Harri Jones claims maiden Carrera Cup round win

Matt Belford takes Morris Finance Pro-Am for debut round victory

HARRI JONES has added another trophy to his growing collection, claiming Round 2 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship following a final-race showdown with David Russell.

It was a pair of first-time winners at Winton Raceway as Morris Finance Pro-Am rookie Matt Belford claimed a home-state round win in just his second ever Carrera Cup event.

Jones’ pathway to victory was set up with his drive to win in race one, and backed up with a solid run to second in the 25-lap enduro race that commenced the Sunday program.

David Russell won that race – his first Carrera Cup victory since October 2015 – though Jones’ second position saw him lead the round points heading into the deciding finale’ later in the afternoon.

In a winner-take-all affair, Jones’ made the better start from the outside of the front row and led the experienced Russell into turn one – setting up a tense battle to the line but one that Jones’ would never not control.

The win delivered the young Michelin Junior his maiden Carrera Cup round victory in just his 10^th round start: and rocketed him from fourth to a clear first in the championship standings in the process.

Russell’s second overall was his 11^th podium finish in his lengthy Carrera Cup career and the first for the Dayco / EMA Motorsport team since joining the championship.

Dylan O’Keeffe completed the podium in his Dexion / RAM Motorsport entry.

The Victorian finished just behind Russell and Jones’ in the enduro cup race on Sunday morning and then finished fourth – behind a strong Dale Wood – in the 16-lap finale’ to book his first trip to the podium since Sydney Motorsport Park in 2018.

Wood’s strong weekend was his best in some time in the championship aboard his Timken EBM entry, while Luke Youlden finished fifth overall as TekworkX Motorsport continued their speedy start to the 2022 season.

Matt Belford’s pathway to victory in the Morris Finance Pro-Am came via a strong win in a dramatic Enduro Cup race early on Sunday morning.

The Victorian, driving for the Porsche Centre Melbourne team, survivied a dramatic race that saw the top two finishes from Saturday’s opener fail to finish.

He then held off a charging Rodney Jane in the closing laps to record his first Carrera Cup class win; having scored pole position earlier in the weekend.

Belford then backed up that performance with a second-straight race win in the third and final race of the weekend to do enough to claim his maiden overall win.

Jane was second, his first Pro-Am class podium finish since Bathurst in 2008, while Stephen Grove finished third overall for the weekend.

Round one winner Geoff Emery had a challenging Sunday, having won the opening race on Saturday afternoon: he failed to finish race two after early damage before recovering to ninth in class in the third race.

With two of eight rounds complete, Harri Jones has charged to a commanding 70-point lead in the championship – having entered the Winton weekend fourth in the championship.

David Russell has moved to second in the standings with a five-point margin to former champion David Wall in third.

Max Vidau sits fourth in the championship just two points further back, while Dylan O’Keeffe has moved to fifth.

Stephen Grove took over from Geoff Emery as the leader in Morris Finance Pro-Am class after two rounds, his lead 15 points over the Round 1 winner.

Sam Shahin sits third in the championship after his Sunday performances saw him rebound from a race-one DNF at Winton.

The tightly-packed Pro-Am field has the top five cars split by just 59 points heading into the third round of the championship.

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia returns to the top end of Australia for Round 3, with the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown event to be held between June 17-19.

QUOTES

Harri Jones – Pro – Round winner

“That was an awesome race to come away with the win for the weekend and take my first Carrera Cup round. I’m really happy and want to say a massive thank you to the McElrea team, they gave me an absolute rocket this weekend. Winton is not our home track, so to come here after many years and get the win, its amazing and credit must go to the work the team has been doing to make our car fast this weekend, where we could get a good start and to lead the flag, I can’t thank everyone enough.

“I had a poor start in the race this morning, so we worked on getting more rear tyre temp and this afternoon it just hooked up. I can’t wait for Darwin, we were up there for a two day test a few weeks back, so I can’t wait, the track is absolutely amazing and will definitely be different weather to here. We’ve been freezing all weekend here and up there will be very warm, so looking forward to getting up there and getting amongst it.”

Matthew Belford – Morris Finance Pro-Am winner

“It was a great race and would like to dedicate this one to Karl Batson and the whole Porsche Centre Melbourne Team. The beauty of starting first in Pro-Am is you just get in behind the pros, Rodney Jane put me under a lot of pressure again. I was able to pull away a little bit, so it was just a perfect race. From what happened at Albert Park I wanted to come here and just have three clean races, so to get two race wins and a third is just a dream come true.

“I’m a bit like the young Pros to be honest (laughs), they go through the Porsche Pyramid, whereas I’m an old guy whose been through the Porsche Pyramid. I did all the levels of Porsche Track Experience training in Queensland, went onto Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and worked my way up and now have come to Carrera Cup and I still feel like I’m a little bit less experienced. The fast Pro-Am’s in this championship are really experienced, so to be here and be competitive, that’s really what I’m after.”

Near capacity Carrera Cup Australia grid for Winton Supersprint return

Porsche teams return to Winton after nearly a decade

The second round of the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship sees a return for all teams to country Victoria, for the Winton Supersprint. Marking the 131^st round to be held in the Championship history since it began in 2003, the traditional cold and wet climate of the Benalla track at this time of year will be sure to provide a mix of changeable conditions for the teams from their last visit in August 2013.

On that occasion, Michael Patrizi won the round, while three different drivers won the three races: Patrizi (Race 1), Shae Davies (Race 2) and Nick Percat the third race. The 3.0km National circuit is unsurprisingly the slowest circuit currently on the 2022 Carrera Cup calendar, as the last recorded average lap speed of 129kph was set in 2013 in the 997 MY11 generation of 911 GT3 Cup car. Expect to see lap records tumble from the get-go in the latest generation 992.

Of the 31 car field entered for the 20-22 May event, only two drivers – Marc Cini and Stephen Grove – were on the grid in 2013 the last time the Championship visited there. Ironically, both had a challenging weekend on that occasion, with each driver failing to score in each session. Ironically, there were more of the current Carrera Cup brigade on the grid when the Championship first debuted at Winton in 2003: that year, Cini, Rodney Jane and Tony Quinn were all present.

Most of the class of 2022 have already done test sessions at Winton, as every Porsche customer squad looks to not only learn more but hone the set-ups on their new 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup car.

With Aaron Love currently abroad contesting Carrera Cup France, the Tyrepower TekworkX Motorsport entry of Max Vidau starts as the form man, having won the opening round at the Australian Grand Prix.

Harri Jones will be another Michelin Junior hoping to take the momentum from his victory in the last race in Melbourne into Round 2, but the Queenslander is likely to face opposition from McElrea Racing teammate, Christian Pancione and the SP Tools Earl Bamber Motorsport entry of Ryan Suhle.

Expect the ever-present David Wall to be another in the hunt for the top of the podium, starting his 67^th round in Winton. The 2017 Carrera Cup Champion surpasses Craig Baird for second on all-time starts this weekend.

Wall together with experienced campaigners like Dale Wood, Michael Almond, Dylan O’Keeffe, Luke Youlden and David Russell in the mix, round honours are far from a certainty for anyone in the Pro class. It should make for a riveting spectacle.

In Morris Finance Pro-Am, the battle and competition level will be just as intense. Porsche Cars Australia has implemented a split qualifying session for Winton round, allowing for more indicative, unimpeded lap times for both classes.

Hot off his Bathurst 12Hr Class C win, Geoff Emerywill start as class favourite to take the round, but one cannot ignore the depth of competition in a field consisting of Liam Talbot, Stephen Grove, Dean Cook, Sam Shahin and Adrian Flack. Flack marking his return to Championship after missing Round 1.

Both Saturday and Sunday’s qualifying and races will all be broadcast live on FoxSports and Kayo Sports throughout the weekend.

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, Round 2, Winton

Broadcast Schedule:

Saturday, 21 May

10:05 -10:15 Qualifying – Pro

10:20 – 10:30 Qualifying – Morris Finance Pro-Am

14:25 – 14:50 Race 1   16 laps

Sunday, 22 May

10:25 – 11:05 Race 2   25 laps

14:20 – 14:45 Race 3   16 laps

Entry List:

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance reveals the potential of Mission R

From the IAA conceptual study to a fully-electric prototype on the racetrack

Porsche has begun testing the technology components of the Mission R with the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. At the 2021 IAA MOBILITY in Munich, the conceptual study outlined the vision of a fully-electric GT racing car for customer motorsport in the future. Now, the innovative electric drive concept of the Mission R is demonstrating its potential on national and international racetracks.

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance serves as a test vehicle. Like the Mission R, the all-wheel-drive racer uses the chassis of the proven 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport model. The entire electric motor and battery technology also comes from the IAA conceptual study, which in qualification mode translates to a maximum output of 735 kW (1,000 PS) and more. In simulated racing, a steady 450 kW (612 PS) is available for 30 minutes, i.e. the duration of a Carrera Cup race. In terms of lap times and top speed, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is on par with the performance of the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup.

“With the Mission R, we’ve shown how Porsche envisages sustainable customer motor racing in the future. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance now demonstrates that this vision works impressively on the racetrack,” said Matthias Scholz, GT racing vehicle project manager. “We’re very excited about the response because a one-make cup with electric racing cars would be an important addition to our existing customer racing programme.”

In 2030, Porsche aims to be CO₂ neutral across the entire value chain and life cycle of new cars sold. By then, the proportion of all new vehicles featuring all-electric drive should be more than 80 per cent.

Like with the Mission R, the fully-electric drive train of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is based on a permanently excited synchronous machine (PESM) on the front and rear axles. Together, they turn the racing car into an all-wheel-drive and can deliver a peak output of up to 800 kW (1,088 PS). The direct oil cooling of the e-motors and battery pack developed by Porsche counteracts thermally induced derating.

“The integration of oil cooling has significantly impacted the vehicle concept,” said Björn Förster, GT4 ePerformance project manager. “With experts in the fields of aerodynamics and thermodynamics as well as high-voltage and bodywork specialists, the development team created an architecture to tap the full potential of the battery cells for the first time, since there is no thermal derating. In this way, the power output in racing mode remains constant for half an hour.”

Thanks to 900-volt technology, the state of charge (SoC) of the battery at full charging capacity jumps from 5 to 80 per cent in about 15 minutes.

Under the direction of designer Grant Larson, a team from Porsche Style came up with the shape of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. The racing car is 14 centimetres wider than a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. About 6,000 parts were designed from scratch. The body is made of natural fibre composite materials, among others, with the production intended to generate fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials. Recycled carbon fibres are also used for testing purposes. Compared to the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the flared fenders allow more room for the wider 18-inch racing tyres from Michelin. Renewable materials make up a particularly high proportion of the tyres.

The GT4 ePerformance Tour #race2zero
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance celebrates its premiere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 23 to 26 June 2022. At the famous motorsport festival in southern England, the all-electric concept car will take part in the ca. 1.9-kilometre hill-climb event. Its second outing is on 20 August 2022 at the Porsche factory in Leipzig on the occasion of the factory’s 20th anniversary. The facility boasts a 3.7-kilometre circuit that features famous sections of world-famous racetracks. The two 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance demo vehicles will travel through various European countries before heading to North America in early 2023. The world tour concludes in the Asia-Pacific region, where the all-electric racing car will tour until mid-2024. In line with the sustainability strategy of the entire “race2zero” project, transportation has been logistically optimised and will be done entirely by ship, train and truck.

“The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance blazes a trail to Porsche customer racing with electrically-powered racing cars. As a first step, we will unveil this concept to our global partners,” said Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. “With drivers, teams, organisers, authorities and other interested parties, we’re also gathering ideas for Porsche racing formats in the future.”

GT4 ePerformance – the partners
The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance heads off on its world tour with support from seven partners. All companies involved use the tour as a platform to further advance the topic of sustainability with Porsche Motorsport. DB Schenker is new to the project. The world’s leading provider of global logistics services contributes sustainable transport services, among other things. The long-standing partner ExxonMobil is involved through its Mobil brand via joint developments in the field of coolants and lubricants for the racing car. TAG Heuer, the Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, supports this and other Porsche Motorsport projects as the timing partner. As a long-established technology partner of Porsche Motorsport, Michelin develops particularly sustainable racing tyres for the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. The fashion company Hugo Boss is the official team outfitter. Fireproof clothing for drivers and mechanics is provided by the sports lifestyle brand Puma with the crew’s tools provided by the official supplier Hazet.

Further information, film and photo material in the Porsche Newsroom: newsroom.porsche.com.au
You can follow Porsche Motorsport in Australia via @PorscheMotorsportAU (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube) or @PorscheMspAU (Twitter)

Craig Lowndes to headline Prostate Cancer Foundation Bathurst 12 Hr campaign

Lowndes joins Davison, Emery and Taylor for Bathurst 12 Hour

Craig Lowndes will headline a team formed with the sole purpose of raising funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) at the 2022 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour.

Lowndes, a two-time winner of the 12-Hour, will be joined by Alex Davison, Geoff Emery and Scott Taylor, aboard a Scott Taylor Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car at the May 13-15 event.

The car will field a livery entirely dedicated to PCFA, which will also be the official charity partner of the event for the first time.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation Porsche will be supported by experienced Porsche squad, Ashley Seward Motorsport.
Around 18,000 Australian men are diagnosed each year with prostate cancer, and over 3,300 will die from the disease.

Fundraising on the day will include donation points at the event this year, at the town-to-track activation on Thursday prior to the race and via online portals on the Bathurst 12 Hour and Supercars websites.

Lowndes has won the 12-Hour on two occasions and the Repco Bathurst 1000 seven times and remains one of Australian Motorsport’s most popular figures.

Thanks to a strong family history of Prostate Cancer, Lowndes has long been a supporter of the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s efforts to raise both funding and awareness for their efforts.

Alex Davison is a former Porsche factory driver, a Carrera Cup Australia champion and has 17 starts in the Bathurst 1000 to his credit.

Davison’s family has also been affected by Prostate cancer with his well-known father, Richard, also having battled the illness.
Geoff Emery is a multiple national circuit racing champion and last year finished runner up in the Pro-Am class of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, while Taylor is an experienced GT racer, Carrera Cup competitor and team owner.

The LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and the Seven Network next weekend (May 13-15).

Donations can be made via the Prostate Cancer Foundation website directly at the following link: www.pcfau.org/car222 

For more information, please visit www.bathurst12hour.com.au

Craig Lowndes: “My family has a strong history of Prostate Cancer so it is an issue that has always been close to my heart.

“I have had a long relationship with the Foundation and their efforts to raise awareness about the disease. It can be a taboo subject for many men and it is important to talk about it and go and get checked. Hopefully what we are doing this year will encourage people to go and do just that.

“When this opportunity was presented, I couldn’t get behind it quick enough – it’s like the ideal weekend; a chance to raise funds and awareness for a really important cause, but also spend a weekend at Bathurst in a Porsche! It wasn’t hard to say yes.

“We’re all really excited about getting to the track. We’re going there to have a great time and really enjoy the whole race and everything around it.

“The important element of the weekend is doing what we can to get the word out about the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s efforts and then having a great time with a good group of guys in the Porsche.”

Shane Howard, CEO, Supercars: “The LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour is proud to be associated with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia as our official charitable partner for 2022.
“It is an important cause that men need to be aware of, to know their risks of prostate cancer and talk to a GP about having a PSA blood test. The 12-Hour is a platform that can spread that word far and wide, to the many thousands of people attending the event in person, or the millions watching the broadcast in Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
“We hope to make a significant impact on the foundation’s fundraising efforts and raise awareness among Bathurst 12 Hour fans in the process.”

Anne Savage, CEO, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
PCFA’s CEO, Anne Savage, said the event would rapidly accelerate awareness of Australia’s most common male cancer.

“This partnership puts us in pole position to help close the distance between awareness and action on prostate cancer in Australia.

“Two in every three Australian men diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer will die within five years of being diagnosed, but if we can detect prostate cancer before it spreads, we can beat it.

“Having the support of Craig Lowndes and the 2022 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour will enable us to get the message out to men – they need to know their family history and talk to their GP about PSA testing.”

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Michelin and Porsche announce prize pool for 2022 Junior Programme

Michelin renews its support of both Porsche Sprint Challenge and Porsche Junior Programme

Michelin renews its support of both Porsche Sprint Challenge and Porsche Junior Programme

The continued support and development of the best young drivers from around the Australasian region has been a key priority for both Michelin Australia and Porsche Cars Australia for several years now. The domestic collaboration has seen the initiative grow into benchmark driver development programme in the country and remain a vital feature of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.

For the 2022 season, Michelin will again be the Title Partner of Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia which gets underway at Round 1 of the national series at Sydney Motorsport Park from the 27-29 May. At the same time, the French tyre giant has announced that it will again support the Porsche Junior Development Programme offering eligible young drivers from the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series mentorship, support and training from the country’s leading sports professionals and coaches, as well as the opportunity to win their share of the $300,000 prize pool on offer.

The 2022 prize pool sees the top three Junior drivers from each Category, receive a set of Michelin competition tyres every round, while the top placed Junior driver at each round will also receive a complimentary entry for the round.

The Michelin Junior Champion – which will be awarded to the leading point scorer after round 6 of the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season in August 2022 – will receive a trip to Germany to attend the Porsche Motorsport Night of Champions Dinner in December 2022. The main prize for the Michelin Junior drivers is to be nominated to attend the global Porsche Motorsport Junior Shootout to represent the Carrera Cup Australia.

The Junior Shootout continues to play a crucial role in the development of the best emerging talent from the Australasian region and is seen as the most proven pathway for talented drivers to progress to the highest level abroad. To be eligible for nomination all Carrera Cup drivers must commit to a full season, carry additional Michelin branding and be born within the following time frame: 30/11/1998-01/03/2005.

Cooper Murray was the Porsche Michelin Junior Australia Winner last year, earning PCA’s nomination to attend the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe that year. Murray arrived prior to the Shootout to test drive the new 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car at Portimao Circuit in preparation for the Shootout and conducted a further two-day test session with Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Team, Martinet by Almeras, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France on the 20-21 November. The Victorian then finished on the podium at the final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup France Championship on the 22 – 24 October.

Martinet by Almeras is the same team which supported 2018 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Champion, Jaxon Evans, to second position overall in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship in 2021.

Other drivers that have progressed up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid in recent years via the Australian Junior Programme, include the likes of Matt Campbell (Porsche factory driver), Nick Foster, Andre Heimgartner, Jordan Love and Cameron Hill, who have all gone on to succeed at the highest levels of the sport both locally and internationally.

QUOTES:

Barry Hay, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars Australia: “It’s fantastic to have our long term partner in Michelin join with us again and provide the crucial support needed for young talented athletes within this country. Both Michelin and Porsche are aligned in our passion for developing young athletes both on and off the track, which we have had great success in the past, and we are looking forward to continuing this support for the next batch of talented athletes coming through.

Hugo De-Boischevalier, Marketing Manager Oceania, Michelin Australia: “Porsche continues to be the go-to championship for drivers who are looking to further their career, either locally or internationally. The Junior Program is like no-other in terms of support and development from the Porsche team; with young drivers given the fantastic opportunity to round out their skills both on and off-track.”

“There is a genuine community feel within the whole Porsche pit lane, that has a strong alignment to our own values of respect, performance and helping people achieve their goals. Michelin Australia are excited to be supporting the Juniors again in 2022 and wish all the teams a successful season ahead.”

2022 Porsche Michelin Junior Programme drivers

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia

Max Vidau – Tekworkx

Angelo Mouzouris – Sonic

Harri Jones – McElrea Racing

Christian Pancione – McElrea Racing

Ryan Suhle – SP Tools / EBM

Simon Fallon – Sonic

Jackson Walls – McElrea Racing

Callum Hedge – Team Porsche NZ / EBM

Bayley Hall – McElrea Racing

Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

Madeline Stewart – Team Porsche NZ

Lachlan Bloxsom – McElrea Racing

Tom Sargent – CHE Racing

Aron Shields – McElrea Racing

Ollie Shannon – Tigani Motorsport

Courtney Prince – Sonic

Ryan Wood – EBM

For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Jones Breaks Through in Albert Park Finale, Vidau takes Round victory

Shahin takes final Morris Finance race, Emery seals round win

HARRI JONES has broken through for his first victory of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season in an action packed finale on the roads of Albert Park.

After making another storming start, Jones had to survive a pair of safety car restarts en route to victory.

In Morris Finance Pro-Am, Sam Shahin also earned his first class win of 2022.

Following the first event of season 2022, Max Vidau tops the overall Pro standings from David Wall and Aaron Love, with only seven points separating the top three, while in Pro-Am, Geoff Emery leads the way from Shahin and Stephen Grove.

After being victorious in the opening three races, Love won the initial kick away from pole position, but Jones repeated his flying start from yesterday, claiming the lead as the field raced through turn one.

Wall then forged his way into second position, passing Love around the outside of turn four.

The action then came thick and fast after Nick McBride spun into the turn 11 gravel at the end of lap two.

Callum Hedge then spun entering the main straight, lightly tapping the pit wall, before a coming together between Angelo Mouzouris and Jackson Walls saw the latter make contact with the second turn tyre barrier.

Before the safety car was finally called, Bailey Hall spun at turn three.

Upon the resumption of action, Luke Youlden and Love made contact at corner 11, with Love following McBride’s wheel tracks into the gravel, necessitating a second safety car appearance.

With the time certain cut-off looming, a two-lap run to the finish ensued.

On the restart, Ryan Suhle nudged the turn two barrier, while Rodney Jane and Tim Miles spun at turn three, with Miles retiring on the spot.

With the field tightly bunched all the way to the finish, Jones led home Wall, Vidau, Dylan O’Keeffe, David Russell, Simon Fallon, Dale Wood, Michael Almond, Brad Shields, with Duvashen Padayachee rounding out the top ten.

In Morris Finance Pro-Am, Shahin moved his way into the class lead early, and held the position in the run to the chequered flag.

Grove was second ahead of Liam Talbot, Emery and Dean Cook.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship is scheduled to continue at Victoria’s Winton Motor Raceway from May 21 to 22.

Max Vidau – Round Winner Pro Class 

“It’s pretty surreal looking back two years at the Melbourne Grand Prix when COVID struck, and to be honest, I really didn’t see myself back in a Cup Car,” Vidau said.

“Rob Woods came along and gave me an opportunity to not only work for the team but drive for them, and I’m absolutely stoked to be on the top step of the podium.

“It’s awesome, massive thank you to the boys and everything they do to me as well, as all my sponsors Tyrepower, Bondi Carpets and Exedy.

“I’m ecstatic, but obviously Aaron got a bit stitched up with what happened to him, but we’ve had some awesome battles over the years.

“He’s heading over to Europe, hopefully I’ll see him over there soon.

“We didn’t really do much testing either, we just stumbled across something good and stuck with it.

“Hopefully it works at Winton too.”

Geoff Emery – Round Winner, Morris Finance Pro-Am

“There was a lot going on obviously with the restarts, I had a good run and had built a lead on Sam,” Emery said.

“After the restart I saw Jackson Walls go into the fence, so I rolled out of it thinking there would be a  safety car, but there wasn’t, and that allowed Sam to get up alongside of me and Stephen Grove, and I was forced to follow them through.

“That’s racing I guess!”

Aaron Love’s Albert Park Carrera Cup sweep continues

Emery rebounds to claim Morris Finance Pro-Am honours

AARON LOVE’S domination of the opening round of the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia has continued with a lights-to-flag win at Albert Park, his third straight victory for the event.

In a one-off appearance before taking off to Europe, Love claimed the TAG Heuer Pole Position award on Thursday, before being leading home yesterday’s opening two races, with today’s success seeing the West Australian have to hold off the advances of multiple challengers.

Meanwhile, in Morris Finance Pro-Am, Geoff Emery repeated his opening race class win, with his chief rival Liam Talbot retiring mid-race.

Love led the field away yet again, with Harri Jones completing an audacious move on the grass into turn one, claiming second place from fourth on the grid.

Behind the leaders, the opening corner squeeze caused chaos.

Contact between Duvashen Padayachee, Jackson Walls, and Angelo Mouzouris saw Mouzouris spin into the gravel, with Padayachee limping to a halt, while Walls parked at turn three.

Following a safety car appearance, the race restarted on lap four, although Marc Cini fell by the wayside at turn 10, and race two’s leading Morris Finance Pro-Am runner Talbot retired in the pit lane.

Max Vidau forged his way back into second, passing Jones at turn 11 on the sixth circuit, with Jones quickly falling into the clutches of David Wall and Ryan Suhle.

At the end of eight circuits, Love held on to the lead in the time certain finish, with Vidau closing to within half a second at the chequered flag.

Jones claimed third, fending off the advances of Wall, with only 0.2s separating the duo, with Suhle in fifth, then Christian Pancione, Dylan O’Keeffe, Luke Youlden, Simon Fallon and David Russell rounding out the top-ten.

It was a particularly strong drive by Youlden, who charged through from 24^th at the start.

Emery claimed his second Morris Finance Pro-Am race win for the event, with second-placed Sam Shahin less than half a second adrift at the finish.

Third in class went to Stephen Grove, ahead of Dean Cook and Tim Miles.

In the progressive points for the weekend, Love leads the way from Vidau, Wall, Jones and Suhle.

The fourth and final race for the opening round of the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season is scheduled for 11:05am tomorrow, with the coverage available live through Channel 10, Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

Aaron Love – Winner Pro Class

“I have had a bit of practice with these restarts, but it’s all about trying to keep my head down and stay nice and calm, it’s really nice to come away with the three wins from the past races,” Love said.

“Hopefully, we can tune the car up a little bit for tomorrow, we’ve got our work cut out for us, Max is really quick we’ll have to do a bit of research overnight and get stuck into it for tomorrow’s race.

“The 992 is what I’ll be campaigning in France this year and it’s definitely helped being back with the Sonic guys, it feels like home, it’s definitely going to give me a leg up going into the French Carrera Cup Championship, ease myself into it this weekend and go full-on next weekend.”

Geoff Emery – Winner, Morris Finance Pro-Am

“It was a great race, but I got a bit baulked at the start with the Pros, but once we got through all that stuff it was a really good race,” Emery said.

“I had Liam come back from a bit, then Shahin, but it was a good battle.

“I’m loving the new car, it really suits my driving style, I’m excited for what the year has in store for us.

“It’s certainly got that GT type feel to it, which I’m really enjoying.”

Full results: https://www.carreracup.com.au/results/

Aaron Love Claims Pair of Albert Park Carrera Cup Thrillers

Emery and Talbot Split Morris Finance Pro-Am Honours

Emery and Talbot Split Morris Finance Pro-Am Honours

ALBERT PARK came alive for the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, with Aaron Love winning the opening two races of the 2022 season, with both encounters going down to the wire.

The first race witnessed a one-lap dash to the finish following a late safety car, while the second saw Love and Max Vidau trade places multiple times on the final circuit.

The story was similar in Morris Finance Pro-Am, with Geoff Emery winning the first race after two lead changes with Liam Talbot on the last lap, while Talbot earned the top spot in race two.

At the start of race one, Love led away from the TAG Heuer Pole Position, but behind him, McElrea Racing teammates Jackson Walls and Christian Pancione made contact at the re-profiled turn 11, but both were able to race on.

Luke Youlden dropped down the order early after qualifying fourth, then Michael Almond spun at turn two, making light contact with the wall, before ultimately retiring in the pits.

Marc Cini then speared off the circuit at turn 11, also reaching the tyre barrier, but was able to resume, while at the same time, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia graduate Matthew Belford spun on track at the same corner.

On the eighth lap, Drew Hall was another driver to come unstuck at the end of the back straight, but as he was unable to extract himself from the gravel trap, the safety car entered the circuit.

With the time certain finish looming, a one-lap sprint to the chequered flag ensued, with third place Nick McBride losing control at the fast turn ten switchback, making race-ending contact with the wall.

The final results saw Love lead home Vidau, then 2017 Carrera Cup Champion David Wall, ahead of debutant Angela Mouzouris, Christian Pancione, Callum Hedge, Harri Jones, rookie Ryan Suhle, Dale Wood, with Walls rounding out the top ten.

Meanwhile, Emery claimed honours in Morris Finance Pro-Am, following a race-long battle with Talbot, which was only resolved after multiple last-lap passes for the lead.

Stephen Grove claimed third in class ahead of Tim Miles and Sam Shahin.

Love once again won the start of the second race with Wall slotting into second, although the opening lap action slowed when the safety car was called for Dale Wood’s turn one spin.

Racing had barely resumed when Belford found the turn two barrier, with the field slowing for a second time.

When racing restarted, Kiwi young gun Hedge earned himself a ten-second penalty for contact with Pancione at turn three, before running wide at turn 11, and finally parking at the same corner on the penultimate lap.

Youlden spun at the final turn, while Almond ran wide at the first corner after a spirited battle with Bailey Hall, with the action topped off by Tony Quinn touring the turn three gravel trap.

Battling throughout the field in the truncated 11 lap race came thick and fast, with the scrap for the lead seeing multiple changes on the final tour.

First, Love ran wide at turn four, with Vidau completing a daring outside move at the following bend.

Vidau subsequently ran off at turn ten, allowing Love back through for the victory.

Wall pounced on the last lap action to claim second from Vidau, Jones, Walls, Suhle, Mouzouris, David Russell, Pancione, and Duvashen Padayachee in tenth.

With the new track configuration coming to the fore, Vidau lowered his own Albert Park lap record in the twilight second race with a hot time of 1:48.6349s.

In Morris Finance Pro-Am, Talbot got the upper hand over Emery, Shahin, Grove and Miles, with little separating the combinations.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship continues tomorrow with the weekend’s third race scheduled for 12:00pm, with live coverage available through Channel 10, Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sport.

Aaron Love – Winner Pro Class Race 1 & 2

“A bit of a wild race, you can never complain about coming away with a race win, but I made a couple of mistakes that cost us a bit, and we happened to get a little bit lucky towards the end,” Love said.

“At the end of the day, we came away with a race win, but there are a couple of things we can take away from it, and learn from, get stuck into the car and see what we can put together for tomorrow.

“Coming back to do just a one-off round with Sonic at the Grand Prix, I couldn’t think of a better place to do it, I’m really happy to get some results for them so far, and hopefully, we can continue the streak onwards.”

Geoff Emery – Winner, Morris Finance Pro-Am Race 1

“(Talbot) got me on the last lap, and I got him back on the last lap!” Emery said.

“It was a good battle, I had a good race, and he kept the pace up to me throughout all of the race.

“I love the new track, I love the new car, it’s really exciting, it’s really fast out the back and I really enjoy the fast and flowing tracks, it really suits my driving style.”

Liam Talbot – Winner, Morris Finance Pro-Am Race 2

“It’s nice to redeem ourselves from race one in this one, a little bit of contact there, but we tuned the car up, tuned the driver up, and got ready to go,” Talbot said.

“I love the new car, seriously, how could you have a bad day in a Porsche?”

Full results: https://www.carreracup.com.au/results/

Aaron Love takes season-opening pole position at Albert Park

Liam Talbot on top in Morris Finance Pro-Am

HE MIGHT have been a late call-up for a return to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship, but Aaron Love still delivered to take his maiden TAG Heuer Pole Position award at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Love, driving a Bob Jane T-Marts entry for Sonic Motor Racing, topped a shortened qualifying session today in Melbourne with a 1m49.3236s flyer to lead Max Vidau and Luke Youlden to the start of the brand-new season.

Returning former Morris Finance Pro-Am champion Liam Talbot topped the runners in Morris Finance Pro-Am ahead of Geoff Emery and Stephen Grove.

The session was contested under blue skies and in warm conditions at Albert Park, times tumbling quickly throughout as teams and drivers continued to adapt to the new circuit and surface.

31 cars were on track making for a busy circuit as teams rushed through a brief practice session prior to qualifying to set the grid for the season opener.

West Aussie-based Love, who will move to Europe following the Grand Prix to chase an international racing career, topped the order as several drivers peeled into pit lane to prepare for a final run – only for the red flag to fly when Christian Pancione crashed his VCM performance car at turn five, with five minutes remaining in the session.

With a repair to the circuits barriers required, the session was not restarted leaving Love on pole position for the first time in his Carrera Cup career.

His lap time was more than seven seconds quicker than the previous Albert Park best thanks to the revised layout and new surface, coming at an average speed of over 174 km/hr.

Max Vidau was second – his best ever Carrera Cup qualifying performance – while hometown hero Nick McBride qualified third to continue his strong track record of performing well at Albert Park.

Luke Youlden qualified fourth, completing a strong day for TekworX Motorsport with two cars in the top four, while Christian Pancione was fifth despite bringing out the red flag. Jackson Walls, Ryan Suhle, Angelo Mouzouris and Brad Shiels completing the top 10.

The latter three are all making their respective Carrera Cup debuts this weekend, while five of the top 10 in qualifying have less than 10 rounds of experience pointing to the massive influx of new talent within the field this year.

Liam Talbot celebrated his return to Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia by scoring pole position in Morris Finance Pro-Am, qualifying 18^th overall in his Wall Racing-prepared entry.

Sporting a stunning ‘art car’ livery, Talbot topped a remarkably competitive Pro-Am field at Albert Park.

2021 class runner-up Geoff Emery was second in Pro Am while multiple champion Stephen Grove qualified third.

Matt Belford was fourth on his debut in the championship, just 0.2 seconds behind Grove.

The biggest loser of the qualifying red flag was reigning Morris Finance Pro-Am champion Sam Shahin, who failed to complete a flying lap and ended up 30^th overall after suffering mechanical issues aboard his The Bend-backed entry.

Earlier, the sole practice session earlier in the day was topped by Luke Youlden, who ended the 20-minute session 0.3 seconds faster than New Zealander, Callum Hedge.

Dale Wood was third with Ryan Suhle completing a strong session for the Earl Bamber Motorsport squad in fourth. Max Vidau completed a strong session for Tekworkx motorsport in fifth, with Nick McBride, Brad Shiels, Aaron Love and Harri Jones completing the top-10.

Defending champion Sam Shahin was fastest in Morris Finance Pro-Am in practice ahead of Stephen Grove and Geoff Emery.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship season proper launches tomorrow with race one at 11:00am and race two at 5:15pm. Both races will be shown live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sport.

Aaron Love – Pole position, Pro class

“Getting pole is a great way to spend my flying visit here to Melbourne,” Love said.

“It’s so great to come back and have all the support from the team, especially Rod with Bob Jane T-Marts on the car,. The effort from the team after Practice 1 made it great to get back out there and have an unreal car to drive around. There is no better place to get my first pole position in Carrera Cup, so I’m feeling great.

“The track is quite a bit of fun now and down the back is so much faster, and it definitely suits these cars better than the old track because you can really use that aero grip for racing especially with the big draft down the back. I can’t wait to get racing.”

Liam Talbot – Pole Position, Morris Finance Pro-Am

“It was an eerily smooth session and nothing really to report, except obviously the track is still lacking any sort of grip which make the car a little loose in the rear, but they are really first world problems,” Talbot said.

“We just got a pole position in the first round which is a great way to start the year.”

GWR Australia unveils Carrera Cup liveries for Almond and Padayachee

GWR Australia unveils trio of Carrera Cup liveries

GWR Australia has revealed the liveries to be run by its three drivers in this year’s Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, ahead of this weekend’s season opener at the Australian Grand Prix.

Each of the brand-new, Type 992 Porsche GT3 Cup cars has a distinctive livery, ensuring all three cars will stand out on the track.

The Padayachee father-and-son combination of Indiran and Duvashen have revealed a revamped version of their traditional blue, black and while hues, accented by maroon highlights, with Hyundai Forklifts appearing prominently as the car’s major sponsor.

Duvashen has been charged with the responsibility of giving the car its racing debut and after walking the track this afternoon, he cannot wait to tackle the updated layout.

“It’s going to be much faster, especially around the back section,” Padayachee said.

“Obviously one of the chicanes has been removed and some of the corners have been widened, but the other thing that will make a big difference for us will be the resurfacing – there will be a lot more grip.”

Dylan O’Keeffe’s car will sport a predominantly gunmetal grey livery, featuring Dexion and Circle Red Watches as major commercial partners. This weekend will be O’Keeffe’s first round in Carrera Cup since the Australian Grand Prix in 2019.

“There will be 31 cars on the grid this weekend, which is one of the largest fields we’ve ever seen for Carrera Cup, and the driving talent at the front of the field is all class,” O’Keeffe said.

“The GWR squad have worked hard to unlock the potential of the new 992 Cup car, but we know all the other teams will have been preparing thoroughly as well, so the racing will be cut-throat.”

The team’s final entry is the PSA Group entry to be driven by Michael Almond, who is set to embark upon his ninth season in the competitive Porsche one-make series and has notched up five race victories since 2016.

Almond’s Carrera Cup car runs an eye-catching lime green colour scheme with yellow highlights. After acquainting himself with the new car in pre-season testing, Almond is excited to see how it performs in race conditions.

“The extra aero means the high-speed handling is better, while the improved front suspension geometry and wider tyre allows you to hustle the car harder through the slow corners.

“There’s no doubt the lap times will be an improvement over the previous car at most tracks, but we will have to adapt the car setup and driving technique to maximise its potential.”

Talbot collaborates with acclaimed Sydney artist Gemma O’Brien

Liam Talbot marks his return to Carrera Cup with art car livery

Liam Talbot marks his return to Carrera Cup with art car livery

Liam Talbot has marked his return to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship this season with a unique ‘art car’ design on his new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) car.

The 2019 Morris Finance Pro-Am Champion will be one of the strongest contenders in a stacked 2022 class, which sees the last five Morris Finance Pro-Am Championship race winners on the grid this season. The last time that happened was at Bathurst 2016.

This year will also mark the first time four different former Morris Finance Pro Am Champions have started the season on the same grid. Talbot will be among those in the hunt for podium positions and rejoins the successful Wall Racing squad for his 2022 onslaught. Wall Racing was the same team that supported Talbot to his maiden 2019 Carrera Cup Championship.

“It’s great to rejoin Wall Racing for this season and welcome back my long term sponsor WASH IT Mobile Truck washing as well as Paynter Dixon, Monochrome Asset Management and Urban Maintenance Systems,” Talbot said.

In designing his new 992 generation livery, Talbot wanted a car that represented his passion of racing with fun, style and uniqueness.

“The collaboration with acclaimed Sydney artist Gemma O’Brien is perfect, her artwork is featured in many galleries and murals around the world and in discussion with her on the opportunity, I discovered she’d always wanted to style her art on a race car,” Talbot said.

O’Brien is an internationally renowned designer and artist known for her bold graphics, illustrative lettering and murals. Her work has been commissioned by Apple, Nike, Tiffany & Co, Google and The New York Times.

Talbot’s newly liveried Porsche will roll out for the first practice session of Round 1 of the championship at the Australian Grand Prix on Thursday morning 11:45am (AEST).

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

O’Keeffe unveils new livery for Carrera Cup return

Dylan O’Keeffe excited for 2022 Porsche campaign with GWR

Dylan O’Keeffe has unveiled a spectacular livery for his return to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, kicking off at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

O’Keeffe’s RAM Motorsport/GWR Porsche will feature Dexion Victoria and Circle Red Watches as major sponsors, while also welcoming Trading Garage, The Motorist, StoreFast, OFE Refrigerated Transport and Porsche Centre Sydney South as partners.

Long-time supporters Local Roadways and Insure My Fleets are on board for O’Keeffe’s Carrera Cup campaign, while Ringwood Mazda will continue their involvement as official road car supplier.

The 24-year-old last competed in Carrera Cup in 2018 and is enthused about his return to the category, expecting this season to be the most competitive on record.

“There will be 31 cars on the grid this weekend, which is one of the largest fields we’ve ever seen for Carrera Cup, and the driving talent at the front of the field is all class,” O’Keeffe said.

“The GWR squad have worked hard to unlock the potential of the new 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, but we know all the other teams will have been preparing thoroughly as well, so the racing will be cut-throat.”

The last time O’Keeffe raced at the Albert Park circuit was during the 2019 Carrera Cup round, where he made a one-off appearance; he was scheduled to compete in the TCR races at the ill-fated 2020 event before it was cancelled because of the COVID pandemic.

Since then, the track has undergone significant layout changes which have increased speeds in some corners and opened up additional overtaking opportunities.

“Some of the corners have been widened and the chicane at turns nine and 10 has been removed altogether, which will make that section of the track a lot faster,” O’Keeffe said.

“In the Carrera Cup cars, I don’t know how much it will increase overtaking because we haven’t really had the chance to race close together in these cars yet, but I’m sure the racing will be entertaining.

“I can’t wait to be racing on the big stage again in Carrera Cup, we haven’t had a proper Australian Grand Prix for more than three years so it’s awesome to be competing in front of the world’s biggest and best motorsport stars.”

Every session will be shown live on FoxSports and KayoSports with free-to-air coverage of every race on Channel 10 throughout the Australian Grand Prix weekend.

Schedule: Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, Round 1, AGP
Thursday April 7, 2022

11:45-12:05 – Practice

14:20-14:40 – Qualifying

Friday April 8, 2022

11:00-11:30 – Race 1

17:15-17:50 – Race 2

Saturday April 9, 2022

12:00-12:25 – Race 3

Sunday, April 10, 2022

11:05-11:35 – Race 4

McConville to head up Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport team

Cam McConville joins Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport as Motorsport Commercial Manager

Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport has been established since the year 2000. It’s always been an extension of the retail operation of Porsche Centre Melbourne; having a motorsport team as part of the dealership has allowed PCM to celebrate much success and establish great relationships with many customers and partners.

PCMM launched their season 2022 campaign last week at Phillip Island. Returning to Albert Park for Round 1 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia this week, the team has a three-driver team including:

Nick McBride: Porsche Centre Melbourne – Pro
Marc Cini: Hallmarc – Morris Finance Pro-Am
Matt Belford: ID Land – Morris Finance Pro-Am

The team
The team returns to the grid with a strengthened line-up with the appointment of Cameron McConville as Motorsport Commercial Manager. Cameron has joined the team at an exciting time as PCMM expands into a dedicated Motorsport HQ.

Cameron McConville said, ‘’PCMM is a great team with great people. I have been working and living in Queensland for the past year and jumped at the opportunity to return to Victoria when I heard of this opportunity. I have known Piero Pellegrini (PCM, General Manager) and Karl Batson (PCM, Motorsport Manager) for a long time and feel I am joining at a very special time, with so much opportunity for growth over the coming years’’.

“PCMM has great pedigree, all the ingredients for success”. “It is a team that is keen to improve and continually challenge themselves. Matt Belford has progressed rapidly through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and Nick and Marc are seasoned racers who are ready to push themselves to another level’’, McConville enthused.

‘’Whilst Carrera Cup & Sprint Challenge will be a considerable part of my new role, I will also be tasked with growing the whole Motorsport operation at PCM. This means everything from the first-time track day clients to future Carrera Cup racers’’.
‘’In the short term, I will assist the team in the set-up of the new PCMM HQ and dedicated facility which is a major and exciting step forward for the dealership’’.

‘’PCM has a great community of long-term clients who regularly participate in track days, Targa Tours and club level racing. I am looking forward to further developing the opportunities and support for these clients’’, McConville said.

PCM Motorsport Media Contact
Kate Holcombe | M: 0419 129 535 | E: kate.holcombe@porschemelbourne.com.au

SP TOOLS reveals Ryan Suhle’s livery ahead of Australian Grand Prix

SP Tools releases the new design and livery of the Earl Bamber 2022 Porsche #5 Entry.

SP Tools releases the new design and livery of the Earl Bamber 2022 Porsche #5 Entry.

The partnership between Earl Bamber Motorsport and Matthew Payne during the 2021 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season produced numerous poll positions and podium finishes in both the team and driver’s rookie season.

Payne’s ascent up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid from go karts has resulted in a full-time drive with the Grove Racing Team in Super2 this year and the young New Zealander is destined take part in the Bathurst 1000 as a support driver, less than 18 months after stepping out of his go kart.

Following in the footsteps of Payne, the EBM Team in conjunction with SP Tools’ Karts to Cars Program, now has #5 Ryan Suhle lined-up for the full 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season, where the debutant will make his mark in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

Tom Tucker, CEO SP Tools: “I’m thrilled with how the 2022 design has come to life. We have seen it on track at the recent test day in Queensland and it stands out with our SP Racing blue accompanied with an orange and black finish. We’re looking forward to Ryan showcasing what the SP Tools Karts to Cars pathway program can do. He will be one to watch and we’re proud to be able to give him the opportunity to step-up from karts to cars with the support of the Earl Bamber Motorsport Team”.

Barry Hay, Porsche Cars Australia’s Motorsport Manager: “It’s fantastic to see the new SP Tools livery for Ryan Suhle unveiled. Porsche Cars Australia’s partnership with SP Tools, continues to go from strength to strength and as the ‘Official Tool Partner’ of both Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series, we couldn’t ask for a better partner both on and off the track. The collaboration between SP Tools, Karting Australia, Patrizicorse and the Earl Bamber Motorsport Team for the Karts to Cars Pathway Program, also reinforces the opportunity for the best young talent within Australasia to reach the highest levels of the sport via the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.”

Ben Jenkins, Earl Bamber Motorsports Race Engineer:      
‘After some great results together in ‘21, it’s awesome to extend our partnership with SP Tools into the future and be a part of the Karts to Cars ladder. It’s great to have the guys at SP Tools increase their involvement to a full car this season and how awesome does it look. With the combination of EBM, SP Tools and a driver of Ryan’s calibre, we’re sure we’ll at the front, hunting for trophies from Round 1 this weekend at the Australia GP.’

Suhle’s #5 SP Tools livery will roll out on the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia’s first practice at 11:45am on Thursday 07 April.

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Record 31 Carrera Cup car grid for historic 2022 season opener

New Carrera Cup Australia Era begins

New Carrera Cup Australia Era begins

The last time the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia had such fundamental change to its make-up, the Championship didn’t even exist.

That might sound strange, but there’s an argument to be made that Australia’s top one-make category hasn’t seen this much revolution in an off season since the category itself was launched nearly two decades ago.

Carrera Cup Australia launched at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in 2003, a field of 26 Type 996 GT3 Cup Cars launching what has now become nearly two decades of Carrera Cup competition in Australia – and one of the most competitive championships of any around the world.

Season 2022 represents wholesale change, not only with a host of new faces appearing on the scene, but a complete re-boot with the biggest upgrade to machinery the series has had.

While the evolution from 996 through 997 and ultimately 991, the brand-new Type 992 GT3

Cup Car represents a significant upgrade from the previous models.

The 4.0-litre flat six may remain normally aspirated, but Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia has become supercharged in 2022.

Here’s how.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE..

There are familiar names throughout the 31-strong entry list this year, but all of them will be on a level playing field with the new 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car that represents a significant upgrade from what we’ve all known to this point.

For starters, the opening round at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix will set a record for the largest ever launch field for a Carrera Cup Championship in this part of the world, with 31 cars entered for Round 1.

That trumps the 26-car field that raced at Phillip Island in 2003 and the same number of then-new 991.2 models that raced for the first time in 2018.

The 2022 calendar looks different too – starting at the Australian Grand Prix for just the second time in its history. Winton is next on the calendar, followed by a welcome return to Darwin then Townsville, before more traditional highlight rounds at Sandown, The Bend Motorsport Park, Bathurst 1000 and finally the Gold Coast to conclude the eight-round championship.

996 Debut – Phillip Island 2003 (26 Cars)

997 Debut – Adelaide 500 2006 (22 Cars)

997.2 Debut – Australian Grand Prix 2011 (22 Cars)

991 Debut – Adelaide 500 2014 (23 Cars)

991.2 Debut – Adelaide 500 2018 (26 Cars)

992 Debut – Australian Grand Prix, 2022 (31 Cars entered)

NEW NAMES

Five drivers will make their Carrera Cup debut at Round 1, while some familiar faces are also making a racing return this year.

Ryan Suhle, Bayley Hall and Matt Belford all make the step-up from Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, proving the ongoing success of the Porsche Pyramid in Australia.

Suhle and Hall were both Pro Class contenders across several Covid-19 interrupted seasons, while Belford was a proven Morris Finance Pro-Am competitor in the second-tier series and clearly has the pace to continue that form in the main game.

Victorian Angelo Mouzouris makes the switch from Super2 to Carrera Cup in the next progression in his career, while the experienced Brad Shiels is a fascinating addition to the grid.

Shiels’ background is in Sports Sedans, Time Attack and more recently in TCR Australia. He has been fast in all of them and his rate of development in Carrera Cup will be a key story this year.

Dylan O’Keeffe is another to forgo a Super2 slot for a crack in a new Cup Car: the 2018 Hidden Valley Carrera Cup winner was 3rd in the 2019 championship and will consider himself a title contender this year, surely.

Returning to the series, Tony Quinn will make his first Carrera Cup starts since the 2007 season. One of the championships’ originals – he was on the grid at Phillip Island in 2003 – Quinn will be a Morris Finance Pro-Am Contender this year.

Speaking of contenders, 2019 champion Liam Talbot is back for another title attempt and while he was able to claim the Morris Finance Pro-Am Championship three seasons ago, he did it without winning a round – surely that will be a key goal this year amidst a highly competitive Pro-Am fight.

A late addition to the entry list, but arguably one of the most noteworthy, is Rodney Jane in the Morris Finance Pro-Am Championship. Piloting one of his three Bob Jane T-Marts entries run by the championship-winning Sonic Racing Team, Jane’s progress this season will be fascinating to watch, given his pedigree as Champion in 2006 and 2007, as well as recording 10 round wins and holding the distinction of being the only driver in the Pro-Am class to have recorded 12 consecutive race wins.

STEPPING UP

With the likes of reigning champion Cameron Hill and the ever-rapid Cooper Murray, plus other key contenders from the last few years making the move abroad, there are a host of young guns ready to step up this year and make their mark in the Pro class.

Chief among them is Harri Jones, who was third in the championship last year and delivered race wins at Mount Panorama at the end of the season. On paper and on form, he’s probably the early 2022 favourite.

The list of young contenders is long however: Fast Kiwi Callum Hedge made his debut late last season for Earl Bamber’s team and was speedy out of the gate. South Aussie Max Vidau has moved to Queensland to embed himself with TekworX Motorsport after showing plenty of form for that team, and before that Sonic Motor Racing, in part-time campaigns recently.

Christian Pancione showed his potential throughout his part-time 2021 campaign, the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge graduate another young gun keen to show his title credentials, while former Sprint Challenge Champion Simon Fallon will look to build on his debut Carrera Cup Season last year with a strong 2022 in the Sonic / Bob Jane T-Marts squad alongside Aaron Love. The latter returns for a one-off race at the Australian Grand Prix before a full-time assault in Carrera Cup France.

THE GUNS ARE BACK

One of the best things about Carrera Cup is watching young, upcoming talent strut their stuff against those who have been doing it successfully for a lot longer. That chance to benchmark their performances against the proper Porsche gurus is always a strong storyline – and this year will be no different.

We start, of course, with David Wall: The 2017 champion has never finished lower than fourth in the championship, his 65 rounds netting 4 victories and 19 race wins – as recently as Bathurst last year. Furthermore, the change to a platform more akin to the GT cars he’s used to racing could suit the Sydneysider even more than his existing ride.

Never, ever count out the only former champion amidst the Mobil Pro ranks.

That, however, is just the start: old rivals Michael Almond (departing Sonic for a new environment at GWR this year) and Nick McBride remain locked together on 54 rounds apiece.

Duvashen Padayachee will use all of his 40-rounds of experience on his first starts in many seasons, while David Russell will hope his new partnership with EMA Motorsport will see him break his duck and score a maiden round win: having finished second on a record five occasions previously.

Dale Wood is back with another stunning Timken livery and a new team and will take confidence in the fact his last round win came at the location of the 2022 season opener: Albert Park.

MORRIS FINANCE PRO-AM BATTLE

The key about Carrera Cup racing is that if there’s not a battle for the lead, there will likely always be one somewhere amidst the field – and there’s nothing like the fight for the Morris Finance Pro-Am Class.

Last year delivered a dramatic and controversial finale at Mount Panorama as Sam Shahin and Geoff Emery took their season-long title fight right down to the final corner, of the final lap of the final race of the year. Ultimately, after plenty of discussion by Motorsport Australia, Shahin was crowned champion – but retaining his crown will be a challenge for Shahin; aside from Emery, who will unquestionably be just as fast as ever, he will have to deal with three-time Pro-am Champion Stephen Grove and 2019 champion Liam Talbot in his bid to go back-to-back.

And that’s before we talk about Tim Miles, who is a three-time round winner.

Dean Cook returns for another season and will join old sparring partner Tony Quinn – that pair were both on the grid at the series’ first ever round in 2003 and will pick up their rivalry nearly two decades later.

Ben Stack, Drew Hall and Scott Taylor are all also back on the grid in the ever-feisty fight within a Carrera Cup fight.

PORSCHE MICHELIN JUNIOR FIGHT

The Porsche Michelin Junior Championship remains one of the most coveted – and potentially lucrative – in Australian motorsport, and you can bet that the field of Juniors this year will battle hard for the right to represent Australia in the annual Shootout in Europe later this year.

The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid remains one of the most complete, proven young-driver pathways in global motorsport and the ongoing success of Aussie graduates like Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans and Jordan Love prove that to be true.

WE’RE READY

As you may have realised by now, there’s plenty to take in when it comes to the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.  However, and for all the changes, you can be assured one thing will remain the same: A full field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars, going quicker than ever, with the deepest field of contenders across the two classes in series history.

Proof, then, that the more things change, the more they stay the same..

WHERE TO WATCH?

Every race this year will be shown live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.

The races at the Australian Grand Prix will be shown live on Channel 10, while the remainder of the season will see a mix of live and highlight coverage on the screens of Seven.

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

ENTRY LIST: Round 1 – Australian Grand Prix

CALENDAR: 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia

07-10 April                       Australian GP, VIC

21-22 May                        Winton, VIC

17-19 June                       Darwin, NT

8-10 July                           Townsville, QLD

29-31 July                         The Bend, SA

19-21 August                  Sandown, VIC

06-09 October                Bathurst NSW

28-30 October                Gold Coast, QLD

BROADCAST SCHEDULE: Round 1, Australian Grand Prix

Thursday April 7, 2022

11:45-12:05 – Practice

14:20-14:40 – Qualifying

Friday April 8, 2022

11:00-11:30 – Race 1

17:15-17:50 – Race 2

Saturday April 9, 2022

12:00-12:25 – Race 3

Sunday, April 10, 2022

11:05-11:35 – Race 4

2022 liveries revealed for Tekworkx Motorsport drivers ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Youlden and Vidau confident ahead of season opener

Youlden and Vidau confident ahead of Carrera Cup Australia season opener

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia drivers for Tekworkx Motorsport, Luke Youlden and Max Vidau, have unveiled striking liveries ahead of the 2022 season start at the Australian Grand Prix next week.

This year, Tekworkx will see a split sponsorship program across its two cars. With Youlden sporting major backing from Hire A Hubby, who are joined by returning sponsors Entertainment Park, Porsche Centre Sydney South and Bondi Carpet.

As for Youlden, his weekend will be supplemented by the exciting hallmark of Australian Grand Prix events, the Lap Time Comparison, courtesy of his role as Porsche’s Deputy Chief Driving Instructor.

“The Australia Grand Prix is a very big event for Porsche as a whole, they will be doing a lot around the event and there are some cool activations ready to go. I’ll also be at the wheel of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S for the speed comparison which is always a fan favorite event between sessions,” said Youlden.

“In Carrera Cup Australia it will be a record breaking weekend, the changes to the track mean we will be obliterating any previous track records. Everyone is keen to see how the updates translate when we actually get on track,”

“I’m excited to have all my sponsors on board for this season, Hire A Hubby, Entertainment Park – who are a really fun facility in Sydney – Porsche Centre Sydney South and Bondi Carpet. If anyone is looking for some work helping people out, Hire A Hubby is actively recruiting people to ‘become a Hubby’ at the moment”

“In terms of the new (Type 992) car it suits my driving style a bit better than last year. You can be a lot more aggressive and through testing we’re finding that we are quite quick. The Tekworkx crew and I have done everything we can to be competitive. We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out at the Grand Prix,” Youlden concluded.

In car #72 Vidau and Tyrepower are joined by XD clutches who the young South Australian has been partnered with for three years now, with Bondi Carpets coming on board to support the #72 as well.

For Vidau, the opening round of 2022 allows him to finally experience racing on the Albert Park Circuit after a false start in 2020.

“Starting the year on the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit is really cool and it will be good to finally do some racing on it. I was there when COVID struck on the Thursday in 2020, so I never got the opportunity to actually race,” said Vidau.

“The 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is awesome, it feels a lot more like a GT car and requires a slightly different driving style. It’s still very much a Porsche and awesome fun to drive, I’ve been having a lot of fun learning all the aspects of it.

“I’m excited to see how it goes on the new track, with the changes they made to the circuit it will certainly be a lot more flowing, quite suited to both F1 and the new Porsche Cup cars. Our car should be fast judging by testing, so we’ll be looking to roll out the gate quickly,” Vidau concluded.

Luke Youlden and Max Vidau will hit the track for Tekworkx Motorsport on Thursday 07 April at the Australian Grand Prix.

For more Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia news and content follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia

Round 1, AGP Schedule:

Thursday, April 7

11:45 -12:05 Practice

14:20 – 14:40 Qualifying

Friday, April 8

11:00 – 11:30 Race 1

17:15 – 1750 Race 2

Saturday, April 9

12:00 – 1225 Race 3

Sunday, April 10

11:05 -11:35 Race 4

David Russell joins EMA Motorsport for 2022 Carrera Cup season

EMA Motorsport confirms exciting initial 2022 plans across Australia and Europe

Australian-based EMA Motorsport Team has confirmed the first track activities as part of the Porsche Customer Racing stable. The team will campaign the full Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship season with experienced Pro driver, David Russell, in the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) model.

In parallel to the eight-round domestic calendar, EMA Motorsport will also resume European activities with exciting plans to compete over the summer. The confirmed entry will see EMA Motorsport supported by Porsche endurance experts Manthey-Racing, with a debut outing for the team’s 911 GT3R at the infamous Total Energies 24 hours of Spa.

The Victorian based team has rolled out for test sessions at Phillip Island and Winton, with Russell putting the first miles on the team’s newly-liveried 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup car, ahead of the first round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at the Australian Grand Prix on the 7-10 April in Melbourne.

Russell returns to the one make domestic Porsche Pro class for his ninth season in the championship, having debuted back in 2006. He brings extensive experience from across both the V8 Supercars and GT3 grids to the team, including double outright Bathurst 12-hour podium finishes.

David Russell: “I’m very excited to be joining EMA Motorsport for the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, they have shown to be very competitive in their GT racing campaigns and to join the team with a brand new 992 is very special. Feeling good after a successful test with the team and I’m looking forward to the first round at the AGP in a few weeks.”

Alongside the full Australian calendar entry, EMA Motorsport will also make a return to European competition at one of the most demanding on the global motorsport calendar; the Total Energies 24 Hours of Spa.

The blue riband event of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS schedule brings together a grid of over 50 entries from across the world, with some of the best talent in the world of GT competing around the clock at one of the most revered and iconic race circuits.

EMA Motorsport is no stranger to world-class endurance racing, having claimed overall and class podiums at the 2020 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hours. In 2022 GT World Challenge Europe events, EMA will receive technical support from the highly-decorated German race outfit and Porsche performance experts, Manthey-Racing in preparation of their Porsche 911 GT3R.

See the full image gallery here: https://www.carreracup.com.au/?p=12021&preview=true 

2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia calendar

07-10 April             Australian GP, VIC

21-22 May               Winton, VIC

17-19 June               Darwin, NT

8-10 July                 Townsville, QLD

29-31 July               The Bend, SA

19-21 August          Sandown, VIC

06-09 October       Bathurst NSW

28-30 October       Gold Coast, QLD

Pancione steps up to Carrera Cup Australia full-time in 2022

McElrea Racing’s Christian Pancione commits to full 2022 Carrera Cup Championship

Pancione will drive the #76 VCM Performance/HP Tuners Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 race car prepared by the championship-winning McElrea Racing team.

The 20-year-old took part in a three-day technical handover and test session hosted by Porsche Cars Australia at Sydney Motorsport Park in late January. Pancione has since tested the new 992 at Queensland Raceway, revealing the his new VCM Performance/HP Tuners livery this week.

Pancione moves up from the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, where he recorded race-wins and was a strong title contender before the pandemic cut last season short, finishing on the podium at the first round at Phillip Island before winning the Sydney Motorsport Park round with two race wins and a second.

“It was a tight battle between Ryan Suhle, myself and Callum Hedge, but I was confident I had a as strong a shot at winning the title as the others,” Pancione said.

“It was disappointing the season was cut short after just two rounds, but we’ve all got the same story to tell.”

Pancione also contested five Carrera Cup Australia rounds last year in a part-time learning campaign in preparation for a full-time move up in 2022, finishing ninth in series points in a significantly positive experience.

“The step up in competition was noticeable; it was far more intense racing with the top 10 all within 2/10ths of each other, so it was a lot closer and a whole lot easier to dent panels,” the Victorian driver said.

“Racing with guys like Craig Lowndes and David Wall, experienced guys who don’t back down and make you earn your spot, was a great experience.

“If I got to go back to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge last season as planned, it would’ve helped massively. That didn’t happen, but the experience has helped me be better prepared to step up full-time this year, and I’m looking forward to it.”

The first round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship is at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park on 7-10 April.