Carrera Cup field readies for enduro battle

Davison and Gilbertson fastest in Phillip Island practice

The Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia field has completed its final preparations ahead of the series’ two longest single-driver races, with Alex Davison and Anthony Gilbertson finishing the eventful Friday practice sessions at Phillip Island quickest in their respective classes.

Davison was the best of the Pro ranked drivers ahead of his stablemate Dylan O’Keeffe, James Moffat and Dale Wood. The fastest three drivers from Friday posted their best times in the morning session, while Wood’s best lap came from the slower afternoon practice session, in which the former Supercars driver was the pacesetter.

After his impressive Friday form, Davison will now look to begin his Endurance Cup title defence in Saturday’s race one in style.

“I didn’t do a test day like many others had done, so it was good to arrive and be on the pace from the start of the day. With longer races this weekend, we focussed our efforts in the second session on a race set-up for a long run. I feel well prepared for tomorrow,” said Davison.

Jordan Love was the fifth best across Friday’s two sessions from Jaxon Evans, David Wall, Nick McBride, Peter Major and Michael Almond in tenth.

Gilbertson was the best of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am racers in the morning session, ultimately placing 11th outright for the day and ahead of Pro-Am rivals Max Twigg and Roger Lago. Having long-distance race experience in Carrera Cup’s feeder series, Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, Gilbertson feels well prepared for the two 25-lap races.

“I posted my best lap in the morning session when the track was a little bit faster and the sun wasn’t out. The car felt great straight out of the truck and it’s just as good at the end of today,” said Gilbertson.

“Having driven the longer races in GT3 Cup Challenge will really help me this weekend at Phillip Island. We’ve also done some longer runs in testing to find out how to conserve these rear tyres. This new car has more power so rear grip is everything, so if we can look after the tyres early in the race it will pay dividends towards the finish.”

While the morning session was uninterrupted, although delayed due to morning fog, the afternoon session was cut short after Dean Cook made heavy contact with the Hayshed tyre wall, handing the Ashley Seward Motorsport crew the large task of repairing the #22 TAG Heuer Pro-Am entry overnight.

Qualifying for the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship will be held at 11:35am on Saturday before the series’ kicks off the first of six Endurance Cup races for the 2018 season.

Race Schedule (local time)
Saturday April 21, 2018
11:35am Qualifying (20 minutes)
2:15pm Race 1 (25 laps)
Sunday April 22, 2018
12:20pm Race 2 (25 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Qualifying – 11:35am, Saturday April 21
Race 1 – 2:15pm, Saturday April 21
Race 2 – 12:20pm, Sunday April 22

Results: Practice 1

Results: Practice 2

O’Keeffe: Tyre management key to ‘Island success

Young Victorian eager for strong round three showing

Dylan O’Keeffe is expecting tyre management to be a decisive factor in this weekend’s third round of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship at Phillip Island.

The race format for the weekend will see the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars competing in a pair of 25 lap, 50-minute races – the longest single-driver races in the category’s history.

“Because this year’s cars are more powerful that last year, tyre management is already more of an issue, and Phillip Island is a track that is punishing on tyres,” O’Keeffe said.

“It’s going to be critical to be smooth, and to avoid sliding the car or locking brakes.

“I definitely think we’ll see a situation where people will push too hard too early, run out of tyres at the end and fall backwards through the field.”

O’Keeffe is currently fourth in the Carrera Cup standings after a strong start to the season, highlighted by a second-place finish in his most recent race. But the 20-year-old is not feeling over-confident.

“We’ve tested at Phillip Island, but it’s not really an advantage because so have most others, he said.

“We were comfortable with the package we had on the test day but it could mean nothing, because Phillip Island is a track where the conditions change very quickly.”

Fast Facts: Round 3, Phillip Island

All the facts and stats for Carrera Cup's third round

As the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season enters round three at Phillip Island – and kick starts the 2018 Endurance Cup – here are the best facts and stats from Australia’s fastest one-make series.

EVENT HISTORY
The third round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will be the 109th round held in the history of the series since it began in 2003. Phillip Island hosted the first-ever round of the series in that year, won by Jim Richards.

Last year Phillip Island hosted the 300th Carrera Cup championship race.

The Phillip Island round this year will feature races number 322 and 323 in series history.

Each race is scheduled to be held over 25 laps (111.125-kilometres), making them the longest single driver races ever seen in Carrera Cup history. Should they be affected by a time certain finish, at least 21 laps (93.345-kilometres) will need to be completed to break the record given the previous longest single driver race was Race 1 at Bathurst last year over 15 laps (93.195-kilometres).

This year is the 10th time the Carrera Cup has competed at Phillip Island and the first single driver round held there since 2012, won by Craig Baird.

The circuit has featured on the Carrera Cup calendar in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011-2012, 2014-2015 and 2017.

In 2005 and 2006 the circuit hosted the final round of the Carrera Cup and in 2014, 2015 and 2017 it hosted the Pro- Am round of the series with two drivers in each car.

David Wall and Stephen Grove are the only drivers in the 2018 field to have won a Carrera Cup round overall at Phillip Island. Grove teamed with Scott McLaughlin to win the 2014 Pro-Am round, while Wall teamed with Shane Smollen to win the 2017 Pro-Am round last year.

Grove and Scott McLaughlin made history at Phillip Island in 2014 – they won the round having qualified 15th – it’s the lowest qualifying position for a round winner in championship history.

Phillip Island is the only circuit in Carrera Cup history where there have been multiple occasions that drivers have won the round without winning a race that weekend. Jim Richards did it in 2005, Stephen Grove/Scott McLaughlin did it in 2014 and last year David Wall/Shane Smollen won the round without winning a race.

Jim Richards Racing remains the only team to ever win multiple Phillip Island Carrera Cup rounds. Team owner/driver Jim Richards won the 2003 and 2005 rounds while the remaining round wins have since been split between Sonic Motor Racing, Fitzgerald Racing Services, Melbourne Performance Centre, Alliance Group Racing, Grove Racing, McElrea Racing and Wall Racing.

Reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am Champion Stephen Grove has finished on the podium in the category in the last three Phillip Island rounds in a row. He was Pro-Am (and overall) round winner in 2014 and runner-up in 2015 and 2017.

GAPS AND MARGINS
Phillip Island is the site of the biggest race-winning margin in Carrera Cup history. Jonny Reid led home Alex Davison by 13.7760s to win Race 3 in 2012.

The closest race-winning margin at Phillip Island in Carrera Cup is 0.1234s with Craig Baird holding off Daniel Gaunt in Race 2 in 2011. It remains the fourth-closest race finish in the category’s history.

The closest pole position margin at Phillip Island in Carrera Cup is 0.0194s between Nick Foster and Jonny Reid in 2012.

The biggest pole margin at Phillip Island in Carrera Cup is 1.5672s (on combined times) between Nick Foster/Ryan Simpson and Shae Davies/Adam Gowans in 2014’s Pro-Am round. It is the biggest pole-winning margin in PWSCCA history.

DRIVER MILESTONES
Alex Davison will make his 54th Carrera Cup round start at Phillip Island, tying him with Rodney Jane for third on the list of most rounds started in series history. Only Marc Cini (97) and Craig Baird (66) have started more.

Stephen Grove makes his 46th Carrera Cup round start at Phillip Island, tying him with Steve Richards and Shane Smollen in series record books for eighth on the list of most rounds started.

STREAKS
Jaxon Evans is aiming for his fourth straight Carrera Cup round victory having won the last round in 2017 on the Gold Coast and first two rounds of 2018 at Adelaide and Albert Park. The last driver to win four rounds in a row in Carrera Cup was Craig Baird in 2008 – he won at Barbagallo, Sandown, Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island.

In fact, Alex Davison (six in a row across 2003/04), Jim Richards (four in a row in 2003) and Baird are the only drivers in PWSCCA history to ever win four rounds of the series in a row.

Evans’ team McElrea Racing has won the last three rounds of Carrera Cup with Evans driving and is aiming for four – Fitzgerald Racing Services (with Baird in 2008) is the last team to win four rounds of the series in a row.

PHILLIP ISLAND LAP RECORDS
Qualifying Matt Campbell McElrea Racing 1m30.0141s 2015
Race Scott Mclaughlin Grove Motorsport 1m31.1343s 2015

PHILLIP ISLAND ROUND WINNERS
2003 Jim Richards
2005 Jim Richards
2006 David Reynolds
2008 Craig Baird
2011 Daniel Gaunt
2012 Craig Baird
2014 Stephen Grove/Scott McLaughlin
2015 Shane Smollen/Nick Percat
2017 David Wall/Shane Smollen
2 – Jim Richards, Craig Baird, Shane Smollen
1 – David Reynolds, Daniel Gaunt, Stephen Grove, Scott McLaughlin, Nick Percat, David Wall

PHILLIP ISLAND RACE WINNERS
2003 Jim Richards Jim Richards Jim Richards
2005 David Reynolds Fabian Coulthard Fabian Coulthard
2006 David Reynolds David Reynolds David Reynolds
2008 Craig Baird Aaron Caratti David Russell
2011 Daniel Gaunt Craig Baird Daniel Gaunt
2012 Daniel Gaunt Craig Baird Jonny Reid
2014 Craig Baird/Max Twigg Shane Smollen/Nick Percat
2015 Shane Smollen/Nick Percat Nick Foster/Dylan Thomas
2017 Nick McBride/Dylan Thomas Dean Grant/Lee Holdsworth
4 – David Reynolds, Craig Baird
3 – Jim Richards, Daniel Gaunt
2 – Fabian Coulthard, Shane Smollen, Nick Percat, Dylan Thomas
1 – Aaron Caratti, David Russell, Jonny Reid, Max Twigg, Nick Foster, Nick McBride, Dean Grant, Lee Holdsworth

PHILLIP ISLAND PODIUM FINISHERS
2003 Jim Richards Peter Fitzgerald Marcus Marshall
2005 Jim Richards Fabian Coulthard Jonathon Webb
2006 David Reynolds Alex Davison David Wall
2008 Craig Baird Aaron Caratti Bryce Washington
2011 Daniel Gaunt Jonny Reid Craig Baird
2012 Craig Baird Daniel Gaunt Steve Richards
2014 Stephen Grove/Scott McLaughlin Craig Baird/Max Twigg James Bergmuller/Dale Wood
2015 Shane Smollen/Nick Percat Nick Foster/Dylan Thomas Stephen Grove/Scott McLaughlin
2017 David Wall/Shane Smollen Dean Grant/Lee Holdsworth Andre Heimgartner/Aaron Ireland
4 – Craig Baird
2 – Jim Richards, Daniel Gaunt, Stephen Grove, Scott McLaughlin, David Wall, Shane Smollen
1 – Peter Fitzgerald, Marcus Marshall, Fabian Coulthard, Jonathon Webb, David Reynolds, Alex Davison, Aaron Caratti, Bryce Washington, Jonny Reid, Steve Richards, Max Twigg, James Bergmuller, Dale Wood, Nick Percat, Nick Foster, Dylan Thomas, Dean Grant, Lee Holdsworth, Andre Heimgartner, Aaron Ireland

PHILLIP ISLAND POLE POSITIONS
2003 Jim Richards
2005 Jim Richards
2006 David Reynolds
2008 Aaron Caratti
2011 Jonny Reid
2012 Nick Foster
2014 Nick Foster/Ryan Simpson
2015 Shane Smollen/Nick Percat
2017 Stephen Grove/Tim Slade
2 – Jim Richards, Nick Foster
1 – David Reynolds, Aaron Caratti, Jonny Reid, Ryan Simpson, Shane Smollen, Nick Percat, Stephen Grove, Tim Slade

PHILLIP ISLAND TAG HEUER PRO-AM ROUND WINNERS
2005 Andrew Luxton
2006 Dean Grant
2008 James Koundouris
2011 Max Twigg
2012 Max Twigg
2014 Stephen Grove
2015 Shane Smollen
2017 Dean Grant
2 – Max Twigg, Dean Grant
1 – Andrew Luxton, James Koundouris, Stephen Grove, Shane Smollen

PHILLIP ISLAND TAG HEUER PRO-AM RACE WINS
2005 James Koundouris Andrew Luxton Andrew Luxton
2006 Tony Quinn Dean Grant Rodney Jane
2008 James Koundouris Max Twigg James Koundouris
2011 Max Twigg Damien Flack Max Twigg
2012 Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2014 Stephen Grove Shane Smollen
2015 Shane Smollen Shane Smollen
2017 Sam Shahin Dean Grant
6 – Max Twigg
3 – James Koundouris, Shane Smollen
2 – Andrew Luxton, Dean Grant
1 – Tony Quinn, Rodney Jane, Damien Flack, Stephen Grove, Sam Shahin

PHILLIP ISLAND TAG HEUER PRO-AM POLE POSITIONS
2005 James Koundouris
2006 Tony Quinn
2008 Peter Hill
2011 James Koundouris
2012 James Koundouris
2014 Tony Bates
2015 Shane Smollen
2017 Stephen Grove
3 – James Koundouris
1 – Tony Quinn, Peter Hill, Tony Bates, Shane Smollen, Stephen Grove

PHILLIP ISLAND TAG HEUER PRO-AM PODIUM FINISHERS
2005 Andrew Luxton Theo Koundouris Tony Quinn
2006 Dean Grant Tony Quinn Shaun Juniper
2008 James Koundouris Theo Koundouris Shaun Juniper
2011 Max Twigg Damien Flack James Koundouris
2012 Max Twigg Shane Smollen Tony Bates
2014 Stephen Grove James Bergmuller Ash Samadi
2015 Shane Smollen Stephen Grove Adrian Mastronardo
2017 Dean Grant Stephen Grove Sam Shahin
3 – Stephen Grove
2 – Theo Koundouris, Tony Quinn, Dean Grant, Shaun Juniper, James Koundouris, Max Twigg, Shane Smollen
1 – Andrew Luxton, Damien Flack, Tony Bates, James Bergmuller, Ash Samadi, Adrian Mastronardo, Sam Shahin

Porsche racers face record endurance test

The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is no stranger to Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia endurance races, a trend that will continue in 2018… with a difference.

In its 10th visit to the Phillip Island circuit, the all-Porsche championship will hold two long distance races at the 4.4km circuit, much like the two-driver Pro-Am events held at the circuit in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Though instead of sharing the racing duties, Carrera Cup’s drivers will be faced with the longest single-driver races in the series’ history.

Carrera Cup will feature two 25-lap (111.13km) races across Saturday and Sunday, both of which eclipse the record of the series’ previous test of single-driver endurance: At 93km, the opening Carrera Cup race at Bathurst last year stands as the longest Carrera Cup test for a single driver. Completing only 21 of the scheduled 25 laps this weekend will still eclipse the record. The round will also be the first single-driver event at the Victorian venue since 2012, which was won by Craig Baird.

Following a successful Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Carrera Cup will bring an unchanged driver line-up to Phillip Island. This weekend marks the start of the six-race Endurance Cup, a concept that began last season ultimately won by Alex Davison and Marc Cini.

One of the Phillip Island favourites will no doubt be Jaxon Evans, who is aiming for his fourth straight Carrera Cup round victory having won the last event of 2017 on the Gold Coast and the first two rounds of 2018 at Adelaide and Albert Park. The last driver to win four Carrera Cup rounds in a row was Baird in 2008 – the fellow New Zealander won at Barbagallo, Sandown, Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island.

“It will be an interesting event. Having had a test day at Phillip Island before the round, hopefully that brings us level with the local teams. I love the circuit, it’s similar to Albert Park, and the level of competition will step up again so hopefully we can step up with it,” said Evans.

Evans’ teammate and fellow Albert Park round winner, Pro-Am driver Tim Miles, is also looking forward to the Phillip Island event.

“With the extra power and front grip, these new cars will suit the Phillip Island circuit perfectly. The Pro-Am class is hugely competitive this season so I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing how we go,” said Miles.

Having not yet placed outside the top two positions in 2018, Evans sits 69 points ahead of his closest Pro-ranked rival Dale Wood, with reigning champion David Wall in third.

Meanwhile, round one Pro-Am winner Roger Lago takes a 79-point class lead into Phillip Island over reigning and former class champions Stephen Grove and Max Twigg.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will begin its third round on Friday with two practice sessions, followed by qualifying and race one on Saturday, and race two on Sunday. All sessions from practice two onwards can be viewed live on Fox Sports 506.

Race Schedule
Friday April 20, 2018
10:40am Practice 1 (30 minutes)
1:50pm Practice 2 (30 minutes)
Saturday April 21, 2018
11:35am Qualifying (20 minutes)
2:15pm Race 1 (25 laps)
Sunday April 22, 2018
12:20pm Race 2 (25 laps)

Broadcast Schedule
Practice 2 – 1:50pm, Friday April 20
Qualifying – 11:35am, Saturday April 21
Race 1 – 2:15pm, Saturday April 21
Race 2 – 12:20pm, Sunday April 22

Entry list: Round 3, Phillip Island
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. #13 Sam Shahin (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) The Bend/htfu
10. #14 Peter Major (Pro) Sonic/Totally 4×4
11. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) LORY Construction
12. #18 James Moffat (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security/JBL
13. #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmark Homes
14. #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Agas National
15. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) BMF/Pitman Racing
16. #23 Roger Lago (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) JBS Australia
17. #35 Indiran Padayachee (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hyundai Forklifts Australia
18. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) Sonic/Bob Jane T Marts/PSA
19. #80 Max Twigg (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) WM Waste Management
20. #88 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) APB Group
21. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) Sonic/Polyflor
22. #111 Cameron Hill (Pro) Southern Star Truck Centre/Anytime Fitness
23. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Harcourts Williams
24. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) Bob Jane T Marts
25. #808 John Steffensen (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Crown/Timken/Porsche Melbourne
26. #888 Alex Davison (Pro) Porsche Centre Brighton

Unbound 919 Hybrid smashes Spa record

Posche 919 Hybrid Evo faster than Formula 1

No rules or regulations: the ultimate evolution of the Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid is faster than Formula 1.

An evo version of the Porsche 919 Hybrid established a new track record at Spa-Francorchamps. Porsche works driver Neel Jani lapped the 7.004 kilometre long Belgian Grand Prix Circuit in the Ardennes mountains in 1:41.770 minutes.

The 34-year-old Swiss has beaten the previous record by 0.783 seconds that was set by Lewis Hamilton (GB) at the wheel of a Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid. Hamilton’s lap of 1:42.553 minutes dates back to August 26 in 2017 and secured him pole position for last year’s F1 race. Jani achieved a top speed of 359 km/h and an average speed of 245.61 km/h on his record lap that he started at 10:23 hrs. Ambient temperature was 11° Celsius, track temperature was 13° Celsius.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “This was an absolute fantastic lap – an outstanding drivers’ performance from Neel and the result of great engineering. Today’s track record impressively proves the ultimate performance of the most innovative race car of its time. Our target was to show what the Porsche 919 Hybrid is able to do when we loosen the restrictions that normally come from the regulations.”

Team Principal Andreas Seidl: “This additional success is the result of the LMP team’s hard work and a proud day for the engineers. One can only congratulate Neel and the entire crew for achieving it. All six 2017 LMP1 drivers contributed to the project. It was our target to show the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s abilities when we ease the restrictions that came from the World Endurance Championship regulations.”

With the 919 Hybrid, Porsche has won the Le Mans 24-Hours from 2015 to 2017 three times in a row as well as the world champion titles for both, manufacturers and drivers, in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) during the same years.

Neel Jani: “The 919 Evo is brutally impressive. It is definitely the fastest car I ever drove. The grip level is at a fully new dimension for me, I couldn’t imagine this amount beforehand. The speed on which everything happens on a single lap with the 919 Evo is that fast that the demand on reaction speed is very different to what I was used to in the WEC. We are not only faster than the F1 pole from 2017. Today’s lap was twelve seconds faster compared to our WEC pole position from last year! We have had three very intense days at Spa. Today I knew on the very first lap in the morning that the car’s performance was super. The race engineers did a great job setting up the car and the Michelin tyres are sensational. A big thank you to Porsche for this experience.”

Unchained for the record

The technical regulations from the FIA for the WEC and Le Mans successfully delivered close competition between the conceptually very different class 1 Le Mans hybrid prototypes entered by Audi, Porsche and Toyota. As a consequence this never allowed the question – what would be the potential of the Porsche 919 Hybrid if it wasn’t chained by the limitations – to be answered; until now.

Stephen Mitas, Chief Race Engineer LMP1, was heading the project: “It was kind of an engineer’s dream come true for us”, the Australian admits. “Having developed, improved and raced the car for four years, the guys had a very close relationship to it. We all knew, no matter how successful the 919 Hybrid was, it could never show its full abilities. Actually even the Evo version doesn’t fully exploit the technical potential. This time we were not limited by regulations but resources. It is a very satisfying feeling that what we’ve done to the car was enough to crack the Formula One record.”

To prepare the record car, the base was the 2017 world championship car. 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.

For the ‘Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo’ the entire hardware of the power train remained untouched.

The 919 is powered by a compact two-litre turbo charged V4-cylinder engine and two different energy recovery systems – brake energy from the front axle combined with exhaust energy. The combustion engine drives the rear axle while the electro motor boosts the front axle to accelerate the car with four-wheel drive. At the same time it recuperates energy from the exhaust system that otherwise would pass unused in to the atmosphere. The electrical energy that comes from the front brakes and the exhaust system is temporarily stored in a liquid-cooled lithium ion battery.

The WEC efficiency regulations limited the energy from fuel per lap by using a fuel flow meter. At the 2017 championship round in Spa, in the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s final season, it could use 1.784 kilogram/2.464 litres of petrol per lap. The V4 combustion engine’s output back then was around 500 HP. Freed from these restrictions, equipped with an updated software but running the regular race fuel (E20, containing 20 per cent bio ethanol), the 919 Hybrid Evo delivers 720 HP.

The amount of energy from the two recovery systems that could be used in Spa 2017 was 6.37 megajoule. This was by far below the systems’ potential. On his record lap Neel Jani enjoyed a full boost of 8.49 megajoule – the e-machine’s output increased by ten per cent from 400 to 440 HP.

The engineers also unchained the aerodynamics of the 919 Evo from the regulations. The new larger front diffuser now balances the new and very large rear wing, both of which have actively controlled drag reduction systems. The hydraulically operated systems trim the trailing edge of the front diffuser and opens up the slot between the rear wing main plane and the flap respectively in order increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the Evo. Underneath the Evo the turning vanes and floor have been optimised with fixed height side skirts to increase the aerodynamic performance again as efficiently as possible. In total the aero modifications resulted in 53 per cent higher downforce and an increase in efficiency by 66 per cent (compared to the 2017 Spa WEC qualifying).

To help further expand the performance envelope, the super-fast Evo gained a four-wheel brake-by-wire system to provide additional yaw control. Furthermore, the power steering was adapted for the higher loads and stronger suspension wishbones (front and rear) were implemented.

Compared to the car in race trim, the dry weight was reduced by 39 kilograms to 849 kilograms. To achieve this, everything was removed what isn’t needed for a single fast lap: air-conditioning, windscreen wiper, several sensors, electronic devices from race control, lights systems and the pneumatic jack system.

Porsche’s multi-year tyre partner Michelin was immediately interested to work with a car that produces more downforce than a Formula One car. Keeping the tyre dimensions (31/71-18), the target was to increase the grip level significantly. Michelin developed new compounds to deliver the necessary grip with no compromise on safety.

The ‘919 Tribute Tour’ continues

The record lap at Spa was the first appearance on the 919 Tribute Tour. It can next be seen doing a demo lap on the legendary Nordschleife before the start of the 24-Hours Nürburgring race on May 12. Drives at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 12-15) and the Festival of Porsche in Brands Hatch (September 2) will follow as well as the car’s participation at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion in Laguna Seca, California (September 26-29).

Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (919 Hybrid WEC)

Specifications

Monocoque:
Composite material structure consisting of carbon fibre with an aluminium honeycomb core. The cockpit is closed.

Combustion engine:
V4 engine (90 degree cylinder bank angle), turbocharged, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC, 1 Garrett turbocharger, direct petrol injection, fully load-bearing aluminium cylinder crankcase, dry sump lubrication
Max. engine speed: ≈ 9,000/min

Engine management:
Bosch MS5

Displacement:
2,000 cm3 (V4 engine)

Output:
Combustion engine: 720 PS, rear axle (< 500 PS) MGU: 440 PS, front axle (> 400 PS)

Hybrid system:
KERS with a motor generator unit (MGU) mounted on the front axle; ERS for recuperation of energy from exhaust gases. Energy storage in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with cells from A123 Systems

Drive system:
Rear wheel drive, traction control (ASR), temporary all-wheel drive at the front axle via the electric motor when boosted, hydraulically operated sequential 7-speed racing gearbox

Chassis:
Independent front and rear wheel suspension, push-rod layout with adjustable dampers and Pitch Link System with actively controlled lockout system (no actively controlled lockout system in the 919 WEC version)

Brake system:
4-wheel brake-by-wire system (front-rear brake-by-wire system), monoblock light alloy brake calipers, ventilated carbon fibre brake discs front and rear.
Variable control of wheel torques to optimize the car balance (variable control of torque distribution front to rear)

Wheels and tyres:
Forged magnesium wheel rims from BBS; Michelin Radial tyres, front and rear: 310/710-18

Weight: 849 kg (888 kg including driver ballast)
Length: 5,078 mm (4,650 mm)
Width: 1,900 mm
Height: 1,050 mm
Fuel tank capacity: 62.3 litres

Kiwis conquer Carrera Cup at Albert Park

Jaxon Evans and Tim Miles take Albert Park round victory

Jaxon Evans has avoided opening corner chaos to take victory in race four of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia at Albert Park along with the round win, while Tim Miles secured round victory in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

Dale Wood was the star driver for the weekend until the start of the final race, where he and Alex Davison were contacted from behind at the opening corner. The incident spun both Wood and Davison; Wood continued at the rear of the field while the safety car was called to recover Davison’s stranded car from the turn one run-off area.

New Zealander Evans dominated after the restart to eventually cruise to his third win of the Carrera Cup season and further extend his series lead after two of eight rounds.

“To get back-to-back round victories for the first two rounds is obviously the perfect way to kick off the year and show that we’re not here to muck around, but to fight for the championship,” said Evans, who was joined on the Pro round podium by Dale Wood and Jordan Love.

“I was pretty lucky to get away with that one. I can’t thank to team enough for the car they’ve given me this weekend. I struggled to get past Dale in the first three races and it’s unfortunate what happened to him in the last race .”

Dylan O’Keeffe continued his Albert Park comeback after race two dramas to ultimately place second, moving past Love in the closing laps to gain his best result for the season.

Love placed third from David Wall; a fourth in the final race was little consolation for the reigning champion following a race three spin. Nick McBride placed fifth for the final race from James Moffat and Peter Major in seventh for the rookie’s best result for the season.

Stephen Grove placed eighth in the final race, which is the best overall performance by a TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver for the 2018 season. Twigg placed second in class for the final race from Roger Lago, Adrian Flack and Tim Miles in fifth.

Miles ended the weekend as the top TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver, joining his compatriot on the top step of the Albert Park podium on Sunday.

“I got a bit bullied in that last race, which was a bit frustrating. I didn’t have enough pace to fight with them properly and the team were on the radio just telling me to behave and consolidate the round win. I can’t thank the McElrea Racing boys enough, not just for giving me a good car but for keeping me calm.”

Evans now leads the Pro standings by 69 points from Wood; while Wood has more race wins, Evans is yet to finish outside the top two this season. Wall holds third in the Pro standings from O’Keeffe and Love. Evans also retains the Michelin Juniors standings lead from Love and Garwood.

Lago holds the lead of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am standings following his dominant opening round performance from triple champion Twigg, reigning champion Grove and Albert Park round winner Miles.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will return on April 22-25 for round three at Phillip Island.

Results: Race 4

Saturday success for Wood and Grove at Albert Park

Australian Grand Prix, Race 3 wrap

Dale Wood has continued his Albert Park dominance in Saturday’s race three with his third victory of the event, while reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am champion Stephen Grove claimed his first class win of the season.

The race started in unusual conditions when the circuit’s starting lights failed, forcing the race to start behind the safety car. After the first lap, the safety car exited the circuit and Wood headed the field into turn one.

Much like the first two Porsche races at Albert Park, Wood led the charge with Evans closely behind, and despite several challenges for the lead by Evans, the former Supercars driver retained composure and raced to his fourth win of his short Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia career.

Wood will now aim to become just the fourth driver to claim victory in all Albert Park races following the previous clean sweeps of Alex Davison (2003), Jim Richards (2005) and Craig Baird (2012).

“That was a hard race. I could not shake Jaxon and even the tiniest mistake means he’s all over you. It was a tough race, but a good one. It’s a confidence booster but we can’t get complacent. I’m absolutely loving it,” said Wood.

Evans once again finished a narrow second in race three, with Alex Davison continuing his comeback from a race one post-race penalty to place third by the chequered flag, impressively navigating his way past fellow Pro racers to lead home a four car battle pack also consisting of Michael Almond, Jordan Love and Nick McBride, who finished sixth after starting ninth on the grid.

Dylan O’Keeffe placed seventh from James Moffat, who came together with his teammate David Wall on the final corner of lap three, resulting in the Wall Racing duo spinning and subsequently dropping down the order. Moffat recovered to finished eighth, while Wall ultimately placed 14th.

Stephen Grove’s fortunes changed dramatically from earlier in the weekend with victory in the competitive TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

After Grove failed to finish race one, a strong performance in race two and an equally impressive showing in race three elevated Grove to the head of the Pro-Am field at the race three finish.

The result was Grove’s maiden 2018 victory and his first class win since the opening race of the 2017 Gold Coast season finale.

“With the calibre of drivers that we have in Pro-Am now, a win is something special. The wins don’t just come, you have to work really hard. In that race I pushed from fifth and I worked hard and passed everyone cleanly; everyone gave racing room and that’s a real credit to all the boys I was racing with. To win in this category now is hard and to get the win is great. It will build momentum from here.”

Race two Pro-Am winner Tim Miles placed second in class from Dean Cook, Greg Taylor and Max Twigg. Sam Shahin was sixth in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am from race one and race two class winner Roger Lago.

One race remains for the second round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season, which can be viewed live on Network Ten and Fox Sports 506 at 1:05pm on Sunday March 25.

Race Schedule (local time)
Sunday March 25, 2018
1:05pm – Race 4 (10 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Ten & Fox Sports 506
Race 4 – 1:05pm, Sunday March 25

Results: Race 3
1. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) 10 laps, 21:40.1651
2. #7 Jaxon Evans (Pro) 10 laps, 21:41.4446
3. #888 Alex Davison (Pro) 10 laps, 21:46.0128
4. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) 10 laps, 21:46.0280
5. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) 10 laps, 21:46.5241
6. #8 Nick McBride (Pro) 10 laps, 21:47.1380
7. #88 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) 10 laps, 21:47.2747
8. #18 James Moffat (Pro) 10 laps, 22:02.6732
9. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) 10 laps, 22:04.6951
10. #12 Adam Garwood (Pro) 10 laps, 22:07.1319
11. #14 Peter Major (Pro) 10 laps, 22:07.8418
12. #4 Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:10.6368
13. #6 Tim Miles (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:11.8649
14. #1 David Wall (Pro) 10 laps, 22:15.9960
15. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:16.5119
16. #5 Greg Taylor (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:19.0439
17. #80 Max Twigg (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:28.3776
18. #13 Sam Shahin (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:30.1417
19. #23 Roger Lago (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:40.7615
20. #9 Marc Cini (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:45.9512
21. #35 Indiran Padayachee (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 22:46.4089
22. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 10 laps, 23:22.1608
DNF #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 3 laps, 8:28.0144
DNF #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) 2 laps, 5:48.8643

Wood and Miles top Albert Park race two

Round 2, Australian Grand Prix Race 2 wrap

Dale Wood has secured back-to-back race victories at Albert Park in round two of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship while an impressive Friday performance by Tim Miles ended Roger Lago’s TAG Heuer Pro-Am win streak.

Starting from pole position, race one winner Wood held the lead into the opening corner and, much like the opening race, the safety car was soon called to the circuit after Max Twigg’s and John Steffensen’s cars were recovered from the circuit. Twigg spun, seemingly caused by damaged incurred by an earlier altercation with Peter Major, while Steffensen spun in an effort to avoid Twigg, making contact with the barrier.

Once the safety car departed the circuit, Wood was left with a charging Jaxon Evans in his rear view mirrors. Despite the race-long pressure from the young Michelin Junior, Wood managed to hold his race lead and claim his third race win of the season.

“The wins aren’t coming easy by any means. I feel out of place at the moment; I don’t feel like we’ve got the car working where I want it. But I have no complaints, we have a win from another tough race. We’ll try to get it sorted and go again tomorrow,” said Wood.

Wood took the chequered flag in a closely fought battle pack consisting of second placed Evans, David Wall, James Moffat, Alex Davison and Michael Almond in sixth.

Tim Miles capitalised on Roger Lago’s slow start to claim the race two class victory, his first of the season. Following Lago’s poor start and Twigg’s lap one dramas, Miles was able to manage the gap to next best TAG Heuer Pro-Am racer to eventually claim his first class win of the season, ending Lago’s four-race win streak.

“I’m thrilled with that result. It’s such a tough and competitive field so it’s great to eventually get a Pro-Am race win,” said Miles.

“The car has been perfect since the beginning of the year, to be honest. And this weekend, if you can be sensible and behave you can get a better result that by pushing too hard.”

Dean Cook and Greg Taylor placed second and third in class for race two, their best class results of the season, from Lago in fourth and TAG Heuer Pro-Am pole-sitter Stephen Grove in fifth after starting from the rear of the field due to a race one DNF.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will hold its third and fourth race of round two on Saturday and Sunday, both broadcast live across Network Ten and Fox Sports 506.

Race Schedule (local time)
Saturday March 24, 2018
3:20pm – Race 3 (10 laps)
Sunday March 25, 2018
1:05pm – Race 4 (10 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Ten & Fox Sports 506
Race 3 – 3:20pm, Saturday March 24
Race 4 – 1:05pm, Sunday March 25

Results: Race 2

Wood and Lago win eventful Albert Park opener

Round 2, Australian Grand Prix Race 1 wrap

Dale Wood and Roger Lago have claimed race one victory in an eventful start to the second round of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship.

While it was pole-sitter Nick McBride to lead into the opening corner, green flag running was short-lived as Cameron Hill failed to launch from the start line and Anthony Gilbertson rear-ended Hill’s #111 Porsche. The contact ended both their races and called to safety car to the circuit for several laps.

Upon the restart, McBride ran off the circuit at turn one, allowing Wood to inherit the lead from Michelin Junior drivers Jordan Love and Jaxon Evans.

Wood continued at the head of the field though was challenged late in the race by Evans, who pressured past Love in the closing laps. Evans finished a mere 0.27secs behind Wood in second from Love, reigning champion David Wall and James Moffat in fifth.

For Wood, the race one victory replicated his performance in Adelaide, where he was also victorious in the opening race of the event.

“That’s two race wins by round two, so I’m pretty happy with that. Jaxon once again put on a ton of pressure and was really strong all race. I’ve got to get my starts sorted and then get a nice and fast car in the race. It’s all looking good,” said Wood.

“We’re definitely starting where we want to tomorrow. We can’t get complacent as there are 25 blokes behind who all want the position I’m in. It’s a grouse way to start the weekend.”

Meanwhile, TAG Heuer Pro-Am victory in the opening Albert Park battle extends Roger Lago’s win streak across the first four races of the season. Lago was the dominant Pro-Am racer in the season opener and, while he started second in class, the Queensland based driver was able to avoid the start-line drama to eventually claim race one victory.

“It’s obviously disappointing for the other boys not to finish the race; I’ve been on the receiving end of that a few times here. I just had to stay out of trouble. I had Pro drivers Peter Major and Josh Hunt behind me and I didn’t want to get involved with them so I let them go and cruised around to the finish,” said Lago.

Max Twigg placed second in class for the opening Albert Park race from Sam Shahin in the South Australian’s first visit to the 5.3km circuit. Tim Miles placed fourth in class from Dean Cook, Greg Taylor, Indiran Padayachee and John Steffensen.

The race is now on to fix the damaged race cars of Hill and Gilbertson, while Marc Cini, who was absent from race one, will return for race two after damaging his Porsche earlier on Thursday.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will hold its second race of the event at 2:55pm on Friday before the third and fourth race of round two is held on Saturday and Sunday. The remaining three races of the Albert Park event will be broadcast live on both Network Ten (Race 2, ONE; Race 3 & 4, Ten) and Fox Sports 506.

Race Schedule (local time)
Friday March 23, 2018
2:55pm – Race 2 (10 laps)
Saturday March 24, 2018
3:20pm – Race 3 (10 laps)
Sunday March 25, 2018
1:05pm – Race 4 (10 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: ONE & Fox Sports 506
Race 2 – 2:55pm, Friday March 23
Channel: Ten & Fox Sports 506
Race 3 – 3:20pm, Saturday March 24
Race 4 – 1:05pm, Sunday March 25

Results: Race 1

McBride and Grove top Albert Park qualifying

Local drivers take TAG Heuer Pole Position

Nick McBride has secured the TAG Heuer Pole Position late in the Thursday qualifying session, while fellow Melbourne based driver Stephen Grove was the best of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am drivers.

McBride and Michelin Junior driver Jordan Love will start race one from the front row, ahead of series points leader Jaxon Evans and reigning champion David Wall filling the second row.

Michael Almond will start fifth from experienced racers Alex Davison and James Moffat, who’s best lap was also under qualifying lap record pace.

Grove, who placed third in class in Adelaide, was the best TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver in qualifying, ahead of round winner class winner Roger Lago, Max Twigg and Adelaide 500 Pro-Am pole-sitter Anthony Gilbertson.

Albert Park Fast Facts

All the Carrera Cup facts and stats from Albert Park

EVENT HISTORY
The second round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will be the 108th round held in the history of the series since it began in 2003.

The Albert Park round will feature races number 318, 319, 320 and 321 in series history. Last year’s Albert Park round was the 100th round in PWSCCA history.

This year is the ninth time the PWSCCA has competed for championship points at Albert Park (2008 and from 2011 onwards). This year is the 14th time overall that PWSCCA has competed at Albert Park. The events from 2003 to 2007 were not a round of the championship.

The circuit has featured on the PWSCCA calendar every year since the category began in 2003, regardless of whether it has hosted a championship or non-championship event.

There have been five different PWSCCA round winners at Albert Park in the last five years – Craig Baird (2013), Warren Luff (2014), Steve Richards (2015), Alex Davison (2016) and Cameron McConville (2017).

Only two drivers have clean-swept a PWSCCA weekend at Albert Park with pole position and victory in every race – Alex Davison in 2003 and Jim Richards in 2005. No driver has managed the feat since the round became a part of the championship in 2008.

Davison is the king of Albert Park pole positions. He has four poles at Albert Park – 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007 – however none of these have been in the era of Albert Park hosting rounds of the actual championship.

Max Twigg has proven to be the king of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am category at Albert Park, winning the round five times from the first six rounds held at the Grand Prix venue (2008, 2011-2013, 2015).

GAPS AND MARGINS
The closest PWSCCA finish in a championship race at Albert Park came in Race 4 in 2008 when Craig Baird beat Dean Fiore to the line by 0.4205s.

The biggest PWSCCA winning margin for a championship race remains 9.6411s in Race 2 in 2011 when Craig Baird beat home Daniel Gaunt.

The smallest pole position-winning margin for a PWSCCA round at Albert Park came in 2015 with Nick McBride just 0.0028s faster than Matt Campbell. It is the second closest in PWSCCA history, only 0.0001s off the record of 0.0027s (Alex Davison to Jonny Reid at Townsville in 2012).

The biggest pole margin in Albert Park in a championship PWSCCA round came in 2016 when Matt Campbell outqualified second-fastest Nick McBride by 0.5322s.

DRIVER MILESTONES
David Wall will make his 44th PWSCCA round start in Adelaide. He now passes Tony Quinn to move into 11th place on the all-time round starts list in series history.

Roger Lago’s TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win in Adelaide was his first win in the category since Albert Park in 2014.

STREAKS
Jaxon Evans is aiming for his third straight PWSCCA round victory having won the last round in 2017 on the Gold Coast and first round of 2018 in Adelaide.

The last driver to win three rounds in a row was Nick Foster in 2015. In fact, only four drivers – Alex Davison, Jim Richards, Craig Baird and Foster – have ever won three rounds in a row in the PWSCCA.

Evans’ team McElrea Racing has won the last two rounds of PWSCCA – the last round of 2017 on the Gold Coast and the first round of 2018 in Adelaide. The last time it won two rounds in a row was in late 2016 when Matt Campbell won Bathurst and the Gold Coast.

ALBERT PARK LAP RECORDS
Qualifying Warren Luff McElrea Racing 1m57.7313s 2014
Race Ben Barker Team BRM 1m58.3646s 2011

ALBERT PARK ROUND WINNERS
2008 Craig Baird
2011 Craig Baird
2012 Craig Baird
2013 Craig Baird
2014 Warren Luff
2015 Steve Richards
2016 Alex Davison
2017 Cameron McConville
4 – Craig Baird
1 – Warren Luff, Steve Richards, Alex Davison, Cameron McConville
Note: Non-championship rounds held at Albert Park between 2003 and 2007.

ALBERT PARK POLE POSITIONS
2008 Aaron Caratti
2011 Jonny Reid
2012 Jonny Reid
2013 Nick Percat
2014 Warren Luff
2015 Nick McBride
2016 Matt Campbell
2017 Nick McBride
2 – Jonny Reid, Nick McBride
1 – Aaron Caratti, Nick Percat, Warren Luff, Matt Campbell
Note: Non-championship rounds held at Albert Park between 2003 and 2007. (Poles taken by Alex Davison in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and by Jim Richards in 2005).

ALBERT PARK RACE WINNERS (CHAMP AND NON-CHAMP RACES)
2003 Alex Davison Alex Davison Alex Davison
2004 Matt Halliday Alex Davison Matt Halliday Alex Davison
2005 Jim Richards Jim Richards Jim Richards
2006 Alex Davison Craig Baird Craig Baird Craig Baird
2007 Alex Davison Alex Davison David Reynolds David Reynolds
2008 Aaron Caratti Craig Baird Craig Baird Craig Baird
2011 Jonny Reid Craig Baird Craig Baird
2012 Craig Baird Craig Baird Craig Baird
2013 Steve Richards Craig Baird Craig Baird
2014 Steve Richards Warren Luff Warren Luff
2015 Nick McBride Steve Richards Steve Richards
2016 Matt Campbell Alex Davison Alex Davison Alex Davison
2017 Nick McBride Nick McBride Cameron McConville Alex Davison
13 – Craig Baird
12 – Alex Davison
4 – Steve Richards
3 – Jim Richards
2 – Matt Halliday, David Reynolds, Warren Luff, Nick McBride
1 – Aaron Caratti, Jonny Reid, Nick McBride, Matt Campbell, Cameron McConville

ALBERT PARK PODIUM FINISHERS
2008 Craig Baird Dean Fiore David Russell
2011 Craig Baird Daniel Gaunt Steve Richards
2012 Craig Baird Jonny Reid Alex Davison
2013 Craig Baird Warren Luff Steve Richards
2014 Warren Luff Steve Richards Nick Foster
2015 Steve Richards Cameron McConville Craig Baird
2016 Alex Davison Steve Richards Nick McBride
2017 Cameron McConville Nick McBride Alex Davison
5 – Craig Baird, Steve Richards
3 – Alex Davison
2 – Warren Luff, Cameron McConville, Nick McBride
1 – Dean Fiore, David Russell, Daniel Gaunt, Jonny Reid, Nick Foster
Note: Non-championship rounds held at Albert Park between 2003 and 2007.

ALBERT PARK TAG HEUER PRO-AM ROUND WINNERS
2008 Max Twigg
2011 Max Twigg
2012 Max Twigg
2013 Max Twigg
2014 Roger Lago
2015 Max Twigg
2016 Stephen Grove
2017 Stephen Grove
5 – Max Twigg
2 – Stephen Grove
1 – Roger Lago

ALBERT PARK TAG HEUER PRO-AM POLE POSITIONS
2008 Peter Hill
2011 Max Twigg
2012 Max Twigg
2013 James Koundouris
2014 Shane Smollen
2015 Max Twigg
2016 Tony Bates
2017 Stephen Grove
3 – Max Twigg
1 – Peter Hill, James Koundouris, Shane Smollen, Tony Bates, Stephen Grove

ALBERT PARK TAG HEUER PRO-AM RACE WINS
2008 Peter Hill Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2011 Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2012 Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2013 Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2014 James Bergmuller Roger Lago Roger Lago
2015 Max Twigg Max Twigg Max Twigg
2016 Tony Bates Stephen Grove Stephen Grove Shane Smollen
2017 Stephen Grove Stephen Grove Stephen Grove Stephen Grove
15 – Max Twigg
6 – Stephen Grove
2 – Roger Lago
1 – Peter Hill, James Bergmuller, Tony Bates, Shane Smollen

ALBERT PARK TAG HEUER PRO-AM PODIUM FINISHERS
2008 Max Twigg Shaun Juniper James Koundouris
2011 Max Twigg Peter Hill Theo Koundouris
2012 Max Twigg James Koundouris Peter Hill
2013 Max Twigg James Koundouris Damien Flack
2014 Roger Lago Stephen Grove James Bergmuller
2015 Max Twigg Tony Bates Shane Smollen
2016 Stephen Grove Adrian Mastronardo Shane Smollen
2017 Stephen Grove Matt Palmer Dean Cook
5 – Max Twigg
3 – James Koundouris, Stephen Grove
2 – Peter Hill, Shane Smollen
1 – Theo Koundouris, Shaun Juniper, Damien Flack, Roger Lago, James Bergmuller, Tony Bates, Adrian Mastronardo, Matt Palmer, Dean Cook

Carrera Cup heads to unpredictable Albert Park

Round 2 Preview: Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix

Fresh from success in the opening round of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia, round one winner Jaxon Evans and TAG Heuer Pro-Am leader Roger Lago are ready to continue their momentum into round two of the championship at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Michelin Junior driver Evans won two of the three races in Adelaide to establish himself as the early benchmark in season 2018, while Lago swept to three victories from three starts in his return to the series to build a strong early lead in the Pro-Am class.

However, continuing their strong form into the second round of the championship is likely to be a challenge given the unpredictable nature of Carrera Cup racing at the home of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix where five different drivers have won the last five rounds.

Evans heads to Albert Park looking for his third-straight round victory in the series, thanks to his success in Adelaide and, before that, on the streets of the Gold Coast at the end of the 2017 season.

Should he win in Melbourne, the McElrea Racing driver will not only continue his searing start to the season but also turn around a difficult Albert Park debut twelve months ago.

“Last year we didn’t have the best round at the Grand Prix, but I certainly enjoy the circuit and the atmosphere of the event is awesome,” Evans said.

“I’m looking forward to getting back there and completing what we couldn’t quite achieve last year and hopefully continuing the momentum we have.”

Making a fired-up comeback to the championship will be Alex Davison, who missed the season opener in Adelaide due to FIA World Endurance Championship commitments but returns to the grid with an imposing Melbourne record.

The 2004 Carrera Cup champion driver has twelve race victories to his credit at Albert Park; second most of any driver at the circuit and only one behind record-holder Craig Baird.

Davison has won three of the last eight races at the Grand Prix, including the final race of the 2017 round held last March.

Davison’s return adds further competitive intent to the battle for the championship this year following an intense start in Adelaide two weeks ago.

While Evans’ won two of the three races, race one winner Dale Wood, defending champion David Wall, Dylan O’Keefe and Michael Almond each featured in the top three in at least one race in South Australia.

Impressive Michelin Junior driver Jordan Love and Supercars Championship returnee James Moffat also starred at the front of the field.

The battle for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am category was just as competitive, though in Adelaide it was Lago who was quickest out of the blocks to start the new season.

His three victories delivered him the round victory in Adelaide, ahead of former triple champion Max Twigg and defending class winner, Stephen Grove.

Prior to his Adelaide success, Lago’s last Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia victory came at Albert Park in 2014 – a fact that only adds to his enthusiasm for the Formula One event.

“I love the Grand Prix, it’s one of my top five tracks of all time. I think the addition of the ABS is really going to help us and I can’t wait to get there,” he said.

“Everyone has good weekends and bad weekends. I happened had a good one in Adelaide but will probably have a bad one somewhere along the line, so you just have to keep pushing because the boys behind me will keep coming.”

A full field of 26 new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will contest the four Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia races in Melbourne; the only event of the year to feature the unique four-race format.

As well as featuring more racing, the Albert Park event is famed for being one of the most unpredictable on the Carrera Cup Australia schedule.

Despite featuring as either a championship round of exhibition event in every season of Carrera Cup Australia since its inception in 2003, only twice in series history has one driver won every race in a single weekend in Melbourne.

Five different drivers have won the last five rounds at the 5.3km circuit, with 2016 round winner Alex Davison the only driver in the 2018 field to have scored a round victory at the venue.

The Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia grid will tackle four races across the weekend at Albert Park, with practice, qualifying and the first race held on a busy Thursday afternoon. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will feature one race each.

Network Ten and Fox Sports will both broadcast the second, third and fourth races of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix round.

Race Schedule (local time)
Thursday March 22, 2018
12:20pm – Practice 1 (20 minutes)
3:50pm – Qualifying (20 minutes)
6:40pm – Race 1 (10 laps)
Friday March 23, 2018
2:55pm – Race 2 (10 laps)
Saturday March 24, 2018
3:20pm – Race 3 (10 laps)
Sunday March 25, 2018
1:05pm – Race 4 (10 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: ONE & Fox Sports 506
Race 2 – 2:55pm, Friday March 23
Channel: Ten & Fox Sports 506
Race 3 – 3:20pm, Saturday March 24
Race 4 – 1:05pm, Sunday March 25

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

Volante Rosso to share Maddie’s vision

Carrera Cup team announces charity partnership

Volante Rosso has entered a new partnership in the support of the Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision charity. This partnership will see the Volante Rosso #15 Porsche Carrera Cup car and crew dressed in a special purple themed livery for their Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia support races at the Formula 1 Australia Grand Prix.

Maddie’s Vision CEO, Nicky Long said that: “the Riewoldt family were really excited about being part of the launch and race with the Volante Rosso Team. To see Maddie’s Vision on a National and International stage in car racing will give Bone Marrow Failure the voice and attention it needs”.

Team Driver Josh Hunt is extremely excited going into the Melbourne race in support of Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision.

“This partnership is very special to me as my little sister was school friends with Maddie and I was extremely saddened to hear of her passing”.

“The work that the Riewoldt Family have done with Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision is incredible and I am honoured to now be a part of raising awareness for Maddie’s Vision.”

“You will see the car dressed in purple over the race weekend with the Maddie’s Vision logo and #FightLikeMaddie. The team will also be wearing the #FightLikeMaddie T-shirts which will make us easy to see in the pits.”

“We encourage anyone that is at the event to come down and see us and get a photo with the car and team. The more hashtagged photos we can get out there to raise awareness the better.”

Team Principle Chris Papadopoulos is enthusiastic about the new partnership.

“When Josh came to me with the idea and backstory, it was clearly something that made sense to get involved with. There are lots of worthy charities, but when there’s a personal connection it’s a different level.

“Everyone at Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision has done such a great job so far. We hope we can do our bit to raise a little awareness for the cause.

“It’s a cause that deserves the exposure, so it made total sense to replace our ‘rosso’ livery with Maddie’s purple for this race, especially as we’re so close to Riewoldt territory at Albert Park.”

Porsche celebrates 70 years at the Australian Grand Prix

Carrera Cup, 70 Year display and the 911 GT2 RS to star at Albert Park

Porsche Cars Australia will begin Australian celebrations of 70 years of the Porsche sports car at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this week.

The event will be the Australian debut of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the fastest and most powerful 911 with approval for use on the road. Local hero and Porsche ambassador Mark Webber, who was involved in the development of this high-performance model, will be on-hand to drive the GT2 RS around the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. The first Australian-bound version of this car will also be on display at the event.

Webber and the GT2 RS will also be a part of the exclusive Porsche Pole Position track activity on the Wednesday prior to the event, where Porsche owners will experience the special privilege of driving their Porsche sports cars around the GP circuit at speed.

In addition to the 911 GT2 RS, seven vehicles commemorating the last 70 years of Porsche racing in Australia will be on display in the Porschestraße (translation: Porsche street) situated next to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia paddock, between Turn 1 and the Albert Park Lake. This display ranges from a 1951 Porsche 356 Cabriolet up to a 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. See below for full list and background on each display car.

Porschestraße will also include the Australian-built Porsche In Motion experience, where enthusiasts will have the opportunity to sit in the passenger seat of the iconic Porsche 911 and take it for a test drive through a virtual reality experience, discover the brand’s distinct sporting heritage and explore the latest model range on display.

Returning again in 2018 is the popular Porsche Kids Driving School, where junior race fans can get behind the wheel of a pint-size Porsche on a purpose-built track. Children from 120-150 cm tall can register to participate in the Porsche Kids Driving School, which consists of a theory and driving session, with all participants receiving their very first Porsche Kids Driving School Licence at the completion of the 20-minute session.

Guests inside the Porsche Pavilion will enjoy luxury hospitality as well as panoramic views of the first and second corners of the Albert Park layout all weekend. Some of these guests will dovetail their spectating with the Porsche High Flier Grand Prix Experience program, run by the Porsche Track Experience team at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in the new four-litre 911 GT3, before arriving at the circuit by helicopter.

On-track, Round 2 of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will be one of the highlights of the racing program, where 26 new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will be competing for glory in the Pro and TAG Heuer Pro-Am classes.

“We’re delighted to kick-start this year’s 70th anniversary of the Porsche sports car at the Australian Grand Prix with a wide variety of activities that should prove popular with sports car fans,” said Porsche Cars Australia Director of Marketing and Motorsport, Toni Andreevski.

70 years of Australian-racing Porsche sports cars display

1951 Porsche 356 Cabriolet
This is the first production right-hand drive Porsche built in July 1951 for newly-appointed Porsche agent Norman Hamilton. It arrived in Melbourne with its right-hand drive sister 356 Coupe in October 1951. Both cars spent 1952 on a promotional tour of South Australia and Victoria, driven by well-known racing and rallying identities in local speed events and hill climbs, putting Porsche on the map and paving the way for its glorious motor sport history, which continues to this day.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Greg O’Keefe

1969 Porsche 911 ST
Porsches competed as touring cars in Australia from the late 1960s, with Porsche agent Alan Hamilton finishing a close second in the 1969 title – just one point behind the V8 Mustang of Ian Geoghegan. From 1970, new factory-developed 2.3 litre 911 ST coupes in the hands of Melbourne’s Jim McKeown and Sydney’s Brian Foley and Bill Brown, took he fight to the big V8s. The 911 ST displayed is Foley’s former car, which began life as a highly-optioned 911 S 2.2 litre. It finished fifth in the 1970 Australian Touring Car Championship and later competed as a sports sedan, driven successively by Alan Hamilton, Leo Geoghegan, Peter Brock and John Harvey.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Ian Henderson

1969 Porsche 911 ‘RSR’
Representing the 1970s, this well-raced, former 911S 2.0 litre is arguably Australia’s most successful and prolific 911 racing car. Purchased by Melbourne driver Jim McKeown, it was converted to factory 911 ST specification and competed in Shell livery in the Australian Touring Car Championship in the early 1970s, finishing a close second to Norm Beechey’s V8 Monaro in the 1970 title. By the time McKeown sold it at the end of 1971, the 911 had competed in 41 separate races on all major Australian circuits – a figure believed to be a world record for a Porsche ‘Touring Car’. The Porsche then passed through other hands before being rebuilt as a replica Porsche RSR by Melbourne pilot Ross Mathiesen, who drove it to back-to-back titles in the Australian Sports Car Championship in 1978 and 1979.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Max May

1978 Porsche 935 K3
Porsches dominated Australian sports car racing throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, winning the Australian Sportscar Championship six times in successive years before focussing on the newly-revived Australian GT Championship in 1982. Porsches immediately dominated this category too, with newly-crowned Australian F1 Champion Alan Jones driving a turbocharged 935 K3 and winning all nine rounds, followed by Rusty French in a similar 935 K3, with Colin Bond third in a Porsche 944 Turbo. French then continued the Porsche GT domination throughout the 1983 season, winning the title emphatically in his 935 K3, with other Porsches finishing fourth, fifth and seventh.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Rusty French

1993 Porsche 964 RSR
This unique 1992 Porsche 964 is the world’s only factory right-hand drive 3.8 litre RSR out of the 51 track-ready cars built by Porsche for the 1993 season. Combining the 911 Turbo’s wide body with a 3.8 litre naturally-aspirated boxer six-cylinder engine developing 350bhp, the RSR was the racing version of the now highly-collectible 3.6 litre 964 RS of 1992. This RSR was built to special order for Sydney’s Geoff Morgan, who drove it to victory in the Australian Porsche Cup in 1995 and 1996. It is now owned by former Porsche Cup competitor Chris Stannard, who has restored it to its original factory glory.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Chris Stannard

2004 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia was established in 2003 as Australia’s premier one-make racing series. A full grid of 996-series 911 GT3 Cup cars lined up for the first event at the 2003 Australian F1 Grand Prix support race, and at the end of the first season it was seven-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards who was crowned the inaugural champion. This beautifully-preserved 2004 GT3 Cup, prepared by Tekno Autosports and driven by Jonathon Webb, finished sixth and third respectively in the 2004 and 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championships. The 911 GT3 Cup is now owned by Porsche Club of Victoria member James Papas. It remains totally original and has not been raced since the end of the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
– Display courtesy of car owner, James Papas

2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Victorian Marine Pilot Matt Close has put Porsche back on the podium in Australian tarmac rallies in recent years, driving current-model 911 GT3 coupes. He and co-driver Cameron Reeves won Victoria’s Targa High Country Rally three years in succession in 2015, 2016 and 2017. They also won Targa Tasmania’s GT2 category in 2016 and finished third outright in 2017 driving current-model 911 GT3 and GT3 RS models. Close and Reeves will again be amongst the favourites in the 2018 Targa Tasmania from April 16-18, driving this GT3 RS.
– Display courtesy of car owner, Matt Close

2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Not historic, but already a history-maker and on display in the adjacent Porsche in Motion area, the new 911 GT2 RS last year established a new Production Car lap record on the demanding Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. The new 515kW (700bhp), lightweight rear-wheel drive turbocharged coupe can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 340km/h. Its driver for the weekend will be former F1 driver and Porsche World Endurance Champion Mark Webber, who already has a 911 GT2 RS on order for his personal Porsche collection.

Carrera Cup team announce junior series prize

F4 series standouts to receive Porsche test

Sydney based team Volante Rosso has announced a new prize offer for drivers in the Australian Formula 4 series.

A test day in a 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will be offered to two outstanding drivers from the 2018 Formula 4 series.

Team Principal Chris Papadopoulos has experience in young driver development, having worked with young drivers in several junior formulas including Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula Renault 2.0, A1GP and right through to Formula 1.

Team driver in Carrera Cup Josh Hunt has travelled the driver development pathway himself, having come up through karts to race in many categories and competed in Champ Car Atlantics in the USA before moving to a career in GT cars and now Carrera Cup. During this time he has maintained an involvement with karting and well understands the transition to cars.

Together they will judge this years’ F4 field to find worthy prize contenders.

Chris Papadopoulos says: “I’ve had some involvement with Formula 4 before and am a fan of the category. Other categories have served the development pathway admirably in previous decades, but in the modern era, we are looking for young drivers that have knowledge of slick tyres, light aero and paddle shift gearboxes, which is exactly what Formula 4 delivers, so it’s the perfect training ground for both modern race cars and race craft. The perfect progression from karting into race cars.

“We’ve already seen some great young talent come through F4 since its’ inception, and they’ve gone on into Carrera Cup, Super 2 and even overseas. It’s only been going for a few years, but soon we’ll see F4 graduates filling out the top levels of competition both in Australia and abroad.

“I’ve got no doubt that’s where the future stars will come from, so we’re going to keep a close eye on the category this year, and then reward some of those standout drivers with a taste of Carrera Cup to help them plan their futures and progress.

“I’ve worked with a lot of drivers over my career, and I’m pleased to say some of them have gone on to win some pretty big championships here and overseas. But I’ve also seen how hard it is for these young guys and girls to progress. Our aim for this program is to help young drivers build their profiles and careers.”

Josh Hunt: “This is something that we are really excited about as young driver development is a focus for the team at VR to ensure drivers are getting the best chance to progress in their careers.

“I have been very fortunate to be on the receiving end of development programs that helped me to reach the levels I did. Most notably was the support of Champ Car in 2004.

“F4 is the logical place to offer this opportunity as it is the first step out of karts and the time of a drivers career when support and advice can have the biggest impact. We want to be a part of that, to contribute”.

Davison confirmed for WEC Super Season

Aussie racer returns to international Porsche competition

Sports car ace Alex Davison will return to international Porsche duties this season after confirmation the Australian will contest the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship ‘Super Season’.

Davison has joined the LMGTE Am classified team Gulf Racing for the eight round season, which spans across 2018 and 2019 and includes two 24 Hours of Le Mans events. Davison will team with former Carrera Cup Australia runner Ben Barker and team owner Mike Wainwright in the Porsche entry.

Davison will couple his FIA WEC duties with a part-time 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia campaign, which he begins at next weekend’s second round at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

The announcement marks a decade since Davison last competed in a European series. After a stint in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Davison raced in the 2008 European Le Mans Series, placing second in the GT2 Class alongside co-driver Marc Lieb.

A decade later, Davison is excited to return to international competition.

“There are very few opportunities in your career where the phone rings and such an opportunity arises. The call-up to race in the WEC was very much out of the blue and it’s literally a dream come true. I never truly thought I’d have the chance to race in Europe or at Le Mans again and now it’s becoming a reality,” said Davison.

Davison had his first taste of the new Porsche 911 RSR at a recent pre-season test at Vallelunga, Italy, which was the reason for his absence from the opening round of the 2018 Carrera Cup Australia season at the Adelaide 500. Davison will also miss the Carrera Cup round in Darwin, which clashes with the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“The new Porsche 911 RSR is incredible; it’s amazing how the cars have progressed over the past decade. The 2008 911 RSR was amazing, but the current RSR just feels like much more of a purpose built race car.

“While much of the Vallelunga test was wet, it was valuable experience in the new RSR. The car has loads of downforce and you could really push it through the high-speed sections of the circuit, even compared to the GT3 R, which meant I really had to recalibrate my brain. It was also odd seeing a 911 without the engine sitting in the back.”

Davison’s next outing with the team will be at the FIA WEC Prologue, held at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, on April 6-7, before the FIA WEC season starts at Spa-Francorchamps on May 5.

“It’s going to be an exceptionally busy season for me, between my FIA WEC and Carrera Cup commitments. Gulf Racing is a new team to me, but I know Ben already and Mike has been great. I have experience on many of the WEC circuits and also the longer distance formats. It will now be up to me to adapt to the new surroundings for what will be a hugely exciting season.”

Davison will be one of two Carrera Cup Australia champions competing in the FIA WEC, with 2016 champion and Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell entered in the LMGTE Am class with Dempsey-Proton Racing.

2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship
Round 1: WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – May 5, 2018
Round 2: 24 Hours of Le Mans, France – June 16-17, 2018
Round 3: 6 Hours of Silverstone, Great Britain – August 19, 2018
Round 4: 6 Hours of Fuji, Japan – October 14, 2018
Round 5: 6 Hours of Shanghai, China – November 18, 2018
Round 6: 12 Hours of Sebring, USA – March 16-17, 2019
Round 7: WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – May 4, 2019
Round 8: 24 Hours of Le Mans, France – June 15-16, 2019

National champ begins Porsche ascent

Vernon to climb Porsche Motorsport Pyramid

Sydney racer Jimmy Vernon will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of two key graduates of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia when he joins the series in 2018.

The 20-year-old will join McElrea Racing this year off the back of claimed the Toyota 86 Racing Series title in 2017.

Vernon will drive the same Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car driven to the 2016 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship by Matt Campbell, followed by a pair of round victories in the hands of Jaxon Evans last season.

Both drivers commenced their Porsche careers in GT3 Cup Challenge before progressing into Carrera Cup, where Evans now leads the championship.

Campbell’s well-documented career has seen him progress to becoming a Porsche Young Professional driver this year, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Both team and driver have targeted a similar progression through the ‘Porsche Motorsport Pyramid’.

“After a successful season last year, we sat down and did research on all the pathways in the sport we could think of – and it was the Porsche pathway that spoke to me the most,” Vernon said.

“It has been proven to get drivers not only to the point of succeeding in Supercars, but kickstarted overseas careers as well. It was at that point I started speaking to Andy (McElrea) because I saw them as a proven team that had already helped guys like Matt and Jaxon.

“They’re switched on and the one day I have had in the car was fantastic – they’re a team with so much experience that any question you have, they have an answer for.

“It has been great to put this together with the backing of an awesome support crew behind me and people who are helping me out for the year. We’re still searching for people to jump on board and get involved but the support has already been fantastic.”

Having signed with McElrea Racing earlier in the week, Vernon subsequently got his first taste of Porsche power at Queensland Raceway on Thursday.

“It was good. It’s obviously a big step up from the Toyota or anything else I’ve ever driven. It took a while to get my head around but by the end of the day we were posting competitive times,” he said.

“We’re going into the first round with quite a bit of confidence, but I know the competition is going to be tough from what I have heard and seen about drivers coming into the series.

“GT3 Cup Challenge looks like it’s going to be very strong and I’m looking forward to seeing how we shape up against the others.”

Team owner Andy McElrea said Vernon’s signing would build on their experience of developing drivers through the Porsche pyramid.

“We’re looking forward to working with Jimmy this year in the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge,” McElrea said.

“In Matt and now Jaxon we have shown a solid three-year program of progression through GT3 Cup Challenge and into Carrera Cup and we are following that same model with Jimmy.

“He comes to us with a strong level of experience for someone his age, so we’re looking forward to building on that as he starts his Porsche career and working with him to develop him into a Carrera Cup champion.”

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia commences at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on April 13-15.

Queensland racers shine with Adelaide round victory

Round 1, Adelaide 500 Race 3 wrap

A near-perfect performance by Jaxon Evans at the Adelaide 500 has handed the Michelin Junior victory in the opening round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season, while a TAG Heuer Pro-Am clean sweep saw Roger Lago visit the top step of the round podium upon his return to the championship.

Evans entered Sunday’s race three with a second and first placing across the opening two races, and a dominant performance in the final race ensured the young Queensland based New Zealander secured both race three victory and the round win.

The race was interrupted early by the safety car, called to the circuit after Leanne Tander hit the turn eight barrier. Evans then remained at the front from the restart to ultimately take a 1.2 second victory from reigning champion David Wall and local driver Michael Almond in third.

Reigning Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia champion Jordan Love placed an impressive fourth in race three from Dylan O’Keeffe. Following his two third place performances in the opening two races, fifth in race three handed O’Keeffe a position on the final step on the Pro podium behind round winner Evans and second placed Wall.

Race one winner Dale Wood placed sixth, placing the former Supercars driver fourth in the Pro round results, with Nick McBride, Cameron Hill and Adam Garwood completing the top 10 in race three.

Lago placed 11th outright in race three, his first race outside the top 10, claiming the TAG Heuer Pro-Am race three victory from Max Twigg, Adrian Flack and Stephen Grove to give the Queenslander a clean sweep in the Pro-Am class. Joining Lago on the TAG Heuer Pro-Am podium was Twigg in second and Grove in third. Anthony Gilbertson placed fifth in class in race three from Sam Shahin and Tim Miles.

As the series departs Adelaide, Evans holds a 24 point lead in the standings from Wall, with O’Keeffe a further 18 points behind in third.

Meanwhile Lago will enter round two with a 30 point lead in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am standings over Twigg, with Grove a further 6 points adrift in third.

The Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series now waits only three weeks until its next on-track outing as it lines up at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix for round two on March 21-24.

Quotes
Jaxon Evans
“You certainly can’t ask for more than that for the first round of the year. There’s really strong competition in this year’s championship, which makes it even better to come away with the round win.

“It hasn’t taken too long to adapt to the new car. That’s credit to my engineer and the McElrea Racing boys, they certainly know what they’re doing with a Porsche.

“Having a full field is one thing, but to have the likes of Wall, Dale Wood and James Moffat really lifts the level of competition. It’s not going to be an easy year, but it’s great to get the first round of the year out of the way with a good results. It’s a big confidence booster.”

Roger Lago
“I didn’t expect to come here and be three from three, to be honest. I’m pretty rapt on how the weekend has worked out.

“The new car is great, but it has more front too, so it seems to go wherever I want to point it. All in all it’s a great car and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Results: Race 3