverware following the final round of the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship event on the streets of Singapore. 

All four drivers making cameos in the Asian series this weekend had their time to shine on the podium, with the biggest highlight perhaps a Pro-Am victory for Matt Belford in Race two on Sunday – followed home by Dean Cook.

Belford had finished second in Pro-Am on Saturday but stepped up a spot in the final race following a race long battle with Aussie teammate Cook.

The latter actually crossed the line first before a 10-second penalty dropped him behind Belford but ensured he remained on the podium.

In a guest appearance for EBM, Bayley Hall finished second in race one and third in race two, while Dylan O’Keeffe rebounded – from a post-race penalty in race one that dropped him from fourth to ninth – to second in Sunday’s finale in a stout performance for Toro Racing.

The pair ran nose-to-tail in Sunday’s race after fighting their way through from starting positions in the lower half of the top 10.

It ensured all four Aussie drivers racing as guests this weekend will take home at least one trophy as they prepare for next weekend’s sixth round of Carrera Cup Australia at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.

A large Aussie travelling contingent was on hand to support the Carrera Cup racers with representatives from O’Keeffe’s partners National Make Good Solutions, Tempur and Lowbake travelling with a large contingent of Aussie automotive industry representatives this weekend.

Hall’s car supported backing from his Aussie sponsors too – Vacationer caravans – while families of all four drivers were on hand.

Part of this weekend’s operation was facilitated by Porsche Carrera Cups Asia and Australia working together – a continuation of a relationship between the two regional one-make series that dates back to the Asian series first visiting Australia in 2016, and a return Aussie visit to Sepang in Malaysia a year later.

All four drivers will return to their usual cars and will be in action next week at Mount Panorama.

2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion Dylan Pereira won both races in Singapore to cap off a dominant Carrera Cup Asia season.

Evolutionary changes confirmed for Carrera Cup

Focus shifts to 2026 and beyond as Porsche plans for the future

PORSCHE Motorsport Australia has presented plans to teams for the 2026 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season and beyond, ensuring long-term stability for Australia’s top one-make category.

Evolutionary changes to both sporting and technical regulations are designed to bring Carrera Cup Australia closer in line with other major Carrera Cups around the world, while at the same increasing sustainability for competitors.

Changes to the sporting regulations are designed to align Australia’s top one-make class with key Carrera Cup series around the world, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and international GT racing in general.

Race format changes will see four of the scheduled 2026 rounds adopt the international Carrera cup format of two, 45-minute races, while the remaining events will feature the current three, 30-minute sprint race format.

Rounds featuring the longer races will contribute towards the Endurance Cup titles in Equity-One Pro and Pro-Am classes in 2026. The full schedule and format structure will be announced following the public release of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship calendar.

In advance of the arrival of the 992.2 generation model to Australian shores in 2027, all current 992-generation cars will run with Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) in 2026, also mirroring other key Carrera Cups around the world.

The move to ABS also supports Porsche Michelin Junior competitors who will require experience with ABS-specified cars should they contest the Porsche Junior shootout or global Porsche competition.

ABS has been utilised sporadically in Carrera Cup Australia, including several seasons where Pro-Am competitors had exclusive use. Its use across the entire field will be a first for the local competition.

An additional subsidy on selected parts – averaging at more than 20% on the listed price across ABS kits and brake components and consumables – will also lower the price of spare parts for competing teams.

Plans have also been outlined for the introduction of the latest-generation one-make Porsche 911 racer to Australian shores, with the first demonstration model destined to land Down Under early in 2026.

It has been confirmed that 28 cars will be available to the Australian market for the 2027 season.

The current 992 Cup Car will become eligible for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the same time the new 992.2 Cup is introduced into Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

Further announcements regarding the 2026 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be announced in due course.

Craig Nayda – Senior Motorsport Manager Porsche Cars Australia

“Our presentation to teams is about getting ahead of the curve, for not just 2026 but also get on the front foot for the introduction of the new car in 2027.

“Part of the reason Carrera Cup is so successful is that it is a truly international formula and these changes bring Australia closer into line with how the major Carrera Cups in Asia, America and Europe all operate.

“As well as making it easier for our drivers to adapt should they tackle any Carrera Cup racing globally, it will work in reverse when overseas drivers come to race here.

“ABS has been a talking point but ahead of the 992.2 introduction it made sense to bring the system in now.

“Sporting, technical and operational changes, along with our 2026 calendars, will position Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge as even better value propositions within the Australian Motorsport landscape.”

Jones takes The Bend, Amand breaks through

Matt Belford takes Pro-Am victory at The Bend

HARRI JONES has continued his charge towards a third Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, claiming victory in Round 5 at The Bend in South Australia.

Meanwhile, Marcus Amand broke through for a first Australian race victory in the final race of the weekend after several ‘near misses’ at both his Queensland Raceway debut and across the weekend at The Bend.

Jones claimed the Equity-One Pro win ahead of Amand and Dylan O’Keeffe – his nearest title rival – to extend his championship lead ahead of the next round at Mount Panorama.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford claimed two of the three race victories to take his second round win of the season, entrenching his position in second in the championship and closing the margin slightly on series leader Rodney Jane.

Jane finished second overall at The Bend with home-town hero Sam Shahin completing the podium in third.

Sunday was an action-packed day with an action-packed enduro cup opener chaotic from the start.

An issue with the starting lights saw some make regular starts while others were slow away – polesitter Marcus Amand tumbling from the front of the grid to outside the top 10, while Jones started third but clearly led the field into turn one.

He wouldn’t be headed in the 45-minute encounter, pulling away to claim a 26th career victory.

Amand, however, was on fire and scythed his way through the pack with a series of surgical passes to work his way back into contention – passing Bayley Hall late in the race to recover to second position.

Hall rebounded from a tough Saturday to finish third, while Dale Wood was another in the recovery group following his race one non-finish, finishing fourth. Dylan O’Keeffe was next, Oscar Targett, Clay Osborne, Angelo Mouzouris, David Russell and Marco Giltrap completing the top-10.

The Pro-Am battle was a thriller and came down to the final few corners of the race.

A recovering Sam Shahin crossed the line first, however he had a 15 second penalty for an earlier incident hanging over his head – ensuring that the battle for the actual win was waging behind.

In a gripping exchange, Brett Boulton and Rodney Jane swapped spots in the final two turns, the former slipping pas the championship leader to take his first ever Carrera Cup class win.

Race three was far more straightforward with Amand and Jones starting from the front row of the grid – the former making his customary flying start that saw him lead the field into turn one from the outside of the front row.

He was never to be headed, sweeping to his first win on Aussie soil and the first of the season for TekworkX Motorsport.

Jones finished a solid, points-scoring second position while Dylan O’Keeffe chased him home to ensure he minimised any championship points loss to his nearest rival.

David Russell and Bayley Hall were next across the line with Angelo Mouzouris and Lockie Bloxsom next; Oscar Targett, Glen Wood and Max Vidau completing the top-10.

The latter was fortunate to make the finish following a dramatic sequence late in the race as Clay Osborne, Marcos Flack, Vidau and Dale Wood were involved in a dramatic exchange at turn 17 with just a few laps remaining.

The contact saw Vidau sandwiched between other cars and Osborne speared across into the path of Wood, both cars damaged enough to be non-finishers.

In the Pro-Am battle, Matt Belford charged to an early lead and was never headed; doing the job to claim his fourth win of the season and close on series’ leader Rodney Jane.

Sam Shahin finished second and Jane third to secure their respective spots on the round podium alongside the winner.

With five rounds complete, attention turns to the Mountain as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns to the Repco Bathurst 1000 in mid October.

Carrera Cup leaders battle as Jones prevails again

Matt Belford takes Pro-Am victory in Tailem Bend opener

HARRI JONES has claimed his 25th career Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship race win, fending off fellow title leader Marcus Amand to take race one at The Bend on Saturday afternoon. 

The Jones Motorsport driver extended his series lead with a victory over the TekworkX star with Dylan O’Keeffe third.

Matt Belford converted pole position to a race win in the Pro-Am class, leading home Dean Cook and Sam Shahin.

Starting from pole, Jones led clearly into turn one and was never headed in the round five opener, while Amand – who currently leads Carrera Cup France – made a flying start from fifth on the grid to jump to second by the first turn.

The French-Finnish driver had initially qualified second however received a three grid position penalty for a yellow flag infringement for qualifying – but recovered all of those positions on the run to turn one.

He set the quickest lap of the race in his pursuit of Jones but after pressuring for the lead late in the race before a running wide on the penultimate lap and dropping ground to the leader – ultimately settling for second position with Dylan O’Keeffe third.

Jones’ win was his eighth of his remarkable 2025 season and the 25th of his career, the Sunshine Coast local trailing only Craig Baird, Alex Davison and Jim Richards on the all-time race winners list.

In fourth was Lockie Bloxsom: who was now only the top of the Michelin Juniors but also secured his best ever Carrera Cup race finish – backing up a similar result in the earlier qualifying session.

He fended off a returning Christian Pancione, who was fifth on his comeback drive and first Carrera Cup race start since 2023 aboard his VCM Performance / Team MPC entry.

David Russell was sixth in his milestone 200th Porsche Carrera Cup Australia race, enjoying a spirited battle for much of the early running with Dale Wood. The latter suffered a puncture on the inside sidewall, pitting for new rubber before resuming but finishing last of the 27 runners.

Angelo Mouzouris and Marcos Flack were next aboard their Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic entries, while Bayley Hall was a quiet ninth in his EMA Motorsport car – chasing the Sonic duo home.

Rounding out the top-10 was Marco Giltrap, enjoying his strongest race since round three in Darwin.

Matt Belford claimed his third Pro-Am win of the season in style, converting pole position to a race win after a busy start within the Pro-Am ranks.

The result was a GWR Australia 1-2, the Victorian trailed home by Dean Cook in his Dexion entry.

Sam Shahin rebounded to third position after a slow start that saw him tumble down the order from a second-placed start.

With Rodney Jane fourth on the road in Pro-Am, the result further tightens the battle for the class title lead entering the second half of the season.

Aside from Wood’s puncture and some early combat in the midfield, the opening race was a trouble-free affair ahead of tomorrow’s busy program that includes two races; opening with the Enduro Cup race and followed by a final sprint.

The morning race will double as the milestone 400th Carrera Cup race for series stalwart Marc Cini, thought to be the first in the world to achieve the milestone in one-make Porsche racing.

Coverage on Sunday will be shown on Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky NZ.

Russell, title rivals pace Friday at The Bend

TekworkX driver sets early marker as title rivals remain close ahead of Qualifying

DOUBLE DUTIES are proving no deterrent to success for Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia contenders on day one of the AirTouch 500 at The Bend today. 

David Russell and Harri Jones – both co-drivers in the Supercars enduro this weekend – topped today’s running following a pair of 30-minute practice sessions at the South Australian Circuit despite bouncing between Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car and Supercar today.

Russell’s 1m49.9489s flyer late in practice two was the only sub-1m50 lap recorded today and saw the TekworkX racer top the Equity-One professional class by just under three-tenths of a second, with Jones second.

Jones’ nearest title rival, Dylan O’Keeffe, ended the day third and just behind his key rival for this year’s Carrera Cup crown, while Marcus Amand started his second local round in strong form with fourth.

A welcome return to local form for Porsche Michelin Junior Oscar Targett saw the EBM driver end the day in fifth position, fresh from a podium finish in the most recent round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship in Indonesia.

Sonic’s Marcos Flack was sixth, Dale Wood ensured the trio of drivers doing double duty all ended the day in the top seven while Ange Mouzouris, local Max Vidau and Glen Wood completed the top-10.

Just one second covered the top 14 cars today with the entire Equity-One Pro field covered by 1.7s.

Notables outside of the top 10 included Bayley Hall – who sits third in the championship – who ended the day 15th – just behind Caleb Sumich, who is coming off a career-best qualifying weekend in Queensland.

Sam Shahin topped the runners in the Pro-Am class with Matt Belford second and the returning Dean Cook third.

The day was relatively free of incident for a majority of the field, though Hamish Fitzsimmons found the concrete in practice one after a braking issue saw him struggle to slow at turn one early in the session.

Meanwhile, the second session was paused with a Red Flag momentarily for a working vehicle in an unsafe position.

Several returning drivers enjoyed strong performances with the local hope Max Vidau strong, while Christian Pancione returned to the series in style in the first session to finish second, before ending 13th in the second practice.

Tomorrow will see the battle for the TAG Heuer pole award and race one contested at The Bend, both sessions to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports – plus Sky NZ.

Major Porsche Carrera Cup milestones to be reached in South Australia

400th race for longest-serving one-make Porsche legend on the cards this weekend

TWO Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship legends will reach career milestones at The Bend this week – one of them thought to be a world first for one-make Porsche racing.

A Carrera Cup ‘OG’, Marc Cini will reach the remarkable milestone of his 400^th career championship race start in race two.

The milestone comes at Round five of the championship which will see the series return to the South Australian circuit for the first time since 2023, a 27-car grid ready to do battle on the 4.95km International circuit alongside the opening race of the Supercars Enduro Cup, the AirTouch 500.

Cini’s upcoming milestone represents more than twenty years of continuous competition in Australia’s top one-make category.

In the more than 30-year heritage of Carrera Cup racing, it is believed to be the first time any driver will have reached the four hundred race milestone globally.

The Victorian made his debut in the third round of the debut 2003 Carrera Cup Australia season and has since competed at 136 rounds, starting a minimum of two events in each of the 20 seasons prior to 2025.

His 13 full season championship campaigns is also a Carrera Cup Australia record, while he has twice tackled the Carrera Cup support race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and completed the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as part of a ‘Team Australia’ attack alongside Stephen Grove and Joey Mawson.

With those races added to his tally, plus races in Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia and non-championship Carrera Cup Australia races, Cini has started more than 450 one-make Porsche races in his career.

The Victorian, famous for his Hallmarc Property Group-backed Porsche, has driven in every generation of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car to have raced in Australia, starting with the 996 and progressing through two generations each of the 997 and 991, and now the 992.

Fiercely loyal, Cini spent a majority of his career with Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport with long links and a close friendship with Porsche Motorsport Australia hall of famer Karl Batson across his epic Porsche career.

Meanwhile, David Russell will become just the sixth member of the Carrera Cup Australia ‘200 club’, set to reach his 200^th start in The Bend’s opening race on Saturday.

Russell’s Carrera Cup career spans two stanzas, the first commencing in 2006 before a second stint from 2014 that has established him as one of the series’ elite drivers.

Twice a runner-up in the championship, Russell has won eight races, scored five pole positions and finished on the round podium 18 times in his career, winning the 2024 Taupo round. Russell currently sits fourth in the championship following a recent string of strong results, including a podium finish at Queensland Raceway last time out.

The TekworkX driver will join fellow ‘double ton’ members including Cini, David Wall, Rodney Jane, Stephen Grove and Nick McBride when he starts The Bend’s opening race this Saturday.

As well as the return of Marc Cini, the grid set for this weekend also includes the return of fellow Pro-Am runner Indiran Padayachee and three-time class champion Stephen Grove, who is set to make his first Carrera Cup race start since the conclusion of the 2024 season in Adelaide. Dean Cook also returns in the #22 Dexion / RAM Motorsport / GWR entry.

In the Equity-One Professional class ranks, Finnish teenager Marcus Amand returns for a second round following an impressive Australian debut with TekworkX at Queensland Raceway, ending the weekend second in the final race.

Meanwhile, South Aussie home-town hero Max Vidau returns at his local circuit, while Christian Pancione will make his first start in the category since the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Championship leader Harri Jones, Connected Spaces EBM ace Dale Wood and double centurion David Russell will all do double-duties this weekend balancing their Carrera Cup commitments alongside co-driving roles in the Supercars race.

Practice gets underway this Friday at Shell V-Power Motorsport park with three races set for the weekend – all to be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia, and Sky Sport NZ.

ENTRY LIST – Round 5, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, The Bend

Double dose of The Bend for Porsche teams in massive fortnight

'It's a huge logistical challenge, but we will make it work'

PORSCHE MOTORSPORT Australia teams will complete one of the busiest fortnights in their respective histories with a unique double-header to be held in South Australia across the next two weeks.

Shell V-Power Motorsport Park – The Bend – located to the Southeast of the city will host consecutive weekends of one-make Porsche racing, with the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia kicking things off at the Shannons SpeedSeries GT Festival next week.

That will be followed by a strong Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship grid lining up as the key support on the AirTouch 500 at The Bend program as the Supercars endurance season kicks off.

All told, 50 entries have been lodged across the two categories with 48 drivers and 13 different teams to compete across the 10-day period.

Three generations of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car will be represented across the two events, ironically both of which serve as the fifth round of their respective seasons.

Only two drivers – Equity-One Pro / Michelin Junior Lockie Bloxsom and Pro-Am regular Indiran Padayachee – will contest both rounds, with 30 Professional class drivers, 19 Pro-Am entries and 1 Sprint Challenge Class B runner locked in.

Seven teams will run cars at both events, some of them entering multiple cars at both, creating a challenging logistical exercise to swap vehicles and inventory in the four-day gap between completing the Michelin Sprint Challenge event and commencing the Carrera Cup round.

Compounding the challenge is that four teams running both rounds are Queensland based – the two-day, 4,000km round trip back and forward offering up some challenging logistics to plan for both events.

Based on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, Jones Motorsport will essentially operate as if running three separate events – a Carrera Cup test day planned on the Thursday prior to the Sprint Challenge round adding in another element to the mix.

“We’re breaking it up as three outings,” explained Team Principal, Matt Cook.

The team will complete more than 10,000km on the road across the fortnight, running back and forth between their Queensland base as they splitting their efforts between their two programs.

The Sprint Challenge round will conclude on Saturday, freeing up an additional day of travel and preparation for teams.

“Harri is testing the Carrera Cup Car on the Thursday prior to the Sprint Challenge round, so we’ll send one truck down first with that car to get ready for the test. A second truck will leave a day later, on Tuesday, with the Sprint Challenge cars and gear for bump-in on Thursday.

“Half our crew will then work on Harri’s car testing while the other sets up for the Sprint Challenge round, then on Friday everyone will be on the Sprint Challenge cars for the event.”

The support of local squads has also allowed the interstate teams room to move while in South Australia.

“Dean Canto has been good enough to rent us some space in his shop at The Bend to prep the Carrera Cup Car, so we’ll prep that on Sunday and Monday and then fly home for a few days between rounds.

“One truck will also come back to Queensland, swap out the Sprint Challenge gear for the Carrera Cup equipment and come back.

“By Thursday we’ll all be back at The Bend and set up with the Carrera Cup car and ready to go. It’s a huge logistical challenge but it’s well organised and with the right planning It can go smoothly.

“Our week is added to by the fact Harri will be doing double duties with the Supercars enduro, but he knows that we will be good to go and everything will be as normal in the Carrera Cup paddock.”

Sonic Motor Racing driver Jake Santalucia leads the Sprint Challenge standings with two rounds remaining, holding a narrow 16-point lead over McElrea’s Lockie Bloxsom, with Ryan Casha (DNA Motorsport) third and Tom Bewley (Team Porsche NZ / EBM) fourth.

Ramu Farrell leads the Pro-Am standings ahead of Andrew Georgiadis and Jacque Jarjo, while Daniel Quimby leads class B.

In Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, reigning champion Harri Jones reasserted himself at the top of the standings following the most recent round at Queensland Raceway and enjoys a 58-point lead over Dylan O’Keeffe, with Bayley Hall sitting third.

The Pro-Am race is led by Rodney Jane over Matt Belford and Matt Slavin.

Round 5 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will be held with the Shannons SpeedSeries GT Festival at The Bend on September 5-6, while Round 5 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia will compete at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend the following weekend, September 12-14.

August and September will prove a busy period of Porsche activity at The Bend with the Porsche Track Experience program spending more than a week at the venue prior to the race meetings.

Additionally, customer entries will also compete at the Shannons SpeedSeries event competing in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Championship with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Club Sport.

Fans can follow the action on the Porsche Motorsport Australia social media channels, @porschemotorsportau on Facebook and Instagram.

Jones, Shahin sweep Queensland as Carrera Cup reaches half way

Championship lead changes hands in Eqiuty-One pro as second half of 2025 looms large

HARRI JONES and Sam Shahin have swept their respective weekends in Round 4 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway, as the championship reaches its half-way point. 

Jones’ perfect weekend came with pole, three wins and a new lap record as he turned a 10-point championship defecit prior to the round to a 58-point lead ahead of the next event at The Bend in September.

It was a weekend to remember for the Queenslander, who with wife Emily welcomed baby Leo to the world on Saturday morning before producing perhaps one of his most comprehensive weekends in his remarkable career to date.

Click here to read the report from Sunday Morning’s Enduro Cup race

Shahin’s weekend was similarly complete despite battling jetlag after only arriving back in Australia late on Thursday prior to the round. Shahin’s win was his first of the season.

The Equity-One Professional Class podium was completed by a delighted TekworkX Racing duo of David Russell (Second) and Marcus Amand in third.

Russell’s consistent weekend ensured he recorded his 19th career podium and climbs to fourth in the championship, within striking distance of Bayley Hall in third.

Amand, meanwhile, took advantage of starting on the second row of the grid in the third and final race of the weekend to finally have his chance to challenge for the race lead, having spent the previous two races starting in the bottom half of the top-10.

Starting fourth in the finale, he exited turn one in third place and then passed Russell for second before trying to chase down leader Jones – ultimately settling for second position and third overall for the weekend.

Race three was a combative affair behind that leading trio with Dale Wood fourth and Dylan O’Keeffe scoring points but losing his championship lead in fifth.

Clay Osborne was first Porsche Michelin Junior home in the race to complete a rounded three-race performance, while Lockie Bloxsom, Angelo Mouzouris and Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top-10.

Shahin claimed the race 3 Pro-Am win over Boulton and Jane, with that result mirroring the round result.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will return the series to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia in September, supporting the Airtouch 500 Supercars enduro.

The week prior will see the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia tackle their penultimate round at the Shannons SpeedSeries event.

Jones again in personal-best filled Enduro Cup affair

Wood second, Amand third in entertaining Enduro Cup race

HARRI JONES delivered again to extend his Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia lead further in the Enduro Cup race on Sunday morning at Queensland Raceway, in a race filled with personal-best performances throughout the field. 

Jones’ performance was a near carbon-copy of his race one win as he got the jump into turn one and pulled away from the field from there.

It extends to 34 points his championship lead ahead of the final race this weekend, while Jones’ also now takes a clear lead in the Enduro Cup points standings having entered the round equal on points with Dylan O’Keeffe.

Behind him, though, were several season-best performances that stood out among the racy 22-car grid.

Dale Wood finished runner up, his best race finish and first in the top three of the season so far aboard his Connected Spaces / EBM entry.

Marcus Amand finished third for TekworkX in a starring performance that saw the teenage Finn charge through the top-10 runners in the early laps, picking his way through the intense battle from fifth back to elevate himself into the five by the second lap.

He dispatched Hamish Fitzsimons for fourth position on the eighth lap and then eased past teammate David Russell for third five laps later.

With Wood in front and Russell behind, the three ran at a hard pace for the remainder of the race without changing positions.

Angelo Mouzouris finished a strong fifth on his 24th birthday, another season-best performance and the best from the #999 Sonic car of the season so far. The same could be said for Fitzsimmons, who ran fourth early before slipping back behind Amand and Mouzouris before consolidating his best ever Carrera Cup performance in sixth; a strong rebound from a challenging Saturday.

A quiet performance from Dylan O’Keeffe saw him finish seventh with Clay Osborne Eighth, Bayley Hall ninth and Caleb Sumich 10th.

In Pro-Am Sam Shahin mirrored Jones’ Pro performance to claim a comfortable victory; getting the best of the starts and easing away from the field to claim his second win of the weekend.

Matt Belford rebounded from a Saturday non-finish to finish second, importantly taking championship points away from class leader Rodney Jane who finished a lap behind following a trip into the turn three gravel early in the race – one that saw the Safety Car briefly called early in the race. Brett Boulton finished third after rebounding from an early spin.

‘Best day of my life’ – Jones claims emotional race one

Sam Shahin takes impressive Pro-Am win at Queensland Raceway

LESS than twelve hours after witnessing the birth of his first son, Leo, Harri Jones completed what he has described as ‘the best day of my life’ by dominating race one of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway.

Starting from pole, Jones executed a perfect start and ran away from the field to claim the first of three races this weekend, returning himself to the championship lead in the process.

It all came on less than an hours sleep as wife Emily gave birth to Baby Leo in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Jones rushed back to his Sunshine Coast home after scoring pole position on Friday afternoon to be with Emily ahead of the birth, returning after several hours with the newborn in the early hours of this morning to complete his remarkable day.

In the Pro-Am class, Sam Shahin executed a similarly strong display to run with the Equity-One Professional class field as he took the class victory on his racing return in Australia.

Jones’ performance was complete and included a new lap record in Carrera Cup’s racing return to Queensland Raceway for the first time in 17 years.

It was his 22nd career race win which is now the most among active drivers in the Carrera Cup field, and the fifth for his family-owned Jones Motorsport squad.

It left rivals to play for second place, which went the way of David Russell’s TekworkX entry after fending off an early challenge from Dylan O’Keeffe.

O’Keeffe gained one spot on the opening lap and hustled the back of Russell’s entry before slipping back to finish a solid third, scoring valuable championship points if surrendering the series lead he gained by winning in Darwin.

Fourth was Bayley Hall, who had a racy day and spent much of his race involved in battles inside the top five – a strong move on Dale Wood elevating him to his final position.

Wood was also passed late in the race by Marcus Amand, who charged from ninth on the grid to fifth place in an aggressive and entertaining performance in his TekworkX machine.

Having battled in qualifying with a broken Brake bias adjuster – which sent all the braking pressure to the back of the car – the young Finn moved forward early with several strong passes before setting Wood up for a move late in the race to claim a top five on his Aussie debut.

Wood finished sixth aboard his Connected Spaces entry with Clay Osborne, Marcos Flack, Lockie Bloxsom and Glen Wood completing the top 10 in race one. A competitive affair saw battles all the way through the Equity-one Pro field.

In Pro-Am there was early drama after contact saw both Scott Taylor and Matt Belford out of the race on the opening lap, while Brett Boulton lost time in the tangle.

Shahin claimed a five-second win over Pro-Am series leader Rodney Jane, with Matt Slavin third and banking more series points.

The one and only race of the day ensures two races will complete the program on Sunday at Queensland Raceway, the 45-minute Enduro Cup race commencing proceedings first thing in the morning prior to the third race – a short, sharp sprint – wrapping things up later in the afternoon.