Love’s preparation on track for Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe

Jordan Love's preparation in top gear ahead of Porsche Junior Shootout in November

Jordan Love’s preparation in top gear ahead of Porsche Junior Shootout in November

Jordan Love will head to the final round of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship on the Gold Coast this weekend with a slender two point advantage over Sonic Racing teammate Dale Wood.

While sealing the 2019 Championship will be Love’s primary focus this weekend, the young Porsche driver has also been preparing himself for arguably the biggest opportunity of his racing career, the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe in late November.

Despite an unfortunate mid-season accident, Love’s comeback in the second half of the season has been dominant, claiming the most race and round wins so far this season. Should Love lift the outright trophy on Sunday night, the next step up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid will be to attend the Junior Shootout in late November.

This year, the shootout takes place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal with each Porsche Carrera Cup Championship around the world permitted to nominate one candidate for the shootout

A major part of Love’s preparation was to attend the Michelin Junior Training days in Melbourne recently, along with the leading junior drivers in both Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge. The Juniors underwent an intensive two-day training program receiving coaching on sports psychology, social media, branding, media training and nutrition from Australia’s leading experts on the first day.

The second day the Michelin Junior drivers also underwent physical assessments tests and analysis, while learning about aspects such as their body fat percentage, resting metabolic rate, body mass index and reaction rates to name but a few.

Jordan’s motorsport story began at the age of nine in go karting, finishing second in the West Australia State Championship in only his first year of competition. A very successful karting career followed winning numerous championships before making the shift from karts to formula car racing.

In his first year in international competition, Jordan won 14 out of the 15 Asia Cup races to become 2015 Champion in Formula BMW. At the final round of the series – at the age of 15 – he was given the opportunity to test a GP2 car as part of his prize for winning the championship.

A season in Formula 4 followed in 2016 finishing third in the Australian championship with 5 wins, 11 podiums and 4 fastest laps. Love’s first laps behind the wheel of Porsche Cup Car came when he contended the Bathurst 12-Hour in 2017, finishing third in class.

Love’s natural progression to Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in 2017 saw him winning both the outright Championship as well as the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in only his first year.

Love was also only the second recipient of the Porsche Junior Scholarship and during 2017 amassed the third most race victories in Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge history.

In 2018, Love progressed to Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia joining the successful Sonic Motor Racing team, finishing fourth in his first season, with 2 race wins, 1 round win and 1 lap record.

Love clinched the Porsche Junior Competition after round 6 of the 2019 championship as well as the inaugural Michelin Super Round earlier this season, after a strong performance at the Australian Grand Prix.

Jordan has been part of the Porsche Junior program in Australia ever since switching to sports cars in 2017. His impressive rise through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid in Australia means his nomination for the 2019 Porsche Junior shootout is well deserved as he plans to continue his ascent in 2020.

Quotes:

JORDAN LOVE

‘I’ve been training hard on and off the track in the last few months with my team, Porsche and my trainer Josh. While sealing the championship this weekend is my main goal, I feel honoured to be the Australian nominee for this year’s shootout and it was my major goal since starting in GT3 Cup Challenge 2 years ago.’

‘The Michelin Junior program is fantastic and as we’ve seen with Matt (Campbell) and Jaxon (Evans) genuinely provides young drivers with the opportunity to take their careers to Europe.’

‘My ultimate goal is to use the Porsche pyramid to become a Porsche factory driver and it will be interesting to see how I fare against the best Carrera Cup drivers from around the world.’

‘I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity and I’m sure I will gain a lot of experience no matter what the outcome maybe.’

Aaron Love to make Carrera Cup debut at Gold Coast

Aaron Love will make his Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia debut

Aaron Love will make his Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia debut at the Gold Coast street circuit next weekend.

17 year-old Aaron Love will join his brother Jordan in the Sonic Motor Racing Services team, making him the youngest driver to make a start in the competitive and prestigious Porsche championship this year.

Love’s news comes on the back of the recent announcement on social media that fellow Michelin Junior Harri Jones will also make his first step up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid in Gold Coast in the Helimods McElrea Racing prepared entry.

Love’s entry also means that Sonic will have five cars on the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup grid at the championship’s final round – the most amount of cars entered by a single team.

While this will mark Aaron’s Carrera Cup debut, he needs no introduction to Porsche racing. The West Australian has been racing in the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge class this year (for the previous generation Porsche 911 Carrera Cup cars). He currently sits second in that title race with one round remaining.

Despite his youth, Love is no stranger to the Surfers Paradise circuit either. He competed in the now-defunct Australia Formula 4 Championship in 2017, finishing with a best result of fourth.

An excited Love said, “It’s a really good opportunity to experience this higher level of competition,”

“Carrera Cup is a very high level of competition. There are guys in there who have raced overseas and in Supercars. In the past, most of my racing has been against rookies and people my own age, so it is going to be a whole new challenge.

“It will be a massive learning curve, so I have an open mind. Of course, you always want to get up the front, but because I’m experiencing something new, I just want to take as much as I can out of it and move forward from there.

“I love the circuit too. It is one of the most unique street tracks around the world, so I can’t wait for it.”

Michael Ritter, Team Owner, Sonic Motor Racing said, “GT3 Cup Challenge does such a good job of preparing drivers for Carrera Cup and we are pleased to be able to give Aaron this opportunity. said

“The GT3 Cup Challenge Porsche 911 Cup cars are quite a bit different to the Carrera Cup cars. There’s a bit of less aero and engine power, so it will take a new approach for him.

“It will be a good chance to see how he goes as we start to prepare for 2020.”

Love’s car debut will carry the support of SRG Global for the event.

The final round of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Championship will see Sonic drivers Jordan Love and Dale Wood go head-to-head for the title. The pair are separated by just two points.

Two practice sessions and qualifying will be held on Friday, followed by Race 1 on Saturday and the final two races of the season on Sunday.

Thrilling decider in store as Bathurst delivers two new leaders

Jordan Love and Adrian Flack lead titles heading into Gold Coast finale'

BOTH Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia titles will be decided on the streets of Surfers Paradise after both the outright and TAG Heuer Pro-Am title leads changed hands following the penultimate round of the season at Mount Panorama.

Jordan Love completed a remarkable sweep – this third of the season – on Sunday morning at Bathurst to top off his meteoric rise from his Darwin Injury – reducing a more than 200-point deficit to nothing in the space of just six races.

The Bob Jane T-Marts driver now leads the championship by just two points, having overhauled his teammate Dale Wood thanks to six straight victories from the last six races.

Adrian Flack, meanwhile, ceded the race lead to Liam Talbot in today’s nine-lap affair but still emerged from the weekend as the new TAG Heuer Pro-Am class leader heading to the Gold Coast.

Talbot, who proposed to now-fiancee Charli Robinson on the grid prior to the race, finished second in class and trails the leader by just six points with a round to go.

However in front of the field was Jordan Love, who fended off fellow Porsche Michelin Junior Murray to sweep the round and race his way to the title lead.

“I certainly didn’t expect to be in the lead of the championship after this weekend,” he said. “It was great at weekend, credit to the boys. The car was mint all weekend.

“We were fast here last year, and I had some good confidence from the Tailem Bend round, but I had to keep its clean at the same time.

“We probably weren’t the fastest car out there, especially in the first and the last race, but we always had good track position, I pushed hard when I needed to and I’m pretty happy to come away with this.”

Love said obtaining the championship lead with one round remaining was a surprise, given the misfortune he suffered earlier in the season.

“After Darwin, I didn’t think we’d be in this position. You always want to have belief in yourself, but I never thought that this would be the case coming out of this weekend.”

Today’s race was a clean affair with Love leading Murray into turn one. The pair were never split by much more than a car length for the duration, the Sonic car having just enough in reserve to hold off the repeated attacks from Murray.

Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Event 12 of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Bathurst, New South Wales. Australia 10th-13th Oct 2019

He finished second overall for the round, while David Wall was third for the race and third overall for the weekend as well.

Nick McBride completed his sweep of four, fourth-placed finishes with another solid drive while Thomas Maxwell’s Bathurst debut weekend ended in fifth.

Cameron Hill completed his charge through the field following a race-one DNF in sixth position while former championship leader Dale Wood made ground, however could only manage seventh and lost the title lead by two points.

Talbot finished eighth to win the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class in race three after an exciting, mid-race pass on Adrian Flack around the outside at the chase.

Flack, who finished just behind his season-long class rival, made a superb start and comfortably led his class early before being caught and passed by Talbot’s Wall Racing machine, the latter now trailing Flack by just six points heading into the season finale’.

“By the end of the race Liam was hunting me down and I had no answer for him – it was a good stoush all weekend and I really enjoyed it,” Flack said.

“From where we started at the beginning of the year where we crashed the car and it was a bit of a disaster. We’ve fought our way back and put in the effort. The results have come and I’m really, really happy.”

Stephen Grove returned to the class podium via third overall while Roger Lago, who was fourth, also remains in class contention just 18 points behind new leader Flack.

The final round of the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia will see the championship go down to the wire on the streets of Surfers Paradise on October 25-27.

Four drivers remain in contention for the overall championship with David Wall 94 points from the lead and Nick McBride 151 back; 180 up for grabs across the three races.

Flack, Talbot and Lago are the three in contention for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1. Jordan Love 931
2. Dale Wood 929
3. David Wall 837
4. Nick McBride 780
5. Cooper Murray 725

TAG HEUER PRO-AM

1. Adrian Flack 842
2. Liam Talbot 836
3. Roger Lago 818

Title fights on as Love, Flack score back-to-back Bathurst wins

Five in a row for Love as Flack takes class lead at Mount Panorama

BOTH the Professional and TAG Heuer Pro-Am title battles have come alive following race two in the penultimate round of the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Mount Panorama.

Jordan Love (Pro) and Adrian Flack (Pro-Am) both enhanced their title credentials by each taking their second race victories of the weekend – and both did it in crushing fashion.

Love led from pole position in today’s nine-lap affair and, thanks in part to another stunning opening lap on cold Michelin tyres, built an early buffer he’d never lose.

It was his fifth-straight win – the second time he has achieved that feat this year – and his 10^th of a remarkable season that in five races has seen him reduce a more than 200-point title deficit to series leader Dale Wood to just 29 points with four races remaining.

“It’s what we needed to try and close this championship margin,” Love said.

“I got a good start and the changes we made overnight were really good, so I’m happy we’re going in the right direction and we’ll make a few more for tomorrow and it should be good.

“It was a mega first lap but the car came on good early and we were able to get a bit of a margin.

“The guys behind then had a bit of a battle which let us do our own thing out in front which was great.”

Championship leader Dale Wood had a tough race, having started fifth on the basis of his race one finishing position.

While his Polyfloor-supported Sonic Racing entry initially launched well, he bogged down moments after and was swamped by the field to cross the line 14^th at the end of lap one.

He quickly commenced a process of working his way through the field and was able to salvage some points by finishing 9^th.

While Love pulled away in his Sonic Porsche, the battle for second became a reversal of the one seen in race one as Cooper Murray fended off David Wall for the duration.

The McElrea racer passed the PAYCE-supported Wall Racing car on the opening lap and edged out a margin in the early laps, however the series champion surged as the race progressed.

The pair battled wheel-to-wheel on several occasions with Murray able to hold off several attacks to secure second. The pair are now locked together on 102 points for the weekend; the final race to decide the battle for second in the round tomorrow morning.

Nick McBride enjoyed a quiet race to finish fourth, while Thomas Maxwell made up several spots to grab fifth and finish in front of Steven Richards.

Adrian Flack won his second TAG Heuer Pro-Am race of the weekend – not having to rely on any last corner theatrics like race one to secure the seventh win of his season in Pro-Am.

Talbot finished second for the second straight race while Roger Lago was third in class. Stephen Grove, third yesterday, was fourth with Tim Miles, Dean Cook and Sam Shahin producing an entertaining battle for fifth place that lasted much of the race.

Provisionally, the results move Flack to the lead in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am Championship, having entered the round tied on points with Talbot and 18 behind former leader Roger Lago.

“It’s awesome, I didn’t realise that – it’s proof that if you keep winning the results come,” Flack said.

“Once you get comfortable with the speed of some of those corners, it becomes quite fun and it’s not quite as daunting as the end of the weekend.

“We trimmed the car up overnight and had a few ideas of how to make it better today and it certainly seemed to go quite well and we were able to stick with the pros and pull them in a bit, which was great.”

Lago and Talbot are now tied in second position, just 12 points behind Flack with one race to go this weekend.

Arguably the drive of the day went to Cameron Hill, who having failed to finish race one was able to storm his way through the field to 10^th position today.

The Michelin Junior driver made up four positions on the opening lap, sat 12^th by mid race distance and climbed back into the top-10 with two laps remaining to keep him in contention for Sunday’s decider.

Not quite so fortunate was Michael Almond, who was running seventh before he locked his rear brakes and spun at The Chase on the third lap. Though he was able to quickly recover, the Sonic driver dropped to 17th position at the finish.

That race, due to start at 10:05am local time, will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 506, Kayo Sports and Channel 10 around Australia and serves as the curtain-raiser to the Bathurst 1000 enduro.

Four-straight for Love as Flack steals Pro-Am win in final turn

Michelin junior closes title margin and assumes Enduro cup lead at Bathurst

JORDAN LOVE’S RESURGENCE as a Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia title contender has continued unabated, the Sonic Motor Racing driver storming to his fourth straight victory in a pulsating Enduro Cup race at Mount Panorama today.

Meanwhile, Adrian Flack won the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class after a stunning last-corner pass on Liam Talbot saw him steal victory literally within sight of the flag.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Love stormed off the line to pass polesitter David Wall at turn one and early leader Nick McBride with a bold move around the outside at turn two moments later.

He then withered attack after attack from Wall and Cooper Murray, plus a near-miss at the Dipper late in the race, to take his ninth win of the year and his fourth in a row.

The result reduces Dale Wood’s championship lead to 66 points, Love’s Sonic teammate finishing fifth in today’s 15-lap race.

Love also assumes a clear lead in the Endurance Cup standings with a round to go.

“It wasn’t a good start, to be honest, the launch wasn’t that great but I was lucky it was narrow so Cooper couldn’t get past Wall,” Love explained of the opening laps.

“I got around the outside of Wally and then had a big crack around the outside of McBride, which doesn’t usually work but I had to work really, really hard for that one – so I’m pretty happy.

“I think we had a bit of confidence early on. It was a bit damp across the top and I had a bit more confidence than the others, so when that cleared it was a different story.”

Love said that despite his win, he was still searching for more from his Sonic Motor Racing Porsche.

“I’m still lacking a bit of pace so we’ll tune that up tomorrow. It’s all about championship points and we just need to be smooth, clean and consistent.”

The race was held in dry but challenging conditions with light rain around the circuit at the beginning.

Love’s opening lap was immense and in slippery conditions at the top of the Mountain he quickly built a margin, while a slow-starting Wall staved off Murray in the battle for second

McBride slipped to fourth while Cameron Hill led Wood in fifth and sixth in the early stages.

Hill was an unfortunate non-finisher after light contact between he and McBride while battling for position at turn two saw his steering damaged; the Michelin Junior parking his Porsche on the entry to the Cutting and bringing out the Safety Car.

That elevated Wood to fifth position and Steven Richards to sixth – the latter finishing in that position to record his best finish of the season.

Wood fended off both Richards and Michael Almond in their race-long battle for a spot in the top five with the championship leader doing enough to secure a solid points haul; ensuring his series advantage remains more than one full race victory.

With Almond seventh, Thomas Maxwell enjoyed a consistent race to eighth position while the final two spots in the top 10 were completed by a stunning race-long battle for TAG Heuer Pro-Am honours.

Class polesitter Liam Talbot and fellow title rival Adrian Flack – the pair tied on points entering the round –  battled all race for the victory with the result coming down to the final corner.

Flack executed a massive lunge into Murray’s and snuck through to steal the race in the final corner.

Talbot, trying to get on the throttle to get an over-under pass, promptly spun his car however was able to recover in time to save second place in class.

Stephen Grove finished third in class with TAG Heuer Pro-Am leader Roger Lago fourth.

“It was a great stoush!” a justifiably thrilled Adrian Flack said post-race.

“I was having a great run behind him (Talbot) and to get in front of him at the end was a good result.

“You just want a good race with your fellow competitors but in the end of the day wins are the most important!”

Race two will see the championship return to sprint racing while the third race will be contested on Sunday morning in the lead-up to the 2019 Bathurst 1000.

Both races will be shown live on FOX Sports, Kayo Sports and Channel 10.

Wood and Love to resume Carrera Cup Championship battle in Bathurst

Round 7 of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship intensifies at Mount Panorama

Round 7 of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship intensifies at Mount Panorama

200 kilometres to the west of Sydney, lies one of Australia’s national treasures in the heart of the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Like Albert Park and the MCG, Mount Panorama is haloed ground to any sporting enthusiast, enjoying global acclaim around the world as ‘the’ track to race in Australia.

In 2015, the NSW Geographical Names Board approved a dual official name for the track of Wahluu – after a 40-year campaign by the indigenous Wiradyuri Aborginal people to get the area historically recognised. Wahluu means a young man’s initiation place to the local people. Aptly in 2018, it was the youth and tenacity of Jordan Love that proved his tenacity and resolve to his more experienced counterparts around the challenging mountain circuit.

Love’s round victory last year was the second straight win for the Sonic Motor Racing team at the track, with Andre Heimgartner taking round honours in 2017. Love carries good momentum into round 7 this year, with the most round and race victories this season. A clean sweep in Tailem Bend helped him to narrow Dale Wood’s championship lead to 90 points.

Love’s return to the podium since his Darwin accident mid-year has earned the respect of all and along with line honours seen him secure the Michelin Junior shootout nomination after a season-long fight with Cameron Hill.

With the absence of Bathurst legend Warren Luff from this weekend’s grid, Wood and Love enter the race weekend as favourites for victory. But as the five different round victors (from the six rounds) have shown, they will not have it all their own way. The experience of the ever-consistent David Wall and Adelaide round-winner Nick McBride are sure to be a factor, with the pair lying third and fourth respectively heading into the penultimate round.

Others in contention this weekend will be Cameron Hill and Cooper Murray. The Michelin Junior pairing continues to show their raw pace in recent rounds – although both would have hoped to translate more of this into points during the second half of the season. Love’s fellow Bob Jane T-Marts teammate, Michael Almond will also be a factor this weekend, given the Sonic Motor Racing team’s domination of four of the last five rounds this season.

While the overall championship points log in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class reflects Roger Lago with 74 point advantage over Liam Talbot. The 2019 Pro-Am class regulations allow for each driver to drop the points from their worst round over the course of the season. With this in consideration, the championship fight is actually far closer heading to Bathurst.

Taking into effect each driver’s best five scoring rounds from the 19 races thus far, Lago’s lead is only 18 points from Liam Talbot and Adrian Flack. The intensity of competition in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class has witnessed a multitude of round winners from the six TAG Heuer rounds this year. The leading trio could also be challenged by the likes of a returning Stephen Grove (from his European Supercup campaign) and the McElrea Racing entry of Tim Miles.

Miles is the dark horse for the iconic event. Despite lying sixth in class, Miles will be aiming for his third straight TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win at Bathurst. No driver in the series’ 15 year history has won three Pro-Am rounds in a row at Bathurst. Rodney Jane won two in a row in 2006 and 2007.

The weekend gets underway at 08:50 on Thursday with a single 50 minute practice, before a 30 minute qualifying session that afternoon. Races 1 to 3 take place over the next successive days from Friday to Sunday ( 1 race per day) All races will be shown live on Fox Sports 506 and streamed on Kayo Sports, while both Saturday and Sunday races will also be shown on Channel 10.

For more race information, videos and interviews throughout the weekend, follow the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia social pages: Instagram – @carreracupaus / Twitter – @CarreraCupAus / Facebook.com/CarreraCupAus

VIDEO Preview: https://youtu.be/–HZUoxBnH0

Entry List – Round 7, Bathurst

Race Schedule – Round 7, Bathurst

THURSDAY OCT 10     Session            Television broadcast

08:50 – 09:40                 Practice            FoxSports / Kayo

15:15 – 15:45                 Qualifying         FoxSports / Kayo

FRIDAY OCT 11

13:40 – 14:25                 Practice 2         FoxSports / Kayo

SATURDAY OCT 12

13:55 – 14:20                Race 1              FoxSports / Kayo / Channel 10

SUNDAY OCT 13

10:05 – 10:30                Race 2              FoxSports / Kayo / Channel 10

Simona De Silvestro and Thomas Preining join Porsche Formula E project

New faces in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

New faces in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

In Simona De Silvestro and Thomas Preining, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team welcomes two newcomers on board. De Silvestro and Preining will support the works team as test and development drivers in its debut season. They are involved in the simulator work in Weissach and will be on-site at select Formula E races. The two drivers will also be available to the team for in-season testing.

Experience and expertise
De Silvestro is no stranger to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The 31-year-old Swiss woman already has experience of the world’s first fully-electric street racing series. She drove in the final two races of the Formula E inaugural season in 2014/15. She was then signed as a regular driver by Andretti for the 2015/16 season. Last season, 2018/19, she supported the Venturi Formula E Team as a test driver.

Even as a youngster, De Silvestro was passionate about motor racing. Since then, she has passed through many different professional motorsport formulas having started her career in karting, before moving to America at the age of 18. De Silvestro finished fourth in Formula BMW USA in 2006. She then raced in the Atlantic Championship and IndyCar Series. In 2010, she was named Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500. In 2013, she finished second to earn a spot on the podium in Houston. She then had a brief foray into Formula 1 as an affiliated driver with the Sauber F1 Team in 2014. The Swiss woman has spent the last three years competing in the Australian Supercars Championship. De Silvestro is the first female Porsche works driver.

Youngster from Porsche’s own talent factory
Thomas Preining has been a permanent fixture in the Porsche squad since 2017. However, in joining the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the 21-year-old Porsche Young Professional is entering new territory, having previously driven in various GT classes.

Despite still being at the start of his career, Preining can look back on numerous successes. After starting out in karting, he raced up in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, before switching to the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland as a Porsche Junior in 2017. The Austrian caught the attention of the motorsport community in the same year, finishing second in the rookie standings. The youngster then dominated the 2018 season, winning ten races on his way to the title. Preining also impressed in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. He finished third in the Drivers’ Championship and, together with champion Michael Ammermüller, secured the Team title for Lechner Racing. In 2019, now a Porsche Young Professional, Preining is driving for Porsche customer team Gulf Racing in the FIA WEC (GTE-AM class) and also competes in the ADAC GT Masters with Herbert Motorsport. He and his team-mates finished fourth in the 6 Hours of Fuji, the 1000 Miles of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fritz Enzinger (Vice President Porsche Motorsport and Group Motorsport Volkswagen AG): “In Simona and Thomas, we have acquired two proven talents for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Simona comes with a wealth of experience gained in various different race series and is also a familiar face in Formula E. We are looking forward to working with her and welcome her to the Porsche family. Thomas has been with us since 2017, during which time he has demonstrated his talent in GT racing on numerous occasions. With the Formula E programme, we are giving Simona and Thomas the opportunity to develop as drivers and to make a positive contribution to the Porsche Formula E project.”

Carlo Wiggers (Director Team Management & Business Relations Porsche Motorsport): “We are delighted to have secured the services of two outstanding racing drivers for the Porsche Formula E programme, in Simona and Thomas. As well as their sporting attributes, they are also both very well suited to our team. Simona and Thomas are excellent team players, who are very keen to help move the team forward. That is one of the keys to success in Formula E. Their experience and tireless dedication, both on and off the track, complete their profiles. With these two additional drivers, our overall package is really taking shape. This gives us confidence for our first season in Formula E.”

Simona De Silvestro (Porsche works driver): “It is a great honour to work for this prestigious brand. I am really looking forward to my new role as test and development driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Over the last few years, I have gained a lot of experience from my previous involvements in Formula E. I will do my best to help Porsche on the road to success.”

Thomas Preining (Porsche Young Professional): “I am very much looking forward to my new role in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. I have followed Formula E closely from the word go. I am very excited to see what it feels like to drive the Porsche 99X Electric on the track. It is great to be able to support Porsche in its debut season in Formula E, and to be a part of this future-oriented project from the outset.”

Jaxon Evans seals Rookie classification in Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland

Jaxon Evans continued his run of fine form in his first season of international competition

Jaxon Evans continued his run of fine form in his first season of international competition

Current Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jaxon Evans, continued his run of fine form in his first season of international competition clinching the Rookie classification in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland race on Sunday. Evans took sixth position in race 1 as well as pole position and an impressive second position for race 2 behind fellow Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer.

Andlauer’s victory saw the BWT Lechner Racing driver notch up his fifth victory of the season at the Hockenheimring circuit ahead of Evans with teammate Michael Ammermüller in third, “This win was extremely important for the championship. It was a spectacular race with many interruptions and I had no chance to pull clear,” said Andlauer.

Spectators in the ADAC-GT Masters grandstands witnessed an action-packed race under blue skies and in temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius. Andlauer made the best use of his Porsche 911 GT3 cup car’s 485 horsepower to snatch the lead off the front row. However, pole-sitter Evans stayed glued to the 20-year-old’s bumper.

The duel for the lead was interrupted three times by safety car phases, with Andlauer unable to shake Evans off. The race remained gripping to the finish, with only 0.297 seconds separating the two Porsche Juniors at the flag.

Evans, however, had plenty of reason to celebrate: “It’s great to have won the rookie class title. Unfortunately, my start wasn’t so great and that was the pivotal point for my race. Afterwards, I was slightly faster than Julien but there was no chance to overtake,” said Evans.

At the upcoming season finale on the Sachsenring, the championship will go down to the wire between the two Lechner drivers Andlauer (242.5 points) and Saturday’s winner Ammermüller (215 points). Fifty points are still up for grabs.

Result race 14:

1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Team Project 1 – JBR)
3. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
4. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Förch Racing)
5. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Team)
6. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber)
7. Leon Köhler (D/MSG/HRT Motorsport)
8. Toni Wolf (D/Car Collection Motorsport)
9. Gustav Malja (S/Förch Racing)
10. Lukas Ertl (D/QA Racing by Kurt Ecke Motorsport)

Points’ standings after 14 of 16 races:

Drivers’ classification

1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 242.5 points
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 215 points
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Overdrive Racing by Huber), 175 points

Joey Mawson celebrates first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup podium at Monza

Mawson takes first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup podium at Monza, while pole sitter Jaxon Evans taken out

Larry ten Voorde (MRS GT-Racing) claimed his first victory in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, making the Dutch youngster the fifth driver to win a round so far this season. Joining him on the podium at Monza after round eight on Sunday was Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing) and Joey Mawson from Team Australia.

The race on the tradition-steeped 5.793-km circuit turned turbulent right from the outset. After claiming his first pole position in his maiden season of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Junior driver Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech) led the 32-strong field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers through the first chicane. The 2018 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia champion would get punted wide by Güven mid-corner.

Evans lost several positions as a result of the contact, while Güven took the lead. Although the young Turkish driver defended his front spot until the end of the 15-lap race, he was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for the collision with Evans.

Thus, Güven’s closest rival ten Voorde inherited the top position in the 485 hp 911 and celebrated his maiden victory in the international one-make cup. Ammermüller followed 0.893 seconds behind while rookie Mawson celebrated his premiere on the Supercup podium.

The Australian fended Ammermüller off for ten of the 15 laps in the Royal Park, before the seasoned Supercup specialist overtook him. “That was a fantastic race with an excellent result for me. Unfortunately, a minor error cost me second place. Still, I’m delighted to make it to the podium,” said Mawson.

Due to the penalty, Güven was relegated to fifth place, with Porsche Junior Evans in sixth. “My start wasn’t ideal, but I was in the lead until Ayhancan Güven’s car and mine touched. That was, of course, the key moment of the race. Ultimately, I still managed to recover and finish sixth,” stated the New Zealander.

After languishing in 30th and 31st positions respectively after qualifying on their first visit to famous Monza circuit, Mawson’s Team Australia teammates Stephen Grove and Marc Cini progressed steadily through the Pro-Am field to finish in 25th and 27th positions overall.

Drivers from 21 countries have contested round eight of the season – making it the most diverse line-up in the history of the series. For the season finale, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup travels to Mexico City from 25 to 27 October. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez hosts the last two rounds of the international one-make cup for third time. In the past two years, Ammermüller was crowned the Supercup champion there.

Result

Monza, Race 8 of 10

1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing)
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
3. Joey Mawson (AUS/Team Australia)
4. Mikkel Pedersen (DK/Dinamic Motorsport)
5. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
6. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech)
7. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
8. Al Faisal Al Zubair (OM/Lechner Racing Middle East)
9. Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech)
10. Tio Ellinas (CY/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)

Points standings after 8 of 10 races

Drivers’ classification

1. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 110 points
2. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing), 96 points
3. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 92 points

Hill nominated for Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award

Cameron Hill is the third nomination for the 2019 Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award

Cameron Hill is the third nomination for the 2019 Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award

Few competitors personify Christopher Earle’s famous quote, ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ more than Porsche Michelin Junior driver, Cameron Hill. Hill’s nomination for the 2019 Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award comes after a weekend of jubilation and despair at Round 6 of the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia season in South Australia.

The young Canberra resident started the round with an impressive second position in Race 1. But fortunes changed while leading the second race of the weekend when Hill locked his brakes and speared off the circuit on the second lap of Race 2.

The resulting damage to the front splitter and badly flat-spotted front tyre necessitated an unscheduled pit stop, which ultimately dropped him down the order to 16th. He would recover in Race 3 to tenth, but it was the manner in which he accepted full responsibility for his mistakes (to his team and fellow competitors) after Race 2 that was admirable.

The Michelin Junior’s humble and friendly disposition is balanced only by his tenacity and unrelenting attitude on track. These traits together with his impressive talent, focus and attention-to-detail outside of the car, present Hill as one of the most endearing characters in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup paddock.

As a result, Hill’s nomination for the prestigious Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award follows that of Melbourne Performance Centre’s Nick McBride and TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver, Adrian Flack – both announced earlier this year.

Hill, who runs his own privately-managed team under the Cameron Hill Racing banner with the support from his family and sponsors Colliers international and Seears Workwear, started his racing career at age 9. By 2012 he had won the National Pro Junior (KF3) Australian Championship and would go onto claim the National Formula Ford Series Championship in 2015, winning 12 out of the season’s 18 races – making him the seventh most successful Formula Ford driver of all time. Hill would carry that form into the Toyota 86 series finishing 2^nd and 3^rd overall in the 2016 and 2017 championships respectively, before joining the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia grid in 2018.

The overall winner of the Morris Finance Sportsperson of the year award will receive a Business Class trip to Germany to attend the 2019 Porsche Motorsport Day of Champions and Night of Champions at Weissach, Germany.

The next nomination will be announced after the series’ travels to Bathurst in October, for Round 7 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia.

Jaxon Evans on the podium in his debut season of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 7, Formula 1 race in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

Jaxon Evans on the podium in his debut season of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup

Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) celebrated his second victory of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS) was second from Porsche Junior driver, Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech) in third.  Evans, who is the current Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia champion, qualified fourth and set the fastest time of the Sunday’s race hounding the front pair to the line.

Over the entire eleven-lap race, Pereira led the field in his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. After the start, the 22-year-old initially pulled clear of his pursuers. Güven took up the race alongside Pereira on the first row of the grid but had to fend off Evans when the lights went out. Over the course of the race, the Turkish rookie had managed to shorten the gap to Pereira, but on the final lap, Güven made several attempts to snatch the lead from Pereira.

The vehicles touched, but Pereira held strong and was the first over the finish line. “My third podium result so far this season is terrific. I put a lot of pressure on Dylan Pereira towards the end, but he defended himself brilliantly and deserved to win,” said Güven.

Porsche Junior Evans was delighted with his race, with the 22-year-old climbing the podium for the first time this season at the storied Belgian racetrack. “I’m really thrilled. My start was great and I managed to beat Larry ten Voorde in the sprint to the first corner,” declared Evans. Taking the flag behind the New Zealander were Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing), Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech) and Tio Ellinas (CY/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing).

It was also the first visit to the famous Belgian circuit for #TeamAustralia too, with Joey Mawson finishing eleventh overall and crossing the line 2nd in the Rookie classification. After becoming the first father and son pairing in history to compete in the same Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race, Brenton Grove’s debut saw him make up three positions to finish in 20th overall, while father Stephen would come home fourth in the Pro-Am classification and 29th overall.

After round seven, the situation in the championship continues to be cutthroat. Porsche Junior Andlauer remains in the lead with 92 points but is tied for points with his teammate Ammermüller. For round eight of the season next week (6-8 September), the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup travels to the north of Milan.

Result

Spa-Francorchamps, Race 7 of 10

1. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
3. Jaxon Evans (NZ/Fach Auto Tech)
4. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing)
5. Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech)
6. Tio Ellinas (CY/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)
7. Jaap van Lagen (NL/martinet by ALMÉRAS)
8. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing)
9. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing)
10. Mikkel Pedersen (DK/Dinamic Motorsport)

Points standings after 7 of 10 races

Drivers’ classification

1. Julien Andlauer (F/BWT Lechner Racing), 92 points
2. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 92 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (TR/martinet by ALMÉRAS), 76 points

Porsche announces nominations for Meguiar’s “Best Presented Award”

Porsche and Meguiar’s have announced their 6 nominations for the best race livery in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia

Porsche and Meguiar’s have announced their 6 nominations for the best race livery in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia

Porsche and Meguiar’s Australia have announced their nominations for the best race liveries in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia and invited fans and followers of Facebook.com/CarreracupAus to vote via the Facebook poll.

The announcement of the six finalists was made to drivers and teams by Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy at Round 6 of 2019 at The Bend Motorsport Park.

The Meguiar’s Best Presented Award will be awarded to the driver having received the most votes (Likes) on the Facebook poll between 27 August and 10:00 Am on the 05 September. In the unlikely event of a draw, the competition poll will be extended by 30mins, with the winner being the livery with the most amount of votes.

The six nominations include the following Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia drivers:

Dale Wood

Cameron Hill

Steven Richards

Dean Cook

Nick McBride

Sam Shahin

The final ranking of the six best race liveries from the field will be announced at the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Awards Dinner on the Gold Coast at the season finale in October.

The driver that receives the most votes will receive $5,000 worth of Meguiar’s products while the drivers in positions two to six will each receive $500 worth of Meguiar’s products.

Click the following link to cast your vote: https://poll.app.do/meguiar-s-best-presented-award

Love takes South Australian sweep and Michelin Junior prize

Adrian Flack takes TAG Heuer Pro-Am with outright podium finish at The Bend

JORDAN LOVE has returned to peak Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia form at the best possible time, sweeping all three races, the round and the lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.

The crushing performance delivered the 20-year-old Sonic driver his first wins since Phillip Island in May and also ensured he sealed the Porsche Michelin Junior driver nomination towards the Porsche Shootout in Europe later this year.

Though both races featured competitive early battles for the lead, Love was essentially untouchable in both of Sunday’s races to the point where he re-set his own lap record on the final lap of the final race.

His second clean sweep of the season saw him beat David Wall in the overall round results, while Adrian Flack was an outstanding third outright – also taking the TAG Heuer Pro-Am round in a stunning weekend.

To make matters even better, Love has now closed to within 90 points of series leader Dale Wood going into the final two rounds of the year.

“It was an awesome weekend to come away with pole and three wins is awesome, but I can’t go without thanking the boys at Sonic for providing me with an awesome package this weekend,” Love said.

“I’m hugely excited to wrap up the Michelin Junior drivers title – it’s been one of the goals since we started in GT3 Cup Challenge two years ago – really happy to lock that in the bag but there’s still two rounds in the championship to go so I’m really looking forward to Bathurst and the Gold Coast.”

Adrian Flack’s remarkable weekend came via a pair of stunning Sunday performances.

After Pro-Am class rival Liam Talbot finished third outright in Race one, Flack repeated that performance on Sunday morning before then finishing fourth in the final race.

That secured him an historic spot on the outright podium but also a comfortable win in his class over Talbot and Roger Lago.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend,” Flack beamed on the podium.

“It’s really nice to get up there and mix it with the Pro’s. I’ve always felt we should be up there somewhere, at some stage, so to be up there this weekend is awesome.

“I’ve been a little bit down on the championship so far given how the year started but we can bring it home strong – the car feels great and I feel good with a bit of time in the seat so hopefully we can bring it home at the end of the year.”

Sunday’s program started with the fourth round in the enduro cup series with the 20-lap dash providing plenty of thrills.

After finishing second in race one, Cameron Hill erupted into an early lead in race two and led the first lap; however a brake lock-up at turn one on the start of lap two saw him run off the road – damaging the front splitter of his car and dropping him to third place.

While Nick McBride assumed the lead and Jordan Love second, Hill then suffered more misfortune two laps later when a puncture, combined with the lack of front downforce, saw him run off at turn five and forced to take a visit to pit lane to repair the damage.

While he recovered a lap down, McBride held on for the next seven laps before Love’s storming pace saw him slip by on lap eight – ultimately pulling away to record a strong victory.

McBride slipped to fifth at the finish, behind David Wall, Adrian Flack and Cooper Murray – who stormed from the back of the field to fourth.

The third race was a more straightforward affair and saw Love lead the entire distance from pole position.

Murray leaped to second thanks to a strong start, however surrendered the spot to David Wall on lap five after a moment at turn 13.

The leaders finished in that order, while Flack maintained fourth place to secure his outright podium and class win. Duvashen Padayachee was fifth, banking his best finish of the season after running with the leaders for a majority of the race.

Title leader Dale Wood salvaged solid points from Sunday’s two races, finishing eighth and sixth, respectively. Following six rounds of the 2019 championship, the Sonic driver now leads the championship by a heavily reduced margin of 90 points with two rounds remaining.

Jordan love has moved to second while former champion David Wall now sits third; Warren Luff and Nick McBride completing the top five.

Roger Lago’s consistent weekend saw him continue to lead the TAG Heuer Pro-Am Championship, his margin now 74 points over Liam Talbot.

The Bend winner Adrian Flack has charged to third in the standings, 54 points behind Talbot.

Wood’s recovery effort in race two saw him move to the lead of the Endurance Cup standings with two races to go, the Victorian now holding a six-point lead over Warren Luff with former leader Michael Almond third.

The next round of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia championship will see the series return to the iconic Mount Panorama circuit in New South Wales for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Love, Talbot star in opening thriller at The Bend

Critical win ignites Love's title battle while Talbot stars stunning outright podium

WHEN IT came to the crunch, Porsche Michelin Junior driver Jordan Love has delivered in a key round of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia championship fight.

After two challenging rounds and needing to score strongly at The Bend Motorsport Park to secure the Porsche Michelin Junior driver prize this year, the 20-year-old West Aussie was under serious pressure entering South Australia but ultimately delivered in spades.

Pole position and a strong race one victory saw him do everything in his power to make Round six of the championship his best yet, securing his sixth race win of the season in style.

His closest rival in the Porsche Michelin Junior battle, Cameron Hill, finished an outstanding second while TAG Heuer Pro-Am winner Liam Talbot not only won his class but finished a remarkable third outright in the process.

The race was a typically dramatic affair with action from the first corner – however after seeing off an early challenge from Hill and Talbot, Love was ultimately able to pull a margin on the field en route to a key victory.

“We had a good start but then Cam and Talbot had some pace on us early on,” Love explained of his early lap battles.

“They managed to get past us and we were side by side for a couple of corners there but I was able to do the criss-cross out of one. Once we got there it was just a case of head down and waiting for the tyres to come up.

“Once they did the pace was really good. Sonic put together an awesome package and I can’t thank them enough.

“It’s really nice for the championship. It’s been a tough couple of rounds so to come back and get a pole and a couple of wins is fantastic.”

Hill’s second position saw him continue to apply pressure to Love in the Michelin Junior standings, while Talbot’s outstanding third place eclipsed his previous best race finish by eight spots.

The Queensland-based, Wall Racing driver qualified sixth outright and then gained spots on the opening lap when Thomas Maxwell and Cooper Murray came together at turn one.

He then pressured – and briefly passed – both Love and Hill in a thrilling battle for the lead before trailing the latter home to secure a stunning outright podium finish.

“That was unbelievable!,” Talbot said.

“We knew we had pace in qualifying and we managed to do the job. You have to plan in your head the race start – and the stuff that happens there is nothing you can imagine. It’s about right place, right time. It really set up our race.

“The cars in front were two wide coming onto the straight and I thought ‘I have to have a look there’ and go for the lead.

“Third outright is awesome – unbelievable. I can’t thank the guys at Wall Racing enough for putting it together for me.”

Nick McBride finished fourth outright and was pressured to the line by David Wall, who was fifth.

In another giant-killing performance, Adrian Flack finished sixth outright and second in TAG Heuer Pro-Am. Warren Luff was seventh, Steven Richards eighth – his equal best result of the season – and Brenton Grove ninth on his return to the category.

Cooper Murray salvaged 10^th position however the Townsville winner was a case of ‘what could have been’ after making a flying start from the second row of the grid.

Starting fourth, Murray was strong away from the line and challenged for second with Thomas Maxwell at turn one.

Maxwell had started second – his best ever qualifying performance – and held that position as the field negotiated the first corner. However, contact between he and Murray saw Maxwell spinning, only to collected by Murray who subsequently slipped down the field with damage to his right-front corner.

Michael Almond was also caught up in the incident; the 2018 Tailem Bend winner taking evasive action and spinning down the field.

While Maxwell retired from the race with damage to his left-rear corner, Murray was able to salvage a top-10 result despite front aero damage. Almond dropped to last, but stormed to twelfth position in a stout recovery drive.

The other key story-line was that of title leader Dale Wood, who could only manage 21^st position.

After a challenging qualifying session saw him only 11^th on the grid, the Polyfloor entry then suffered a puncture after hitting debris from the turn one, lap one drama early in the race. A second visit to pit lane for another puncture saw him cruse home last of the runners to salvage points and a now reduced, though still comfortable title lead.

Following the first of three races this weekend, Wood now leads the standings by a reduced margin of 152 points.

Jordan Love returns to second in the outright standings, with Warren Luff third and Nick McBride fourth. Cameron Hill sits fifth, just 41 points behind Love.

Sunday’s program features two races, including the next installment in the Enduro Cup series to be contested over 20 laps tomorrow morning.

The third and final race will likely decide the round with each to be shown live on FOX Sports 506.

Form continues for Cooper Murray with fastest time at The Bend

Teenage star on top early while Adrian Flack tops TAG Heuer Pro-Am ranks in tight day in South Australia

FRESH from his first ever Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia round victory before celebrating his 18^th birthday, Cooper Murray has continued his remarkable form to top practice ahead of the sixth round of the series at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend.

The Victorian teenager lapped beneath the existing qualifying record at the 4.9km circuit to take his No. 36 Lodge Brothers / McElrea Racing entry to the top of the charts in practice, a flying 1m51.074s lap putting him the fastest across two sessions at the South Australian circuit today.

Murray, who swept all before him in Townsville in July, edged out fellow Porsche Michelin Junior Cameron Hill by 0.1 seconds on combined times from today’s two sessions.

Wall Racing’s PAYCE entry driven by David Wall was third overall on the strength of his practice one-topping time set earlier in the day.

“It felt amazing out there,” Murray said.

“The McElrea team gave me an amazing car and it felt great for a Friday. Now we’ve just got to convert it into tomorrow. Tomorrow is payday with qualifying and race one so we’ll see how we go.”

Adrian Flack was fastest of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am contenders, just 0.1 seconds faster than title contender Liam Talbot on today’s combined times from both sessions.

“We’re certainly happy to be fast in practice, but it’s qualifying the next one we need to be quick in,” Flack said.

“Conditions are very difficult with the wind the way it is, so it’s hard to gauge how quick you can go into some of the corners, but we’re very happy. The car is quite good and we’re looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

“I love this track, I think it’s the best track in Australia by far. It’s quite difficult to pass because of the quite high speeds which we’re not used to doing but I’m looking forward to it and it will be a really good weekend.”

Murray was the fifth winner from five rounds contested to date this season, his early form in practice for Round 6 increasing his chances of becoming the first repeat winner of the season.

Perfect, if windy, conditions greeted the 23-strong field at The Bend with times rapid from the first flying laps of practice one.

The first session was topped by David Wall, the former champion yet to record a victory this season but showing strong early pace.

Cameron Hill was second in the opening 25-minute session, though 0.7 seconds behind Wall’s late flyer.

Dale Wood was third and Warren Luff fourth, while Adrian Flack topped the TAG Heuer Pro-Am contenders and placed sixth outright in the process.

A majority of the fastest times of the day came from the later session as the circuit rubbered in and conditions improved further thanks to bright sunshine and less wind.

Murray’s fastest lap came on his seventh lap – of nine in total – lap while Cameron Hill was second; backing up his performance in the first session in a positive start to his quest to top the Porsche Michelin Junior title standings this weekend.

On combined times Murray ended up fastest by 0.1 seconds with Hill second and Wall third.

Luff was fourth overall in the second McElrea entry while Jordan Love was the fastest of the Sonic quartet in fifth place. A strong run on newer Michelin tyres saw Nick McBride take his Porsche Centre Michelin entry to sixth overall while The Bend’s 2018 winner Michael Almond was seventh.

OTR SuperSprint The Bend Event 10 of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, Tailem Bend, South Australia. Australia.23rd-25th August 2019.

TAG Heuer Pro-Am contenders Adrian Flack and Liam Talbot were eighth and ninth, respectively and also topped their class while championship leader Dale Wood completed the top-10.

Exactly one second covered the 10 fastest runners in practice, with the first three all lapping beneath the existing practice record at the circuit.

Sam Shahin was third fastest overall in TAG Heuer Pro-Am and 12^th outright, while Roger Lago – fresh from his remarkable outright pole position efforts in Townsville last time out, was fourth in class.

Of other notable stories, Brenton Grove’s return to Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia action saw him finish the day in 14^th position overall, though well within striking distance of the top-10.

He was four places higher than his father, Stephen, who was 18^th and will make his first Carrera Cup start since Phillip Island tomorrow.

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge frontrunner Brett Boulton was 19^th on his Carrera Cup debut with the returning Dave Ryan and Michael Loccisano just behind.

Round 6 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia continues apace tomorrow with qualifying at 10:55am local time to be followed by race one at 2:15pm.

Both sessions will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

FULL RESULTS: Click Here

Race Schedule – Round 6, The Bend Motorsport Park

SATURDAY AUGUST 24

1050 – 1110                   Qualifying         FoxSports / Kayo
1415 – 1440                   Race 1                FoxSports / Kayo

SUNDAY AUGUST 25

0950 – 1035                  Race 2               FoxSports / Kayo
1230 – 1255                   Race 3               FoxSports / Kayo

The first Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 Clubsport in Australia revealed ahead of Round 6 at The Bend Motorsport Park

Porsche Cars Australia take the covers off the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

Porsche Cars Australia take the covers off the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

Following its world premiere on January 2019 at the Daytona 24 Hours, the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport represents a further development from Weissach of the successful Clubsport model that first premiered in 2016.

For the first time, the mid-engined race car comes in two versions from the Porsche Motorsport factory: the “Trackday” model for enthusiast amateur racing drivers who enjoy Australian track days and would like to campaign the car in several state-based racing series.

The second is the “Competition” variant designed for national and international competition, allowing local drivers to contest the Australian GT Championship GT4 Class and Bathurst 12 Hour (GT4 class).

In developing the new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the focus was not only on improving the driveability and performance of its predecessor but also on the sustainable use of raw materials in its development. The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the first-ever production race car to feature body parts made of natural-fibre composite material.

As a result, the driver and co-driver doors and the rear wing are made of an organic fibre mix, sourced primarily from agricultural by-products such as flax or hemp fibres and feature similar properties to carbon fibre in terms of weight and stiffness.

Powering the 718 GT4 Clubsport is a 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing 313kW (425hp). Compared to its predecessor, this represents a 30kW (40hp) increase in performance. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with a mechanical rear-axle differential lock.

The lightweight spring-strut front suspension is taken from its big 911 GT3 Cup brother. The impressive racing brake system features steel brake discs all round measuring 380mm in diameter. The lightweight 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport tips the scales at a mere 1,320kgs and is delivered from the factory with a welded-in safety cage, a racing bucket seat as well as a six-point harness.

The “Track day” version is aimed at amateur drivers who want to take part in private track and clubsport events features a fixed shock absorber setup, ABS brakes, ESC and traction control assistance systems ensure forgiving handling at the limit. The traction assistance can be deactivated if desired. Further factory fitted features include: an air-conditioning system, a rescue hatch in the roof, a handheld fire-extinguisher and an 80-litre FT3 safety fuel cell.

While each vehicle is built to order based on the customer’s requirements, the “Competition” model features a raft of details relevant for competition racing. The shock absorbers can be adjusted in three stages, while the safety fuel tank has a capacity of 115 litres and was developed for long-distance events. Thanks to a brake balance system, the balance bias can be infinitely adjusted between the front and rear axle.

An integrated air jack system guarantees fast pit stops, while the quick-release racing steering wheel adopted from the 911 GT3 R ensures a range of adjustment options for the individual needs of the drivers. An automatic fire extinguishing system adds another safety feature for the racetrack.

“The new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport possesses significantly more racing genes than its successful predecessor,” says Porsche’s head of motorsport Fritz Enzinger.

“The power of the engine has increased considerably. At the same time, we were able to increase the downforce and the cockpit is now even better suited to drivers’ needs.”

The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport becomes the third racing car Porsche Cars Australia have imported into the country following the 996, 997, 991 and 992 generations of the 911 GT3 Cup Car as well as the Porsche 911 GT3 R.

On the unveiling of the car at The Bend Motorsport Park, Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “While our Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championships remain our focus in Australia, we see a place in the market for the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport as a track day car and GT4 race car.”

“The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is an ideal track day car for graduates of Level 5 of our Porsche Track Experience, who may be keen to do more track days and state-based racing before moving up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid into Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge.”

All 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport customers will enjoy full parts support and each vehicle can be serviced at Porsche Centres across Australia. Interested parties can contact Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy on troy.bundy@porsche.com.au for pricing options and further information.

Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup celebrates 120th round at The Bend

Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia heads to Tailem Bend for Rd6

Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia heads to The Bend Motorsport Park with five different winners from the first five rounds

After two events at the top end of the country, the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia teams head south to the riverside town of Tailem Bend. The quaint, country town flanks the banks of the Murray River and is located less than 100km to the south-east of Adelaide.

Last year, the success of the inaugural Tailem Bend event saw a welcome injection of revenue to the rural area with The Bend Motorsport Park becoming the 17th venue to host a round of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia since the series began in 2003. The circuit configuration which the Porsche 9111 GT3 Cup cars will tackle this weekend, is the third-longest on the 2019 calendar at 4.95km – only Bathurst (6.213km) and Albert Park (5.303km) are longer.

Last year’s inaugural round was won by South Australian-local Michael Almond, who scored two race wins on his way to the round victory. Although David Wall crossed the line first in the first race last year, a five-second penalty incurred when passing Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans, dropped him to second place in the final results, handing Almond the inaugural Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia race win at the circuit.

The sixth round of the 2019 championship is also the120th in the history of the series – which this year also celebrates its 15^th year of competition. Five different round winners have emerged from the first five Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia rounds so far this season with Nick McBride (Adelaide), Dale Wood (Albert Park), Jordan Love (Phillip Island), Michael Almond (Hidden Valley) and Cooper Murray (Townsville) all sharing round victories. This is the first time in series history that this has occurred and never before has the category witnessed such a tussle at the front of the field.

Dale Wood has never been off the podium this year and the Sonic Racing driver’s pace and consistency have seen his Polyflor-liveried 911 build a 201-point advantage over Warren Luff in second place overall. With more than a maximum round (180points) buffer in the championship, Wood’s lead is significant for several reasons.

Only three rounds of the championship remain, so every race from here on in is vital for the chasing pack to make up the deficit. Then factor in the constant improvement and pace of Michelin Juniors like Cooper Murray and Cameron Hill into the mix – as they continue to steal valuable points from more seasoned Pros in recent rounds – and the Tailem Bend round becomes massively important in the championship title race.

Bob Jane T-Marts teammates, Jordan Love and Michael Almond lie in third and fourth respectively, making it three Sonic Racing entries in the championship’s top four positions, while Porsche Centre Melbourne’s Nick McBride is fifth, only four points behind Almond.

The competition in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class is just as fierce with four different class winners from the five rounds so far this season including Anthony Gilbertson (Adelaide), Roger Lago (Albert Park, Townsville), Stephen Grove (Phillip Island) and Adrian Flack (Hidden Valley).

Lago’s record-setting pace (and outright pole) in Townsville last time out making him the man to beat heading into Round 6, as arch-rival Anthony Gilbertson takes a sabbatical this weekend due to work commitments. Along with the ever-present Adrian Flack, Lago’s biggest competition is likely to be from Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Pro-Am frontrunners Sam Shahin and Brett Boulton.

The Bend Motorsport Park marks Boulton’s Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia debut, becoming the 211^th driver to compete in the series history. Other wildcards to watch in the Pro and Pro-Am field include father and son pairing of Brenton and Stephen Grove.

While Brenton is no stranger to the category having risen through the Porsche Motorsport pyramid, Stephen Grove returns to chalk up his 55th round – moving him to fourth on the all-time round starts list in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia history.

Both Grove Snr and Jnr will be in Ashley Seward Motorsport prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars and are treating the weekend as part of their preparation for Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit the following weekend. In doing so, the pair become the first Australian father and son pairing to compete in the global Porsche category together in the series’ history.

The weekend gets underway at 10:00 on Friday with Practice 2, qualifying and races 1-3 all televised live on both FoxSports (Channel 506) and Kayo, over the course of the weekend.

For more race information, videos and interviews throughout the weekend, follow the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia social pages: Instagram – @carreracupaus / Twitter – @CarreraCupAus / Facebook.com/CarreraCupAus

Entry List – Round 6, The Bend Motorsport Park

No        CLASS      CAR #   Name               Surname          SPONSOR NAME

1             Pro-Am      4            Stephen              Grove                   Grove Group

2            Pro              5             Thomas             Maxwell                Sonic

3            Pro-Am      6            Tim                     Miles                     Garage 1

4            Pro              7            Warren              Luff                        MEGA/No Second Chance

5            Pro              8            Nick                    McBride               Porsche Centre Melbourne

6            Pro-Am     9             Michael             Loccisano             Hallmarc

7            Pro             10           Brenton             Grove                     Grove Group

8            Pro            12            Steve                   Richards               O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing

9            Pro-Am    13            Sam                    Shahin                   The Bend Motorsport Park/HTFU

10          Pro-Am    20           Adrian               Flack                       Agas National

11           Pro-Am    22           Dean                  Cook                       BMF

12           Pro-Am   23           Roger                 Lago                        Dayco / Lago Cold Stores

13           Pro-Am   27           Liam                   Talbot                    Wash It

14           Pro-Am   30          David                  Ryan                      DRM Motorsport

15           Pro           34          Duvashen           Padayachee          Hyundai Forklifts Australia

16           Pro-Am  35           Indiran               Padayachee          Hyundai Forklifts Australia

17           Pro          36           Cooper               Murray                  Lodge Brothers

18           Pro         38            David                  Wall                       PAYCE

19           Pro         77            Michael             Almond                 Sonic/Bob Jane T-Marts/PSA Australia

20           Pro-Am 84           Brett                   Boulton                 Bold Living

21           Pro         100          Dale                    Wood                      Sonic/Polyflor

22          Pro         111            Cameron           Hill                          Seears Workwear

23          Pro          777          Jordan               Love                        Sonic / Bob Jane T-Marts/SRG

Race Schedule – Round 6, The Bend Motorsport Park

FRIDAY AUGUST 23        Session            Television broadcast

1000 – 1025                   Practice 1

1430 – 1455                    Practice 2         FoxSports / Kayo

SATURDAY AUGUST 24

1050 – 1110                   Qualifying         FoxSports / Kayo

1415 – 1440                   Race 1                FoxSports / Kayo

SUNDAY AUGUST 25

0950 – 1035                  Race 2               FoxSports / Kayo

1230 – 1255                   Race 3               FoxSports / Kayo

Australian father and son to make Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup history

Stephen and Brenton Grove, will be the first Australian father-son pairing in history to compete in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship

Stephen and Brenton Grove, will be the first Australian father-son pairing in history to compete in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship.

Seasoned Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship campaigner, Stephen Grove will compete against son, Brenton Grove in Belgium for Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship, at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Stephen Grove has been a frequent visitor to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Pro-Am podium this year and comes off a strong third in the Pro-Am class last time out at the Hungaroring in Hungary.

The reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am Champion said, “It’s fantastic to have Brenton join the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup grid at Spa — it’s not often you get a father and son racing in the same series, especially at this level. Spa is a very special track, one of the best in the world and it’s got some great corners. I haven’t raced there for a few years, but I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel there.”

In preparation for Spa Supercup round, both father and son will also be in action at round 6 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup championship at Tailem Bend.

Grove Snr highlighted the pair’s intentions, “The Bend is quite a fast and free-flowing circuit, so we’re just trying to set ourselves up for Spa – which is unbelievably fast with high-speed corners. The Bend weekend will all be about conditioning ourselves and building-up to Spa, so we’re not too fussed on where we position ourselves, as long as we can have a dip.”

Brenton too carries good recent form into The Bend Motorsport Park after strong performances in the Dunlop Super 2 Championship this season. The young Victorian started his career in the Porsche 944 Challenge and has progressed up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid over the years before finishing second in the 2017 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship to Jordan Love.

While the prospect of driving on the world stage in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be one of the highlights of Grove’s promising career thus far, he’s confirmed the opportunity will not become a regular occurrence, “This is just a one-off event for me and I’ll be driving for the same team Stephen drove for in the 2018 24 Hours of Dubai. I have no plans at this stage to go full-time in Supercup. We just saw the opportunity to achieve this milestone as there has never been a father and son compete in the same Supercup race before.

Brenton feels the experience gained through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and Michelin Junior competition will offer a great degree of familiarity, rather than an advantage, given the level of competition, “I’ve progressed through the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge, Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia and Michelin Junior program, so this is just a further opportunity to advance within the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. At least I won’t be going in with my eyes shut.”

“Porsche do an awesome job to develop juniors and it’s a proven channel. It’s a positive framework to be part of both as a driver and team manager. The domestic championships in Australia are both competitive and professional, hence why we keep coming back each year” he continued.

Both Grove’s will be racing in Ashley Seward Motorsport prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

ASM Team Manager, Ashley Seward is looking forward to working with Brenton, “I’ve watched Brenton race in a number of categories – he has an analytical approach to his racing and is good at adapting to different vehicles, so we’re looking forward to having him in our car for Tailem Bend.

“The Porsche Supercup is the most competitive one-make series in the world, and the level of competition is extremely high, so we’ll be doing our best to ensure Brenton is as well-prepared as possible for his outing at Spa.”

Seward’s Melbourne based outfit will also be hoping to provide Grove Snr with the right car for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class win, “Stephen has established himself as one of the top Pro-Am drivers in the country, and the experience he has gained against the world’s best Porsche racers in Supercup will have only enhanced his abilities.”

“We pride ourselves on our Pro-Am program, ensuring our competitors are enjoying themselves while also maximising their on-track performances. This season, we’ve worked with some fantastic competitors and Stephen will fit right into our team with his approach to the sport.”

Practice 1 for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia at Tailem Bend gets underway on Friday 23 August at 10:00. Qualifying and Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday with Races 2 and 3 on Sunday. Tickets for the event are available from thebend.com.au.