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.

Porsche celebrates one-two victory at Spa endurance classic

Porsche dominates the 2019 24 Hours of Spa

Porsche dominates the 2019 Total 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium, the world’s biggest GT3 sportscar race.

The GPX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R crewed by the current FIA WEC Sportscar World Champions Kévin Estre (France), Michael Christensen (Denmark), and Austria’s Richard Lietz finished first at the Belgian long distance classic after 363 laps, securing Porsche its seventh Spa 24 Hour overall win.

The 500+hp Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Rowe Racing (#998) rounded off the one-two victory of the Porsche teams at the marathon in the Ardennes. Five of the six Pro-cars from Porsche finished the 71st running of the 24 Hours of Spa in the top ten.

Right from the start, the rain played the leading role at the 24-hour classic in Belgium. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the race had to be stopped for almost six hours due to heavy downpours. But even this interruption couldn’t end the victorious drive of the number 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The crew with Estre, Christensen, and Lietz, which had been relegated down the field by a drive-through penalty in the evening, put in an impressive charge through the field.

When the race was halted, the driver trio had made it back to eighth place with a series of flawless and constantly fast stints and made up more positions after the race was restarted. With two hours to go, the GT3 R driven by Kévin Estre took the lead, which the Frenchman held driving the slick-shod car on a damp track surface. After nine years, it was time to celebrate again for Porsche at the prestigious endurance classic in the Ardennes.

The Rowe Racing #998 Porsche 911 GT3 R also had a race of mixed fortunes on the 7.004 kilometre storied circuit. Patrick Pilet (France), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) also lost many places due to a drive-through penalty and caught up to the frontrunners in the night with a strong performance in the rain. During the closing stages of the race, rain specialist Tandy conquered second place with several skilful overtaking manoeuvres to secure the one-two win for Porsche.

Scoring three more top ten placings, the Porsche customer teams crowned their strong and unified showing at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The #98 and #99 Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Rowe Racing finished fifth and seventh. KÜS Team75 Bernhard brought its identical #117 911 GT3 R home in ninth place.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport: “Congratulations to our customer teams at Spa. The effort of the engineers, strategists, the pit crews, and the drivers impressed me deeply. They all co-operated with our support crew from Weissach in the best possible way. We’ve scored this victory together. And the Porsche 911 again proved to be the car to beat at sportscar races.”

VIDEO NEWS: https://vimeo.com/350594959

Result
1. Estre/Christensen/Lietz (F/DK/A), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 363 laps
2. Pilet/Makowiecki/Tandy (F/F/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 363 laps
3. Engel/Buurman/Stolz (D/NL/D), Mercedes-AMG GT3, 363 laps
5. Müller/Dumas/Jaminet (D/F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 362 laps
7. Olsen/Campbell/Werner (N/AUS/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 362 laps
9. Bernhard/Vanthoor/Bamber (D/B/NZ), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 362 laps

248 drivers took up the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in 72 cars. Eleven marques were represented at the 71st running of the Ardennes marathon, which is also Round 3 of the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge. Porsche also won the opening round of the 2019 IGTC at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February.

Porsche announces “Best Presented Award” in partnership with Meguiar’s

Porsche announces “Best Presented Award” in partnership with Meguiar’s Australia

Porsche Cars Australia has announced a “Best Presented Award” in partnership with Meguiar’s Australia.

The social media campaign between two of Australia’s premier automotive brands allows Porsche motorsport fans and followers to vote and rank their best racing liveries from the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

Porsche and Meguiar’s will nominate six of the best race liveries during the course of the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia season. Fans and followers of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia facebook page (Facebook.com/CarreracupAus) will then be invited to vote for their favourite race livery. The Meguiar’s Best Presented Award will be awarded to the driver having received the most votes by the end of the season.

On the announcement, Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy said, “We are very proud to partner with a premium automotive brand, such as Meguiar’s Australia for the “Best Presented Award” this season. Meguiar’s provides exceptional products for every vehicle surface including paintwork, wheels, tyres and the many different interior finishes. So the alignment with them on the “Best Presented Award” was a natural fit for both sides and yet another example of the continued investment and endorsement of our premier categories.”

Bruce Morrison from Meguiar’s Australia said, “Meguiar’s has been providing car enthusiasts with specialized surface care formulations for well over 100 years. Like Porsche, our customers are car enthusiasts and can be among the hardest to please, but they’re also the most brand loyal.”

“The products that get used by these enthusiasts are undoubtedly the best on the market. This award provides both recognition and reward for the best vehicle livery on the grid, in what is arguably Australia’s best presented race category.”

The ranking of the six best Porsche 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.

Bathurst winning Porsche 911 GT3-R set to return to Australia

Matt Campbell's Bathurst winning Porsche 911 GT3-R set to return to Australia

The triumphant Bathurst12-Hour Porsche 911 GT3-R of Dennis Olsen, Dirk Werner and Porsche Junior Driver, Matt Campbell is set to return home.  

The same Porsche 911 GT3-R that made a heroic charge from fourth to the lead of the 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour in the final hour, will return to Australia later this year.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia racing driver, Paul Tresidder has purchased the winning car piloted by Dennis Olsen, Dirk Werner and Porsche Junior Driver, Matt Campbell. The historical victory marked Porsche’s first outright win in Australia’s International Enduro, adding the iconic endurance event to their trophy case.

A long-term exponent of the famous German marque, Tresidder was competing in the race with team Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – eventually finishing second in Class B and 19th outright.

As the race built towards its thrilling climax, the Sydney resident was watching from his own pit garage as Matt Campbell hauled the Earl Bamber Motorsport-prepared car through the international field.  Following the Bathurst triumph, the car was flown to Germany and placed on display in the Porsche museum.

However, Tresidder’s purchase of the 911 GT3-R from Porsche Motorsport last month, means the car will ultimately return to Australia.

“I was there in our pits watching the last hour of the race unfold. Whilst all three drivers contributed to the end result, for me the stand out drive of the day was Matt Campbell with three overtaking moves in the last hour of the race, the best I have ever seen,” Tresidder explained.

“I was also competing in the same race with the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia team, so there are great memories associated with this epic win. As an Australian, I wanted to bring the car back home.”

Tresidder was presented the car last month in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, with Campbell on hand to ‘hand over the keys’ to the car. Despite his long relationship with the Porsche brand, Tresidder said he initially didn’t think he would be able to purchase the black GT3R, which features the iconic Silver Fern along its flanks.

“I thought I wouldn’t stand a chance of being able to secure the car, having won the 12-Hour,” he explained.

“However after the race I caught up with Alex Gibot (Head of Porsche Motorsport in the Asia-Pacific region) and told him I would like to buy it. Alex knows my history with Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and my love of Porsche, plus the car would be coming home to Australia and properly looked after.

“Alex started the process by contacting Porsche in Stuttgart and got the ball rolling, and fortunately we were successful.”

Currently still in Germany, the 911 GT3-R will begin a long journey home later this year via a stop at the Porsche Sports Cup China in October – a significant event in the region which will also feature several Porsche Museum cars on show on and off the track.

After driving the car for the first time in Shanghai, the car will return to Australia where Tresidder plans to race it as it was designed.

“I will race it lightly, probably the first event will be Bathurst at Easter 2020,” he confirmed.

“The now-famous livery will also stay, the only change will be to wipe off the sticky remains of Matt’s Champagne!”

With multiple starts to his credit in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, Tresidder says the 12-Hour is well established as one of the world’s great races and the victory for Porsche had great significance for the brand and for him personally.

“This was Earl Bamber Motorsport’s first attempt running two factory cars and for him and his team to get a first time victory – and a first victory for Porsche – it doesn’t get much better.”

Bamber and Campbell, along with their Porsche GT team mates, will defend their 24-point lead in the Manufacturers standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Lime Rock (USA) this weekend.

The race over 2:40 hours takes off on Saturday, 20 July and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.

McElrea Racing returns to the podium in Races 2 and 3 in Townsville

Cooper Murray dominated Races 2 and 3 of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in Townsville, breaking yet another record for the biggest race-winning margin in the series’ history.

Cooper Murray dominated Races 2 and 3 of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in Townsville, breaking yet another record for the biggest race-winning margin in the series’ history.

The Michelin Junior Driver put in a master class performance in the first of the Sunday’s races. Starting from pole for the 45min Enduro Cup round, Murray got the whole shot ahead of McElrea Racing teammate Warren Luff, to lead down the long Townsville straight toward Turn 1.

Showing great tenacity and maturity beyond his years, Murray fended off Luff in the early stages of the opening lap, before pulling out a 0.5sec lead. Behind the McElrea Racing pairing, Sonic Racing teammates Michael Almond and Dale Wood jostled for position, with Jordan Love and Nick McBride making good progress through the field.

Murray recorded the fastest lap of the race on lap 4 and extended his lead to Luff by 2.7secs. Luff then struck one of the sharp kerbs that characterize the Townsville track. The No Second Chance ambassador’s bent front damper and the resultant damage saw Luff get passed by Michael Almond and leaving Murray to extend his lead to 4.9secs with 13 laps remaining.

Further back, Roger Lago could not replicate the pace he showed in qualifying the previous day, gradually slipping down the field from sixth overall to tenth by mid race. He would eventually finish 14^th after contact late into the race with Thomas Maxwell.

Anthony Gilbertson by contrast was on a charge in Race 2 and proved to be the pick of the TAG Heuer Pro Am field. Gilbertson replicated the form he had showed throughout practice and moved past Lago to finish first in class and ninth overall.

After the race, the McElrea Pro Am driver said, “I got a great start and had a bit of work to do with Roger starting in P5. The Pros must have hustled getting passed him because the next thing I knew I was right on him. I passed him and pulled a good gap while keeping Steve Richards behind me.”

“It’s always a good feeling to beat a Pro like him” Gilbertson continued candidly.

At the end of Race 2, Murray had amassed a lead of 11.4 secs over Almond in second. This was the biggest race-winning margin in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia’s history. The previous record was 6.2 secs held by Steve Richards over Warren Luff in Race 2 back in 2014.

As the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars lined up for Race 3, all eyes were on Cooper Murray to see if he could defend his round position and make it five different winners from five rounds this season. Michael Almond initially got the jump on Murray off the line but the 17 year old held is his nerve and the lead into turn 1. The pair exited the corner side-by-side but Almond quickly lost ground on the outside of the turn allowing Sonic teammates, Dale Wood and Jordan Love by.

In the TAG Heuer Pro Am class, Gilbertson’s good luck ran out with a poor start seeing the Race 2 winner drop down the field to 13^th. His recovery through the field ruined what had been a stellar race weekend until that point, after he made contact with Pro driver, Steve Richards. As Pro Am drivers are permitted to use ABS – to level the playing field with the Pro drivers – Richards braked earlier than Gilbertson expected. The contact spun the former Bathurst winner into the outside wall, blocking Sam Shahin and Scott Taylors race in the process. The damage to Richard’s stranded O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing Porsche meant the safety car would have to be deployed. The DNF for the former Bathurst winner makes 2019 the unluckiest season of his career.

Murray made the best use of the restart, accelerating hard onto the main straight with 12 laps remaining. The Michelin Junior would proceed to pull out a 1.7 sec gap on the experienced Dale Wood and leading Juniors Jordan Love and Cameron Hill. As with Race 1 and 2, the youngest member of the McElrea Racing squad would manage the tyres and his lead to the flag.

After Gilbertson’s early woes, it was fellow McElrea Racing teammate Tim Miles who would seize the opportunity in TAG Heuer Pro Am class, passing Dean Cook and Roger Lago under braking in the final stages of the race. While Murray and Lago’s record breaking performances over the weekend would prove the talking points of the Townsville round.

What was of greater significance for the 2019 Championship was the return of McElrea Racing cars to form after Sonic Racing’s recent dominance. The battle among these two top teams – as well as the likes of privateer Cameron Hill – is as fierce as ever, as the crews now switch their attention to Round 6 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship in Tailem Bend. This fast, flowing South Australian track is tailor made for Carrera Cup cars and traditionally proves to be very hard on tyres.

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

Results: Race 3, Round 5, Townsville

Pos               Driver                                                         Class                                                          Race Time

1                     Cooper Murray (VIC)                    Pro / Michelin Junior                  20:59.2163

2                     Dale Wood (VIC)                            Pro                                                       21:00.9196

3                     Jordan Love (WA)                         Pro / Michelin Junior                   21:02.3945

4                     Cameron Hill (ACT)                      Pro / Michelin Junior                   21:05.0325

5                     Warren Luff (QLD)                        Pro                                                       21:05.8676

6                     Michael Almond (SA)                   Pro                                                       21:06.2122

7                     David Wall (NSW)                         Pro                                                       21:07.0663

8                     Thomas Maxwell (NT)                 Pro / Michelin Junior                  21:07.5956

9                     Nick McBride (VIC)                      Pro                                                       21:08.6631

10                 Tim Miles (NSW)                             TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:10.5858

11                 Dean Cook (VIC)                              TAG Heuer Pro-Am                       21:11.6569

12                 Duvashen Padayachee                   Pro                                                      21:12.0462

13                 Roger Lago (QLD)                           TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:14.2491

14                 Anthony Gilbertson (QLD)          TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:16.5332

15                 Liam Talbot (NSW)                         TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:17.2740

16                 Michael Loccisano (VIC)              TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:26.5598

17                 Sam Shahin (SA)                              TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:28.2082

18                 Scott Taylor (QLD)                         TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:32.2598

19                 Indiran Padayachee                       TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      21:33.8871

DNF             Adrian Flack (QLD)                       TAG Heuer Pro-Am                      12:21.1248

DNF             Steve Richards (VIC)                     Pro                                                        1:27.2238

Media enquiries: Angus Thompson
Motorsport Communications Manager – Porsche Cars Australia

Phone: +61 403 233 548
E-mail: angus.thompson@porsche.com.au

Lago and Murray make history in Race 1 in Townsville

Roger Lago and Cooper Murray rewrite the history books in qualifying and Race 1 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in Townsville

Roger Lago and Cooper Murray rewrite the history books in qualifying and Race 1 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in Townsville

Qualifying and Race 1 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship had it all. Australia’s premier one make series witnessed records tumble, history made and new race winners crowned. Not to mention the usual, intense on track battle the series has become synonymous for.

The action started in qualifying early on Saturday morning. After uncharacteristic wet conditions plagued the North Queensland practice sessions on Friday, clear and cool tropical skies greeted the Porsche PAYCE Carrera cup Australia teams as they ventured onto the track for qualifying. While Dale Wood and Anthony Gilbertson were consistently quick through the Friday’s practice sessions, both felt that with the right conditions, the pace on Saturday would be even quicker.

They weren’t wrong and from the first lap, it became apparent that the track was only going to get faster as the session went on. Michelin Junior drivers Thomas Maxwell and Cooper Murray surprised many by setting the early benchmark. Michael Almond then showed the signs of his consistent form from Darwin, topping the table by the halfway mark.

By contrast, Nick McBride ran off the circuit and lost time in the pits repairing a broken front spoiler. Steve Richards would compromise his first set of Michelins by flat spotting them over the bumps under braking, while Dale Wood ran wide, narrowly missing the retaining wall. The ABS advantage the TAG Heuer Pro Ams enjoy over the Pros saw Anthony Gilbertson continue to head the Pro Am class for most of the session, but a last minute lap from Roger Lago would leave mouths agape and stun all in pitlane.

Lago who heavily crashed out of this event in 2015, not only broke the outright pole record – previously held by McElrea Racing’s Alex Davison – but topped the overall time sheets. This was the first time in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup’s history a Pro Am driver had out qualified the entire Pro field.

After the session Lago paid tribute to his Race engineer Dave Russel, “First run was 14.5 on greens and I thought that’s 0.8secs faster than I went yesterday. I said to Dave surely that’s enough for Pro Am, but he replied that Gilbertson had just done a 14.2, so I one last attempt to get a few more tenths.”

“I put my sectors together and looked down and saw a 13.5 as I crossed the line. Dave just erupted on radio and said mate you just got pole! Obviously the ABS makes it that bit easier for us around this circuit, but you still got to put the lap together.”

Cooper Murray would also put in his best qualifying result of the year in second, just in front of his McElrea Racing team mate Warren Luff. The attention then turned to Race 1 and as the lights went out, the 17 year old Michelin Junior had a near perfect get away jumping Lago into the first turn.

The McElrea driver then increased his lead to over 5 secs as Luff and the rest of the field battled one another behind Lago.  Luff, Almond and Wood all gradually made their way past Lago with 8 laps remaining, but by then Murray’s advantage had grown to over 7.4secs which he held to the chequered flag. Wood’s result means he is now 188 points clear of his nearest rival Nick McBride. McBride, Luff, Wall and Love occupy positions 2 to 5 in the overall Championship – with only three points separating the quartet.

After the race Murray remarked, “I managed to get a good start and control the race from there. The competition level in this field is amazing and to get that first win by that margin feels pretty good.”

Lago would lead the TAG Heuer Pro Am class home in fifth position overall, with Cameron Hill holding on for 6^th after his flying lap was impeded in qualifying, seeing him start in 7^th. Despite showing good pace at separate times over the weekend, fellow Michelin Juniors Thomas Maxwell and Jordan Love will not look back on Race 1 fondly.

Love’s run of bad luck continued as Maxwell tagged him mid race dropping the Bob Jane T Marts driver down the order. Maxwell race would be compromised too after he was handed a drive through penalty for his efforts. The accident means that Love will start in 12^th position for the Race 2 tomorrow.

Murray’s victory makes him the youngest victor in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup history and marks a return to the podium for the McElrea team with Warren Luff in second.

After the race, team manager, Andy McElrea said, “I’m thrilled, it gets harder and harder to win a race in this category, so to get a 1-2 is almost unbelievable, especially for Cooper coming across to us mid-season. I feel he’s repaid his faith in us and us in him. Then there’s the ultimate wingman Luffy’s (Warren Luff) result, not to mention Anthony Gilbertson in second in Pro Am, so at this stage I couldn’t be happier.”

The Sonic vs McElrea battle will resume in Races 2 and 3 on Sunday. Both races will be televised live on Fox Sports (Channel 506), Channel 10 and Kayo.

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

Results: Race 2, Round 5, Townsville  

1          Cooper Murray (VIC)      Pro / Michelin Junior      20:10.4504

2          Warren Luff (QLD)          Pro       20:16.9554

3          Michael Almond (SA)     Pro       20:17.8891

4          Dale Wood (VIC)              Pro       20:21.8135

5          Roger Lago (QLD)            TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:28.9572

6          Cameron Hill (ACT)        Pro / Michelin Junior      20:30.0916

7          David Wall (NSW)           Pro       20:30.4042

8          Nick McBride (VIC)        Pro       20:31.1639

9          Duvashen Padayachee (NSW)     Pro       20:31.6331

10         Anthony Gilbertson (QLD)          TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:32.2335

11         Adrian Flack (QLD)        TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:33.5078

12         Jordan Love (WA)          Pro / Michelin Junior      20:37.9097

13         Liam Talbot (NSW)        TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:40.1600

14         Sam Shahin (SA)             TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:41.0282

15         Steve Richards (VIC)     Pro       20:41.0319

16         Dean Cook (VIC)              TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:41.7255

17         Scott Taylor (QLD)          TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:55.9168

18         Michael Loccisano (VIC)            TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:56.2041

19         Thomas Maxwell (NT)    Pro / Michelin Junior      20:56.7390

20         Indiran Padayachee (NSW)        TAG Heuer Pro Am       20:58.5875

DNF     Tim Miles (NSW)           TAG Heuer Pro Am       1:32.0882

Race Schedule – Round 5, Townsville

SUNDAY JUNE 16

0910- 0950                    Race 2              FoxSports / Kayo

1305 – 1330                   Race 3              FoxSports / Kayo / Network 10

Media enquiries:

Angus Thompson
Motorsport Communications Manager – Porsche Cars Australia

Phone: +61 403 233 548
E-mail: angus.thompson@porsche.com.au

Love and Gilberston set early pace in wet Townsville practice

Jordan Love is not affected by his injured hand, posting the fastest time from the first practice sessions of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Championship in Townsville.

Jordan Love is not affected by his injured hand, posting the fastest time from the first practice sessions of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Championship in Townsville.

It’s been a testing few weeks for Jordan Love. After spate of victories in both Albert Park and Phillip Island rounds, an unfortunate accident in Darwin put the brakes on his 2019 championship campaign. The resultant surgery meant a two week break from behind the wheel heading into Round 5 this weekend. No one could be sure what part his injured hand would play in his performance in Townsville.

Given the circumstance and Love’s experience around the wet Townsville street circuit, few were surprised to see him adopting a cautious start to the Friday’s first practice session. By contrast, his fellow Michelin Junior driver, Thomas Maxwell relished in the wet conditions recording the fastest time in Friday’s first practice session.

Maxwell was closely followed by championship leader, Dale Wood, who was less than 0.02 secs behind the young Darwin driver by the time the first session ended. Wood’s experience and knowledge of the coastal circuit could well prove the difference this weekend. Other experienced Pro campaigners, Michael Almond and Warren Luff were third and fourth respectively, while another Michelin Junior, Cooper Murray completed the top five in fifth.

In the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, Anthony Gilbertson proved again that his performances on the streets of Adelaide in the season opener were no fluke, recording the fastest time of the class ahead of Roger Lago, Sam Shahin and Dean Cook. The wet session saw most drivers cautiously getting to grips with the fast 2.9km circuit, building their confidence in the challenging wet conditions.

Rain persisted to fall before the second practice session, but just as the drivers ventured out, the sun appeared and the times soon began to tumble as a dry line emerged. Dale Wood again set a blistering time, topping the standings for most of the session.

On his return to the pit lane, Wood remarked, “To be honest I was surprised how quick the track dried. The whole field went out on wets and straight away I said to the team that I’m coming in and we need to put slicks on.”

‘When I went back out the track was faster than I expected despite some wet areas. If we get a good dry, run in qualifying tomorrow, I think the pace will be even better.”

But in the dying minutes, Love would steel the top spot from his Sonic team mate with only 2 minutes to spare.

After the second practice drew to a close, a relieved Love commented, “We pitted late as we had a good set of Michelins to bolt on for that session. Judging by the pace of the guys in first (session) we knew the car would be fast as we were just growing in momentum each lap. I didn’t feel too comfortable early on but I knew the car was good and managed to step it up for the second outing.”

“It’s good to get a result like that ahead of tomorrow. My hand’s not painful thankfully, and I just notice it over the bumps, it’s just a bit annoying to be honest.”

Gilbertson again set the pace in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class but found the conditions tricky with the drying circuit:

“It was difficult to tell how much liberty you could give the car as the track was still wet in parts, but we still went faster than the first session. You just didn’t want to drop a wheel off (the circuit) anywhere in that session, so there is still time out there.” Gilbertson remarked

Qualifying and races 1-3 will all be televised live on both Fox Sports (Channel 506) and Kayo, while free-to-air viewers can also watch the first and last races of the weekend 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

Combined Results – Practice, Round 5 – Townsville

1 Jordan Love (WA) Pro / Michelin Junior P2 1:14.1518*
2 Dale Wood (VIC) Pro P2 1:14.2423
3 David Wall (NSW) Pro P2 1:14.3554
4 Thomas Maxwell (NT) Pro / Michelin Junior P1 1:14.6134
5 Cameron Hill (ACT) Pro / Michelin Junior P2 1:14.6818
6 Michael Almond (SA) Pro P1 1:14.7085
7 Cooper Murray (VIC) Pro / Michelin Junior P2 1:14.7105
8 Warren Luff (QLD) Pro P1 1:14.7547
9 Nick McBride (VIC) Pro P1 1:14.9422
10 Anthony Gilbertson (QLD) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:15.0249
11 Steve Richards (VIC) Pro P1 1:15.1330
12 Adrian Flack (QLD) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:15.2875
13 Roger Lago (QLD) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:15.3311
14 Duvashen Padayachee (NSW) Pro P2 1:15.5882
15 Scott Taylor (QLD) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:15.9810
16 Dean Cook (VIC) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:15.9969
17 Sam Shahin (SA) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P1 1:16.0105
18 Liam Talbot (NSW) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P1 1:16.1153
19 Tim Miles (NSW) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:16.1457
20 Michael Loccisano (VIC) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P1 1:17.4988
21 Indiran Padayachee (NSW) TAG Heuer Pro-Am P2 1:17.7543

Race Schedule – Round 5, Townsville

SATURDAY JUNE 15
0850 – 0910          Qualifying  FoxSports / Kayo
1235 – 1300           Race 1   FoxSports / Kayo / Network 10

SUNDAY JUNE 16
0910- 0950           Race 2   FoxSports / Kayo
1305 – 1330           Race 3   FoxSports / Kayo / Network 10

Junior battle intensifies as Carrera Cup returns to Townsville

First North Queensland trip since 2015 to play critical role in title battles

Porsche Michelin Juniors, Jordan Love and Cameron Hill will take centre stage in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup this weekend as Australia’s premier one-make Championship returns to Townsville after a four year hiatus.   

The fifth round of the 2019 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship sees a return to north-east coast of Queensland this weekend. The last time Australia’s premier one-make category competed in Townsville was in 2015, while this year’s event marks the 119^th round in the history of the series, since it began in 2003.

As the largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, Townsville is affectionately referred to as the unofficial capital of North Queeensland by its local community. Victory in the third and final race in Darwin in the last Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup round earned Michael Almond not only overall victory, but the unofficial title of ‘the ‘King of the North.’

The Bob Jane T- Marts driver will hope to hold onto this crown and repeat that performance in Townsville this weekend, a track that has proved a happy hunting ground for the Sonic Motor racing team in previous years.

In 2015, it was Sonic’s Nick Foster who stood on the top of the podium after all three race victories at Reid Park and this year the team looks likely to repeat that trend given the pace its race winning drivers – Michael Almond, Jordan Love and Dale Wood – have shown to date this season.

Sonic Motor Racing cars have finished on the top two steps of the podium in eight of the last nine Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia races, including a hat trick of victories over the last three rounds. The only race in that period they didn’t cross the line first was Race 1 at Hidden valley which went to Michelin Junior, Cameron Hill.

The last Carrera Cup team to win four rounds in a row in Sonic’s fashion was Fitzgerald Racing Services with driver Craig Baird in 2008 across Barbagallo, Sandown, Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island.

Of the leading Sonic Motor Racing trio, Jordan Love is the most vulnerable heading into this weekend, after an unfortunate opening lap altercation with Liam Talbot, saw the Bob Jane T-Marts driver leaving the Hidden Valley circuit with a broken fifth metacarpal in his left hand.

While the resultant surgery – a plate and seven screws – meant that Love would need a quiet, yet quick recovery if he was to compete in Townsville, the ramifications for his Championship campaign were far greater. No points from an eleventh position in race one, a DNF and no result for races 2 and 3 in Darwin respectively, meant the Perth youngster would not only lose his overall lead to the experienced Wood, but also now come under threat from an hard charging Cameron Hill in the Michelin Junior competition.

Hill carries good pace and momentum into Townsville after his maiden pole and victory in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship. With only Townsville and Tailem Bend points in the Michelin Junior competition remaining, all eyes will be on Hill’s Seears Workwear Porsche and if it will challenge the injured Love.

Adelaide winner, Nick McBride lies third just behind Wood and Love in the overall Championship. McBride’s experience around the Townsville circuit will be beneficial as one of only six current drivers (Nick McBride, Steve Richards, Roger Lago, Duvashen Padayachee, Michael Almond, Scott Taylor) on the entry list to also contend the 2015 Carrera Cup Championship at the same venue.

Wood along with McElrea Racing’s Warren Luff will use their track knowledge from passed Virgin Australia Supercars races in Townsville to good use in the podium hunt. Luff will also rely on the local knowledge of his Queensland based team, as McElrea cars currently hold both the qualifying (Alex Davison) and race (Jonny Reid) lap records.

The PAYCE liveried Porsche 911 of David Wall will also be hoping to improve upon his early season form with the 2017 Champion celebrating his 55th Carrera Cup Australia appearance, moving past the likes of: Rodney Jane, Alex Davison, Max Twigg and Stephen Grove, on the all-time round starts list. Wall now sits third on the list behind only Marc Cini (105) and Craig Baird (66).

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am Class has witnessed four different overall winners from the first four events this year with Anthony Gilbertson taking victory at the season opener in Adelaide and Roger Lago (Albert Park), Stephen Grove (Phillip Island) and Adrian Flack (Hidden Valley) having shared the top step of the podium respectively thereafter.

Grove (2) and Roger Lago (1) have tasted victory in Townsville in previous years in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am Class.

With warm temperatures and a 30-70% chance of thundershowers forecast over the course of the weekend, the conditions will test the skill and nerve of all the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup drivers. The race schedule for the weekend starts on Friday with two early practices sessions, which teams will use to refine their race set up before heading into qualifying on Saturday morning.

Qualifying and races 1-3 will all be televised live on both FoxSports (Channel 506) and Kayo, while free-to-air viewers can also watch the first and last races of the weekend on Channel 10. A highlights package including the weekend’s action is also scheduled for Channel One following the conclusion of the event

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 5, Townsville

Race Schedule – Round 5, Townsville

FRIDAY JULY 6          Session            Television broadcast

0920 – 0945                   Practice 1
1250 – 1315                   Practice 2         FoxSports / Kayo

SATURDAY JULY 7

0850 – 0910                   Qualifying         FoxSports / Kayo
1235 – 1300                   Race 1              FoxSports / Kayo / Network 10

SUNDAY JULY 8

0910- 0950                    Race 2             FoxSports / Kayo
1305 – 1330                   Race 3              FoxSports / Kayo / Network 10