Jones claims Bathurst round by one point following dramatic finale

Russell claims final race on the Mountain as dramatic conclusion to Round 5

HARRI JONES has won a fourth consecutive Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship round by a single point following a dramatic conclusion to Round 6 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. 

He led home David Russell and Dale Wood in the Equity-One Professional class round results, while Adrian Flack claimed SP Tools Pro-Am over Rodney Jane and Matt Slavin in a dramatic round.

David Russell claimed his third race win of the year on Sunday at the Mountain as early leader Jones struck debris and slipped from the lead to fourth place early in the final 20-minute sprint race.

Jones’ had once again burst into an early lead from pole position however stuck debris at The Chase on the opening lap.

The impact tore the front splitter from his Porsche Centre Melbourne entry in the 250km/hr braking zone for the right-hander, forcing him to lock his front brakes and run off the road at high speed.

That handed the lead to David Russell, with Dale Wood second and a flying Jackson Walls third – Jones slipping back to fourth.

That order would have handed the round result to Russell’s TekworkX entry, potentially ending Jones’ streak of victories – however the race wasn’t done yet as Walls launched an attack on Wood for second position on the fifth lap at Murray’s Corner.

He clipped the inside kerb, which spun his Objective Porsche out of a potential podium position and handed Jones’ third place on the road.

That result was critical to the weekend overall as it gave the championship leader the round points lead by a single marker over Russell.

The leading trio finished in that order, Russell claiming his third race win of the season and eighth of his Carrera Cup career.

It also moves the TekworkX driver into second in the championship after challenging weekends for Jackson Walls and Dylan O’Keeffe put them behind in a furious fight for the runner-up spot in the the title race.

Fabian Coulthard continued his trend of moving forward across Carrera Cup rounds by racing to fourth following a feisty dice with David Wall, Bayley Hall, Glen Wood, Ryder Quinn, a recovering Walls and Ange Mouzouris completing the top-10.

Jones fourth consecutive round win continues his impact on the Carrera Cup record books – the feat just the fourth time in history that it has been achieved; Porsche legends Alex Davison (6 straight), Jim Richards and Craig Baird (four straight) the others.

Adrian Flack rebounded from a tough opening race to claim the SP Tools Pro-Am round by winning an eventful race three that saw plenty of drama.

Matt Slavin finished second in the race and Drew Hall third in his best ever Carrera Cup Pro-Am race finish.

Rodney Jane’s hopes of a Bathurst round win were diminished as he dropped down the order early in the race, while Sam Shahin’s weekend came to an end after a spin at the dipper saw his The Bend car stranded after hefty frontal contact with the wall.

Both Jones and Flack can not be topped in the lead of their respective classes at the next round of the championship at Surfers Paradise in two weeks time – both drivers assured of leading the way into the Adelaide finale’ in November.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be held on the streets of Surfers Paradise at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 in two weeks time.

Jones, Jane take Bathurst enduro as Walls seals Michelin deal

Safety Cars fill dramatic opening race at Mount Panorama

HARRI JONES and Rodney Jane claimed the winning honours in the opening Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship race at Mount Panorama, Bathurst as Jackson Walls sealed the first silverware of the season. 

While chaos unfolded in a 40-minute race – one that saw three restarts and several laps behind the Safety Car – Porsche Centre Melbourne’s Harri Jones and Sonic Motor Racing’s Rodney Jane kept their composure to claim the Equity-One Pro and SP Tools Pro-Am wins in race one.

Meanwhile, Walls’ sealed the Michelin Junior championship with a solid fifth-placed finish aboard his Objective Racing Porsche from McElrea Racing, the Sydneysider now enjoying an unassailable lead in the prestigious Junior title race.

The 40-minute timed raced commenced with Jones getting the jump on the field to lead into turn one, while behind David Russell’s TekworkX entry was able to jump Dale Wood for second in the run up to turn two.

The field didn’t have long to race, however, as the Safety Car was called quickly following a hefty impact for Harrison Goodman at Reid Park, the True Grid Sonic entry touching the inside wall before making heavier contact with the outside concrete as the field took evasive action.

Following that recovery the field returned to racing only for the leading Pro-Am protagonists, Sam Shahin and Adrian Flack, to come together at turn two. While Sam was able to recover and continue onwards, Flack’s car was briefly stranded on the inside kerb which forced the Safety Car deployment.

That brief Safety Car then set up another restart, Jones once again fending off Russell to hold on to his lead, while Wood, Bayley Hall – who had passed Jackson Walls on the opening lap – and Walls all battled for position behind.

Jones was able to manage his position ahead of the field to clear his Hastings Deering Porsche of any attack from behind, while Wood defended his spot on the podium from a feisty Hall in fourth.

The third and final Safety Car was deployed within the final five minutes of the race when Marcos Flack spun his Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic entry at the final corner, making heavy contact with the inside wall.

Flack and teammate Angelo Mouzouris had earlier in the lap traded paint as they ran side by side on the run through turn three to the Cutting while battling for 11th position.

The final Safety Car was a brief one, setting up a sprint to the flag over one final lap with Jones doing enough to claim the victory – the 16th of his career – over David Russell and Dale Wood.

Bayley Hall was fourth but couldn’t do anything about fellow Porsche Michelin Junior Jackson Walls, who finished right behind his closest title rival and sealed the Michelin Junior title.

David Wall gained ground early to finish sixth, Dylan O’Keeffe was seventh and Glen Wood eighth, while Fabian Coulthard and Nash Morris rounded out the top-10.

In SP Tools Pro-Am, Rodney Jane survived the drama to claim his 34th career victory and first since the opening race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix.

Matt Slavin finished second to equal his best ever Carrera Cup race result while Sam Shahin recovered to third following the earlier incident.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field returns for a second race at 3:25pm AEDT on Saturday, with the final race of the weekend to run Sunday morning as the curtain-raiser to the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Jones sneaks Bathurst pole as Flack continues Pro-Am sweep

Grids set for Bathurst in busy on-track Thursday at Mount Panorama

HARRI JONES and Adrian Flack have each battled their way to their fifth TAG Heuer Pole Awards of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship season in a tight session at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. 

The intense 30-minute session saw drivers struggle to generate early lap time, before a brief red flag and subsequent resumption of play saw times tumble in a furious eight-minute shootout for pole at the end of the session.

There were several leaders in the outright ranks before Jones’ asserted himself on his 10th flying lap, his 2m05.1652s flyer enough to bump Dale Wood from provisional pole by just 0.0499 seconds.

Jones will line up on pole for both races one and two this weekend but had to work harder for pole today than he has in several sessions of late.

Wood set the early benchmark in the session before David Russell moved to the top before the red flag flew after Matt Belford made light contact with the wall at Brock’s Skyline having been squeezed wide over the exit kerb and spinning.

His ID Group car made light rear contact with the fence at a place where few usually escape such a moment, and was able to drive himself back to pit lane before resuming the session.

The red flag flew just as a majority of the field had pitted for a second set of new tyres and set up a sprint to the finish.

After much jostling for position on the out laps, it then became a straightforward shootout for pole at the end as Jones ultimately jumped from fourth to third and then to pole position late in the session.

With Wood second David Russell was third, however will line up second for the second race in what was a competitive day for the TekworkX racer.

Jackson Walls was a late improver and jumped to fourth late in the session while Bayley Hall was fifth in the sister McElrea car.

Dylan O’Keeffe, Nash Morris, David Wall, Glen Wood and Angelo Mouzouris completed the top-10.

The battle in SP Tools Pro-Am was almost as intense as Adrian Flack battled his way to the top spot for the fifth consecutive round.

The Agas National / EBM driver has now set the fastest time in every session bar one this year.

Flack grabbed pole by three-tenths of a second over Sam Shahin while Matt Slavin and a recovering Matt Belford were next.

Both Jones and Flack have assured themselves of the respective end-of-year TAG Heuer pole position awards, with no other drivers able to beat them this year.

Both also extended their respective championship leads by an additional point, with Jones now 181 in front of nearest rival Jackson Walls and unable to be topped this weekend.

The opening Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia race of Round 6 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, gets underway at 2:25pm PM on Friday afternoon – a 40-minute Bathurst encounter to also contribute to the Enduro Cup standings.

Two shorter sprint races will then complete the weekend, one each on Saturday and Sunday.

All races will be live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, Sky Sport NZ, Channel 7 and 7plus this weekend.

First 2024 Porsche title to be decided this weekend at Mount Panorama

Michelin Junior crown up for grabs on the Mountain

THE PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship heads to Mount Panorama this week as key records continue to be broken in this year’s competitive title chase.

This weekend marks the 20^th Carrera Cup round at the iconic circuit in Country New South Wales, with the annual pilgrimage a feature on the championship calendar every year.

A 24-strong field will tackle the three races this weekend, including the Sunday morning curtain-raiser to the Repco Bathurst 1000, which last year was one of the most-viewed Carrera Cup races of all time.

Key storylines continue to unfold in the championship this year with one milestone to be decided on the mountain – the latest winner of the Porsche Michelin Junior Championship.

There, Jackson Walls and Bayley Hall will battle for the right to represent Carrera Cup Australia against the world’s best young one-make Porsche stars. Walls leads Hall by 147 points, with 181 up for grabs this weekend.

Walls, who sits second outright in the Equity-One Professional class standings, also leads the Enduro Cup standings by 20 markers with three of the longer-distance races to run this year.

While Harri Jones is 180 points in front of the championship – with 181 available in Bathurst – there’s lots on the line for second, third and fourth. Walls leads Dylan O’Keeffe by just five points, while David Russell is 43 further back in fourth.

O’Keeffe remains the only driver on the grid to finish every race in the top 10 this season.

Jones’ recent Sandown round win was just the 9^th time in history a driver has won 3 rounds in a row.

The Mount Panorama field welcomes back former series champion David Wall and his Wall Racing teammate, Drew Hall, who will make his first start of the season this weekend.

The SP Tools Pro-Am battle has seen a record-smashing year for title leader Adrian Flack, who has a comfortable 300-point lead over closest rival, Matt Slavin – though that is before the worst round score for the season is dropped, with only 7 of 8 championship rounds counting to the overall season.

Flack has helped to re-write the Carrera Cup record books this season with an incredible year so far.

His 13^th SP Tools Pro-Am round win, achieved at Sandown last time out, equalled Max Twigg for second on the all-time list (led by Stephen Grove on 17). Flack has won eight consecutive Pro-Am rounds, a series record. No driver in series history has won more than 6 in a season, irrespective of the class.

Flack has won 37 races, now second of all time in Carrera Cup’s Pro-Am class.

His twelve consecutive race wins between Race 2, Round 1 in Melbourne and Race 2, Round 5 at Sandown, equalled an all-time record held by Rodney Jane, set in 2006.

Flack now has 17 TAG Heuer Pole awards, the most of any driver in Pro-Am history.

He has scored 7 consecutive poles, dating back to Surfers Paradise last year. That equals the Carrera Cup record, set twice by Rodney Jane in 2006 and 2007. One more consecutive pole would be the most of all time in Pro-Am PCCA history.

British driver Harry King won the 2023 Carrera Cup round at Mount Panorama following a trio of intense races with a then-returning Harri Jones.

King and Jones’ battled all weekend long, at one point trading paint in a close moment at turn two.

King also set the Carrera Cup Bathurst lap record during the races, while Jones owns the Qualifying record and was the first driver to lap beneath 2m05 seconds in a Cup Car on Mount Panorama.

Action commences on Thursday this week with practice and qualifying, with one race each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the Great Race program.

Every session will be broadcast live on Fox Sports ‘Bathurst Channel’ and Kayo Sports in Australia, and Sky Sports in New Zealand.

All three championship races will also be broadcast live and free on 7sport this weekend, on Channel 7 and the 7plus app.

2024 PORSCHE PAYNTER DIXON CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA
Round 6, Entry List

Porsche New Zealand scholarship applications now open

Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) are excited to announce the opening of applications for their annual scholarship program. This initiative aims to support a talented young New Zealand driver in competing in the 2025 season for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, and a second driver in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

Entering its fifth year, the Porsche New Zealand scholarship program has a history of excellence. Team Porsche New Zealand clinched both Australian Porsche championship trophies in 2023 and has been instrumental in advancing the careers of rising stars Matthew Payne, Ryan Wood, and Callum Hedge.

Currently, 2024 Carrera Cup Australia driver Marco Giltrap holds 7th place in the Michelin Junior Trophy, while his teammate Brock Gilchrist is contending for the top spot in the Michelin Sprint Challenge championship, with the season finale set for October at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The scholarship program benefits from the guidance of Earl Bamber, a two-time Le Mans 24-hour champion and former Porsche Factory driver. Earl’s extensive experience and commitment to developing New Zealand’s motorsport talent add significant value to the program.

This scholarship provides a remarkable opportunity to progress through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and enter the exhilarating world of international motorsport. Recipients will join Team Porsche New Zealand and compete in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia for at least one year, with the potential to apply for a Porsche Carrera Cup Australia seat in subsequent seasons. The scholarship includes the use of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car and partial funding for the 2025 season.

Applications are open until 11th October 2024. To apply for this scholarship, candidates will need to attach a CV that outlines relevant motorsport experience as well as a 300-word summary of why they should be the next Team Porsche New Zealand Driver. A short list of applicants will then be chosen for interviews and assessments before a final selection will be made.

Please Note: This is a junior Scholarship program, and applicants must be between the age of 16 – 21 as of January 1st, 2024, and must be a resident or citizen of New Zealand.

Further information on how to apply is available at porsche.co.nz/teamporschenz

Earl Bamber Motorsport Owner, Earl Bamber:
”We are excited to open entries for the Team Porsche New Zealand scholarship in 2025. Once again, the 2024 season has shown the pedigree of kiwi talent with Brock Gilchrist in Sprint Challenge Australia and Marco Giltrap in Carrera Cup Australia and Asia. We see a lot of exiting young talent in both Australian series but also in GT New Zealand and local go-karting, so we are excited to see all the applicants for 2025”

Porsche New Zealand General Manager, Greg Clarke:
“We have been pleased to see the 2024 season continue our successful track record for helping young kiwi talent excel overseas. This initiative not only highlights our commitment to nurturing local talent but also reinforces Porsche’s dedication to motorsport excellence. We look forward to discovering the next generation of Kiwi drivers who will represent us on the international stage as we open applications for the 2025 program.”

About Team Porsche New Zealand
Team Porsche New Zealand was established in late 2019 through a partnership between Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) to nurture and advance the careers of young New Zealand motorsport talents in Australia. This scholarship program offers promising drivers the chance to compete in the Carrera Cup Australia, a pivotal component of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, as well as in the Porsche Sprint Challenge, a crucial feeder series.

Based in Brisbane and managed by EBM, the team benefits from the expertise of Earl Bamber, a two-time Le Mans 24-hour champion. Earl himself advanced his career through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, competing in Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Super Cup, and ultimately becoming a factory driver for Porsche in both the World Endurance Championship and the North American International Motor Sports Association.

Annually, the scholarship program selects one talented New Zealand driver for a seat in the 992 GT3 Cup Car for Carrera Cup Australia, and another for the 991.2 GT3 Cup Car in Sprint Challenge Australia. With Earl Bamber’s extensive international racing experience and Porsche Motorsport expertise, the program offers a unique and valuable opportunity for young drivers to hone their skills and achieve success in their motorsport careers.

Tom McLennan to tribute to iconic Porsche look at Mount Panorama

Tom McLennan will tip his hat to a special piece of Porsche history at Mount Panorama for Round 6 of the Partner Dixon Porsche Carrera Cup Championship next month.

The 19 year old Queenslander will drive his Earl Bamber Motorsport entry in a car that takes a modern twist to the ‘Pink Pig’ – first made famous on the Le Mans Porsche 917/20.

Porsche designer Anatole Lapine first used the pink body colour on a Porsche for the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and labelled each of the body parts according to the butcher-style cut of a pig.

At the time, the Porsche caused a sensation and the car was quickly dubbed ‘The Pink Pig.’

Fast forward more than 50 years and the iconic look of the 917/20 has been replicated many times in different racing and road-going Porsches around the world.

At Bathurst next month, McLennan will race his ‘Purple Pig’ – paying homage to the original Le Mans racer, with some subtle and modern differences, including the use of English words, rather than the German language used on the original.

The livery will carry support from McLennan’s regular partners Macpro, as well as a ‘thank you’ to the Porsche Club Queensland. This year, the club celebrates its 50th anniversary, and McLennan is a regular contributor to the club.

McLennan is no stranger to competition at Mount Panorama, having raced at the famous track in both the Bathurst 12 Hour and 6 Hour races this year.

The Queenslander finished second in the GT4 class at the 12 Hour and claimed fifth in the outright class in the 6 Hour race.

Carrera Cup will support the Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, with practice kicking off on Thursday, October 10, and qualifying held all the way through the weekend, culminating in the last of three races on Sunday, October 13.

Tom McLennan

#81 Macpro Porsche

“It’s really cool to run such an iconic Porsche colour scheme on our car for the Bathurst Carrera Cup race weekend,” said McLennan.

“The colour scheme and design of this car was first made famous over 50 years ago, and we’ve seen many different Porsches over the years use the colours. I feel honoured to be part of the history.

“It’s also really great to be representing Porsche Club Queensland at Bathurst. They are celebrating 50 years in 2024, and that’s no mean feat to be supporting its members for so many years.

“This is our first year racing in Carrera Cup, making the step up from Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge. It has been a steep learning curve, but we are certainly making progress every time we step into the car.

“Mount Panorama is just the best track. And in the Carrera Cup car, it’s an absolute pleasure to drive around. I’ve done quite a bit of racing there this year, so we’ll be looking to put all of our practice and knowledge into use come race weekend.”

Jones takes Sandown as records roll in Carrera Cup season

Adrian Flack takes Pro-Am deadlock in countback result as series prepares for Bathurst..

HARRI JONES and Adrian Flack have once again emerged the big winners from a Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia round, though it was by no means easy. 

The pair of championship leaders – Jones in Equity-One Pro and Flack in SP Tools Pro-Am – won the third and final race of round 5 at Sandown and by virtue of that also claimed the round.

Jones completed a perfect launch into a comfortable win over Dylan O’Keeffe and Jackson Walls on Sunday, breaking the lap record on his way to career win number 15.

He led home that same duo for the round podium with O’Keeffe in the top three for the second straight round, and Walls’ for the eighth time in his career.

It was Jones’ fifth career round win, the fourth of his remarkable season and ensures that he provisionally takes what is essentially a full round’s worth of championship points’ lead into Bathurst next month.

Flack, however had to fight even harder for his round victory amidst a thrilling four car Pro-Am freight train that would end up determining the race and round winners.

He held off Cook all race to win the race and take the round on a countback – by virtue of finishing higher in the final race. Matt Belford fended off Rodney Jane in the final corner to secure third for the race and the round.

Sunday’s race was the first this weekend held in dry conditions with everyone taking advantage of fresh Michelin slicks that hadn’t been touched since qualifying on Friday.

Jones’ led early while behind he and O’Keefe, Coulthard first passed Walls only to lose the spot promptly in the battle through the turn two, three and four chicane.

There was early drama behind as Glen Wood was turned around at turn one, the field splitting the stranded Ranbuild Porsche who was left a non-finisher.

Jones’ settled down in front, eventually re-setting O’Keeffe’s existing Sandown lap record with the first Carrera Cup racing lap in the 68-second range.

While the the top three ran lock-step for the entire race, Coulthard and Bayley Hall battled over fourth and fifth position with Nash Morris completing his excellent weekend in sixth.

David Russell, Ryder Quinn, Dale Wood and Lockie Bloxsom – in a career best weekend – rounded out the top 10, the five spending much of their race duelling for position in the back half of the top 10.

Behind, a furious fight for the minors continued with Ange Mouzouris, sans front splitter, spending much of the race fending off a battle pack that included Marco Giltrap, Tom McLennan, Caleb Sumich and teammate, Marcos Flack.

The Pro-Am fight went all the way to the line in what was arguably the most competitive event of the season for Carrera Cup’s race within a race.

With three rounds remaining, Harri Jones provisionally leads the Carrera Cup Championship’s Equity-One Pro standings by 180 points, with 181 available at Mount Panorama next time out.

Jackson Walls in second and Dylan O’Keeffe in third, however, are split by a much smaller margin, with David Russell fourth and Bayley Hall moving to fifth.

In SP Tools Pro-Am, Adrian Flack leads by a healthy margin, while Matt Slavin, Rodney Jane and Matt Belford remain evenly matched in the fight for second, third and fourth.

The sixth round of the 2024 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see the field return to the legendary Mount Panorama circuit for the Repco Bathurst 1000 this October.

Carrera Cup streaks end on dramatic Sandown Saturday

Melbourne weather delivers wild day and unpredictable results

TWO of among the longest race winning streaks in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship history have dramatically come to an end in a typically unpredictable day of racing at Sandown Raceway. 

Two dramatic races saw a pair of winners each in Equity-One Pro and SP Tools Pro-Am, with the second race of the day delivering fresh winners in both classes.

Harri Jones and Adrian Flack claimed the wins in the first sprint race of the day, before a wildly unpredictable Enduro Cup race saw their winning runs ended.

Jackson Walls ended Harri Jones’ winning run at seven straight races in Pro, while Matt Belford took the Pro-Am win to end an Adrian Flack winning run that dates back to the Australian Grand Prix in March – 12 race wins ago.

The sprint race was held in fully wet conditions with Dylan O’Keeffe getting the best jump from the outside of the front row, beating Harri Jones into the first corner.

The pair then engaged in a tight duel for the lead, pulling away from the pack as they battled with intensity – both surviving several near-miss moments on an incredibly slippery circuit.

Jones would eventually pounce, grabbing the lead mid-race before pulling away from O’Keeffe. Bayley Hall spent his race fending off Fabian Coulthard before eventually claiming his first top three finish since Round 1 at the Grand Prix, with Coulthard next.

David Russell completed the top five with Walls, Morris, Dale Wood, Zac Best – on debut – and Glenn Wood completing the top 10.

In SP Tools Pro-Am, Adrian Flack won his 12th straight race, beating home a recovering Sam Shahin and Rodney Jane.

Shahin started slowly having been unable to see the repeater start lights on the grid, while Jane’s podium was the seventh of his season.

The Enduro Cup race was intense before the red lights went out with a rain shower moments before the race casting doubt over whether wet tyres or dry were the best option.

Nine cars elected for slicks, while the contenders at the front of the field remained wedded to their Michelin Wets as the race commenced.

That would prove to be the winning decision as a shower mid-race removed any possible late-race advantage the slick runners would have had.

Through it all came Jackson Walls, who made a perfect start and then passed Dylan O’Keeffe to grab the lead early in the race.

He then fended off a mid-race charge from Jones to secure his second win of the season, his fourth overall and first since Taupo earlier this year.

It also saw the Objective Racing driver extend his lead in the Endurance Cup championship, having come into the round leading the Carrera Cup ‘race within a race’.

Jones continued his momentum with a recovery drive to second – having slipped to third at the start – while a charging drive from David Russell late in the day saw him edge Dylan O’Keeffe to third place by less than a car length following a last corner move.

With O’Keeffe fourth, Nash Morris charged to fifth while Fabian Coulthard was sixth. Hall – who survived a wild 360-degree spin on lap one – Lockie Bloxsom – who scored his best ever Carrera Cup result – Ryder Quinn and Caleb Sumich completed the top-10.

Matt Belford won the Pro-Am fight, scoring his first win of the season in his ID Group / Melbourne Performance Centre entry.

Making the right call to start on wets, Belford jumped to the lead after early leader Dean Cook survived an off in the wet conditions.

With Flack and Shahin among those starting on slicks, Belford took full advantage and powered to victory – remarkably winning by a full lap.

Cook survived to second while Matt Slavin scored third in class.

A third and final race completes Round 5 of the championship on Sunday at the Penrite Sandown 500, with the sprint race set to start at 12:00pm – broadcast live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Sky NZ.

Qualifying kings on top again at Sandown

Harri Jones and Adrian Flack secure season TAG Heuer Pole Awards at Sandown

THE KINGS of Porsche qualifying have continued their 2024 reign, as the grid was set for Round 5 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia in a chaotic, unpredictable session at Sandown today. 

Through one of the closest qualifying sessions of the year, Harri Jones (Equity One Pro) and Adrian Flack (SP Tools Pro-Am) scored the respective TAG Heuer Pole Position awards.

It was the fourth pole for each driver this season, meaning neither can be beaten for the season-long TAG Heuer Pole Award competition this year – assuring each a brand-new TAG Heuer timepiece at the end of season Carrera Cup gala in Adelaide.

Jones’ fourth pole of the year and seventh career effort saw him top the charts with a 1m08.7300s session in what he described as a ‘scrappy’ 30-minute session.

Jones’ becomes just the seventh driver in history to score three or more consecutive pole positions in a Carrera Cup season, while the Queenslander also now sits equal sixth on the all-time pole sitters list in Carrera Cup.

The Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport driver ended up just 0.1 seconds faster than Dylan O’Keeffe, who struggled early in qualifying before rebounding strongly to jump to second late in the piece aboard his GWR Australia entry.

McElrea’s duo of Jackson Walls (third) and Bayley Hall (fourth) were next, their efforts bumping the season’s only other pole winner, David Russell, to fifth by sessions’ end.

Fabian Coulthard equalled his best session of the year with sixth while a return to form saw Nash Morris a sharp seventh in his STM entry.

On debut, Zak Best qualified his EMA Motorsport car eighth while Marcos Flack and Dale Wood completed the top-10.

A red flag with 10 minutes remaining set up an intense run to the flag in today’s session with drivers’ having just six minutes to set a lap when the session removed.

Though several pushed hard to try and unseat Jones, at one point his advantage was three-tenths of a second before O’Keeffe narrowed the margin late.

The story was similar in SP Tools Pro-Am as Adrian Flack scored his fourth pole of the season – and fourth straight this year.

After struggling in practice, Flack’s 1m09.6993s flyer was within 0.96s of Jones’ outright pole position time and places his AGAS National car in 17th outright.

Sam Shahin qualified second on his return to the championship following a strong debut season in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, while last year’s Sandown winner Dean Cook ended his day in third – just 0.01s behind Shahin.

Rodney Jane was less than a tenth back in fourth with fellow home-town hero Matt Belford fifth. Matt Slavin, Stephen Grove and Marc Cini rounded out the 8-strong Pro-Am field.

Tomorrow will see a pair of races on the Penrite Sandown 500 program, with race 1 at 9:15am and the second – the Enduro Cup race – at 2:55pm.

Porsche Carrera Cup reaches 150 round milestone

Championship launches second half of 2024 season at Sandown 500

A MILESTONE moment for the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see Australia’s top one-make category contest its 150^th points-paying round this weekend at Sandown.

The championship has built a rich history in Australia since its debut in 2003, with some of the biggest names in Australian and New Zealand Motorsport having tasted success behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car.

This weekend marks Round 5 of the 2024 championship which resumes after a midseason break with Harri Jones (Equity One Pro) and Adrian Flack (SP Tools Pro-Am) leading the way.

A 26-strong field will tackle Sandown’s long straights and high kerbs this weekend, including the Porsche Carrera Cup debuts of young-gun Caleb Sumich and Super2 / Supercars racer, Zak Best.

The first Carrera Cup Australia round was held in 2003 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit and was won by Jim Richards, who went on to dominate the inaugural season.

The 50^th round was held at the same circuit in 2008, eventual champion Craig Baird claiming the win aboard a Porsche entered by Peter Fitzgerald’s team.

The series’ milestone 100^th round also came in Victoria, Cameron McConville claiming outright honours at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in 2017.

Of the 149 rounds contested to date, Marc Cini has the most starts of any Carrera Cup driver, contesting 131 rounds aboard his Hallmarc Property Group entry. The Victorian is the only driver to have started more than 100 rounds in series’ history.

David Wall sits second on the all-time round starts list with 82, followed by Rodney Jane (72), Nick McBride (71) and Craig Baird (66).

10 drivers have started more than a third of every Carrera Cup round contested, while 53 have started at least 20 rounds.

Other active drivers feature prominently in the round starts list, with David Russell (62), Dean Cook (55), Dylan O’Keeffe and Dale Wood (45 each) featuring in the top 15.

The championship has held rounds at 18 different venues, including two overseas – Sepang in Malaysia and Taupo, New Zealand. There have been Carrera Cup rounds in every Australian state and territory except for the ACT and Tasmania.

Sandown will host its 14^th event this weekend, equaling Albert Park on the list of most-visited Carrera Cup venues.

Only Adelaide (15), the Surfers Paradise street circuit (18 rounds) and Bathurst (19) sit higher on the list.

45 drivers have claimed Carrera Cup round victories over the journey, 30 of them claiming more than one.

Just three drivers have won 10 or more rounds, however, with five-time champion Craig Baird topping the list with 21 – in front of Alex Davison (17 round wins) and Jim Richards’ with 10.

On nine occasions a driver has won a round without winning a race, while 59 rounds have seen the winning driver sweep the weekend.

On five occasions two drivers have shared a round win thanks to the two-driver, Pro-Am races contested annually between 2013-2017.

72 different drivers have taken trophies home from Carrera Cup rounds, Craig Baird (43 podium finishes) and Alex Davison (40) unlikely to be toppled at the top of that particular leaderboard any time soon.

Of active drivers, David Wall sits equal fourth with Steven Richards on 21 podiums while David Russell (16), Dale Wood (15), Fabian Coulthard (14) and Dylan O’Keeffe (11) all sit in the top 10 of all-time trophy getters in PCCA.

Among the teams, McElrea Racing has claimed the most Carrera Cup round wins of all time with 27, just one solitary victory ahead of long-time rivals Sonic Motor Racing on 26.

Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport and Greg Murphy Racing have each won 14 rounds, while Jim Richards’ own team claimed 13 – with both Richards’ and Alex Davison driving.

The 150^th Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship round commences this Friday with a pair of practice sessions, with qualifying and three races to follow across the weekend at the Penrite Sandown 500.

Live broadcast coverage will be available via Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports in Australia, plus Sky Sports in New Zealand.

ENTRY LIST – ROUND 5, SANDOWN

EMA Motorsport to make Carrera Cup return with Zak Best

Porsche debut for experienced Best as EMA signals winning intentions

EMA Motorsport will make a return to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Sandown Raceway this week, signing Supercars ace Zak Best to drive their Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car.

Best, 22, will make his Carrera Cup debut with the team at Sandown – the event to be a return to local competition for the Melbourne-based squad.

The car will feature Link Cold Storage & Transport as the major sponsor for the event.

EMA’s last race in Australia was their successful campaign at the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour in February, which delivered an outright win with their Porsche 992 GT3R co-entered with Manthey Racing, and victory in the Pro-Am class with the sister car.

The team’s last Carrera Cup start saw British driver Harry King claim all three races and the round at Mount Panorama last October, delivering EMA their first win in the one-make championship after several years of trying.

The team has remained extremely active in international competition, however, with the Manthey-EMA Porsche claiming the LMGT3 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, while the team has also been a race winner in the DTM championship this year.

Best has completed several test days with the team ahead of his Sandown debut, including spending time with EMA’s international operations with a test at the famous Nürburgring in Germany, where he worked alongside now three-time Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion, Larry ten Voorde.

Round 5 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia will be held at Sandown Raceway between September 13-15.

ZAK BEST

“I’m excited to be back in a race car and to be joining a great category like Carrera Cup. Joining EMA Motorsport has been great and have this opportunity to build something good moving forward.

“Sitting on the other side was the first learning curve in adapting to the Porsche. With the rear engine the setups very different and warming the car is all different, but I am enjoying the experience so far and have had a few test days to get up to speed.

“To have the chance to run around the GP track at Nürburgring and lean off some of the really good guys over there was great – I worked with Larry ten Voorde throughout the day and that was fantastic.

“I don’t think many people have an idea of just how good EMA are. Hopefully we can show that they are there to win – they are a great team and it’s a privilege to be driving for them.”

MARCUS COLE – TEAM MANAGER, EMA MOTORSPORT

“We have been working diligently behind the scenes to return EMA to Carrera Cup this season and we are happy to have come to the point where we can announce that Zak Best will be in the #90 Porsche for Sandown.

“Zak has been very impressive in testing and is hungry to show what he is capable of this season.

“It’s exciting for EMA Motorsport to work with Zak and get back on track in a bid to continue our run of success in Australia, including the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Bathurst round of Carrera Cup Australia last year.

“The field is as competitive as ever but we know we are up for the challenge and with Zak we have the driver to do the job behind the wheel.”

Caleb Sumich to make Carrera Cup debut

Michelin Sprint Challenge graduate set for step up to main game grid

PORSCHE MICHELIN Junior Caleb Sumich will make his Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship debut at the Sandown 500 next week. 

The 18-year-old from Western Australia will graduate from Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge to the main game of one-make Porsche racing with his existing team, McElrea Racing, and will contest three of the final four rounds of this years championship.

Starting at Sandown, Sumich will then also tackle the Gold Coast and Adelaide street circuits that round out the Carrera Cup year.

Sumich is a race and round winner in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia this year and currently sits fourth in the series with one round to go.

A graduate from one-make Radical Cup Australia competition, Sumich made his debut early last year before returning for a second campaign in 2024. He dramatically claimed the opening round of the championship in a three-way countback, by virtue of winning the final race.

Sumich has been testing his 992-generation GT3 Cup Car this year in and around commitments racing the previous-generation car in Michelin Sprint Challenge.

Sumich continues the ongoing journey of Michelin Juniors graduating from Sprint Challenge to Carrera Cup, the West Aussie having competed with current Carrera Cup racers Nash Morris, Marcos Flack, Marco Giltrap, Tom McLennan, Harrison Goodman and teammate Lochie Bloxsom last year.

Round five of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship commences at Sandown next week.

CALEB SUMICH

“I’m super excited to finally make my Carrera Cup debut,” Sumich said.

“I’ve been watching it for a long time, basically since I was karting, and especially following the likes of Jordan and Aaron Love who like me are from the West.

“I’m excited to see what it’s like and learn what it’s like to race with these guys at such a high level. The field is strong and competing in the top Porsche category against guys who have raced and won at high levels of the sport is great.

“I love the 992, I feel more comfortable in it than the older car – it’s got more aero and it looks the best.”

ANDY MCELRA – Team Owner, McElrea Racing

“We’ve worked with Caleb since his debut in Michelin Sprint Challenge last year and his progress has been strong, so he’s ready to make the step up to Carrera Cup next week.

“Caleb has been splitting his time between his 991.2 GT3 Cup Car in Sprint Challenge and testing his 992 GT3 Cup Car with the long term plan of making a debut in Carrera Cup at some point this year.

“It’s a smart way to hit the ground running for a full season in 2025 and he’ll get lots of laps at circuits where you can’t test like the Gold Coast and Adelaide.

“It’s always exciting to see one of our talented youngsters making the step up as they chase their dreams and we’ll get to enjoy that again this week.”

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport lands in Australia

Brand-new GT4 contender arrives Down Under

PORSCHE MOTORSPORT’S latest and greatest contender designed for global GT4 competition has landed in Australia.

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport represents Porsche’s latest iteration of its global contender for GT4 competition, with significant if evolutionary gains over previous models.

With a further allocation secured by Porsche Motorsport Australia, eight cars have now landed in Australia with a majority already sold to either returning or brand-new customers.

These include the car currently utilised by 2023 GT4 Australia winner Shane Smollen, who currently leads the Pro-Am standings in the 2024 series aboard his Method Motorsport-run entry.

The 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport represents Porsche evolution at its finest with several improvements to performance, adjustability, accessibility and affordability over the previous 718 GT4.

Powered by a 4.0-litre flat six, the car produces 368 kilowatts in unrestricted form with power delivered to the rear wheels via a 7-speed PDK gearbox.

The latest car features shorter gear ratios for better performance and suitability at a wider range of circuits than the existing model.

The car weighs just 1330kg with the latest model featuring front wings, bonnet, doors and front aero components made from natural fibre composites to reduce weight.

Inside, the car features a steering wheel closely related to the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car and a Cosworth dashboard and data logging system. ABS, ESC and Traction Control settings are all adjustable from the cockpit, while dampers, spring rates and roll bars are all adjustable as well.

The car comes ‘turnkey’ and ready to accept balance of performance measures utilised by SRO GT competition at any event.

As well as the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series, the Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport is also eligible for various national, state and club level racing events or for high performance track activities at the owner’s discretion.

Interested parties can contact motorsport@porsche.com.au for more information or to lodge an EOI, while the car will also be on display at the Penrite Sandown 500 alongside the fifth round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

John Murray, Director of Marketing and Motorsport, Porsche Cars Australia

“The exciting growth of GT4 competition in Australia has come at the perfect time to correspond with the local, formal launch of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

“We worked hard to secure an allocation of cars for Australia in anticipation that it would be a strong product that our current and future customers would be interested in.

“Demand for the car has been high and we are looking forward to seeing these cars hit the track this year, with more to arrive in Australia for the start of next year.

“Our Motorsport team are looking forward to continuing and expanding their support of Porsche competitors in GT4 competition in Australia, where we know this car will be an extremely competitive proposition.”

Porsche pathway well positioned in Superlicence restructure

Carrera Cup, Sprint Challenge recognised for their competition in updated points system

A REVISED Superlicence points structure ensures the Porsche Motorsport Australia pathway continues to provide excellent representation for drivers looking to progress to the Repco Supercars Championship. 

Motorsport Australia has announced a revised Superlicence points structure for 2025 with both the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series well represented at the pointy-end of the allocations.

The revised allocations recognise the depth of competition in both categories this year, with both Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge featuring strong grids, high level competition and a host of talented young drivers taking part in the Porsche Michelin Junior Program this year.

This means young drivers and Porsche Michelin Juniors can rapidly accrue the required 15 points needed to obtain a Superlicence and a potential Supercars drive, while still making the most of the Porsche Pyramid in Australia and keeping potential international racing aspirations alive at the same time.

Success in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship awards 12 Superlicence points to those finishing first, second or third in the championship, with 10 points awarded to the driver finishing fourth and 8 to the driver in fifth.

Carrera Cup is one of only two categories within the revised structure that award Superlicence points down to 10th position.

Michelin Sprint Challenge competitors will receive 10 points for winning the title, 8 for second and 6 for third with points allocated down to 7th in the series standings.

A host of drivers have utilised the ultra-competitive Porsche pathway in Australia to progress to Supercars competition recently.

Cameron Hill, Matthew Payne, Andre Heimgartner, Cameron Hill, Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Aaron Love and enduro wildcard Cooper Murray are all former winners or champions in either Carrera Cup or Sprint Challenge Australia in recent years, while David Reynolds and Nick Percat had success in Carrera Cup competition earlier in their careers.

While not requiring the Superlicence points any longer, David Russell, Fabian Coulthard, Dylan O’Keeffe and Dale Wood all tackle the Carrera Cup Australia championship alongside their Supercars Endurance season co-driver roles.

The full points allocation for 2025 can be found at the Motorsport Australia website here. 

Jones, Flack domination continues at pair sweep Sydney

Carrera Cup field heads to winter break with title contenders making their mark

HARRI JONES and Adrian Flack have swept Sydney before them to claim dominant victories in Round 4 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

The pair head into a mid-season break holding commanding leads in their respective title battles thanks to imperious weekends at Sydney Motorsport Park that saw Jones take pole and three wins in Equity-One Pro, and Flack achieve the same in SP Tools Pro-Am.

Jones led home Dylan O’Keeffe and David Russell in the Pro class, while Flack was joined on the Pro-Am podium by second-placed Rodney Jane and Matt Belford.

With a two-month break prior to the next round at Sandown, Jones’ championship lead provisionally sits at 145 points, with Jackson Walls second and Russell third, just nine points further back.

Adrian Flack leads Matt Slavin and Rodney Jane in the Pro-Am class, though drivers will need to drop their worst round of the year prior to the end of the season, with only 7 of the 8 rounds counting.

RACE 3

Jones completed his Sydney sweep with another lights-to-flag victory ahead of Dylan O’Keeffe in Race 3 at Sydney Motorsport Park, however there was plenty of action in his wake. 

The two leaders finished well ahead of the chasing pack, which included a busy three-car battle for the final spot in the top three that at the line went to Fabian Coulthard.

The Kiwi had spent much of the race first in a battle with Marco Giltrap and then with David Russell and had passed the TekworkX driver to cross the line in third – however a five-second penalty for a driving infringement, related to the battle with Giltrap, ultimately saw the BWT Porsche drop to sixth in the final standings.

That returned Russell to the top three with Jackson Walls fourth and Garth Tander a stunning fifth.

The Bathurst winner started 15th but scythed his way through the field with better condition tyres than those around him, catching the battling Russell and Walls’ in the race’s closing stages.

Angelo Mouzouris, Marco Giltrap, Bayley Hall and Ryder Quinn completed the top-10, which included plenty of hard battles through the field.

Drama on the opening lap for Marcos Flack and Nick McBride dropped them down the order – the former recovering to 14th position.

Flack again won the SP Tools Pro-Am class ahead of Jane and Matt Belford, which also replicated the overall round podium.

RACE 2 (Endurance Cup) 

HARRI JONES posted another emphatic performance to claim his second straight Enduro Cup win on Sunday morning at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

As he did in race one, Jones nailed the start and used supreme cold tyre pace to build his lead over a racy Jackson Walls early, and was never headed from there.

Walls chased hard throughout the 45-minute encounter, the pair trading quickest laps and never split by more than three seconds – in turn, finishing 10 seconds ahead of third-placed Coulthard.

The BWT driver had a racy affair, slipping past Dylan O’Keeffe mid-race following a lengthy battle to secure his first top three finish since the Gold Coast last year. With O’Keeffe settling for fourth, David Russell finished fifth and Marco Giltrap sixth – the pair having battled for much of the race.

Behind them were challenging tails for some, Bayley Hall crossing the line just behind Giltrap before a five second penalty relegated him to 11th in the final standings. Tom McLennan (18th) and Garth Tander (17th) were also recipients of a track limits penalty.

Dale Wood, David Wall, Nash Morris and Angelo Mouzouris completed the top-10 in the enduro cup affair.

Adrian Flack secured his eleventh straight SP Tools Pro-Am class win, once again mixing it with the Equity-One Pro runners en route to 19th outright.

The victory was the 37th of his career, which pulled him clear of Stephen Grove in the all-time Pro-Am winners list – Flack now only trailing three-time class champion Max Twigg (48 wins) in the all-time leaderboard.

While Flack ran away in front, a furious battle was fought for second, third and fourth: Matt Belford fighting off Matt Slavin by just one-tenth of a second – with Rodney Jane right behind them with the trio split by just 0.4 seconds as the line.

Jones takes Enduro Cup race to build Sydney sweep

Flack continues Pro-Am streak as tight fight for second highlights Race 2

HARRI JONES posted another emphatic performance to claim his second straight Enduro Cup win on Sunday morning at Sydney Motorsport Park. 

As he did in race one, Jones nailed the start and used supreme cold tyre pace to build his lead over a racy Jackson Walls early, and was never headed from there.

Walls chased hard throughout the 45-minute encounter, the pair trading quickest laps and never split by more than three seconds – in turn, finishing 10 seconds ahead of third-placed Coulthard.

The BWT driver had a racy affair, slipping past Dylan O’Keeffe mid-race following a lengthy battle to secure his first top three finish since the Gold Coast last year. With O’Keeffe settling for fourth, David Russell finished fifth and Marco Giltrap sixth – the pair having battled for much of the race.

Behind them were challenging tails for some, Bayley Hall crossing the line just behind Giltrap before a five second penalty relegated him to 11th in the final standings. Tom McLennan (18th) and Garth Tander (17th) were also recipients of a track limits penalty.

Dale Wood, David Wall, Nash Morris and Angelo Mouzouris completed the top-10 in the enduro cup affair.

Adrian Flack secured his eleventh straight SP Tools Pro-Am class win, once again mixing it with the Equity-One Pro runners en route to 19th outright.

The victory was the 37th of his career, which pulled him clear of Stephen Grove in the all-time Pro-Am winners list – Flack now only trailing three-time class champion Max Twigg (48 wins) in the all-time leaderboard.

A victory in Race 3 would see Flack tie the all-time record for most Pro-Am wins in a row (12), currently held by Rodney Jane and set in 2006.

While Flack ran away in front, a furious battle was fought for second, third and fourth: Matt Belford fighting off Matt Slavin by just one-tenth of a second – with Rodney Jane right behind them with the trio split by just 0.4 seconds as the line.

Stunning Porsche night race goes to Jones, Flack

Action aplenty in Carrera Cup's star turn at Sydney Motorsport Park

THE Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia night race has gone to Harri Jones in a commanding victory under the Sydney lights on Saturday night. 

Jones led home Dylan O’Keeffe and David Russell in a lights-to-flag performance to take Equity-One Pro, while non-finishes for Dale Wood and Jackson Walls could prove costly to their title hopes.

In SP Tools Pro-Am, Adrian Flack continued his winning ways, leading home Rodney Jane and Matt Belford in an action-packed battle.

In cold conditions, Jones made the best of the starts and charged his way to an early lead over O’Keeffe.

Walls lost ground early, while Fabian Coulthard was bumped wide on the exit of turn two, causing the BWT car to tumble down the order. It was in that opening exchange that Dale Wood struck issues in his Connected Spaces entry, damage to the left front corner of his car forcing him to the lane and out of the race.

As things settled down, Jones pulled away from O’Keeffe and Russell, who was holding of Jackson Walls and Marco Giltrap in a fight for third.

Walls wouldn’t remain there for long, however, the Objective Racing car slowly slipping down the order with what was later diagnosed as a slowly deflating Michelin tyre – thought to be from contact early in the race.

The Sydneysider would drop to eighth position before the tyre finally ran out of pressure, forcing him off at Turn one at high speed with two laps remaining. That incident brought out the Safety Car, under which the race would finish.

Walls was unharmed after the car made contact with the tyre barriers at turn one, however was forced out of the race.

The Safety Car safely delivered Jones his sixth win of the season and an extended championship lead, with O’Keeffe second and Russell third.

Marco Giltrap finished fourth, his best ever result in his rookie Carrera Cup season, and David Wall fifth at his home circuit. Behind them there were stories of progress through the field, including Ryder Quinn who grabbed sixth position and Angelo Mouzouris seventh.

Bayley Hall and Glen Wood were next, followed home by Garth Tander who climbed 15 positions after starting at the back of the field following his early collision in qualifying with Marcos Flack.

Flack was another to storm though the field, rebounding from a stall at the start to finish in 15th position, from 26th.

In SP Tools Pro-Am Adrian Flack won for the ninth consecutive time, however had to fight for it after scrapping with several contenders throughout the race.

The Agas National / EBM driver had climbed as high as 13th on the opening lap and ultimately crossed the line 18th to take the Pro-Am win and extend his already considerable championship lead.

Rodney Jane chased Flack for second position prior to the race-halting Safety Car and finished in the same position, while Matt Belford celebrated his 50th Carrera Cup race start with third in class – ahead of Stephen Grove, on his first Carrera Cup start in two years.

The Carrera Cup field put on a spectacular show under the Sydney lights, with two races to complete round four of the championship and signify the half-way point of the season on Sunday.

Provisionally, Jones’ championship and Equity-One Professional class lead has built to 118 points over David Russell, with Walls slipping to third and Wood to fourth thanks to their zero-scores in race one.

Flack continues to lead in SP Tools Pro-Am with Matt Slavin second and Jane third.

Sunday’s two races from Sydney Motorsport Park will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.