Evans and O’Keeffe complete Junior Shootout

Australian representatives gun for Porsche Junior position

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia front-runners Jaxon Evans and Dylan O’Keeffe have completed the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout in France and now wait to hear the ultimate outcome in the coming weeks.

Evans and O’Keeffe, who finished first and third in the 2018 Carrera Cup Australia championship, respectively, joined nine other young racing talents from Porsche one-make series around the world, all dreaming to take the next step in their racing careers – into the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme.

In their bid for this, the talented youngsters took part in a three-day selection process in the southern French town of Le Castellet. In addition to setting consistently fast lap times, the candidates focused on working with the Porsche engineers. On the 3.862-kilometre Circuit Paul Ricard near the Côte d’Azur, the aspirants competed against each other in identical 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers. The winner, who will be announced in a few weeks, receives support as a Porsche Junior for their 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup campaign.

Jaxon Evans, who won the 2018 Carrera Cup Australia title in Gold Coast last month, was the championship’s nominee for the Junior Programme Shootout event.

“Overall, it was an amazing experience from the first day meeting the other drivers from different countries and all with different accents. Seeing it all roll out was unreal; from the transporters, engineers, mechanics and the amount of people on the ground to make it all work. It was like nothing I had ever experienced,” said Evans, who says he had the Shootout in his sights since he started racing in GT3 Cup Challenge in 2015.

“For me, to represent the Porsche brand as a Porsche Junior would be a massive honour. I have been working towards this for four years through GT3 Cup Challenge and Carrera Cup so to win the Shootout and become a Porsche Junior would be a dream come true.”

Meanwhile, Dylan O’Keeffe was a wildcard selection for the event, which he attended for the second time following his selection as Carrera Cup Australia’s Shootout nominee in 2017.

“This year’s Shootout was amazing and it was everything I thought it would be from attending last year. Having been before, it was beneficial in the sense that I knew everyone and I knew what to expect, we were just at a different circuit,” said O’Keeffe.

“The Paul Ricard track was mega; I’ve never been to a facility that amazing. Even though the track was wet, it was still really fun and you could only imagine how great it would be in the dry. I had a great time again this year and certainly left nothing on the table so we’ll have to wait and see who Porsche selects as the new Porsche Junior in the coming weeks.”

The new Porsche Junior receives 225,000 Euro towards next season’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which is run as a support series to Formula 1. In addition, Porsche Motorsport provides the successful applicant with a comprehensive training programme to become a professional racing driver. Aside from coaching on the racetrack, this support includes psychological training and media relations as well as an extensive fitness regime.

Other Shootout attendees included Dutchman Larry ten Voorde (Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland), German Philip Hamprecht (Porsche Carrera Cup Asia), Japanese driver Yoshiaki Katayama (Porsche Carrera Cup Japan), Brazilian Bruno Baptista (Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil), Turkish driver Ayhancan Güven (Porsche Carrera Cup France, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux), Gianmarco Quaresmini (Porsche Carrera Cup Italia), American Trenton Estep (Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA), Swede Lukas Sundahl (Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia) and Brit Lewis Plato (Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain).

“We’ve seen from the Shootout that there are some very talented youngsters in our worldwide Porsche one-make cups. At Le Castellet we simulated a complete race weekend. Moreover, all drivers underwent medical examinations and had to prove themselves in interview situations in front of the camera. Now we’ll analyse all the data to see who has the greatest potential,” said Jennifer Biela-Moll, project manager of the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme.

Evans and O’Keeffe will look to become just the second ever Carrera Cup Australia representative to win the Shootout. 2016 Carrera Cup Australia champion Matt Campbell went on to win the 2016 Shootout event and secure a position as a Porsche Junior for the 2017 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, placing third in the standings. Campbell was then promoted to a Porsche Young Professional in 2018 and is racing in the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season, where he currently leads the GTE-Am classification.

Scouting initiatives for up-and-coming young racing drivers have a long tradition at Porsche. Many scholarship recipients have managed to climb the career ladder to become professional drivers in GT championships around the world. Out of the current squad of works drivers and Porsche Young Professionals, Earl Bamber (NZ), Timo Bernhard (D), Michael Christensen (DK), Patrick Long (USA), Sven Müller (D) as well as Campbell, Matteo Cairoli (I), Mathieu Jaminet (F) and Dennis Olsen (N) all received training in the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme.

One out of eleven from Porsche AG on Vimeo.

Greater coverage key to 2019 Carrera Cup calendar

2019 Race Calendar announced

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will expand its television reach in 2019 with the series’ return to Far North Queensland.

Carrera Cup has added the Townsville 400 to its 2019 race schedule; the addition will be the championship’s sixth visit to the Reid Park venue and its first Townsville round since 2015.

Townsville’s inclusion adds a fifth round to the series which will feature live on free-to-air television, joining other high-profile free-to-air events Adelaide 500, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 500. The Townsville addition replaces the out-going Sydney SuperNight, which is not part of the 2019 Supercars Championship calendar.

The 2019 season will be the first time Carrera Cup will visit Supercars’ two northern-most events in one year, Townsville and Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, and once again race at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and The Bend Motorsport Park.

“The 2018 Carrera Cup season has been a tremendous success for the category, with an average of 24 cars delivering some sensational racing on track. The addition of the newest generation 911 GT3 Cup car has been well received by our customers and has added to the spectacle through exciting and close racing,” said Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager Troy Bundy.

“Following a thrilling 2018 season, the 2019 championship has all the indications of being as strong, if not stronger, than this season; aided by many of the current drivers continuing on next season along with a range of new Pro and TAG Heuer Pro-Am competitors joining the series. We have also added six new cars to the market, which we hope to see on track from the start of the 2019 season.

“The addition of the Townsville round will also have additional benefit to our team, drivers and series partners who will have five 2019 rounds broadcast on free-to-air television. We will also continue the popular Endurance Cup as it continues to increase in significance and prestige year on year.”

The 2019 event formats and details on the 2019 Endurance Cup will be announced at a later date.

2019 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia Calendar
Round 1 – Adelaide 500, February 28-March 03, 2019
Round 2 – Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, March 14-17, 2019
Round 3 – Phillip Island 500, April 12-14, 2019
Round 4 – Darwin Triple Crown, June 14-16, 2019
Round 5 – Townsville 400, July 05-07, 2019
Round 6 – The Bend SuperSprint, August 23-25, 2019
Round 7 – Bathurst 1000, October 10-13, 2019
Round 8 – Gold Coast 500, October 25-27, 2019

Carrera Cup season concludes with Gold Coast thriller

Sunday wrap: Round 8, Gold Coast

Jaxon Evans and Stephen Grove will depart the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season as the Outright and TAG Heuer Pro-Am Champions, while Nick McBride and Adrian Flack completed the Gold Coast finale with round victory.

Evans finished his 2018 season in style with victory in the third and final race of the season. Following two race wins on Saturday, second place in race three secured McBride the round win and was flanked on the final podium of the season by second placed Earl Bamber and third placed Evans.

The strong finish to the season handed Evans an impressive 182-point victory in the Carrera Cup standings over out-going champion David Wall and Dylan O’Keeffe in third.

“It’s pretty special to grab a race win in the last race of the year after clinching the championship yesterday. I can’t really describe how I feel at the moment. I’m just stoked,” said Jaxon, who has attended the past Carrera Cup podiums in Gold Coast; in 2017 as the round winner and in 2016 to cheer on his good friend and now Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell after Campbell’s 2016 title win.

“I remember being here a couple of years ago watching Matt up here accepting the championship trophy. It’s great to be here two years later and being in the same position with the 2018 championship trophy in hand.”

Adrian Flack completed an impressive season finale with a clean sweep of TAG Heuer Pro-Am victories, finishing on the podium beside second place Anthony Gilbertson and Tim Miles.

While failing to finish on the round podium, Stephen Grove finished the Gold Coast round unscathed and was thrilled to conclude another title-winning season.

“This is great. There was such strong competition in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class this season so winning it this season is really special,” said Grove.

“Having Earl as part of the team has been incredible this weekend. We knew he was going to be fast and he did a great job, racing at the front and taking second for the round.”

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am title is Grove’s third in his time in the Carrera Cup series following his 2014 and 2017 successes.

Carrera Cup races for FA in Gold Coast

Raising awareness for Friedreich Ataxia

Notice anything different on the Carrera Cup cars in Gold Coast?

This weekend, Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia has thrown its support behind creating awareness for Friedreich Ataxia (FA), a condition that has affected a much-loved member of the Carrera Cup family.

As part of the support, the entire Carrera Cup field has placed FA branding on the front of each Porsche in the field, as well as using the event’s popularity to promote awareness for the condition.

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

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

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

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

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

Why FA?
This cause is close to the hearts of those within the Carrera Cup paddock. One of the most capped Carrera Cup team members, Karl Batson, suffers from the disorder. Batson has experienced tremendous success in the Carrera Cup series, working with title winning campaigns with Jim Richards and Craig Baird.

Now, Batson is the Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport Team Manager with drivers Nick McBride and Marc Cini, fittingly claiming race wins on the opening two encounters in Surfers Paradise this weekend.

What can you do?
For more information on FA and on how you can get behind the Friedreich Ataxia Research Association (FARA), visit the FARA website at https://fara.org.au.

McBride and Flack sweep Saturday, Evans and Grove secure titles

Saturday wrap: Round 8, Gold Coast

Nick McBride and Adrian Flack have swept Saturday’s two Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia races in Gold Coast, while title leaders Jaxon Evans and Stephen Grove have secured unassailable leads in the Outright and TAG Heuer Pro-Am standings with one race remaining for the season.

The opening Gold Coast race was the final of the six-race 2018 Endurance Cup. McBride managed to pass pole-sitter David Wall early in the race before securing a narrow victory over Wall and Porsche Works driver Earl Bamber.

Second place for Wall was enough to secure him the 2018 Endurance Cup title in the Pro ranks following a strong end to the endurance series, finishing in the top two in the final three Endurance Cup races of the season. Grove finished race one sixth in class, though it didn’t affect his Endurance Cup hopes after building an unassailable lead after the Bathurst long-distance race.

In the sprint race two, McBride led from the opening lap however this time he had Bamber, not Wall, in his rear-view mirror. While Bamber applied pressure to the Melbourne racer, McBride was able to remain at the front and eventually pull a small margin on Bamber by the race two chequered flag.

“I am really happy with the two race wins. The last race was great with Bamber behind me, he put a lot of pressure on me, especially in the mid-part of the race,” said McBride.

“It’s pretty cool to finish ahead of Earl. Monday to Friday I’m stuck in the office reading books and looking at computer screens and he’s a factory driver. He’s obviously just jumped back into a GT3 Cup car for the first time in four years so he has absolutely nothing to prove out there and it’s great having him in the field this weekend as a really good measuring stick for all of us.”

Third and second was an impressive performance for Bamber in his solo debut in Carrera Cup Australia and will start the final race of the season on the front row alongside race three pole-sitter McBride.

Flack was able to follow up on his race one win with another victory in the final race, finishing five seconds ahead of his nearest Pro-Am rival Anthony Gilbertson.

“I couldn’t be happier. It was a perfect run, really,” said Flack. “In practice one I nearly wanted to packed my bag and go home because it was so scary but I was pretty comfortable with it by the time we got to qualifying and, race after race, we’ve really come on strong.”

With one race remaining, both Evans and Grove can’t be surpassed in the Outright and TAG Heuer Pro-Am standings, respectively.

“I’m really happy with how today went. It was pretty cool to wrap up the Carrera Cup championship in the first race and also to bring the car home safely. I really can’t thank the team and my supporters enough. This is really special,” said Evans.

With an impressive 97-point lead entering the final race, Grove is the champion-elect for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am and is en route to being crowned the class champion for the third time.

The 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season will conclude with race three on Sunday at 1:05pm, which will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports 506 and Channel Ten.

Race Schedule
Sunday October 21
1:05pm Race 3 (12 laps)

Broadcast Schedule
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Race 3 – 1:05pm, Sunday October 21
Channel: Ten
Race 3 – 1:05pm, Sunday October 21

Wall and Grove claim 2018 Endurance Cup title

Endurance Cup concludes on Gold Coast

Second place in the opening Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia race at the Gold Coast finale has handed David Wall the 2018 Endurance Cup win in the Pro class, while Stephen Grove has claimed the endurance crown in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

While the ultimate race one win went to Nick McBride, second place for Wall was enough to secure the Endurance Cup win ahead of Dale Wood and Jaxon Evans.

Wall had a slow start to the 2018 Endurance Cup, though three top-two results across the last three races elevated the 2017 Carrera Cup champion the endurance crown.

Meanwhile, a difficult race for Stephen Grove didn’t hamper his endurance hopes, who entered the Gold Coast round with an unassailable lead in the Endurance Cup points in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

Another highlight in the opening Gold Coast race was an impressive top-three performance by Earl Bamber.

Starting fourth, the dual 24 Hours of Le Mans winner worked his way to third by the chequered flag behind McBride and Wall.

Results: Race 1

Wall and Gilbertson top Gold Coast qualifying

Friday wrap: Round 8, Gold Coast

David Wall and Anthony Gilbertson finished the final qualifying session of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season in style on the streets of Surfers Paradise, taking the TAG Heuer Pole Position Awards while Porsche Works star Earl Bamber secured a second row start for Saturday’s race one.

In his 50th Carrera Cup round, reigning champion Wall had record-setting pace over the 20-minute qualifying session; his best lap of 1:12.2760 eclipsing David Russell’s previous qualifying record lap of 1m12.4167 set in 2014.

Wall’s impressive qualifying pace placed him on pole position for the final Endurance Cup race of the season. Starting alongside Wall for Saturday morning’s 32-lap race one endurance battle is Nick McBride in his best qualifying session since his Albert Park pole position earlier in the season.

“This round last year has very different to this year so to get a pole position here in my 50th round of the championship is obviously very special,” said Wall, who wrapped up the 2017 Carrera Cup title at last year’s Gold Coast finale.

“We learnt a bit from Moffat in the previous practice session; he was very quick as well and I’m rapt for everyone at Wall Racing for this performance, which is our fifth-straight pole position.”

Title favourite Jaxon Evans will start race one from third alongside Earl Bamber; the dual 24 Hours of Le Mans winner had a slow start to Friday with his opening practice campaign ending early after contact with a tyre bundle. Thereafter, Bamber bounced back to secure the fourth best qualifying time.

“It’s awesome to be here with Stephen Grove. Steve helped me back in 2013 when I was younger and now it’s pretty awesome to come to Gold Coast as his teammate. I apologise to the boys and him for absolutely eating a tyre bundle in the first session, but the team did an amazing job to turn the car around,” said Bamber.

“That qualifying session was a bunch of fun. I’m pretty happy with only being one-tenth from pole, I’m pretty rusty in one of these things too. I’m sure everyone will say it, but there was still some improvement in that lap time but I’m loving it and the level of competition is really high.”

The third row will be filled with teammates Jordan Love and Dale Wood ahead of Glen Wood and James Moffat. O’Keeffe will have to fight an uphill battle to keep his title chances alive in race one. Should Evans win, O’Keeffe must finish in the top three to remaining in the championship hunt.

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am pole position went to Gilbertson, his third for the season, a mere 0.06secs from Adrian Flack. Tim Miles was the next best Pro-Am runner while the fourth fastest driver in the class, Sam Shahin, will not take part for the remainder of the Gold Coast event following an accident exiting the back straight chicane, which brought an early end to qualifying.

“It’s my first time at the track and I never thought I’d get pole,” said Gilbertson. “It’s my first visit to this track and it’s so daunting but I’ve been really comfortable since practice one. I was building pace all day; I wasn’t the quickest in practice one or practice two but pulled it out of the bag on green tyres in qualifying.”

The opening race of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia’s final 2018 round will be held at 8:35am on Saturday, which will be the sixth and final race of the 2018 Endurance Cup. Race two will then follow at 1:15pm on Saturday with race three to be held on Sunday at 1:05pm. All races can be viewed live on Fox Sports 506 and the final two races will be broadcast live free-to-air on Channel Ten.

Race Schedule
Saturday October 20
8:35am Race 1 (32 laps)
1:15pm Race 2 (12 laps)
Sunday October 21
1:05pm Race 3 (12 laps)

Broadcast Schedule
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Race 1 – 8:35am, Saturday October 20
Race 2 – 1:15pm, Saturday October 20
Race 3 – 1:05pm, Sunday October 21
Channel: Ten
Race 2 – 1:15pm, Saturday October 20
Race 3 – 1:05pm, Sunday October 21

Qualifying times

Second local racer confirmed for 2018 Shootout

O'Keeffe to return for 2018 Junior Programme Shootout

Dylan O’Keeffe has been confirmed as Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia’s second representative to attend this year’s Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout in France.

Following the announcement of series leader Jaxon Evans as Carrera Cup Australia’s nominated driver, O’Keeffe has been accepted by Porsche Motorsport as a Wildcard nomination for the young driver evaluation event, to be held shortly after this weekend’s Carrera Cup season finale in Gold Coast at a yet-to-be-announced French circuit.

The Shootout is an evaluation for young drivers from Porsche’s international one-make series; each Carrera Cup is able to nominate one eligible driver and further submit Wildcard submissions for Porsche Motorsport’s consideration.

The 2018 evaluation event will be O’Keeffe’s second attempt at the Junior Programme Shootout following his nomination and attendance at last year’s two-day event at Lausitzring, Germany, which was ultimately won by now-Porsche Junior, Julien Andlauer.

O’Keeffe’s selection is just the second time a Carrera Cup Australia driver has been selected as a Wildcard for the Shootout; Richard Muscat was Porsche Motorsport’s Wildcard selection in 2015, when he joined eventual 2015 Carrera Cup champion Nick Foster at the Shootout.

“I’m thrilled to be selected as the Wildcard nomination for the Junior Programme Shootout. Last year’s Shootout event was such an incredible experience and I had never thought that I’d have the opportunity to return for another one. I feel like I’ve reached a new level in my driving this season and, with another season in experience under my belt, I’m well prepared for the Shootout to be able to give myself the best possible shot at success this time around,” said O’Keeffe.

“I have a lot to focus on between now and then, however. With the final Carrera Cup round on this weekend, my main focus is on the next three races and do all I can to secure the Carrera Cup title. It’s been great competition all season and I’ve enjoyed racing Jaxon all year, so I’m looking forward to getting on track for the final round of the season.”

Much like Evans and Matt Campbell, O’Keeffe used Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia as a motor racing springboard to Carrera Cup. Thereafter, Campbell paved the way for young Carrera Cup Australia racers by winning the 2016 Junior Programme Shootout and ultimately launching his international motorsport career. In 2017, Campbell placed third in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as a Porsche Junior before being promoted to a Porsche Young Professional in 2018, contesting the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season and several one-off endurance races.

The successful driver from the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout will receive a position in the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme as a Porsche Junior and significant funding towards a drive in the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season.

Previous Carrera Cup Australia representatives to attend the Junior Programme Shootout include Andre Heimgartner (2012), Sam Power (2014), Nick Foster (2015), Richard Muscat (2015), Matt Campbell (2016) and O’Keeffe (2017).

Carrera Cup readies for beachside title decider

Preview: Round 8, Gold Coast

After seven thrilling rounds, Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia enters its season finale this weekend for the series’ 14th visit to the beachside Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, where the 2018 champions will be crowned.

Following Friday practice and qualifying, competition will commence with the 32-lap opening race on Saturday, the final encounter of the six-race 2018 Endurance Cup, which is currently led by Dale Wood (Pro) and Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am). The endurance mini-series started with a Phillip Island double-header followed by an endurance race at Darwin, The Bend Motorsport Park, Bathurst and this weekend’s Gold Coast decider.

Grove secured an unassailable Endurance Cup points lead in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am at Bathurst while Wood holds a narrow lead in the Pro ranks, with Dylan O’Keeffe, David Wall and Jaxon Evans all sitting within 15 points of Wood with one race – and 60 points – on offer.

The 2018 season points chase isn’t as tight as the Endurance Cup, with Jaxon Evans and Stephen Grove looking favourite to take the 2018 titles.

In his second Carrera Cup season, Evans enters the Gold Coast finale, his home event which he won last season, 108 points ahead of his closest Outright points rival O’Keeffe with 180 points still on offer.

While both Evans and O’Keeffe will look for Gold Coast success, this season has been far from predictable at the front of the field; the series has had six different Outright winners from the past six events: Jaxon Evans (Albert Park), Dale Wood (Phillip Island), Dylan O’Keeffe (Hidden Valley), James Moffat (Sydney Motorsport Park), Michael Almond (The Bend Motorsport Park) and Jordan Love (Bathurst). Evans won the season-opening round in Adelaide, making him the only repeat round winner so far in 2018.

Two drivers will be looking to continue this streak, including reigning Carrera Cup champion David Wall and Porsche Works ace Earl Bamber, who will compete in the #911 Grove Group entry in a one-off appearance for the season finale.

In the battle for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am title, Stephen Grove is on track for his third class title in five years. Following his title successes in 2014 and 2017, the Melbourne-based racer enters Gold Coast with a substantial 153-point lead over Adrian Flack with just three races remaining.

Flack moved to second in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am standings at Bathurst following Roger Lago’s unfortunate Mount Panorama campaign, while Lago’s absence from the Gold Coast finale will see teammates Tim Miles and Anthony Gilbertson fight for the final position in the top three of the Pro-Am season standings.

The final round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season will commence with practice and qualifying on Friday, race one and race two on Saturday and the final race of the season on Sunday. All sessions from Gold Coast as of practice two will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506. The free-to-air broadcast on Channel Ten will be confirmed via the series’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Race Schedule
Friday October 19
10:05am Practice 1 (20 minutes)
12:35pm Practice 2 (20 minutes)
3:45pm Qualifying (20 minutes)
Saturday October 20
8:35am Race 1 (32 laps)
1:15pm Race 2 (12 laps)
Sunday October 21
1:05pm Race 3 (12 laps)

Broadcast Schedule
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Practice 2 – 12:35pm, Friday October 19
Qualifying – 3:45pm, Friday October 19
Race 1 – 8:35am, Saturday October 20
Race 2 – 1:15pm, Saturday October 20
Race 3 – 1:05pm, Sunday October 21
Channel: Ten
To be confirmed.

Entry List
1. #1 David Wall (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security
2. #4 Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Grove Group
3. #6 Tim Miles (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Miles Advisory Partners/Garage 1
4. #7 Jaxon Evans (Pro) Morris Finance
5. #8 Nick McBride (Pro) Porsche Centre Melbourne
6. #9 Marc Cini (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmarc
7. #12 Adam Garwood (Pro) Garwood Motorsport
8. #13 Sam Shahin (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) The Bend/htfu
9. #14 Peter Major (Pro) Sonic/Totally 4×4
10. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) LORY Construction
11. #18 James Moffat (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security/JBL
12. #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmark Homes
13. #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Agas National
14. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) BMF/Pitman Racing
15. #35 Indiran Padayachee (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hyundai Forklifts Australia
16. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) Bob Jane T-Marts/PSA
17. #88 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) APB Group
18. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) Sonic/Polyflor
19. #111 Cameron Hill (Pro) Seears Workwear
20. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Harcourts Williams
21. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) Bob Jane T-Marts
22. #888 Glen Wood (Pro) Porsche Centre Brighton/Porsche Centre Doncaster
23. #911 Earl Bamber (Pro) Grove Group

Campbell retains lead despite Japan dramas

Former champion holds GTE-Am lead after FIA WEC's Fuji race

Porsche GT Team has taken victory at the fourth race of the FIA WEC World Sports Car Championship Super Season, the 6 Hours of Fuji, last weekend while Australian Matt Campbell has retained the GTE-Am class points lead despite a difficult race in Japan.

At Fuji Speedway, Kevin Estre (F) and Michael Christensen (DK) crossed the finish line in first place in the GTE-Pro category with the ca. 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR. The sister car driven by Richard Lietz (A) and Gianmaria Bruni (I) concluded the race in fifth place. With this, Porsche has extended its lead in the manufacturers’ and drivers’ classifications. Porsche also won the GTE-Am category on Sunday: The newcomer team Project 1 with Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister from Germany, Patrick Lindsey (USA) and Egidio Perfetti (N) secured its maiden victory in the WEC.

Ten vehicles from five manufacturers made a bid for victory in the GTE-Pro class under changing weather conditions. After drizzle fell in the first hour of the race, the track slowly dried during a 30-minute safety car phase. After an early switch to slicks, Estre and Christensen concentrated on working their way through the field. With an optimal setup and a clever pit stop strategy, the French-Danish duo systematically reeled in the frontrunners. With about 1.5 hours to go, Christensen swept into the lead. At the final pit stop with a driver change, the Porsche GT Team again timed things perfectly and Estre went on to take the flag in first place. Scoring fifth place on the 4.563-kilometre racetrack, the sister car earned vital points, however Bruni and Lietz struggled with a less than perfect pit stop and deteriorating tyres towards the end.

In the GTE-Am class, Project 1 celebrated its first WEC win and Dempsey Proton Racing its second place. Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (I), the Japanese driver Satoshi Hoshino and Giorgio Roda from Italy were delighted to climb the podium for the first time this year. Porsche Junior Thomas Preining (A) also enjoyed a successful debut. Joining forces with Michael Wainwright (GB) and Ben Barker (GB) for Gulf Racing, he concluded the race on fifth place.

A pit stop for repairs threw Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell (AUS), Christian Ried (Germany) and Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer down the field. Finishing on eighth, the second 911 RSR fielded by Dempsey Proton Racing earned more critical points towards the championship and continues to lead the GTE-Am classification. Campbell, Andlauer and Ried now hold a 14-point lead in the GTE-Am class standings over Project 1 trio Bergmeister, Lindsey and Perfetti.

Round five of the FIA WEC World Sports Car Championship takes place in Shanghai/China on 16 November.

Comments on the race

Alexander Stehlig (Program Manager Factory GT Motorsports): “After the disappointment with the qualifying results, today was a great day. It was a hugely successful weekend for Porsche with the victory at Petit Le Mans in the USA and the two successes here at Fuji in the Pro and Am categories. We almost always made the right decisions during the race and the car was good and fast. The number 92 car drove a flawless race, our number 91 unfortunately had problems during the pit stop. On top of that, the balance wasn’t great in the last stint. But all in all, we’re very satisfied.”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “I’m a bit frustrated. In the middle of the race we were looking promising, we were fast and within striking distance of the leaders. Unfortunately an electrical problem cost us 25 laps. Ultimately we should be satisfied that we earned some points for the championship classification. However the speed of the 911 RSR was great and we’re feeling optimistic about the next race in Shanghai.”

Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Christensen/Estre (DK/F), Porsche 911 RSR, 207 laps
2. Blomquist/da Costa (S/P), BMW M8 GTE, 207 laps
3. Priaulx/Tincknell (GB/GB), Ford GT, 207 laps
4. Pier Guidi/Calado (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 207 laps
5. Lietz/Bruni (A/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 207 laps
6. Mücke/Pla (D/F), Ford GT, 206 laps
7. Sorensen/Thiim (DK/DK), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 206 laps
8. Tomczyk/Catsburg (D/NL), BMW M8 GTE, 206 laps
9. Lynn/Martin (GB/B), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 206 laps
10. Rigon/Bird (I/GB), Ferrari 488 GTE EVO, 202 laps

GTE-Am class
1. Bergmeister/Lindsey/Perfetti (D/USA/N), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
2. Hoshino/Roda/Cairoli (J/I/I), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
3. Yoluc/Adam/Eastwood (TR/GB/GB), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 201 laps
4. Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (CDN/P/A), Aston Martin Vantage GTE, 201 laps
5. Wainwright/Barker/Preining (GB/GB/A), Porsche 911 RSR, 201 laps
6. Flohr/Castellacci/Fisichella (CH/I/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 200 laps
7. Mok/Sawa/Griffin (MAL/J/IRL), Ferrari 488 GTE, 200 laps
8. Ried/Andlauer/Campbell (D/F/AUS), Porsche 911 RSR, 176 laps
9. Ishikawa/Beretta/Cheever (J/MC/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 14 laps

Love and Miles take memorable Bathurst round win

Sunday wrap: Round 7, Bathurst

Outright victory at Mount Panorama was a fitting result for the Bob Jane T-Marts-sponsored rookie Jordan Love in the final race of the penultimate 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia round, while a race three win handed Tim Miles his second-straight TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win at Bathurst.

After placing third and second in the opening two races, Love had an impressive race three start and led into the opening corner. Evans slotted into second from O’Keeffe in third, though O’Keeffe passed the series leader early in the race in pursuit of the lead.

Love was too good, however, pulling a small margin on the field to eventually take his second Carrera Cup race win and maiden round victory.

For Love, who also won race two at Sydney Motorsport Park, the Bathurst win was made more special as his Bob Jane T-Marts-sponsored team, Sonic Motor Racing Services, remembered the life of Bob Jane after the motorsport great’s recent passing.

“This is a great way to finish the Bathurst round. We went one step forward in every race, which was amazing. It was a challenging weekend for the team; obviously there was a fair bit of damage for my teammates, so it’s good to get this round win for the team,” said Love. “Half way through the year we had our sights set on being strong at the end of the year so to get my first round win with one round to go is incredible.

“Obviously this weekend we remembered the late Bob Jane with the memorial on the side of the car the whole weekend, so it was a great way to finish the weekend at such an iconic circuit.”

Evans, who finished the weekend equal on points with Love, placed second due to a lower finishing position in the final race and now takes a 108-point lead in the Outright standings over O’Keeffe to the season finale at Gold Coast in two weeks.

Miles was the best of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am drivers on Sunday, claiming a two-second victory over Adrian Flack by the chequered flag from race one and two winner Stephen Grove, Dean Cook and Sam Shahin.

Much like in the Pro class, Miles and Grove finished the weekend equal on points, with Miles’ race three win handing him the round victory.

“That was great racing. Steve and I three very clean races. He’s been the class of the field this year so it was nice to have enough pace to run with him. Our car was fantastic, it was the best race car I have ever had, it drove me, to be honest,” said Miles, who claimed a Bathurst class clean sweep last season.

Grove’s impressive weekend has the Melbourne-based racer well positioned to take his third TAG Heuer Pro-Am title. Grove now sits 153 points ahead of his closest Pro-Am points rival, Flack.

“We have a fairly big lead in the Pro-Am championship, but the pressure builds towards the end of the year so I’ll head to the Gold Coast and do my thing and see where we end up,” said Grove.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia returns on October 19-21, where the one-make series will hold its final three races of the 2018 championship on the streets of the Gold Coast.

Results: Race 3

Series leaders take impressive race two wins

Saturday wrap: Round 7, Bathurst

Jaxon Evans has strengthened his lead in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship with victory in race two at Bathurst, while TAG Heuer Pro-Am points leader Stephen Grove capitalised on opening lap dramas to claim the Pro-Am class win and an impressive points haul with just four races remaining for the season.

David Wall started from pole position, though it was Evans who was first into the opening corner with Jordan Love moving from the second row of the grid to second place as the safety car was called to the circuit.

Roger Lago was passing Indiran Padayachee on the run up Mountain Straight when the duo touched, spearing Lago across the circuit and into Dale Wood; both Lago and Wood failing to finish their second race of the weekend.

Evans retained the front position from the restart and, despite challenges from fellow Michelin Junior Love, the Queensland-based New Zealander claimed the race win, his fifth for the season and 10th in the Carrera Cup championship.

“To start on the front row was one thing, but to get the jump on Wall and lead the field on the first lap was pretty special. I’m happy to come away with the win considering where we qualified on Friday,” said Evans, who ended Thursday’s qualifying session in ninth.

“We’re really just trying to build the gap between us and Dylan at the moment and hopefully we take a decent lead into the final round at the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks.”

Love placed just 0.4secs behind Evans in second while reigning champion and race one winner Wall placed third.

Cameron Hill continued his impressive Bathurst weekend with his second fourth place of the weekend from O’Keeffe in fifth, continuing his move through the field after his weekend hopes were dashed with dramas at the opening corner of race one.

Glen Wood placed sixth from Nick McBride, Adam Garwood and James Moffat, who finished ninth from the rear of the grid, while Peter Major rounded out the top 10.

O’Keeffe’s difficult Bathurst round has given Evans a significant advantage in the Outright and Pro class championship race. With four races and 240 points still on offer, Evans now holds a commanding 114-point lead in the Outright points and a 125-point margin in the Pro class standings.

Grove continued his impressive TAG Heuer Pro-Am performance at The Mountain, taking his second class race win at Bathurst.

Grove’s second win for the weekend didn’t come easily with Tim Miles pressuring Grove for the majority of the shortened seven-lap race.

Following Lago’s misfortune in both Bathurst races, Grove now holds a substantial 116-point lead in the Pro-Am standings ahead of the final Bathurst race on Sunday morning.

“This is a really special place to take two wins from two races. Tim Miles just kept coming and coming so I had to just keep my head down and push as hard as I could,” said Grove.

“Miles has a lot of pace this weekend and I’m really pushing, which is pretty close to my limit right around the track. I’ve got no more in me so it’s a real credit for the pressure he’s applied so far this weekend.”

Debutant Dave Stevens scored his first top-three Pro-Am result of his Carrera Cup career in just his second race, finishing ahead of Anthony Gilbertson, Adrian Flack, Dean Cook, Marc Cini, Sam Shahin and Graham Williams, who placed ninth in class.

Just one race remains for the penultimate Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia round at Mount Panorama, held at 9:30am on Sunday, which will be televised live on Fox Sports 506 and Channel Ten.

Race Schedule (local time)
Sunday October 7
9:30am Race 3 (9 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Race 3 – 9:30am, Sunday October 7
Channel: Channel 10
Race 3 – 9:30am*, Sunday October 7
*Subject to delay

Results: Race 2

Wall wins dramatic Bathurst opener, Grove secures endurance crown

Friday wrap: Round 7, Bathurst

Reigning champion David Wall has successfully navigated a chaotic opening Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia race at Bathurst to take his second race win of the season, while TAG Heuer Pro-Am race victory secured Stephen Grove the Pro-Am class Endurance Cup title.

The action-filled race started with drama on the opening corner, with title contender Dylan O’Keeffe dropping to the rear of the field after contact with Peter Major. Then, later in the opening lap, leaders James Moffat and Dale Wood collided into the high-speed right-hand bend entering The Chase, ending with Wood stranded in the gravel – and ultimately out of the race – and Moffat, capitalising on the safety car period to recover Wood’s car, pitting to change a tyre and re-joining the race on the lead lap.

With the early leaders out of contention, teammates Michael Almond and Jordan Love claimed the lead. Several off-track excursions dropped Love behind Wall and series leader Jaxon Evans, while Almond’s race ended after heavy contact with the turn four wall while Wall was pressuring him for the lead.

The safety car was called for the second time to recover the cars of Almond and Roger Lago, who was unable to avoid Almond’s stationary car. Once the race resumed, Wall held the lead to the chequered flag to take his eighth Carrera Cup career win.

“I’m very happy with the race win. We put our head down and the car was mega. This new second-generation 911 GT3 Cup car is just sensational, you have a smile on your face the whole time you drive it around the mountain. Our car was really strong across the top and we’ll tune it up to make it a little bit stronger in areas where I think we can improve,” said Wall.

Evans placed second after starting eighth on the grid and, following a difficult race for O’Keeffe, extended his outright points lead to 93 with five races remaining. Love placed third from Cameron Hill, Glen Wood, Nick McBride, Adam Garwood and O’Keeffe in eighth.

The eventful race one has set the scene for a tremendous final race for the Endurance Cup in Gold Coast with the top four Pro-ranked drivers separated by just 15 points.

While the Endurance Cup Pro battle intensified after Friday’s race, the opposite can be said for TAG Heuer Pro-Am with the race one winner Grove establishing an unassailable lead in the Endurance Cup points while also recapturing the Pro-Am season standings lead.

Grove had a sensational race one start, moving to the class lead and eighth outright by the end of the opening lap. Grove’s closest rival, class pole-sitter Adrian Flack, spun at the top of Conrod Straight after contact with Lago, before Lago’s race ended six laps later after contact with Almond.

Grove ultimately finished just 0.3secs ahead of Tim Miles, who took a class clean sweep at Mount Panorama last year, with Anthony Gilbertson in third. Debutant Dave Stevens finished fourth in class from Dean Cook, Marc Cini, Indiran Padayachee, Graham Williams and Flack.

The class win not only handed Grove the Endurance Cup title, but also a 36-point lead over Lago in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am season standings.

“We got a good start, which was really important here, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect across the top because we hadn’t done a dry run after a wet practice and qualifying. We pushed on pretty hard but the other Pro-Am drivers kept on coming. I’d gap them, then there would be a safety car, then I would gap them, then they would come back; it was really hard and a really good win,” said Grove.

“I did enter the race with the Endurance Cup in mind. I really wanted to wrap up the title here to take a bit of pressure off going forward. I’ve just got to keep finishing, gathering points and being smart for the remaining races.”

Two nine lap sprint races remain for Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia at Bathurst; both will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports 506 and Channel Ten.

Race Schedule (local time)
Friday October 5
2:05pm Race 1 (16 laps)
Saturday October 6
1:55pm Race 2 (9 laps)
Sunday October 7
9:30am Race 3 (9 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am, Sunday October 7
Channel: Channel 10
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am*, Sunday October 7
*Subject to delay

Results: Race 1

Moffat and Flack top challenging Bathurst qualifying

Thursday Wrap: Round 7, Bathurst

James Moffat has secured his second straight TAG Heuer Pole Position in what was the most difficult weather conditions the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship has seen this season, while Adrian Flack was the best of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am drivers at Mount Panorama.

The series started Thursday with an uninterrupted 50-minute practice session, topped by Jaxon Evans, David Wall and Jordan Love, giving the drivers a taste of the wet conditions at the iconic 6.213km Mount Panorama circuit.

The rain worsened for the afternoon qualifying session, with James Moffat proving to be the master in the rain, beating the next best driver Dale Wood by 0.9348secs by the end of the session. Love was the third best of the 30-minute qualifying from Michael Almond, with David Wall and Glen Wood to fill the third row of the grid for Friday’s opening race.

“It’s always nice to start on the front row of the grid, but more importantly, that’s four pole positions in a row for Wall Racing. It’s a fantastic effort from all the guys in the team,” said Moffat.

“It was really hard conditions as it was very wet out there and there’s a lot of concrete to hit around Mount Panorama so you have to weigh up the risk versus the reward. Tomorrow could bring anything. We’ll have to wait and see what the weather is going to do, but certainly if it’s a dry race, going into it without any dry laps this weekend will be challenging.”

Flack secured the TAG Heuer Pro-Am pole position in a late charge after the session resumed; the only red flag stoppage of the day occurred later in the qualifying session to recover Roger Lago’s car from the turn one run off area.

Stephen Grove was the second best of the Pro-Am drivers from Lago, The Bend class winner Anthony Gilbertson and Tim Miles.

“I haven’t driven this car in these conditions so I didn’t know what to expect,” said Flack. “You’d come up to a corner and turn in and not know what the car was going to do. After a couple of laps we started to settle into it. It was very scary, but quite fun”.

“Getting the pole position was unexpected; I was trailing the top guys for most of the session and managed to bring it home in the final laps. One of the biggest things is, if it’s wet tomorrow, I’ve never started one of these cars in the rain, so the start will be interesting.”

Next up for Carrera Cup at Mount Panorama will be the 16-lap opening race on Friday, which will be the penultimate race of the 2018 Endurance Cup, which Dale Wood (Pro) and Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) currently lead. Saturday and Sunday will then each feature one nine-lap race.

Each Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia race from Bathurst will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports 506 and Channel Ten.

Race Schedule (local time)
Friday October 5
2:05pm Race 1 (16 laps)
Saturday October 6
1:55pm Race 2 (9 laps)
Sunday October 7
9:30am Race 3 (9 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Race 1 – 2:05pm, Friday October 5
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am, Sunday October 7
Channel: Channel 10
Race 1 – 2:05pm, Friday October 5
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am*, Sunday October 7
*Subject to delay

Results: Qualifying times

World champion Porsche racer confirmed for Carrera Cup finale

Earl Bamber joins Grove Motorsport in Gold Coast

Porsche works driver and reigning FIA World Endurance Champion Earl Bamber will contest the final round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship later this month on the streets of the Gold Coast.

The New Zealander, who will also line up on the Supercars Championship grid for the Gold Coast 600, will race a second Grove Motorsport entry for the Surfers Paradise event as teammate to reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am champion Stephen Grove.

Bamber is no stranger to Porsche one-make racing having previously won the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title in both 2013 and 2014, the second season coupling his Carrera Cup Asia duties with a title-winning season in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Thereafter, Bamber was part of the ultra-successful Porsche LMP1 campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2015 and 2017 along with the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship title alongside fellow Porsche works drivers Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley.

The Gold Coast event will be Bamber’s second appearance in the Carrera Cup Australia championship; his debut in the Australian series was as Grove’s co-driver for the inaugural Pro-Am round at the 2013 Porsche Rennsport Australia festival, held at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“It’s going to be really exciting, I can’t wait,” said Bamber, who will race alongside Shane van Gisbergen in both the Supercars endurance races at Bathurst and Gold Coast.

“Obviously it has been a long time since I’ve been in a Carrera Cup car, it’s going to be a bit of a challenge to adapt back to it. It’s completely different to the LMP1, or the Supercar, or even the RSR, it’s quite different to that as well.

“It will also be my first time racing on the Gold Coast streets, I’ve watched the Supercars and Carrera Cup races on TV a few times, but I’m so pumped to be driving this year not only in Supercars co-driving with Shane, but also in Carrera Cup. I guess everyone will be expecting me to be up the front, so the pressure is on.”

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will feature three races at the season-ending Gold Coast 600 event on October 19-21, the first of which will be the sixth and final race of the 2018 Endurance Cup.

Fast Facts: Round 7, Bathurst

The best stats from Carrera Cup at Bathurst

EVENT HISTORY /SEASON STATS

The penultimate round of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia will be the 113th round held in the history of the series since it began in 2003.

The Bathurst round will feature races number 332, 333 and 334 in series history.

Bathurst has hosted a round of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia every year since its inception in 2003 – this year is the 14th time that Mount Panorama has hosted a round of the series.

No Bathurst Carrera Cup round has ever been won by a driver that did not win a race in that weekend’s round.

The lowest grid position for a Carrera Cup round winner at Bathurst is seventh – Shae Davies in 2014.

McElrea Racing has dominated the Bathurst round of Carrera Cup in recent years, winning four of the last five rounds held there – in 2013 with Warren Luff, 2014 with Shae Davies and 2015/16 with Matt Campbell. All up the team has won five of the last seven Carrera Cup rounds at Bathurst given that Michael Patrizi also won the 2011 round with the team.

Race 1 this year at Bathurst is part of the Endurance Cup and is due to be over 16 laps (99.408 kilometres). David Wall won the corresponding race last season.

Five different drivers have won the last five rounds of the series: Jaxon Evans (Albert Park), Dale Wood (Phillip Island), Dylan O’Keeffe (Hidden Valley), James Moffat (Sydney Motorsport Park) and Michael Almond (The Bend Motorsport Park). Evans won the season opening round in Adelaide, making him the only repeat round winner so far in 2018.

A total of 1005.981-kilometres and 250 laps of competition have been completed in the 2018 Carrera Cup across the six rounds and 17 races held so far.

Dave Stevens makes his PWSCCA debut at Bathurst – he is due to become the 205th driver to compete in series history.

DRIVER MILESTONES
Stephen Grove will make his 50th PWSCCA round start at Bathurst, becoming just the sixth driver in series history to start 50 rounds. He joins Marc Cini, Craig Baird, Rodney Jane, Alex Davison and Max Twigg in this exclusive club. Grove remains one TAG Heuer Pro-Am round win away from tying Twigg’s record of 13 round wins in the category.

BATHURST GAPS AND MARGINS
Closest Race-Winning Margin: 0.5655s, Alex Davison to David Reynolds, 2007 Race 3
Biggest Race-Winning Margin: 11.2530s, Warren Luff to Michael Patrizi, 2014 Race 2
Closest Pole-Winning Margin: 0.0663s, Steve Richards to Warren Luff, 2014
Biggest Pole-Winning Margin: 0.8823s, David Reynolds to Alex Davison, 2006

BATHURST LAP RECORDS
Qualifying: Matt Campbell – 2m06.2099s (2015)
Race: Andre Heimgartner – 2m07.1820s (2017)

BATHURST ROUND WINNERS
2003 Jim Richards
2004 Alex Davison
2005 Fabian Coulthard
2006 David Reynolds
2007 Alex Davison
2008 Dean Fiore
2011 Michael Patrizi
2012 Craig Baird
2013 Warren Luff
2014 Shae Davies
2015 Matt Campbell
2016 Matt Campbell
2017 Andre Heimgartner
2 – Alex Davison, Matt Campbell
1 – Jim Richards, Fabian Coulthard, David Reynolds, Dean Fiore, Michael Patrizi, Craig Baird, Warren Luff, Shae Davies, Andre Heimgartner

BATHURST RACE WINNERS
2003 Jim Richards, Jim Richards, Jim Richards
2004 Alex Davison, Fabian Coulthard, Alex Davison
2005 Fabian Coulthard, No Race, Fabian Coulthard
2006 Alex Davison, David Reynolds, David Reynolds
2007 David Reynolds, Alex Davison, Alex Davison
2008 Dean Fiore, Dean Fiore, Dean Fiore
2011 Michael Patrizi, Michael Patrizi, Craig Baird
2012 Craig Baird, Craig Baird, Craig Baird
2013 Nick Percat, Warren Luff, Craig Baird
2014 Steve Richards, Warren Luff, Shae Davies
2015 David Russell, No Race, Matt Campbell
2016 Matt Campbell, Matt Campbell, Matt Campbell
2017 David Wall, Andre Heimgartner, Andre Heimgartner
5 – Alex Davison, Craig Baird 4 – Matt Campbell
3 – Jim Richards, Fabian Coulthard, David Reynolds, Dean Fiore
2 – Michael Patrizi, Warren Luff, Andre Heimgartner
1 – Nick Percat, Steve Richards, Shae Davies, David Russell, David Wall

BATHURST PODIUM FINISHERS
2003 1. Jim Richards 2. Marcus Marshall 3. Peter Fitzgerald
2004 1. Alex Davison 2. Jonathon Webb 3. Klark Quinn
2005 1. Fabian Coulthard 2. Jim Richards 3. Jonathon Webb
2006 1. David Reynolds 2. Craig Baird 3. Alex Davison
2007 1. Alex Davison 2. Craig Baird 3. David Reynolds
2008 1. Dean Fiore 2. James Moffat 3. Bryce Washington
2011 1. Michael Patrizi 2. Steve Richards 3. Craig Baird
2012 1. Craig Baird 2. Alex Davison 3. Jonny Reid
2013 1. Warren Luff 2. Craig Baird 3. Nick Percat
2014 1. Shae Davies 2. Michael Almond 3. Warren Luff
2015 1. Matt Campbell 2. David Russell 3. Steve Richards
2016 1. Matt Campbell 2. Steve Richards 3. David Wall
2017 1. Andre Heimgartner 2. David Wall 3. Alex Davison
5 – Craig Baird, Alex Davison 3 – Steve Richards
2 – Jim Richards, Jonathon Webb, David Reynolds, Warren Luff, Matt Campbell, David Wall
1 – Marcus Marshall, Peter Fitzgerald, Klark Quinn, Fabian Coulthard, Dean Fiore, James Moffat, Bryce Washington, Michael Patrizi, Jonny Reid, Nick Percat, Shae Davies, Michael Almond, David Russell, Andre Heimgartner

BATHURST POLE POSITIONS
2003 Jim Richards – 2m16.1277s
2004 Jim Richards – 2m13.6760s
2005 Fabian Coulthard – 2m12.9827s
2006 David Reynolds – 2m11.1769s
2007 Alex Davison – 2m10.4002s
2008 David Russell – 2m10.5550s
2011 Craig Baird – 2m09.9866s
2012 Craig Baird – 2m20.3169s (wet)
2013 Nick Percat – 2m08.7722s
2014 Steve Richards – 2m08.6432s
2015 Matt Campbell – 2m06.2099s
2016 Matt Campbell – 2m07.4614s
2017 David Wall – 2m07.4398s
2 – Jim Richards, Craig Baird, Matt Campbell
1 – Fabian Coulthard, David Reynolds, Alex Davison, David Russell, Nick Percat, Steve Richards, David Wall

BATHURST TAG HEUER PRO-AM ROUND WINNERS
2004 Tony Quinn
2005 Andrew Luxton
2006 Rodney Jane
2007 Rodney Jane
2008 James Koundouris
2011 Max Twigg
2012 James Koundouris
2013 Adam Gowans
2014 Shane Smollen
2015 Tony Bates
2016 James Bergmuller
2017 Tim Miles
2 – Rodney Jane, James Koundouris
1 – Tony Quinn, Andrew Luxton, Max Twigg, Adam Gowans, Shane Smollen, Tony Bates, James Bergmuller, Tim Miles

BATHURST TAG HEUER PRO-AM RACE WINNERS
2004 Tony Quinn, Tony Quinn, Tony Quinn
2005 Dean Grant, No Race, Tony Quinn
2006 Rodney Jane, Rodney Jane, Rodney Jane
2007 Rodney Jane, Rodney Jane, Rodney Jane
2008 James Koundouris, James Koundouris, James Koundouris
2011 Max Twigg, Max Twigg, Shane Smollen
2012 Shane Smollen, Max Twigg, James Koundouris
2013 Adam Gowans, Adam Gowans, Adam Gowans
2014 Shane Smollen, Shane Smollen, Shane Smollen
2015 Shane Smollen, No Race, Tony Bates
2016 Shane Smollen, Tony Bates, Tony Bates
2017 Tim Miles, Tim Miles, Tim Miles
7 – Shane Smollen
6 – Rodney Jane
4 – Tony Quinn, James Koundouris
3 – Max Twigg, Adam Gowans, Tony Bates, Tim Miles
1 – Dean Grant

BATHURST TAG HEUER PRO-AM POLE POSITIONS
2004 Tony Quinn
2005 Tony Quinn
2006 Rodney Jane
2007 Rodney Jane
2008 James Koundouris
2011 Shane Smollen
2012 Shane Smollen
2013 Max Twigg
2014 Shane Smollen
2015 Shane Smollen
2016 Shane Smollen
2017 Stephen Grove
5 – Shane Smollen
2 – Tony Quinn, Rodney Jane
1 – James Koundouris, Max Twigg, Stephen Grove

BATHURST TAG HEUER PRO-AM PODIUM FINISHERS
2004 1. Tony Quinn 2. Stephen Borness 3. Dean Grant
2005 1. Andrew Luxton 2. Marc Cini 3. Tony Quinn
2006 1. Rodney Jane 2. Tony Quinn 3. Paul Freestone
2007 1. Rodney Jane 2. Tony Quinn 3. Rodney Forbes
2008 1. James Koundouris 2. Theo Koundouris 3. Max Twigg
2011 1. Max Twigg 2. Shane Smollen 3. Simon Middleton
2012 1. James Koundouris 2. Tony Bates 3. Max Twigg
2013 1. Adam Gowans 2. Max Twigg 3. Shane Smollen
2014 1. Shane Smollen 2. Stephen Grove 3. Brenton Ramsay
2015 1. Tony Bates 2. Shane Smollen 3. Stephen Grove
2016 1. James Bergmuller 2. Tony Bates 3. Scott Taylor
2017 1. Tim Miles 2. Graham Williams 3. Marc Cini
4 – Tony Quinn, Max Twigg, Shane Smollen
3 – Tony Bates
2 – Marc Cini, Rodney Jane, James Koundouris, Stephen Grove
1 – Stephen Borness, Dean Grant, Andrew Luxton, Paul Freestone, Rodney Forbes, Theo Koundouris, Simon Middleton, Adam Gowans, Brenton Ramsay, James Bergmuller, Scott Taylor, Tim Miles, Graham Williams

Carrera Cup set for Australia’s biggest racing stage

Preview: Round 7, Bathurst

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia welcomes a new driver, car and half-century milestone to Mount Panorama this weekend, where the series continues the 2018 Endurance Cup with its second largest Bathurst field.

Twenty-four entries will line-up for the penultimate 2018 round for the championship’s 14th appearance at Bathurst – in its 14th season. Following practice and qualifying, race one of the Bathurst round will feature as the second-to-last Endurance Cup race of the season, with Dale Wood and Stephen Grove currently holding the respective Pro and TAG Heuer Pro-Am Endurance Cup leads.

Grove already has a reason to celebrate; the round will mark a special occasion for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am pace-setter, who will contest his 50th Carrera Cup Australia round this weekend. Since his Carrera Cup debut at Townsville in 2012, Grove has secured two Pro-Am titles (2014, 2017) and one outright round victory when teamed with Scott McLaughlin at the 2014 Phillip Island two-driver Pro-Am event.

“Fifty round starts is a source of pride for me,” said Grove, who sits 24 points behind Roger Lago in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am points. “Over all the years, I have raced at some really cool places with some great competitors, so to get to round number 50 in a single championship is something quite special. Bathurst is a track that I have done a lot of racing at, so it’s somewhat fitting to chalk up the 50th round there. I’m really looking forward to getting back there.”

In contrast, Wall Racing driver Dave Stevens has taken advantage of Porsche’s recent importation of six new 911 GT3 Cup cars by campaigning one of the new arrivals at the upcoming Bathurst and Gold Coast rounds before a full 2019 Carrera Cup season.

Championship leader Jaxon Evans enters Bathurst following his recent confirmation as the Carrera Cup Australia nominee for the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout, taking a 62-point lead in the outright standings to Bathurst from Dylan O’Keeffe in second and David Wall in third.

The duo who sits fourth and fifth in the championship – Dale Wood and James Moffat – will be busy at Bathurst and Gold Coast. Wood will couple his Carrera Cup duties with racing in the Supercars Championship alongside Tim Blanchard while Moffat will partner Chaz Mostert in the headline touring car category.

“There’s no better place in the country to go to than Bathurst,” said Moffat. “I’m really excited about the prospect of taking the Porsche around ‘The Mountain’. We didn’t have the benefit of doing double duty at Sandown this year so we’ll jump in the deep end this year at Bathurst and see how we go. We’ll be juggling priorities, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

McElrea Racing will look to continue its Bathurst dominance, winning four of the last five Carrera Cup rounds at Mount Panorama. Meanwhile, Evans remains the only dual round winner this season, with five different drivers winning the past five rounds: Evans (Albert Park), Wood (Phillip Island), O’Keeffe (Hidden Valley Raceway), Moffat (Sydney Motorsport Park) and Michael Almond (The Bend Motorsport Park).

Reigning champion David Wall will look to continue this streak at Bathurst. Wall, who won the Endurance Cup race at Bathurst last season, is the only driver in the field to have previously won a Carrera Cup race at Mount Panorama outright. Meanwhile, Tim Miles is the only TAG Heuer Pro-Am driver to have a class race win at Mount Panorama following his impressive clean sweep last season.

Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia hold practice and qualifying on Thursday, followed by one race each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each session from Bathurst will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506, while each race will be broadcast free-to-air, live on Channel Ten.

Race Schedule (local time)
Thursday October 4
10:45am Practice (50 minutes)
4:45pm Qualifying (30 minutes)
Friday October 5
2:05pm Race 1 (16 laps)
Saturday October 6
1:55pm Race 2 (9 laps)
Sunday October 7
9:30am Race 3 (9 laps)

Broadcast Schedule (local time)
Channel: Fox Sports 506
Practice – 10:45am, Thursday October 4
Qualifying – 4:45pm, Thursday October 4
Race 1 – 2:05pm, Friday October 5
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am, Sunday October 7
Channel: Channel 10
Race 1 – 2:05pm, Friday October 5
Race 2 – 1:55pm, Saturday October 6
Race 3 – 9:30am, Sunday October 7

Entry List
1. #1 David Wall (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security
2. #4 Stephen Grove (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Grove Group
3. #6 Tim Miles (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Miles Advisory Partners/Garage 1
4. #7 Jaxon Evans (Pro) Morris Finance
5. #8 Nick McBride (Pro) Porsche Centre Melbourne
6. #9 Marc Cini (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmarc
7. #12 Adam Garwood (Pro) Garwood Motorsport
8. #13 Sam Shahin (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) The Bend/htfu
9. #14 Peter Major (Pro) Sonic/Totally 4×4
10. #15 Josh Hunt (Pro) LORY Construction
11. #18 James Moffat (Pro) PAYCE/Wilson Security/JBL
12. #19 Anthony Gilbertson (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hallmark Homes
13. #20 Adrian Flack (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Agas National
14. #22 Dean Cook (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) BMF/Pitman Racing
15. #23 Roger Lago (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) JBS Australia
16. #50 Dave Stevens (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Wall Racing/Brennan IT
17. #35 Indiran Padayachee (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Hyundai Forklifts Australia
18. #77 Michael Almond (Pro) Bob Jane T-Marts/PSA
19. #88 Dylan O’Keeffe (Pro) APB Group
20. #100 Dale Wood (Pro) Sonic/Polyflor
21. #111 Cameron Hill (Pro) Lifeline Canberra/Seears Workwear
22. #131 Graham Williams (TAG Heuer Pro-Am) Harcourts Williams
23. #777 Jordan Love (Pro) Bob Jane T-Marts
24. #888 Glen Wood (Pro) Porsche Centre Brighton/Porsche Centre Doncaster

Evans confirmed for international Shootout

Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia

Michelin Junior Jaxon Evans will look to follow in the footsteps of a former teammate when competing in the 2018 Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout as the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia representative.

The Queensland-based New Zealander has been confirmed as the Carrera Cup Australia nominee following a breakout season in the Porsche championship where he currently leads the Outright standings by 62 points with four race wins and 11 top-two finishes from the season’s 17 races. Evans also holds a 252-point lead in the Michelin Junior points with two rounds remaining.

Evans’ motorsport journey has taken the 22-year-old from the base of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid to his current position at the head of the Carrera Cup field: A 2015 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia campaign in Class B was followed by an Outright campaign the following year, finishing runner-up. Evans then moved to Carrera Cup the following season, replacing a Europe-bound Matt Campbell in the #7 McElrea Racing entry, finishing fifth in the 2017 standings with five race wins and two round victories. A strong 2018 performance has now positioned Evans as the driver to beat this season.

“It’s incredible to be selected as the Carrera Cup Australia nominee for the 2018 Shootout and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to head over to Europe and compete among the best young Carrera Cup talent from around the world,” said Evans.

“It has been a great Carrera Cup season so far but there’s a long way to go between now and the end of the championship. We have two incredible events ahead of us – Bathurst and Gold Coast – so I’m looking forward to the remaining races and hopefully finish the season at my home event at the top of the standings. After that, I’ll have full focus on the Shootout event.”

Evans follows in the footsteps of his former McElrea Racing stablemate Matt Campbell, who used his GT3 Cup Challenge and Carrera Cup experience to successfully compete in the 2016 Junior Programme Shootout and ultimately launch his international motorsport career. In 2017, Campbell placed third in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as a Porsche Junior before being promoted to a Porsche Young Professional in 2018, contesting the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season and several one-off endurance races.

“Matt is a good friend and I’ve watched his progression through the motorsport ranks very closely. To win the Shootout and follow Matt’s pathway through to an international racing career with Porsche is indeed something I want to replicate so I’ll do all I can to prepare and give myself the best opportunity to win the Shootout.”

Evans will be the seventh Carrera Cup Australia representative to attend the Junior Programme Shootout following previous attendees Andre Heimgartner (2012), Sam Power (2014), Nick Foster (2015), Richard Muscat (2015), Matt Campbell (2016) and Dylan O’Keeffe (2017).

The Shootout will be held at a yet-to-be-announced French circuit after the conclusion of the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season.