Matt Campbell wins at Le Mans 24 Hour

Porsche claims double-victory at Circuit de la Sarthe

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia graduate Matt Campbell has taken victory in the world’s toughest long distance race, the Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France.

The 2016 Carrera Cup Australia champion took victory in the GTE-Am class aboard the #77 Porsche 911 RSR of Dempsey-Proton Racing, led by high-profile team co-owner Patrick Dempsey.

Putting in an inspired drive, Porsche Young Professional Campbell (Australia), Christian Ried (Germany) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (France) notched up the 107th class win for Porsche. At just 18 years of age, Julien Andlauer has become the youngest class winner at Le Mans. Like its factory-entered couterpart, the Dempsey-Proton Racing entry led the GTE-Am field for the majority of the 24 hour distance.

In the GTE-Pro category, the #92 Porsche 911 RSR concluded the 86th edition of the race in first place after 344 laps. The driver trio of Kévin Estre (France), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) held the lead for almost the entire distance and controlled the race on the tradition-steeped 13.626-kilometre racetrack. The sister car (#91) shared by Richard Lietz (Austria), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) perfectly rounded off the double victory for Porsche in the GTE-Pro class.

The #86 911 RSR campaigned by Gulf Racing, which included Australian Carrera Cup driver Alex Davison, was relegated to the back of the field at the beginning of the race after becoming entangled in an accident caused by another competitor. Pulling out all stops, the team fought their way back up the order to finish on tenth.

Comments on the race

Matt Campbell – Australia (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “Obviously the race went fantastically. We held the lead from about 5:30pm yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, which is really hard to believe. The car was mega all race. It was absolutely perfect. No mistakes, no contact, nothing like that. Julien and Christian did a fantastic job the while race. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity.

“It’s only my debut here, my second year in Europe and my second year with Porsche, so I’m absolutely over the moon. It’s something crazy.

“Once you have that lead, you need to manage it, just trying to be as consistent as possible and keep the average lap time up as high as you can. It’s quite difficult for us to manage traffic, not to lose too much time ourselves and not fight too much, because you don’t want to get (tyre) pick-up or anything like that. Ferrari’s pace in the race was matching us all race. We got lucky there at the start of the race with a couple of Safety Cars. We were able to really manage that (lead) throughout the whole race, which was quite surprising because obviously in GTE-Am there is a lot of diversity in the driver line-ups. They were always there, the two Ferraris – I think it was #84 and #85 – for the whole race. There was never less than 30 seconds gap and up to a couple of minutes at times. It went perfectly. I can’t express what it feels like, that’s for sure.”

Patrick Dempsey, co-owner Dempsey-Proton Racing: “These young drivers, their first time here, with so many drivers, they just had a level of class in their driving. Matt was on the radio and he was just really calm and knew what he had to do. He just had this look in his eye and I was like ‘this guy is the real deal’. These are young stars emerging and we are a part of it …

“I’m lost for words. Everyone did a fantastic job, it was a victory for the whole team. The race was incredible, we made no mistakes and our work was rewarded with this great success. I can’t tell you how incredibly proud and happy I am for Porsche, too.”

Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor (DK/F/B), Porsche 911 RSR, 344 laps
2. Lietz/Bruni/Makowiecki (A/I/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 343 laps
3. Hand/Müller/Bourdais (USA/D/F), Ford GT, 343 laps
11. Pilet/Tandy/Bamber (F/GB/NZ), Porsche 911 RSR, 338 laps

GTE-Am class
1. Ried/Andlauer/Campbell (D/F/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 335 laps
2. Flohr/Castellacci/Fisichella (CH/I/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 335 laps
3. Keating/Bleekemolen/Stolz (USA/NL/D), Ferrari 488 GTE, 334 laps
4. Long/Pappas/Pumpelly (USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 RSR, 334 laps
6. Babini/Nielsen/Maris (I/DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 332 laps
7. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 332 laps
10. Wainwright/Barker/Davison (GB/GB/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 324 laps

Top End triumph for O’Keeffe and Grove

Darwin round winner now a title contender

Dylan O’Keeffe has his sights firmly set on the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia title following his maiden round win at Hidden Valley Raceway, while race three fortune handed Stephen Grove the TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win.

Sunday morning’s race two began with race one winner David Wall stalling from pole position. Third-placed Dylan O’Keeffe narrowly missed the motionless #1 Porsche, however Dale Wood wasn’t so lucky, contacting the rear of Wall and causing race-ending damage to both entries.

A subsequent turn one incident between John Steffensen and Dean Cook and contact on the restart, which ended Nick McBride’s event, allowed for a one-lap dash to the chequered flag. Jaxon Evans ultimately won race two from O’Keeffe and James Moffat.

After victory eluded O’Keeffe in race two, the final race of the weekend looked to be his, fending off a turn one challenge from Jaxon Evans before establishing a gap to second placed Moffat. Ultimately, however, Moffat charged past O’Keeffe late in the race to claim his first Carrera Cup race win in a decade, while second place for O’Keeffe, assisted by a mishap by Evans with two laps to go, handed the GT3 Cup Challenge graduate O’Keeffe his maiden round win in his third season of Carrera Cup racing.

“That wasn’t too bad. I’m about 95 per cent satisfied after leading the majority of the race. Moffat got me after the safety car as we’d lost all grip and it was so hard to drive. I just had to consolidate and it’s great to get the round win. Hopefully we can keep this going for the rest of the season,” said O’Keeffe.

“We’ve consistently been around second and third, but we still haven’t got that race win yet. It’s cool to tick off the round win and hopefully I can get that race win in the future. We’ve jumped to second in the championship and closed the gap to Evans in points so, all in all, the weekend was pretty good.”

Adrian Flack followed his race one victory on Saturday with a repeat win in the interrupted race two, in which he placed seventh outright after several Pro drivers failed to finish.

Flack was again racing well within the top 10 before a fight with several Pro runners saw the Brisbane racer drop to eighth in class by the finish, while victory to Stephen Grove handed the reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am champion his second straight round victory.

“Another round win is great. It’s been a hard weekend and it’s really tough; you had to work really hard at it this weekend as it had a mixture of everything. I’m rapt for Adrian Flack as he did a great job with two class wins and to be up on the podium. It’s been a good weekend,” said Grove.

Flack placed second for the round from Australian Grand Prix round winner Tim Miles, who secured fourth, third and second in class across the three Darwin races.

Following a horror event for Dale Wood and David Wall, with Evans dropping to 16th by the finish of race three, O’Keeffe has moved to second in the standings and now sits 59 points from Evans in the overall standings and 68 points in the Pro points tally.

“This is my third season in Carrera Cup,” said O’Keeffe. “Last year was more of a learning year with a few good results. This season, we have the new car and the team is really starting to gel. I couldn’t be happier with how we’re going and we’re only getting better. We’re finding new things in the car and I’d say I’m driving the car pretty consistently without doing anything silly, and that’s how you win the championship. We’ll keep the same approach and see where we end up at the end of the season.”

With TAG Heuer Pro-Am round victory, Grove moves to just seven points off class leader Roger Lago, while Flack sits 98 points further behind in third.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia returns to start the second half of the 2018 season at Sydney Motorsport Park on August 03-04 for a two-day joint round with its sister one-make series Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.

Wall and Flack claim race one honours in Darwin

Porsche records tumble at Hidden Valley

Reigning Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia champion David Wall has secured his first victory of 2018 in race one at Hidden Valley Raceway, while an impressive performance by Adrian Flack saw the series rookie claim his maiden TAG Heuer Pro-Am win.

Wall secured TAG Heuer Pole Position earlier on Saturday with a new qualifying lap record before leading into the opening corner of race one. Wall was unchallenged thereafter to eventually claim a one-second victory over series leader Jaxon Evans, while also posting a new race lap record.

While Wall has placing inside the top four in seven of the season’s nine races, the Darwin win was the Sydneysider’s first since race one at Bathurst last season.

“It’s good to get our first race win in the new car, which is slightly different to set up and drive to the previous version GT3 Cup car. I’m finally getting my head around it a little bit,” said Wall.

“Overall we’ve ticked a lot of boxes and I’m really happy with the weekend so far. Today was good; we’ll now see what tomorrow brings.”

Dylan O’Keeffe survived opening lap attacks to work his way back to third place by the chequered flag from James Moffat, who progressed to fourth from seventh on the grid following a four-place grid penalty for a qualifying infringement.

Dale Wood dropped several positions as the race progressed after an inspired opening segment of the race. Cameron Hill qualified a career-high third place though dropped to sixth by the finish, while Nick McBride started second but struggled with locked tyres under braking to ultimately finished seventh.

TAG Heuer Pro-Am reigning champion Stephen Grove was the quickest Pro-Am driver in qualifying, while Adrian Flack joined Grove at the front of the class in race one.

Grove led the class until lap 13, when Flack moved to the lead and eventually took his maiden Pro-Am victory in his rookie Carrera Cup season.

“It’s really the first time this year that we’ve had a good car underneath us. We did some testing a week ago and went through the processes. We’ve got our heads around it now and the boys did a great job to get the car to where it is now, which is just a beautiful race car,” said Flack.

“I started racing in Porsches years ago in GTs with my younger brother. It’s just a matter of getting back into it and learning about this car and how it works. I think we’re starting to get there now so hopefully we’ll be a lot more competitive for the rest of the year.”

Grove placed second in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am ahead of class points leader Roger Lago, Tim Miles and Anthony Gilbertson, who recovered after a qualifying accident which saw him crash moments after setting the quickest time in the opening sector late in the session.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia has two races remaining for round four in Darwin. The 18-lap race two will be held at 8:45am (local time) on Sunday morning before the third Endurance Cup race of the season is held at midday. Both of the remaining Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia races from Darwin can be viewed live nationwide on Fox Sports 506.

Race Schedule (local time)
Sunday June 17, 2018
8:45am Race 2 (18 laps)
12:00pm Race 3 (35 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Race 2 – 8:45am, Sunday June 17
Race 3 – 12:00pm, Sunday June 17

Results: Race 1

Wall and Grove top Darwin qualifying

Pole-sitter eclipses Hidden Valley lap record

David Wall has continued at the front of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series in Darwin with record setting pace.

After topping both Friday practice sessions, Wall exchanged top times with many of the Carrera Cup front-runners, though eventually came out with a new lap record and the best lap of the qualifying session.

Nick McBride will start alongside Wall on the front row ahead of second row starters James Moffat and Cameron Hill in his best qualifying performance of the season. Dylan O’Keeffe will start in fifth alongside 2017 Darwin round winner Jaxon Evans.

The battle of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am was just as entertaining as the fight for outright pole position. All eyes were on Anthony Gilbertson, who had recorded the best first sector of any driver late in the session until he crashed into the tyre barrier in the second sector to cause a session-ending red flag.

This left Stephen Grove to claim the class pole position and an impressive ninth outright, just over half a second from Wall’s pole lap. Roger Lago qualified second in class from Adrian Flack and Gilbertson.

At the conclusion of the 21-minute qualifying session, the top 15 cars were covered by less than one second.

Race one will be held at 3:05pm on Saturday.

Results: Qualifying times

Carrera Cup sets record pace in Darwin practice

Wall and Gilbertson set Friday pace at Hidden Valley

David Wall has posted the fastest ever Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia lap of the 2.87km Hidden Valley Raceway after Friday’s two practice sessions, while Anthony Gilbertson was quick to acclimatise to the Darwin conditions with the best time in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

While Wall topped both practice sessions, the reigning champion’s best time came from the cooler morning session; his lap of 1:07.3779 was two-tenths better than the previous best of Matt Campbell set during Darwin qualifying in 2016 in the previous generation 911 GT3 Cup.

“Topping both sessions is all we can ask for. I was especially happy with the first session; I was a bit quicker there but conditions favoured the early session, but to back it up in the second session was great,” said Wall.

“The 2016 round was a turning point for us in Darwin, then 2017 was a very strong round for us so I felt like we could come here and be reasonably fast, but to come away first for the day is a credit to all at Wall Racing.”

Following his clean sweep in Darwin last year, leading Michelin Junior Jaxon Evans was the next best in both sessions finishing the day 0.28secs behind Wall, while former Supercars driver Dale Wood was third quickest on Friday.

Despite having never driven the Hidden Valley circuit, series rookie Anthony Gilbertson was the TAG Heuer Pro-Am pacesetter on Friday.

Adrian Flack was the best in the class in practice one however Gilbertson improved his pace by over half a second in practice two to record the best time in class.

“Our cars today are just working for this circuit. There is no doubt that the reason I’m up there and that Jaxon is at the pointy end is because the team has given us a great set-up,” said Gilbertson.

“I’m loving this circuit and it’s my first time here so it’s great to be able to get up to pace and top the Pro-Am class straight away.”

Class points leader Roger Lago and reigning class champion Stephen Grove both improved their times in the second session to place second and third in the combined class times ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will return on Saturday for qualifying at 12:30pm (local time) to determine the starting grid for the 18-lap race one at 3:05pm later in the day. The 18-lap race two will be held at 8:45am on Sunday morning before the 35-lap third race of the Endurance Cup is held at midday on Sunday.

Qualifying and all three Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia races can be viewed nationwide live on Fox Sports 506.

Race Schedule (local time)
Saturday June 16, 2018
12:30pm Qualifying (20 minutes)
3:05pm Race 1 (18 laps)
Sunday June 17, 2018
8:45am Race 2 (18 laps)
12:00pm Race 3 (35 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Qualifying – 12:30pm, Saturday June 16
Race 1 – 3:05pm, Saturday June 16
Race 2 – 8:45am, Sunday June 17
Race 3 – 12:00pm, Sunday June 17

Results: Practice 1 & 2 (combined)
1. #1 David Wall (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security – 1:07.3779
2. #7 Jaxon Evans (Pro) Morris Finance – 1:07.6632 (0:00.2853)
3. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) Sonic/Polyflor – 1:07.7029 (0:00.3250)
4. #18 James Moffat (Pro) Payce/Wilson Security/JBL – 1:07.8306 (0:00.4527)
5. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) Bob Jane T Marts – 1:07.8599 (0:00.4820)
6. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) Bob Jane T Marts/PSA – 1:07.8664 (0:00.4885)
7. 388 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) APB Group – 1:08.0373 (0:00.6594)
8. #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmark Homes – 1:08.1530 (0:00.7751)
9. #111 Cameron Hill (Pro) Southern Star Truck Centre – 1:08.1542 (0:00.7763)
10. #23 Roger Lago (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) JBS Australia – 1:08.1766 (0:00.7987)
11. #8 Nick McBride (Pro) Porsche Centre Melbourne – 1:08.1777 (0:00.7998)
12. #4 Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Grove Group – 1:08.3364 (0:00.9585)
13. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) LORY Construction – 1:08.5030 (0:01.1251)
14. #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Agas National – 1:08.5412 (0:01.1633)
15. #808 John Steffensen (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Crown/Timken/Porsche Melbourne – 1:08.5948 (0:01.2169)
16. #6 Tim Miles (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Miles Advisory Partners/Garage – 1:08.6735 (0:01.2956)
17. #888 Glen Wood (Pro) Porsche Cent Brighton/Doncaster – 1:08.6824 (0:01.3045)
18. #5 Greg Taylor (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Arris/Strongbuild – 1:08.7016 (0:01.3237)
19. #14 Peter Major (Pro) Sonic/Totally 4×4 – 1:08.8390 (0:01.4611)
20. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) BMF/Pitman Racing – 1:09.0777 (0:01.6998)
21. #12 Adam Garwood (Pro) Garwood Motorsport – 1:09.1889 (0:01.8110)
22. #9 Marc Cini (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmarc – 1:10.2371 (0:02.8592)
23. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Harcourts Williams – 1:12.7302 (0:05.3523)

Endurance battle continues in the Top End

Preview: Round 4, Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia has embarked on the longest road trip of the 2018 season ahead of this weekend’s round four, venturing almost 4,000km from its previous destination, Phillip Island, to the championship’s northern-most round at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway.

Following Phillip Island’s two 45-minute Endurance Cup races, Darwin will host two sprint races before the event concludes with a 100km, 35-lap race three, which will feature as the third race of the six-race 2018 Endurance Cup battle.

A noteworthy change to Carrera Cup in Darwin is the inclusion of Glen Wood, the brother of Endurance Cup points leader Dale Wood. Wood replaces Alex Davison in the #888 Porsche entry as the 2004 Carrera Cup champion contests the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend in the Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

Davison’s Darwin absence will provide relief for series leader Jaxon Evans, who claimed an impressive clean sweep in Darwin last season, with Davison finishing second for the round. While unbeaten in Darwin, Evans’ will likely see challenges from Phillip Island podium finishers Dale Wood and Dylan O’Keeffe, the latter entering Darwin after a recent test with Supercars squad Erebus Motorsport.

“Hidden Valley is one of my favourite tracks – as well as being a rewarding driver’s track, it also has a very friendly atmosphere. All the local fans turn out in force and the hairpin section has almost a sports stadium atmosphere,” said O’Keeffe.

“Some of this year’s Carrera Cup rounds have longer races, and I thought the format worked well at Phillip Island. This weekend’s long race will be a tough one – both car setup and driver fitness will be critical due to the high temperature and humidity.”

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle will see a new winner for the Darwin round. With the absence of 2017 round winner Sam Shahin who, along with Max Twigg and Indiran Padayachee, is unavailable for round four, all other Pro-Am drivers are yet to taste round success in the Top End. Tim Miles is the only Pro-Am driver attending Darwin to have claimed a class race win at Hidden Valley Raceway.

“My first Carrera Cup round as a sole driver was in Darwin last year and I really enjoyed it; I love the track, I love being up in the north and Stephen Grove and I had a fantastic battle in all three races… and relative to the Pro drivers we were only eight-tenths off,” said Miles.

“It’s also a track where braking is extremely important so with our cars having ABS and the Pros having no ABS, it will be a tight field for sure.”

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will first hit the track with two 20-minute practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying and race one on Saturday and conclude with two races on Sunday.

All sessions from practice two will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 throughout the Darwin event.

Race Schedule (local time)
Friday June 15, 2018
11:20am Practice 1 (25 minutes)
2:30pm Practice 2 (25 minutes)
Saturday June 16, 2018
12:30pm Qualifying (20 minutes)
3:05pm Race 1 (18 laps)
Sunday June 17, 2018
8:45am Race 2 (18 laps)
12:00pm Race 3 (35 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Practice 2 – 2:30pm, Friday June 15
Qualifying – 12:30pm, Saturday June 16
Race 1 – 3:05pm, Saturday June 16
Race 2 – 8:45am, Sunday June 17
Race 3 – 12:00pm, Sunday June 17

Entry List: Round 4, Darwin
1. #1 David Wall (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security
2. #4 Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Grove Group
3. #5 Greg Taylor (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Arris/Strongbuild
4. #6 Tim Miles (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Miles Advisory Partners/Garage 1
5. #7 Jaxon Evans (Pro) Morris Finance
6. #8 Nick McBride (Pro) Porsche Centre Melbourne
7. #9 Marc Cini (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmarc
8. #12 Adam Garwood (Pro) Garwood Motorsport
9. #14 Peter Major (Pro) Sonic/Totally 4×5
10. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) LORY Construction
11. #18 James Moffat (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security/JBL
12. #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmark Homes
13. #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Agas National
14. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) BMF/Pitman Racing
15. #23 Roger Lago (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) JBS Australia
16. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) Bob Jane T Marts/PSA
17. #88 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) APB Group
18. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) Sonic/Polyflor
19. #111 Cameron Hill (Pro) Southern Star Truck Centre/Anytime Fitness
20. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Harcourts Williams
21. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) Bob Jane T Marts
22. #808 John Steffensen (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Crown/Timken/Porsche Melbourne
23. #888 Glen Wood (Pro) Porsche Centre Brighton/Porsche Centre Doncaster

Wood brothers set for Top End tussle

Glen Wood joins Carrera Cup in Darwin

Dale Wood has faced numerous challenges in his successful Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia rookie campaign, though one challenge he did not expect has surfaced – his brother.

Wood will be joined at Hidden Valley Raceway by his brother, Glen Wood, who replaces Le Mans-bound Alex Davison at round four of the Carrera Cup championship.

Glen himself has significant racing experience, most recently racing in the Australian GT Championship where the 29-year-old has campaigned a Lamborghini and KTM X-Bow over the past three seasons.

Glen now joins Ashley Seward Motorsport in the #888 Porsche entry, substituting Davison as the 2004 Carrera Cup champion competes in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

“I’m a little nervous going to a track that I’ve never driven… in a car that I’ve never raced… in what currently is the most competitive support category, though I’m super excited about the Darwin round and extremely grateful for this opportunity,” said Glen.

“While I’ve never raced at Darwin, I’ve done ample track walks from years of data engineering and I’ll further prepare myself by reviewing footage and spending time on the simulator, along with plenty of discussions with Dale.”

In addition to his maiden Carrera Cup appearance, Glen also looks forward to the rare chance to race against his front-running brother.

“I’ve rarely raced against Dale on track, however life seems to be a race against Dale; everything we generally do is a competition, whether its motorbikes, wake boarding or a simple game of golf, but to be in an identical car at the same track in the same series is an unreal feeling.

“There was never any doubt the bloke could steer and it’s been unreal to watch him succeed. He is gifted in his ability to race under so much pressure and has clearly shown his speed from the moment he left the gates in Adelaide this year.”

Meanwhile, Dale is also keen to begin the battle with his brother at Darwin.

“Of all the people you want to race against, you want to race against your brother,” said Dale.

“It’s great to get him in Carrera Cup and all will be fine with Glen coming to the series, as long as I’m ahead of him.”

Dale and Glen Wood will be the first brothers to compete in the same Carrera Cup Australia race since James and Theo Koundouris contested the inaugural two-driver Carrera Cup Pro-Am event in 2013 at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will feature three races across the Darwin round, including two sprint races and an endurance-style 35-lap race three.

Grove thrilled by Monaco experience

"Monaco is the best track I’ve raced on."

After a thrilling weekend driving in the famed Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup around the streets of Monte Carlo, Stephen Grove is still relishing the once in a lifetime experience.

The Melbourne-based driver, who piloted a Pro GT by Alméras run Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, climbed from 26th outright on the grid to finish the 16-lap race 22nd outright and fifth in class.

Grove’s result comes on his first ever appearance not only in Porsche Supercup, but at the Monaco Grand Prix as well.

“I was really happy, it was an excellent result, to go over there and race with those boys in this sort of event is incredible,” said Grove.

“Monaco is the best track I’ve raced on, one-hundred percent, just from the prestige and history of the track.

“It’s very technical and it’s a circuit I really like; it’s very, very challenging and certainly up there as one of my favourites, for sure.

“I obviously started towards the back of the grid in the race, so we were quite conservative through Turn 1 on the opening lap – didn’t want to get involved in anything silly.

“I just sorted of bided my time there, pushed on hard through the first lap and managed to make a pass on another car and to pass on a circuit like that, it’s near impossible.

“So, I managed to get the pass done coming out of the tunnel and then I just kept building and getting some places and ended up with a fairly good result.

“Once people settled into the race it became a lot harder to pass because once the tyres came up to temperature it was a lot more difficult to stick a move.

“We had some oversteer towards the end of the race because you’re punching out of slow corners so you get a fair bit of wheel-spin, which you try and limit, but that heats your rear tyres up.

“I was happy with the laps times though and I was happy with where I ended up – I made up five positions which is really good.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Australia next week and then we’ll get ready for Carrera Cup in Darwin and getting back into the rhythm of things over there.”

Grove now gears up for the next round of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia, which takes place at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway from June 15-17.

Garwood joins McElrea Racing stable

Tasmanian racer moves Queensland outfit

Michelin Junior Adam Garwood will transition from his family-run Garwood Motorsport to Carrera Cup powerhouse McElrea Racing.

Garwood moved from Touring Cars Masters for the start of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season and has since secured two top-10 results from the opening three rounds.

“Having only confirmed our season just weeks before Adelaide, we were rushed into the first three rounds which were only weeks apart, so we decided to quickly shuffle together and self-run our Garwood Motorsport team due to the limited time we had to get ourselves together,” said Garwood.

“With our team being based in Tasmania, it limited what we could do in regard to working on the car in between rounds, having the opportunity for test days, fixing panel damage, washing the car etc.

“We did the first few rounds completely self-sufficient, with our small family-oriented team, however discovered further the negatives of doing so, which encouraged our decision to work with Andy at the conclusion of round three.”

The Tasmanian based racer will now move his entry to the Yatala based McElrea Racing, joining the team’s current Carrera Cup campaigners Tim Miles, Anthony Gilbertson and series leader and fellow Michelin Junior Jaxon Evans.

“We are really looking forward to running Adam for the rest of the 2018 championship,” said Team Principal Andy McElrea.

“We’ve looked at his data from previous rounds and he certainly isn’t scared of it! It will be our job to help him understand where we need a bit more, but equally as importantly, where he is already doing a good job. Obviously having competitive team mates also be a huge help too.”

Garwood’s first championship outing with his new team will be at round four of Carrera Cup at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway on June 15-17, 2018.

Grove in Monaco: The car, team, track & television

The must-know info on Grove's Supercup debut

Reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am champion Stephen Grove will this weekend race in one of international motorsport’s most exclusive motor racing events – the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Here is what you need to know ahead of the Pro-Am racer’s Monaco mission.

The Schedule
The Supercup race weekend in Monaco begins with a sole practice session on Thursday ahead of Qualifying on Friday and finally, a 16-lap race on Sunday.

“I’m excited to get over there and really take the challenge on,” said Grove.

“There’s only 40 minutes of practice, so I’ve got to be on it pretty quick to get up to speed.

“Most of the guys on the Supercup grid have been there before and I haven’t, but that’s a part of learning, a part of racing in a different country, a different series and with a different team.

“For me I just like the evolution of continually challenging myself and trying to get better in a cup car.”

Race Schedule (local time)
Round 2, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – Monaco
Thursday May 24, 2018
5:15pm – Practice
Friday May 25, 2018
10:00am – Qualifying
Sunday May 27, 2018
10:30am – Race (16 laps)

The Car
Grove will race an identical race car with which he contests the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship – the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991.II).

“I’ve been in a GT3 Cup car for so long now because I just don’t think that I’ve quite mastered it yet – I want to keep going in a Cup car and the best way to do that is to keep challenging myself on tracks overseas in different environments.

“Heading into the weekend now, my mindset is just on doing the best job I can and trying to learn as fast as I can and to be there or thereabouts.

“So, we’ll try and get a balance between both. We only have really a limited time to set the car up; it’s really going to be more about learning the track.”

The Team
The weekend marks Grove’s second outing with the Pro GT by Alméras squad after he took part in a Carrera Cup France event at Spa-Francorchamps in 2017 with the French outfit.

“I ran with the Pro GT by Alméras crew at Spa, when I raced there in 2017,” explained Grove.

“The language barrier is pretty difficult – even though they speak English, it’s not fluent English, so it’s pretty difficult when trying to get the set-up right.

“We’ve got a couple good pro-drivers in the team; take Julien Andlauer for example, who won the French Carrera Cup championship last year.

“I’ll be following their direction pretty closely and just trying to have the set-up of the car the way I like it to react.”

The Track
A jewel in the crown of international motor racing: the Monaco Grand Prix circuit is 3.33 kilometres of beloved tarmac. The harbour-side clockwise-run Monaco track will by home to the second round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and, for Grove, one of the biggest challenges of his motor racing career.

“It’s a massive challenge and I’m just really looking forward to getting over there,” said Grove.

“We’ve got no on-board video to look at, but we’ve been lucky enough to acquire heaps of valuable car data and also my simulator work has been pretty extensive over the last month and a half.”

How to watch it
Eurosport (Channel 511) is set to broadcast the full race live in Australia at 6:15pm AEST on Sunday May 27, which takes place before the prestigious Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Carrera Cup drivers help raise FA awareness

Porsche racers lend some muscle

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia drivers have thrown their support behind the Friedreich Ataxia Research Association’s #LendUsSomeMuscle campaign to raise awareness for the debilitating, degenerative neuro-muscular disorder Friedreich Ataxia.

Several of the Porsche drivers sported #LendUsSomeMuscle tattoos as part of the awareness campaign.

What is FA?
Friedreich Ataxia exactly? Well, FA is a debilitating, life shortening degenerative neuro-muscular disorder, which affects about 1 in 30,000 people in Australia and New Zealand.

It is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 18 years and robs children and young adults of their mobility.

FA leads to loss of muscle co-ordination, fatigue, vision impairment, hearing loss and slurred speech, scolosis (curvature of the spine), diabetes and serious heart conditions.

It is caused by an inherited genetic mutation that limits the production of a protein called frataxin. This protein is needed by the mitochondria, which are the energy producing organelles in our cells. Without it the cells do not function properly resulting in debilitating medical problems, particularly neurological and cardiac.

Although there has been significant progress towards treatments, today there is no cure.

For more information, click here to visit the FARA website.

Porsche wins Nurburgring 24 Hour

Manthey Racing wins, Campbell 11th in greulling 24h

After an enthralling final phase, Porsche has won the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in the Eifel. In pouring rain, the #912 Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by the Manthey-Racing team took the lead 70 minutes before the end of the race and held onto it to the flag. This marks Porsche’s first victory since 2011 on the legendary long-distance racetrack and hands the brand its 12th victory.

The #912 entry took up the race on Saturday at 15:30 hrs in bright sunshine from sixth on the grid, but fell far behind with a puncture. During the night, the driver line-up of Richard Lietz (AUT), Patrick Pilet (FRA), Frédéric Makowiecki (FRA) and Nick Tandy (GBR) caught up to the frontrunners and moved into second place despite a time penalty. When the race was restarted on Sunday after fog halted the race at 13.45 hours, Makowiecki snatched the lead with a masterful overtaking manoeuvre and crossed the finish line in first place after 135 laps.

The Falken Motorsports squad concluded the 24-hour race in Germany’s Eifel region in ninth place. After starting from second on the grid, the #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R managed to remain in the top five for a long time. As rain set in during the night, Klaus Bachler (GER), Sven Müller (GER), Martin Ragginger (AUT) and Dirk Werner (GER) lost contact to the front pack and were unable to close the gap.

Australian driver and Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell showed strong pace in his Nürburgring 24 Hours debut, finishing in 11th place overall. His #30 Frikadelli Racing Team Porsche 911 GT3 R ran in the top 10 for much of the race, sitting in eighth when the race was red flagged around lunchtime on Sunday. After the restart, the entry of Campbell (AUS), Wolf Henzler (GER), Alexander Müller (GER) and Lance David Arnold (GER), dropped to 11th, finishing three laps behind the winners.

The Nürburgring 24-hour race is one of the largest motorsport events in the world and this year attracted 210,000 spectators. At the Eifel classic, more than 500 drivers in 148 cars competed. With 43 vehicles, Porsche was the most strongly represented marque at the Eifel marathon.

Comments on the race:

Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars): “That was truly a race of the century, simply indescribable under the circumstances: with the rain, the red flag and that incredible final spurt. At no other endurance race in the world do you get two drivers sprinting against each other for one and a half hours. Fred secured this triumph with his sensational overtaking manoeuvre. We hope that Dr. Wolfgang Porsche is pleased with this belated present for his 75th birthday.”

Sebastian Golz (Project Manager 911 GT3 R): “I’m simply speechless. That was 24 hours of highs and lows. There were problems, we had to fight our way through the field, but we never stopped believing we could do it. This attitude paid off in the end.”

Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #912), Manthey-Racing: “It’s unbelievable what we’ve achieved today. We started off with a puncture, fell far behind, but always believed in ourselves. Everyone pulled their weight. Only then is such a victory possible.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 GT3 R #912), Manthey-Racing: “That was one of the most eventful races in my career. We experienced setbacks, but we knew that we had a winning car, a top team and top drivers. The restart towards the end played into our hands and Fred’s final stint was indicative of the entire race. Whenever we needed to, the team, drivers and car delivered a perfect performance.”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 GT3 R #912), Manthey-Racing: “What a race. Everyone worked perfectly and it was a well-deserved victory for the Manthey team and Porsche. And when you think about the bad luck we had, you can say it was also a well-deserved win for us drivers. This victory is also a win for Mr Porsche, who, as a huge motorsport fan, made it all possible.”

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 GT3 R #912), Manthey-Racing: “That was a tough but completely fair fight for the lead and I’m very happy with this win. Our start with the puncture wasn’t good, but we improved from lap to lap. The car was perfectly setup for dry and wet conditions, so we could push hard to the very end.”

Sven Müller (Porsche 911 GT3 R #44), Falken Motorsports: “That was once again a typical Eifel race. We started in sun and warm temperatures and finished in rain and fog. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep up with the best teams in the rain, and we couldn’t do better than ninth under these conditions. For me personally, I’ll never forget my fast qualifying lap here. It was the best I’ve ever experienced by now in my motor racing career.”

Dirk Werner (Porsche 911 GT3 R #44), Falken Motorsports: “It’s always a great feeling to race in the Green Hell. Anything can happen here and it usually does. In sunny conditions we could match the pace of the frontrunners, but we didn’t do as well in the rain. The race was incredibly fast and the competition was very high. That’s why ninth place is a good result for us.”

Campbell ready for ‘dream’ enduro at Green Hell

Nurburgring 24 Hour Preview

Australian Porsche racer Matt Campbell will compete in a ‘dream’ endurance event this weekend when joining a 43-strong Porsche line-up for the 2018 Nurburgring 24 Hour at the 24.38km Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

In a year where it celebrates “70 Years of Porsche Sports Cars”, Porsche will have the greatest representation among the 150-car field with 43 911 and Cayman models competing at the German circuit, nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’.

Campbell will one of 13 Porsche works drivers and four Porsche Young Professionals joining customers teams across eight 911 GT3 R entries in the outright SP9 class in pursuit of overall victory.

Just one week after commencing his 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with GTE-Am team Dempsey Proton Racing, with which the 23-year-old gained pole position and placed fourth in class, Campbell will now join Frikadelli Racing for his maiden Nurburgring 24 Hour race.

“After racing at Spa last weekend for the first WEC round, this weekend sees me at Nurburgring for what is probably the most challenging race event in the world – the Nurburgring 24 Hour,” said Campbell.

“I’ve raced at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife several times now, most recently with the Frikadelli Racing Team in the VLN qualifying races leading into the 24 Hour race. Here you get a taste of what to expect for the 24-hour race so I feel we’re well prepared.

“The Nurburgring 24 Hour is one of those events you dream of doing and to be racing among the eight-strong 911 GT3 R line-up is unbelievable. The GT3 R is an awesome race car on any track, but to drive it at Nordschleife at one of the most gruelling races of the season is absolutely a career highlight.”

Campbell, the 2016 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia champion, will join Lance David Arnold, Alexander Müller and fellow Porsche factory racer Wolf Henzler in the Frikadelli Racing 911 GT3 R. Other Porsche works drivers include: Kévin Estre (France), Romain Dumas (France), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) share the cockpit of the 911 GT3 R (#911) fielded by Manthey-Racing. Richard Lietz (Austria), Patrick Pilet (France), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) pilot the #912 sister car. Michael Christensen (Denmark), André Lotterer (Germany), Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) form a formidable quartet at the Nürburgring debut of the KÜS Team75 Bernhard. Sven Müller and Dirk Werner from Germany reinforce the Falken Motorsports crew. Porsche Young Professional Dennis Olsen (Norway) and Porsche test driver and former Carrera Cup Australia racer Lars Kern (Germany) drive the third 911 GT3 R campaigned by Manthey-Racing. Mathieu Jaminet (France) will team with Campbell in Frikadelli Racing’s second 911 GT3 R.

“We’re delighted with our customers’ extraordinary trust. This year, there will be more Porsche race cars contesting the Nürburgring 24-hour race than at most other editions of the race,” says Sebastian Golz, Project Manager 911 GT3 R.

“Preparations have been completed in close cooperation with the teams and everything has gone to plan so far. The VLN 1 win and double pole at VLN 2 have underlined that the 911 GT3 R is well ironed out. We’re very interested to see how we’ll perform in close collaboration with our customers against strong opposition from other manufacturers.”

For the 2018 season, the Porsche 911 GT3 R received an update: The parts kit includes a new front lid for the optimisation of thermal management plus side flicks to improve the aero balance.

On Friday, 11 May, Porsche fans can catch a glimpse of the future in the Ring Boulevard: The spectacular next-in-line to the successful 911 GT3 R, which will compete from 2019, will be unveiled at a public press conference. The race will commence on Saturday May 12 at 3:30pm local time (11:30pm AEST) and conclude on Sunday May 13 at 3:30pm local time (11:30pm AEST). The race can be viewed in Australia via live stream, available at www.nuerburgring.de/en/.

The Porsche customer teams in the SP9 class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours

Manthey-Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911)
Kévin Estre, Romain Dumas, Laurens Vanthoor, Earl Bamber
Manthey-Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #912)
Richard Lietz, Patrick Pilet, Frédéric Makowiecki, Nick Tandy
Manthey-Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R #12)
Otto Klohs, Lars Kern, Dennis Olsen, Philipp Frommenwiler
Frikadelli Racing Team (Porsche 911 GT3 R #30)
Lance David Arnold, Alexander Müller, Wolf Henzler, Matt Campbell
Frikadelli Racing Team (Porsche 911 GT3 R #31)
Norbert Siedler, Marco Seefried, Felipe Fernández Laser, Mathieu Jaminet
KÜS Team75 Bernhard (Porsche 911 GT3 R #17)
Michael Christensen, Matteo Cairoli, André Lotterer, Jörg Bergmeister
Falken Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 R #44)
Klaus Bachler, Sven Müller, Martin Ragginger, Dirk Werner
Gigaspeed Team GetSpeed Performance (Porsche 911 GT3 R #2)
Steve Jahns, Marek Böckmann, Lucas Luhr, Jan-Erik Slooten

Dream team at Nürburgring-Nordschleife

Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, Porsche 956 C and the 'Green Hell'

Just before the Nürburgring 24 Hour race is green flagged on May 12, Porsche presents a legendary couple to the crowd of 200,000 expected spectators: Timo Bernhard and Hans-Joachim Stuck will take the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo and the Porsche 956 C respectively on a show run around the famous Nordschleife (literally ‘Northern Loop’). The 919 Hybrid – the Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship winning car of 2015, 2016 and 2017 – meets the prototype that won all titles in the World Sportscar Championship from 1982 to 1984 and still holds the outright Nordschleife track record.

The lap on the Nordschleife is the 919 Evo’s first public appearance. With the car that has been liberated from the restrictions that came from the championship regulations, Porsche recently established a new track record at Spa-Francorchamps. On April 9 2018, Porsche works driver Neel Jani (CH) lapped the 7.004 kilometre long Belgian circuit in 1:41.770 minutes. He was faster than any Formula One car ever, beating the previous record by 0.783 seconds set by Lewis Hamilton (GB) at the wheel of a Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid, securing him pole position for last year’s Grand Prix. At the Nordschleife, the second stop of the ‘919 Tribute Tour’, however, no stopwatches are required as the two racing cars will be driving behind a safety car and bypass the start-and-finish section because of the grid formation for the 24-hour race.

Porsche, Timo Bernhard, Hans-Joachim Stuck as well as both the racing cars are connected closely to the Nürburgring and the Nordschleife.

37-year old Timo Bernhard from Germany is the reigning FIA World Endurance Champion. On the way to the 2017 title, he has won the Le Mans 24-Hours and took his third consecutive win of the six-hour race at the Nüburgring, repeating his achievements from 2015 and 2016 at the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid. Also on his tally: Five overall victories at the Nürburgring 24-Hours with Porsche, which makes him a record winner. In 2018 he now looks after his own team, Team75 Bernhard, entering a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The Porsche works driver, who is racing himself this year in the GT Masters as well as in the GTE class at Le Mans, points out: “The Nordschleife is home for me. When I was a kid I used to accompany my father to the Eifel mountains. The complexity of this over 20 kilometre long track doesn’t compare to anything.” Timo Bernhard is a passionate admirer of Stefan Bellof who died at Spa in 1985. “I’m not only impressed by Stefan Bellof’s great performances”, he explains, “he must have been a really great guy. Whoever knew him seems to have adored him. His 1983 unbeaten lap record at the Nordschleife is terrific. I feel honoured to accompany a historic Porsche 956 C with the 919 Evo.”

On May 28 in 1983, during practice for the 1000-kilometre race, Bellof lapped the Nordschleife in a storming 6:11.13 minutes. Due to construction work, the exact track length was 20.835 kilometres at the time, which resulted in an average speed of more than 200 km/h. The 2,649 cc six-cylinder, twin turbocharged, flat engine in the 956 C produced 620 hp. Bellof’s car was chassis number 007. He was leading the race when he retired in a massive accident in the area called ‘Pflanzgarten’ but walked away unharmed. One year later, in 1984, he won the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring, sharing a Rothmans Porsche 956 C with British driver Derek Bell.

On his way to his 1984 Driver’s World Endurance Championship title, Stefan Bellof once shared a 956 with German Hans-Joachim Stuck. Despite an incident by Stuck that required repairs, the couple won the Imola 1000-kilometre race.

“This race in Italy was of very high importance for me”, 67 year-old Stuck recalls. “The 956 was new to me and Stefan taught me how to drive this ground effect car. I learnt an awful lot from him. When I joined Porsche, I understood why those cars were unbeatable. You had no gearbox issues, the brakes were excellent and thanks to this tremendous downforce, you could enter the corners at very high speed. Literally, the car stuck to the ground. For me it is a world-class opportunity to take the 956 once again around the Nordschleife. Emotionally, this is something hard to top.”

Among Stuck’s many successes belong two Le Mans overall victories in 1986 and 1987, driving the successor to the 956, the 962 C. The Nürburgring 24-Hours he won three times when driving for BMW.

The 956 C that Stuck now takes for a lap around the Nürburgring carries chassis number 005. It is the car Jacky Ickx (BE) and Jochen Mass (DE) shared during the entire 1984 world championship season. For commercial rights reasons the name of tobacco sponsor Rothmans frequently had to be replaced by the word ‘Racing’. This was the case on Bellof’s record lap chassis 007 and is the same at the car that Stuck drives on May 12.

Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo

Just like the 956, the Porsche 919 Hybrid was the most innovative racing car of its time. The class 1 Le Mans Prototype, successfully entered in the FIA WEC from 2014 until the end of 2017, is powered by a compact two-litre turbocharged V4-cylinder engine and two different energy recovery systems. One transforms brake energy from the front axle into electricity. The second system generates electric energy from the exhaust where the gases accelerate a turbine up to 130,000 revs per minute. The electrical energy is temporarily stored in a liquid-cooled lithium ion battery. The combustion engine drives the rear axle while the electro motor boosts the front axle to accelerate the car with four-wheel drive while recuperating again energy from the exhaust system.

To prepare the 919 Evo record car, the base was the 2017 world championship winning car. Its entire hardware of the power train remained untouched. On top came developments that were prepared for the 2018 WEC but never raced after the end of 2017 withdrawal. Additionally, several aerodynamic modifications were made.

Campbell optimistic after promising Spa opener

Campbell fourth, Davison seventh at round one of WEC

After a gripping race at Spa-Francorchamps, the Porsche GT Team has started the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season with second and fourth place, while Matt Campbell and Alex Davison finished fourth and seventh in the GTE-Am class at the Belgian circuit.

Frenchman Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen from Denmark scored second in the #92 car and narrowly missed out on clinching the maiden WEC victory for the new Porsche 911 RSR. Their team colleagues, the two former WEC champions Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria), concluded the race in fourth with the #91 Porsche 911 RSR. Over six hours and 148 laps, ten vehicles from five manufacturers battled it out in the GTE-Pro class. Under a cloudless sky and temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius, 63,000 spectators witnessed round one of the 15-month 2018/2019 Super Season.

At the season-opener on the tradition-steeped racetrack in the Ardennes, fans were treated to gripping battles for positions, overtaking manoeuvres and several safety car phases. Taking up the race from third on the grid, Bruni and Lietz moved into the lead of the GTE-Pro class with the Porsche 911 RSR after less than two hours, and only relinquished it shortly before the flag. In the sister car, Estre and Christensen made the most of the turbulent start to advance from fourth into third. After the last pit stop, Christensen as the final driver swept into second place with the Porsche 911 RSR.

Four other Porsche 911 RSR race cars lined up to contest the GTE-Am class. For the Dempsey Proton Racing customer team, Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (Australia), Christian Ried (Germany) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (France) secured fourth place with the #77 car after dropping two laps with technical issues. Sixth at the opening round in Spa went to the #88 sister car driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi (United Arab Emirates), Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy) and Giorgio Roda (Italy). Directly behind them, Davison (Australia), Ben Barker (Great Britain) and Michael Wainwright (Great Britain) took the flag in the 911 RSR of the Gulf Racing customer squad in seventh in the GTE-Am class after crashing early in the race. The newcomer team Project 1 scored ninth place with pilots Patrick Lindsey (USA) and Egidio Perfetti (Norway) as well as Porsche’s works driver Jörg Bergmeister from Germany.

Round two of the FIA Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be contested on 16/17 June at Le Mans/France. Prior to the legendary 24-hour classic, a test day will be held on the 13.6-kilometre racetrack on 3 June.

Comments on the race
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “Everything actually ran very well for the first race and we were amongst the leaders. Unfortunately a fuel pump problem forced us to make an extra pit stop, which of course cost us precious time. We’re heading to Le Mans feeling optimistic and we’re looking forward to our next task.”

Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “That was a very difficult race for us. The performance of the cars and the team was very good. In fact, everything looked good for us to win the race. But unfortunately Lady Luck wasn’t with us towards the end of the race, because the last safety car phase didn’t fit in with our strategy. Now we’re heading to Le Mans where we’ll go all-out.”

Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Mücke/Pla/Johnson (D/F/USA), Ford GT, 148 laps
2. Christensen/Estre (DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 148 laps
3. Rigon/Bird (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 147 laps
4. Lietz/Bruni (A/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 147 laps
5. Blomqvist/da Costa (GB/P), BMW M8 GTE, 146 laps
6. Lynn/Martin/Adam (GB/B/GB), Aston Martin Vantage AMR, 146 laps
7. Soerensen/Thiim/Turner (DK/DK/GB), Aston Martin Vantage AMR, 146 laps
8. Tomczyk/Catsburg (D/NL), BMW M8 GTE, 145 laps
9. Pier Guidi/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 139 laps
Not classified: Priaulx/Tincknell/Kanaan (GB/GB/BR), Ford GT

GTE-Am class
1. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (CDN/P/A), Aston Martin Vantage, 144 laps
2. Yoluc/Alers-Hankey/Eastwood (TR/GB/GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 144 laps
3. Sun Mok/Sawa/Griffin (MAL/J/IRL), Ferrari 488 GTE, 143 laps
4. Ried/Andlauer/Campbell (D/F/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 142 laps
5. Ishikawa/Beretta/Cheever (J/MC/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 142 laps
6. Al Qubaisi/Roda/Cairoli (UAE/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 141 laps
7. Wainwright/Barker/Davison (GB/GB/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 137 laps
8. Flohr/Castellacci/Fisichella (Ch/I/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 136 laps
9. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 131 laps

#Flashback: Campbell’s rise through Porsche ranks

Take a look at Aussie champion's one-make journey

This weekend marks the start of a new chapter in the career of young Australian racer, Matt Campbell: After five seasons in Porsche one-make series, the Warwick-raised 23-year-old graduates to the pinnacle of sports car racing – the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship ‘Super Season’.

The significance of this step is not lost on the other side of the world in Australia; Campbell’s continued ascent of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid from its base tier – GT3 Cup Challenge – validates the very pathway used by numerous young Australian-based drivers to reach the pinnacle of sports car racing.

Campbell will race alongside German Christian Ried and Frenchman Julien Andlauer in the Dempsey Proton Racing 911 RSR – the now-fastest factory-built competition race car from the German sports car brand.

As Campbell embarks on this new challenge, we look back at his past five seasons where Campbell has transitioned from being an the shy kid from rural Queensland to a factory-backed sports car star.

2014
Champion (Class B), 4th Outright – Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia
–           Consistently competing amongst the newer Class A cars
–           Contested the final round in a Class A car, winning all three races by a combined margin of 27 seconds
–           New Lap Record: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

The 2014 season marked the start of Campbell’s ascent of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid – a key step in his short racing career. Campbell raced in the 2014 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia season, quickly turning heads for his speed in the 2005-spec Class B entry against a field mostly consisting of the 2011-spec Porsche. Campbell wrapped up the Class B title with one round remaining and was handed the opportunity to race a Class A Porsche for the season finale. Campbell claimed pole position and dominated all three races (with a total winning margin of 27 seconds).

2015
3rd – Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
–           Best Rookie
–           Finished either 1st or 2nd in the final 11 races of the season
–           Six race wins
–           New Race Lap Record: Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst)
–           New Qualifying Lap Record: Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst)
–           New Qualifying Lap Record: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
–           New Qualifying Lap Record: Sandown Raceway

Campbell continued his ascent of the Motorsport Pyramid in 2015, moving to the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship. Again, he quickly gained attention by qualifying second at Albert Park – his second ever Carrera Cup event. His true ability was then demonstrated at the tail end of the season. Campbell finished in the top two positions in the final 11 races of the season, including six race wins.

2016
Champion – Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
–           Won 13 out of 23 races, in addition to the outright joint Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Asia & Australia race
–           New record: Most consecutive pole positions (seven)
–           New record: Most pole positions gained in a season (seven)
–           New Qualifying Lap Record: Hidden Valley Raceway
–           New Qualifying Lap Record: Sandown Raceway

Campbell clinched the 2016 Carrera Cup title in just his second attempt. Campbell won 13 of the season’s 23 races, scored seven out of a possible eight pole positions and also claimed victory in the outright Porsche Carrera Cup Asia & Australia joint race at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Such was Campbell’s talent, renowned Supercars Championship team, Nissan Motorsport, recruited the 21-year-old to co-drive in the touring car series’ three endurance events at Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast. True to form, Campbell impressed in all three events.

Campbell was also Carrera Cup Australia’s nominee for the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout, which he ultimately won and therefore secured a position as a 2017 Porsche Junior driver and a seat on the grid of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup grid for the following season.

2017
3rd – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
– 2nd, Rookie Classification
– Four race wins

Campbell contested his debut season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2017, his first year of European motorsport. Campbell lined up for the Fach Auto Tech team and finished runner-up in the rookie competition. After eleven races, he ended the season in third place in the overall standings. The then-Porsche Junior won four races, in Spielberg (Austria), Monza (Italy) and the double-header in Mexico City. Promotion to a Porsche Young Professional meant Campbell would ultimately claim his spot on the FIA World Endurance Championship grid as part of Porsche GT customer programme in 2018.

Campbell, Davison start WEC Super Season at Spa

Australian duo part of six-strong Porsche line-up

Australians Matt Campbell and Alex Davison will this weekend begin their 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship campaigns as part of the six-strong Porsche 911 RSR line-up at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 5, 2018.

Both former champions of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia, the duo will be part of the FIA WEC Super Season, which spans eight events across 15 months, starting this weekend at the 7.004km Belgian circuit.

Davison, the 2004 Carrera Cup Australia champion and current driver of the #808 Porsche Centre Brighton entry in the Carrera Cup Australia series, will race alongside British drivers Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker in the Gulf Racing GTE-Am-entered 911 RSR.

Meanwhile Campbell, the 2016 Carrera Cup Australia champion and current Porsche Young Professional, will race in the Dempsey Proton Racing 911 RSR, also in GTE-Am, with German Christian Ried and French Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer.

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 5, 2018, kicks off the Super Season of the FIA World Endurance Championship. On the time-honoured racetrack in the Ardennes region of Belgium, six 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR go up against strong opposition from Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari and Ford in the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes.

The race
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which is approximately 20km from the German border, sets motorsport fans’ hearts racing: The 7.004km circuit is an electrifying mix of high-speed passages such as the famous Eau Rouge and slower sections. An altitude difference of around 100 metres makes the season-opening round into a rollercoaster ride. One unpredictable factor in the Ardennes is the weather: The sun can be shining in the Bus Stop chicane, while in Le Combes it’s raining.

The Porsche GT Team drivers
Sharing the cockpit of the #91 car, the new driver pairing of Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) tackles a world sports car championship race for the first time together. Bruni, as the two-time champion, has contested the second half of the 2017 IMSA Weathertech Championship in the USA and is thus well acquainted with the 911 RSR. Like last year, Kévin Estre (France) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) share the # 92 Porsche 911 RSR.

The customer teams
In the GTE-Am class, three Porsche customer teams run a total of four 911 RSR racers. The British pilots Wainwright and Barker join forces with Australian Davison to compete for Gulf Racing. Dempsey Proton Racing competes with two GT racers from Weissach. Sharing the wheel of the #77 car for the Super Season are the Porsche Young Professional Campbell (Australia), Ried (Germany) and Andlauer (France). Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Khaled Al Qubaisi (United Arab Emirates) and Giorgio Roda (Italy) pilot the second 911 RSR of the squad supported by the Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey. The Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Lindsey (USA) and Norwegian Egidio Perfetti drive for the Project 1 team.

The Porsche 911 RSR
After securing runner-up in the driver’s championship thanks to Richard Lietz and Fréderic Makowiecki in 2017, the Porsche GT Team has now set its sights on the driver’s and manufacturer’s title in the world sports car championship. The Porsche 911 RSR celebrated its premiere in international long-distance racing in 2017 and is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. Depending on the restrictor, the water-cooled four-litre flat-six engine puts out around 510 hp.

The schedule
The six-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps begins on Saturday, May 5, 2018, at 22:30 hrs AEST (14:30 hrs local time).

The race on TV and the internet
The final stages of the Spa-Francorchamps race can be viewed in Australia on Eurosport (Channel 511) from 01:15 to 03:45 AEST on Sunday May 06. For a fee, the FIA WEC app offers a live stream of the entire race plus live timing.

Pre-race quotes
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “For me, the six-hour race at Spa is the second most important event after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Kicking off the season with such a highlight is a big challenge. The sports car world championship is a big step in my career. I still need to gain experience in the 911 RSR, however the official tests were very promising. Our car offers a lot of downforce and that gives us drivers a great deal of confidence.”

Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser (Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars): “Our Porsche GT Team is facing a long and exciting season. The Prologue in Le Castellet underlined that we’re ready for this task. Together with the three customer teams, the fans can look forward to seeing six Porsche 911 RSR in action at the first race in the Ardennes. For all the drivers and motorsport enthusiasts, the racetrack is a very special place. This huge interest motivates us even more to fight for victory in both categories and to show them what potential our 911 RSR has. It’s important for us to make a good start into the Super Season before we tackle Le Mans with ten of our 911 RSR.”

Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “The Spa circuit stands for top-league motor racing and throws very special challenges at drivers and the 911 RSR. You can only fight for victory on this diverse racetrack with the right setup. The entire team knows the importance of the season-opener and is perfectly prepared.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “I can hardly wait to return to the WEC after a year’s break. The Spa racetrack is one of the most beautiful in the world. We’d like to hit the ground running at the first race and start with a good performance. The competition we want to win against is fierce.”

Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “A new driver pairing always takes a bit of getting used to. But this went really quickly with Gianmaria at the test. Our work together has been very promising so far and we complement each other excellently. 2017 wasn’t so great for us with fifth and sixth place. This year we have our sights set on the podium. For the new season, we’ve put a great deal of emphasis on developing and choosing the tyre compounds in conjunction with Michelin so that we’re well prepared for the changing weather conditions. The weather and the temperatures are known to change very quickly in Spa.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “The weather always plays a major role at Spa. Plus, it’s the only race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. So it’s even more important to start the season successfully. I like the racetrack very much and I’m looking forward to the adrenalin rush in Eau Rouge.”

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “The last few years didn’t go so well for us at Spa, so we’re keen to change that this year. We’re well prepared and we can’t wait for the season to begin. In 2017, Kévin and I were in great shape at the last races but we were plagued by a lot of bad luck. We’re well prepared and we want to attack.”

Jörg Bergmeister (Porsche 911 RSR #56): “Spa is my home track, which always makes the race something very special. It’s really exciting for Project 1 because it’s the first WEC race for my team. I’m in daily contact with the decision-makers and I try to support the crew with my experience. We’ve worked meticulously on preparing for this challenge. I’m looking forward to the new season.”

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “Spa is a great racetrack that demands a great deal of skill from drivers. I’m really looking forward to my debut in the WEC. At the Prologue we managed to do a lot of testing and work on the setup. First, I had to get used to the Porsche 911 RSR, and the team gave me huge support with this.”

Matteo Cairoli (Porsche 911 RSR #88): “I’m pleased to be back working with Dempsey Proton Racing in the WEC. We’re one big family and we work together very professionally. In 2017 we had a chance at the title, and we’d like to go for it again in the Super Season. Spa is one of my favourite racetracks, and Eau Rouge is an impressive and very emotional corner.”

The Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC
In the Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC), which has been held since 2012, sports prototypes and GT vehicles contest four classes: LMP1, LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am. They all compete together in one race but are classified separately. The Porsche GT Team contests the GTE-Pro class, while the customer teams Dempsey Proton Racing, Project 1 and Gulf Racing fight for honours in the GTE-Am class.

Grove set for ‘bucket list’ Porsche race

Stephen Grove joins Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monaco

Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, Fuji Speedway, Sepang International Circuit … Monte Carlo: Porsche driver Stephen Grove continues to use international Porsche one-make series to race at motorsport’s most iconic and exclusive events, including this month’s Formula 1 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.

Using an identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car which is raced in Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia, Grove will compete in the second round of the 2018 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Monaco Grand Prix with French team, Pro GT by Alméras, on May 24-27, 2018.

Grove has capitalised on Porsche’s global one-make formula to compete in Carrera Cup championships around the world. The Victorian started his international one-make campaign in 2014 when he travelled to France’s Circuit de la Sarthe for a joint Carrera Cup Great Britain & France event as a curtain raiser to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Then, in 2017, Grove competed at Japan’s Fuji Speedway (Carrera Cup Asia & Japan), Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps (Carrera Cup France) and at Sepang International Circuit on two separate occasions, once with Carrera Cup Australia at its maiden international round, and again later in the season with Carrera Cup Asia.

As the sole tip-top series at the exclusive Monaco event, Grove is thankful for the rare opportunity for a Pro-Am driver to compete on the streets of Monte Carlo.

“For me, just to be at the Formula 1 event in Monaco is an amazing thing, so to actually get into a current 911 GT3 Cup car and race around that track is a real bucket list thing for me,” said Grove. “It’s really hard to get the opportunity to race at the Monaco Grand Prix and I’ve been lucky through Porsche to get that opportunity.

“The only tin-tops that race around there on the Monaco Grand Prix weekend is the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, so it’s great to have the opportunity to go and do something so special and rare.”

Grove is no stranger to street circuits; the Carrera Cup Australia series traditionally book-ends its season with the Adelaide 500 and Gold Coast 600 circuits, though the reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am champion believes the 3.3km Monaco circuit will present its own unique challenges.

“Because it’s such a unique circuit, the only way to prepare for it really is on the simulator, so I’ve been doing a couple of hours on the sim each week to get acquainted with it all.

“It’s a pretty technical track and a pretty rough track from what I’ve found on the sim so far – there’s no run off and no room for error. The entire layout is so iconic and, given the characteristic of the track, the way you approach and take a corner and some of the key corners there are different to anywhere else.

“Monaco has a little bit of Gold Coast mixed in it. The concrete walls, small track, not very wide, you need to be precise and there’s a lot of stop and go where you need to stop, pitch the car in and go. There’s also quite a bit of free-flowing, especially in the back part of the circuit after the tunnel where you’ve got to carry momentum, so it’s got a good mixture.”

The last Australian to race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix was now-Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell, who placed fifth in the sole 16-lap race in 2017.

Grove will enter the event on a high having recently claimed the TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win at the latest Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia event at Phillip Island.