Caleb Sumich Joins Lechner Racing for Full 2025/26 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Season

International chance beckons for West Aussie ace this Summer

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia driver Caleb Sumich has been officially confirmed to contest the 2025/26 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Championship with Lechner Racing, driving the iconic DHL-liveried Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the full season.

Following a string of impressive performances as a guest driver in the 2024/25 championship — including standout results in Dubai, podiums in Yas Marina and Bahrain and a clean sweep of race wins in Jeddah — Sumich has earned the confidence of the multiple championship-winning Lechner Racing outfit.

His promotion to a full-time seat comes with the backing of DHL, who will support his campaign throughout the season.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Lechner Racing for a full season in Carrera Cup Middle East,” said Sumich.

“The team has an amazing record in this championship, and to drive the DHL car is a huge honour. The experience I gained from the rounds last season was invaluable, and I can’t wait to build on that and fight up front.”

Lechner Racing Team Principal Robert Lechner welcomed the young driver to the team’s 2025/26 roster:

“Caleb showed real pace and maturity during his outings with us last season. His work ethic and race craft impressed everyone at Lechner Racing. We’re delighted to have him in the DHL car for the full campaign and look forward to seeing him continue his development.”

The opening round of the 2025/26 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East season takes place this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, running as a support category to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

With strong momentum and factory-level backing behind him, Sumich is set to make a significant impact in one of the most competitive one-make championships in the region.

Hall claims third straight Surfers win as title battle builds

Winner-take-all finale in store as Pro, Pro-Am title battles set for dramatic deciders

BAYLEY HALL created some Gold Coast history in claiming his third consecutive round win on the streets of Surfers Paradise, while an almighty title battle is brewing for this year’s Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship.

Hall claimed both races in Round 7 to extend his Surfers streak to seven straight race wins and three round wins in a row, dating back to 2023.

Meanwhile, the title battle in the Equity One Professional class has become a winner-take-all finale’ with Dylan O’Keeffe holding a substantially reduced 24-point championship lead over Harri Jones into the Adelaide Grand Final following a challenging Gold Coast weekend.

David Russell and Bayley Hall also remain in contention with the top four split by 148 points – with 181 up for grabs in Adelaide.

In the Pro-Am battle the fight is even closer with Rodney Jane clinging on to a narrow seven-point lead over Matt Belford on non-corrected scores heading into the finale: Belford winning his second straight round to create another title decider in Carrera Cup’s race within a race.

Hall’s weekend was anchored by staring on pole for the Enduro Cup race on Sunday morning, which he won comfortably from pole.

He then did the same in the third race on Sunday afternoon after spending the early laps fending off challenges from Marcos Flack’s Sonic Motor Racing Services entry.

The result is Hall’s first round win since the Gold Coast last year, the third of his career and team EMA Motorsport’s first since Bathurst in 2023.

In finishing second in both Sunday races, Marcos Flack powered to second overall on Sunday in his best all-round Carrera Cup weekend yet and came a day after securing his maiden Pole Position in the championship on Saturday.

David Russell finished third overall to score his 21^st career podium and back up his emphatic Bathurst round win two weeks ago.

Russell spent much of his race in a feisty battle pack for third through seventh position and only grabbed a top three spot following an arm-wrestle with Angelo Mouzouris and teammate Marcus Amand that lasted much of the race.

Fourth earlier in the day, Russell ensured he retained third position overall in the Championship heading into the Adelaide finale; though only nine points behind Queensland winner Hall.

There were contrasting fortunes for the two outright title contenders as Harri Jones rebounded from his recent tough run to reclaim a host of championship points on leader Dylan O’Keeffe.

Starting 18^th in race two, Jones charged forward through the pack and ended the Enduro Cup race in seventh position, before finishing sixth in the finale’ to bag a solid haul of points.

Importantly for the defending champion, it was a significant amount more than leader O’Keeffe who had a challenging day on the Gold Coast.

Running in the back of the top-10 in race one, O’Keeffe and Dale Wood made contact at turn one that broke the steering on O’Keeffe’s GWR / RAM Motorsport entry. The team rushed to fix the steering and returned O’Keeffe back to the circuit, however he was one lap short of completing the required 75% of the race to be considered a contender: therefore scoring zero points.

O’Keeffe then battled from the back of the field to the back of the top-10 in race three to salvage valuable points, but see more than 40 removed from his championship lead coming into the weekend.

The margin provisionally sits at 24 going into the winner-take-all Adelaide finale.

In Pro-Am Matt Belford’s imperious run of late now stretches to six of the last eight race wins.

Belford’s car was one of several remarkably repaired overnight following the hefty crash on Saturday afternoon and the Victorian delivered by racing hard on Sunday – especially during an exciting battle with Stephen Grove for the Pro-Am lead in the Enduro Cup race on Sunday morning.

Grove enjoyed his best weekend yet since his Carrera Cup return in finishing second in the Pro-Am class while Rodney Jane ensured he retained – however small – a championship lead going into Adelaide’s Grand Final.

A notable Pro-Am performance also came from Jacque Jarjo, who finished third in class in race three having earlier failed to finish the enduro cup race due to radiator damage.

The final round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be held at the Adelaide Grand Final event in November, on the Adelaide Parklands Circuit.

Race one declared a non-event after Gold Coast bites

Turn three crash ends opening race after just one racing lap

RACE 1 of the penultimate round of the 2026 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship has been declared a ‘non-event’ following a significant crash at the start of the second racing lap today on the Gold Coast.

Nine cars were involved in the accident exiting turn three: Lockie Bloxsom, Caleb Sumich, Hamish Fitzsimmons, Oscar Targett, Brett Boulton, Matt Slavin, Matt Belford and Dean Cook were all involved.

Eight drivers were checked at the circuit medical centre and cleared of any injury while Bloxsom was taken to a local hospital for precautionary checks.

Teams are already well underway in assessing the damage ahead of race two, scheduled for 8:10am local time tomorrow morning. Several cars are expected to return to the circuit tomorrow, pending repairs.

It’s just the eighth time in 466 Championship races that a result has not been declared due to the leader not completing a second racing lap.

As a result, no championship points other than those scored in qualifying, will be awarded.

Earlier in the day, Sonic Motor Racing celebrated an emotional front-row lock out in qualifying as the team commemorates the life of motorsport great, Garry Rogers.

Rogers was the uncle of Sonic chief Michael Ritter and the team is celebrating his life this weekend.

It was Sonic’s first Carrera Cup pole since 2022 and the first for teenager Marcos Flack in his Carrera Cup career.

Russell tops fastest ever Gold Coast Friday

Bathurst winner continues strong form in tight Friday practice sessions on the Gold Coast streets

DAVID RUSSELL has picked up where he left off in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, the Bathurst round winner topping Friday on the Gold Coast. 

Russell rushed to the top in the second of two, 25-minute practice sessions on Friday to end the day quickest by 0.02 seconds over Marcos Flack and defending Gold Coast winner, Bayley Hall.

His flying 1m11.0710s lap was the quickest ever by a Porsche GT3 Cup Car on the Surfers streets with more to come in qualifying tomorrow.

Russell edged out Flack by a tiny margin in what was a strong day for the Sonic Motor Racing team: his teammate Angelo Mouzouris second in the opening session earlier in the day.

Bayley Hall ended the day third as he looks to claim a third-straight Gold Coast round – something never done before on the demanding street circuit.

With Dale Wood fourth, Marcos Amand ended the day in fifth place – creeping up on outright pace after feeling his way through his first street circuit experience earlier in the opening session.

On combined practice times, Harri Jones was fifth outright on the basis of his practice one lap time that set the tone earlier in the day, with his nearest FP1 rivals Mouzouris and Dylan O’Keeffe in close company on the combined times at the end of the day.

Also featuring in the top-10 in the quicker, second practice session were Caleb Sumich, Clay Osborne, Glen Wood and Macro Giltrap, while after finishing third outright in the first session, O’Keeffe could only manage 13th in the second.

Matt Slavin topped the Pro-Am ranks in both sessions on Friday as the ARES / ASM driver looks to continue to eat away at the points margin held by leader Rodney Jane and closest pursuer, Matt Belford.

Slavin’s 1m12.92 best in the second session put him 15th outright and ahead of both Belford and Jane – who finished the session in reverse championship order.

As always the Gold Coast was its usual brutal self in the pair of sessions with not everyone coming through unscathed.

Oscar Targett was forced to sit out the opening session following an early brush with the wall, while after a strong opening session, Ange Mouzouris was forced out of practice two with damage to his right front corner following contact at turn one.

Teammate Rodney Jane was another to find drama in that session as he scraped the exit wall at turn two. Several cars, including Bayley Hall, scraped mirrors along walls throughout the combative 25-minute outing.

With the opening day complete, attention now turns to the battle for the TAG Heuer Pole Award on Saturday morning which will set the tone for the three races this weekend.

That session will be held at 0925am, prior to race one commencing at 1:55pm.

Qualifying and the race will be shown live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, with the race also broadcast live on the screens of Seven.

Crucial Surfers fight to set championship tone for Carrera Cup showdown

Equity-One Pro, Pro-Am fights on the line as championship returns to Surfers Paradise

THE Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns to the streets of Surfers Paradise this week for perhaps it’s most consequential trip to Queensland’s Gold Coast in years.

Save for the seasons where the Surfers Paradise event served as the championship finale, the 2025 visit may prove to be one of the most important in years given the pulsating battle for both the Equity-One Pro and the Pro-Am championships unfolding this year, setting the tone for Adelaide’s championship showdown in late November.

It comes at a venue famous for its unpredictability and offering the finest line between success and the unforgiving concrete barriers that line its 3.2km.

Perhaps the driver most fired up to tackle the Surfers streets this weekend is home-town hero Bayley Hall, who has dominated the two most recent visits to the circuit he grew up at.

He won two of the three races to claim his maiden Carrera Cup round victory in 2023 before backing that up to claim pole and three wins to take the weekend again last year.

Recently named the Porsche Michelin Junior champion for 2025, Hall has added motivation for success having lost third place in the Pro class championship to Bathurst winner David Russell last time out.

Russell was runner-up to Hall last year offering the prospect of the two form drivers at the circuit – and two of the quickest in the championship – going head-to-head once again.

Rolled into that mix will be the battle for the outright lead between Dylan O’Keeffe and Harri Jones, who are engaged in one of the most unpredictable title battles in Carrera Cup’s 21-year history in Australia this year.

Jones led the title following round one, before O’Keeffe grabbed it for the first time in Darwin the next round.

Domination across Queensland Raceway and The Bend saw Jones reclaim top spot before a borderline disastrous weekend on the Mountain, coupled with O’Keeffe’s podium finish, returned the lead back to the GWR / RAM Motorsport driver.

The margin stands at 69 points with 181 up for grabs on the Gold Coast and the same in Adelaide’s season finale, meaning any result remains on the table.

Jones does, however, remain in control of the Equity-One Pro class Enduro Cup standings: holding a 10-point lead over O’Keeffe in the championship scored across the series’ longer, 45-minute races.

In Pro-Am, things are even tighter with Rodney Jane having watch his championship lead whittled down to just 37 points by the flying Matt Belford, who has claimed six wins in his last 12 races.

That margin becomes even closer when the Pro-Am category’s ability to drop their worst round of the year is considered; and brings third-placed Matt Slavin into the mix as well with all three covered by less than the value of one race win on corrected scores.

Belford also leads the Enduro Cup standings with two longer-distance races remaining this year.

The Gold Coast field is comprised of 24 cars, 16 in Equity-One Pro and 8 in the Pro-Am class.

Returning to the grid this weekend will be the DNA Autosport prepared entry of Sydneysider Jacque Jarjo – who burst onto the Carrera Cup landscape in the opening round this year by claiming a Pro-Am class win on his racing debut.

Dean Cook also returns to the GWR Australia / RAM Motorsport Dexion squad fresh from a Carrera Cup Asia Singapore podium finish.

Absent from the Gold Coast event will be Sam Shahin – who’s car was too badly damaged in his Bathurst accident to be ready in time for the round – and Scott Taylor, who has elected to remain on the sidelines while recovering from an accident in another category at Mount Panorama.

Action commences on Friday at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 with a pair of practice sessions, prior to qualifying and the opening race on Saturday.

Sunday morning will see the Enduro cup race wake the Coast in style before the final race later that afternoon.

All sessions from Practice two on will be shown on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, while Races 1 and 3 will also be shown live on the Seven Network.

ENTRY LIST – Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, Round 6

Bayley Hall to represent Australia in Porsche Junior Shootout

Queenslander joins long list of talent to represent Australia on the global stage

ON the eve of his home event, Queenslander Bayley Hall has been confirmed as Porsche Motorsport Australia’s nomination to take on the best young drivers in the world in the 2025 Porsche Junior Shootout.

Hall comfortably leads the Porsche Michelin Junior Championship following six of eight rounds of this year’s Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

However, nominations were based not just on on-track performance: rather, a broad spectrum of attributes required to make a complete racing car driver were included within the Michelin Junior process this year – a process that commenced with an intensive three-day training camp on the Gold Coast earlier this year.

As such, Hall was nominated as Porsche Australia’s candidate by a selection panel comprised of Porsche Motorsport category management, plus industry experts in the fields of physical and mental fitness at Focus Driver Performance and feedback on performances in the media and beyond.

Bayley follows in the footsteps of a host of talented young drivers who have tackled the Porsche Junior Shootout from Australia including Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner, Nick Foster, Jordan Love, Cameron Hill and Dylan O’Keeffe.

The Shootout winner receives a significant scholarship prize to assist them competing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Championship the following season – a pathway used by many rising stars in the past to a professional driving career in GT and Sports Car racing and beyond.

Hailing from Surfers Paradise, Hall long dreamed of racing professionally and started his career as a 15-year-old racing at a state level at Queensland Raceway.

With limited prior experience Hall’s Porsche debut came in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series as a teenager in 2021, prior to moving to Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia the following year.

Then driving for McElrea Racing, Hall claimed his first race wins on the streets of Surfers Paradise in 2023, winning four times in 2024 on his way to fifth in the championship, scoring his first pole position along the way.

His 2025 season with EMA Motorsport has been a model of consistency that has him sitting fourth outright in the championship with two rounds remaining.

Hall has also gathered international experience across his journey, with several starts in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia helping to broaden his global Porsche racing experiences.

Hall has been vocal about using his Porsche experience to potentially chase an international career in GT racing or Sports Car competition, while also keeping options open in Australia for further career opportunities.

The Porsche Junior Shootout will take place in Portugal in November this year, while the next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be held at this weekend’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

Craig Nayda, Porsche Cars Australia Senior Motorsport Manager

“Congratulations to Bayley on his official nomination as our official Porsche Michelin Junior for 2025.

“Bayley’s progression through the Porsche ranks in Australia and his evolution to a front-running contender in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship is exactly what our Junior Programme is designed to achieve.

“He now has the tools, both behind the wheel and outside of the cockpit, to be best prepared to take on whatever racing adventure awaits him.

“In this case, that adventure will be representing Porsche Motorsport Australia in the best possible way in the 2025 Porsche Junior Shootout. We are confident that he will do just that.

“Thanks to our partners, in particular our incredible and longstanding friends at Michelin for their ongoing support of young drivers in Australia and New Zealand and Focus Driver Performance for their efforts this year.”

Bayley Hall – Porsche Michelin Junior Program Junior Nominee

“It was was cool to get the call from Craig (Nayda, Senior Motorsport Manager, Porsche Motorsport Australia) and receive the official Porsche Michelin Junior nomination, which is something I have been working towards since my first Cup Car test in 2021.

“I knew I had done a good job this year to get the results on track, but I have worked harder than ever outside of the car on my fitness, on media and with my sponsors and I definitely found out a little more within myself.

“I wanted to be the best I could be to show the factory I’m the driver they are looking for.

“To know the next steps in the process, fly to Germany and then Portugal for the Shootout is exciting. My immediate focus is on doing the job this weekend on the Gold Coast but then I’ll be able to sit back and pinch myself a bit while I prepare to go and make the most of this experience.

“I need to thank my family, supporters and sponsors for their support over the journey, as well as the team at McElrea Racing who were there at the very beginning of this journey. And to EMA Motorsport, who have given me the tools this year to be as competitive as we have been.

“It’s special to be part of the group of people from Porsche Carrera Cup Australia to have represented the Porsche Michelin Junior program in the past and I’ll be doing my absolute best to represent the championship well this year.”

Two-round showdown awaits as Porsche titles on the line

Equity-One Pro, Pro-Am, Enduro and teams titles all still up for grabs with two rounds remaining

ALL PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship battles remain wide open following a dramatic sixth round of the 2025 championship at the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Three unpredictable races served to not only deliver another lead change in the pulsating Equity-One Professional class battle but also close up the Pro-Am fight and both Endurance Cup battles with two rounds remaining.

Equity-One Professional class

THE OUTRIGHT fight for the championship took a major turn on the Mountain with Dylan O’Keeffe wrestling the lead away from Harri Jones for the second time this season.

Jones, the defending champion, had led from Round 1 but ceded the lead following O’Keeffe’s spectacular win in Darwin in June.

Jones took point in front again at Queensland Raceway and then extended his lead at The Bend thanks to a clean sweep; however, a disastrous weekend at Bathurst saw a more than120-point swing towards the Dexion / GWR Australia / RAM Motorsport driver.

That was compounded by a post-race point penalty applied to Jones for contact in Race 3.

Jones was penalised 25 championship points after the fact for contact with Clay Osborne at turn one that pushed the young Kiwi into Bayley Hall, who subsequently spun across the road into the path of Jones’ car.

While Jones failed to finish, Osborne was initially penalised in-race with a drive-through penalty for the contact.

However, a post-race review by Motorsport Australia officials cleared the young New Zealander, who would ultimately finish 16th in the race, of any wrongdoing.

Jones points penalty compounded the success of O’Keeffe’s trio of second-placed finishes which now sees the Victorian 69 points clear of Jones’ with two rounds and six races remaining.

The battle for third position also changed hands with David Russell’s recent run of form and Bathurst clean-sweep hoisting the TekworkX driver ahead of Bayley Hall and into the top three for the first time this season.

29 points split the pair for the final step on the overall podium with two rounds remaining, while Hall retains a commanding lead in the Porsche Michelin Junior rankings.

Dale Wood’s strong weekend saw him climb to fifth in the points, with five different teams represented in the top five.

Pro-Am class

FOUR wins in the last six races have pushed Matt Belford to within 37-points of season long Pro-Am class championship leader Rodney Jane with two races to go.

Belford’s supreme run of form has seen him claim six race wins this year to Jane’s one; though the Bob Jane T-Marts / Sonic Racing driver’s consistency ensures he retains the championship lead.

Pro-Am drivers only count seven of their eight championship rounds towards their final score with the ability to drop their worst score at the end of the season. On corrected scores, Jane continues to lead however by a reduced margin of just 8 points.

Matt Slavin climbed to third position in the championship at Bathurst and with dropped scores taken into account – his worst round was a zero-score at the Australian Grand Prix – the Victorian ARES / ASM driver is also a title contender.

Enduro Cup

IN Equity-One Pro, Harri Jones retains the lead in the Porsche Endurance Cup title with a 12-point lead over Dylan O’Keeffe, with Bayley Hall just 24 points further back in third.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford now sits 15 points clear of Rodney Jane with Slavin in third place, eight points further back.

Teams Championship

THE Coveted Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia team’s championship, GWR Australia has a commanding lead over Sonic Motor Racing with two rounds remaining.

Considering the scores of two nominated drivers’ at each round, GWR’s supreme performance at Mount Panorama has seen them draw 349 points clear of their Melbourne-based rivals, with 362 points potentially available at each round.

EMA Motorsport and McElrea Racing sit third and fourth, respectively, and remain in contention for the title.

The winner of the Carrera Cup team’s championship receives the use of a Porsche Road car for the full 2026 season.

Russell sweeps, O’Keeffe claims title lead in climactic Bathurst event

Dramatic weekend ends with new championship leader as series heads to Queensland

DAVID RUSSELL has charged to his second Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship round victory in style at Mount Panorama, sweeping all three races for the first time in his career to deliver a perfect Panorama performance for TekworkX Motorsport. 

Meanwhile, round runner-up Dylan O’Keeffe’s strong weekend – coupled with a disaster for erstwhile leader Harri Jones – delivered the Dexion / RAM Motorsport / GWR Australia driver the championship lead for the second time this season with just two rounds remaining.

O’Keeffe’s brace of Equity-One Professional class podium finishes ensured he stormed to the top of the points, while Marco Giltrap celebrated a career first Porsche Carrera Cup podium at the same venue where he clinched his Michelin Sprint Challenge title two years ago.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford claimed the sixth round of the championship with wins in the first two races and second in the Sunday finale, following home Matt Slavin who was second overall. Rodney Jane was third for the round however now has a significantly reduced lead in the Pro-Am championship standings with two to go.

Russell’s race three victory didn’t come easy despite leading away from pole position and gapping the field in the opening laps of the Sunday sprint race.

A broken brake balance cable mid-race saw O’Keeffe close on the lead and set the pair up to battle for the line.

While the latter attempted several passes, Russell’s defence was steadfast as he held on to claim career race win number 22 and his second round win – his first since Taupo in 2024.

With O’Keeffe second, Giltrap secured third position in both the race and round after spending much of the opening laps fending off a spirited challenge from Hamish Fitzsimmons, who was another to enjoy a career-best weekend.

Giltrap scored his first Carrera Cup trophy while Fitzsimmons’ weekend ended in fourth overall for the Jamec Racing / MPC squad.

The race three top-10 was rounded out by the brothers Wood – Dale in front of Glen – and a charging Angelo Mouzouris. Marcus Amand was next, the polesitter starting the race 24th and ending the opening lap in 12th position following a flying start.

He then picked off several more to work his way well into the top 10 in a stout recovery drive following his disappointments in races one and two.

Max Vidau – in his best race since returning to the championship yet – and Oscar Targett completed the top-10.

At the opposite end of the spectrum the weekend was brutal for the man who led the championship coming into the weekend, Harri Jones.

Penalised after crossing the line in second position in the opening race, Jones’ could only manage 10th position in race two – ensuring he started back in the pack for race three.

Things got worse in race one after he made contact Clay Osborne in the first corner as the field charged into turn one.

As a result, Osborne was hit into Bayley Hall, who spun across the road and into the path of Jones’ #1 entry, damaging the car enough to force him out of the race. Osborne was penalised during the race for the contact, however a subsequent post-race investigation proved that the Kiwi Porsche Michelin Junior was not at fault.

While Osborne’s in-race penalty could not be reversed, Jones’ was penalised 25 championship points for his role in the contact.

The non-finish was Jones’ worst Carrera Cup race since the 2024 Adelaide finale’ opener – by which point he had already claimed his second Carrera Cup title – and was enough to ensure O’Keeffe wrestled the championship lead away once again.

Their arm-wrestle for Carrera Cup supremacy will continue in Surfers Paradise in two weeks time.

Hall’s non-finish was similarly costly for the Porsche Michelin Junior championship leader, dropping him from third to fourth in overall championship as a result – Russell climbing into the championship top three for the first time this season.

The Pro-Am battle was between Matt Slavin and Matt Belford on Sunday, the latter copping damage early in the race and dropping his front splitter – making his car hard to drive and giving Slavin the advantage.

He’d go on to claim the win however Belford’s two wins in the opening races were enough to ensure he sealed the deal to claim the round victory and a substantial haul of championship points.

With Slavin on the Bathurst podium for the second consecutive year, Rodney Jane’s consistency shone through as the Pro-Am championship leader banked enough points to secure the final step on the podium.

With two rounds remaining, Jane continues to lead the Pro-Am Championship by a now reduced margin to Matt Belford, with Matt Slavin moving to third place.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will return the championship to the streets of Surfers Paradise and three races at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, on October 24-26.

Wood claims first win of 2025 in Saturday shootout

Belford goes 2/2 in Pro-Am with one race remaining

UPDATED: David Russell has been delivered his second win on the trot at Mount Panorama, after Dale Wood – who crossed the line first – was penalised post-race for contact on the opening lap. 

Wood’s five second penalty dropped him from first to fifth position when the race had finished, elevating Russell to the win for the second time this weekend.

It came following another dramatic affair at Mount Panorama with Wood initially crossing the line first having assumed the lead when Marcus Amand clipped the wall at Reid Park while leading, delivering Wood a lead he’d never lose – until the penalty.

Before being promoted, race 1 winner David Russell chased down his Equity One Pro class rival to continue his strong weekend with second, while Dylan O’Keeffe took yet more points out of title rival Harri Jones in third.

In Pro-Am, Matt Belford made it two from two to continue his charge forward in the Carrera Cup race within a race, beating home Stephen Grove and Matt Slavin.

Amand made the best start from the front row of the grid, while Wood jumped from the second row of the grid to slot in behind the international ace on the run up the hill.

Behind there was contact as Caleb Sumich clipped a recovering Lockie Bloxsom, the former’s car jumped into the air after the contact and ultimately falling out of the race.

The race was neutralised early after Sam Shahin hit the wall hard at Reid Park, his The Bend Motorsport Park Porsche pulling to a halt just before the metal grate and bringing out the Porsche Taycan Safety Car. Shahin climbed from the car under his own power.

When the race resumed, Amand pulled away on the restart and looked in control – until a big sideways moment under the tree on the sixth lap saw his TekworkX Porsche hit the wall: Amand out of the race instantly with damage to the left rear suspension following the contact – as Wood claimed the race lead.

With Russell second and ultimately promoted to the win, O’Keeffe was a safe second on ammended results to scythe more margin out of Harri Jones in the chase for this year’s championship; the current series leader only managing 10th position having started a long way down the field on account of qualifying earlier in the weekend.

With the margin more than 80 points coming into the round, it provisionally stands at less than 20 with one race remaining this weekend.

Marco Giltrap backed up his race one podium finish with third and top Porsche Michelin Junior, while Hamish Fitzsimmons continued to impress in fourth

Bayley Hall backed up his race one charge through the field with another in race two as he ended up sixth, with Clay Osborne following him home in seventh.

Glen Wood slipped from fourth on the grid to eighth at the finish while a furiously battling Oscar Targett and Harri Jones rounded out the top-10.

Matt Belford dealt with his second late-race restart to claim another Pro-Am victory, his second of the weekend, ahead of the finale’ tomorrow morning.

Stephen Grove secured second, his best result since returning to the championship earlier this season, while Matt Slavin scored his second, third-placed finish of the weekend.

Starting last, Rodney Jane salvaged championship points with a solid fourth placed finish, with Marc Cini in fifth.

The final race of the Bathurst weekend doubles as the warmup act to Sunday’s Bathurst 1000, with a 9:35am start time. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo, Channel 7 and Sky NZ.

Russell claims race of the season in Bathurst thriller

Matt Belford claims Pro-Am win in one-lap thriller to the line in Bathurst

DAVID RUSSELL has stormed to victory in the best race of the season, as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship put on a finish for the ages at Mount Panorama.

The experienced Queenslander, who recently notched up his 200th race start, fended off championship leader Harri Jones and Dylan O’Keeffe in a climactic one-lap dash in today’s 40-minute Enduro Cup race to claim his ninth – and possibly best – Carrera Cup Equity-One Professional class race win.

Matt Belford powered to an emphatic Pro-Am victory over Brett Boulton and Matt Slavin to continue his recent championship charge.

Starting second, Russell made the best start and beat teammate Marcus Amand to the first corner to build a lead he would never lose.

Leading by 1.8 seconds by the end of the first lap, he gapped Dale Wood and Amand in the early stages to look completely in control aboard his Hire-A-Hubby TekworkX entry.

Behind them, Jones and O’Keeffe were two drivers on the move having started the race in seventh and ninth places, respectively: the former quickly racing his way into the top four with his ever move mirrored by O’Keeffe just a few spots behind.

While Russell managed his lead in front, the battle for second gradually built as Amand caught second-placed Wood and Jones caught them both as he looked to recover from his worst qualifying performance of the season.

While Jones attempted several passes on Amand, the three-car battle came to a head with a climactic moment at Murray’s corner on the 13th lap, Jones diving up the inside at the corner while Amand tried to send it around the outside only to spin off the road and into the gravel trap – bringing out the Safety Car.

Amand would be recovered from the gravel and ultimately finish 23rd, however heads to tomorrow’s second race in an ideal place for redemption given he will start from pole once again.

With officials deeming there enough time for a one lap dash to the line, Russell led the field back to green conditions on a race track covered in dirt and debris from earlier incidents.

That cost Dale Wood a podium finish, the Connected Spaces driver wide at turn one and running off the road – allowing Jones a free pass to second as he recovered from bouncing through the runoff area. Wood ultimately finished seventh.

That set up the battle for the lead as Jones closed on Russell exiting the Elbow, the pair weaving down Conrod in the tow, before battling through the chase and into the final corner. Jones looked right, then left, but Russell’s defence was stout and saw him edge Jones to the line – O’Keeffe just behind them in third.

It was Russell’s first race win since Bathurst exactly twelve months ago and saw him gain considerable ground on Bayley Hall in their battle for third and fourth in the Equity-One Pro Class Championship.

Behind all that, Marco Giltrap equalled his career-best race finish with fourth position aboard his Team Porsche NZ entry, Glen Wood doing the same in fifth position aboard his Embrey Attachments car – also fielded by EBM.

Hamish Fitzsimmons was another to equal his PB result in sixth, with Wood seventh having recovered from his off at the start of the final lap.

Clay Osborne, Bayley Hall – who started 17th – and Lockie Bloxsom completed the top 10 in a thrilling race.

Pro-Am was Matt Belford’s race throughout, though the ID Land GWR driver was another to deal with the one-lap dash to the line to secure his third race win from the last four races.

He fended off Brett Boulton by less than one second to claim the win, while Matt Slavin was a mover and ended up third in class: Rodney Jane and Stephen Grove completing the top five.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field will have 24 hours to regroup from the opening race, Race 2 set for 3:25pm local time on Saturday at Mount Panorama, with live coverage on Fox Sports, Kayo, Sky NZ and the screens of Seven in Australia.

Amand, Belford claim Bathurst poles in unpredictable wet session

Jumbled grid to provide plenty of action come race one on Friday

MARCUS AMAND and Matt Belford have braved the Bathurst wet to claim the Tag Heuer Pole Awards at Mount Panorama in Round 6 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship. 

Heavy rain fell in the leadup to the Thursday afternoon session on the Mountain throwing plans for a dry run into disarray and creating a jumbled up grid for the first race tomorrow.

Two red flag interruptions broke the session up and restricted opportunities for long running, meaning the circuit remained wet throughout the 30-minutes and restricted sevral drivers to just one proper push lap – while needing two.

Amand was imperious and instantly to the top, the TekworkX driver having earlier topped the sole, 50-minute practice session earlier in the morning.

His first full flyer was more than two seconds quicker than anyone else and it took a well-timed run from teammate David Russell to close the margin just before another red flag flew. Ultimately, Amand’s 2m26.0920s was enough to grab pole by four-tenths in a TekworkX 1-2.

It’s the team’s first ever 1-2 result in qualifying and their first pole since Taupo in 2024, while Amand’s result comes just four days after he claimed the Porsche Carrera Cup France championship at Paul Ricard last weekend.

Third represented Dale Wood’s best qualifying result of the season aboard his Connected Spaces EBM entry, while two career personal bests followed from a pair of Porsche Michelin Juniors.

Marco Giltrap’s fourth represented the best ever in his Carrera Cup career, coming at the venue where he sealed his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia championship two years ago.

Fifth was also a personal best result for Tom McLennan, surpassing his previous best effort by six positions in what turned out to be an outstanding wet-weather performance for the TekworkX team.

Glen Wood was sixth, while an uncharacteristically scrappy day from the champion Harri Jones saw him finish the day seventh for race one – and even further back for the second race, where the grid is based on the second quickest lap time from qualifying.

Clay Osborne was eighth aboard his McElrea entry with Dylan O’Keeffe and Hamish Fitzsimmons completing the top-10 – the latter also securing his best ever qualifying performance in his brief Carrera Cup career.

Matt Belford beat several Equity-One Pro’s to end qualifying 14th outright and score his second TAG Heuer Pole Award of the season in the Pro-Am class, leaving him comfortably in front of Matt Slavin in second and the experienced Marc Cini, who was third.

The day was filled with several incidents including several spins in qualifying – one each from Rodney Jane, Sam Shahin and Indiran Padayachee – that saw the red flag fly.

Earlier in practice, Harri Jones and Matt Belford were both damaged in an incident at Murray’s Corner, while a large number of cars found the limits of grip at turn one and The Chase throughout the session.

Race one of the weekend is set for 2:20pm on Friday on the Mountain, with the race to double as the Enduro Cup affair for this weekend.

The race will be shown live on Fox Sports, Kayo, Channel 7 and Sky NZ.

Porsche battle heads back to Bathurst

21st visit to Mount Panorama for Carrera Cup with storylines aplenty

THE SIXTH round of the 2025 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship moves the title battle along to Mount Panorama, Bathurst – with key storylines abound coming into a critical round in the season-long fight.

Harri Jones (Equity-One Pro) and Rodney Jane (Pro-Am) will seek to continue their title-leading ways this weekend though it’s not likely to be easy.

The 26-strong field locked in for this weekend remains consistent from the most recent hit out at The Bend; 17 Equity-One Professional class cars and 9 Pro-Am contenders entered. Four drivers will run in the Masters category within the Pro-Am ranks.

Six drivers will race this weekend battle hardened following global Carrera Cup exploits last weekend.

French-Finnish young gun Marcus Amand returns to Australia as the newly crowned Porsche Carrera Cup France champion, having sealed the title last weekend at Paul Ricard.

It will mark the second time this season that Carrera Cup Australia will have hosted two current global one-make Carrera Cup champions on the same grid.

Dylan O’Keeffe, Bayley Hall, Matt Belford and Dean Cook all came away with silverware from last weekend’s Porsche Carrera Cup Asia finale’ in Singapore – the challenging Marina Bay circuit a perfect warm-up for the Mountain this weekend.

Meanwhile, Sonic’s Porsche Michelin Junior ace Marcos Flack snuck over to contest the final round of Porsche Carrera Cup Germany at the Hockenheim circuit, ensuring he’s likely to return battle hardened too.

Once again eyes will be on both the Porsches and the classic Bathurst enduro as well, with three Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia drivers to perform double duties this weekend, with championship leader Harri Jones to line up alongside Anton De Pasquale aboard the Team 18 DeWalt Chevrolet Camaro for his first Bathurst start.

David Russell, meanwhile, will make his 16^th Great Race start, returning to PremiAir Racing alongside James Golding.

Dale Wood will make his 18^th Bathurst start, driving alongside Penrite Racing young-gun Kai Allen. That team is owned by Carrera Cup competitor and multiple Pro-Am class champion, Stephen Grove who will also race this weekend.

It is not unprecedented for drivers to succeed doing both: Warren Luff won the 2013 Bathurst Carrera Cup round, before going on to finish a fighting third in the Great Race later that day.

Meanwhile, Steven Richards finished third overall in the 2015 Carrera Cup Bathurst round before winning the Bathurst 1000 later that day with Craig Lowndes.

They remain the only instances where a driver doing double duty has scored a pair of Bathurst podiums on the same day.

Five different drivers and five different teams have claimed the last five Bathurst rounds: David Wall (Wall Racing), Cooper Murray (McElrea Racing), Aaron Love (Sonic), Harry King (EMA Motorsport) and Harri Jones (Porsche Centre Melbourne) having taken the top spots.

Of the current field, Jones is the only driver to have won at Bathurst previously, claiming the round honours last year.

David Russell and Dale Wood completed the podium with the latter also claiming race three, the traditional Bathurst 1000 warm-up on Sunday morning.

Adrian Flack claimed two of the three races to win the Pro-Am round ahead of Rodney Jane, who won Race 1, and Matt Slavin.

Jones’ holds the qualifying record on the Mountain, his 2m04.6672s best set in 2023.

British ace Harry King owns the race lap record, the benchmark standing at 2m05.4074s also set in 2023.

This weekend marks the 21^st Porsche Carrera Cup Australia round at Mount Panorama, the most of any circuit on the calendar.

The event commences on Thursday morning with a solitary practice session ahead of the all-important qualifying for the TAG Heuer Pole Awards on Thursday afternoon.

From there, one race each day on Friday and Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, respectively, completes the weekend with the finale’ the traditional pre-Bathurst 1000 curtain-raiser.

All sessions will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo while all three races will also be shown on the Seven Network.

ENTRY LIST – Round 6, Mount Panorama, Bathurst

‘Famous’ new partnership as noted specialist insurance brokers join Porsche Carrera Cup

Passion for motorsport flows in new partnership with Famous Insurance Brokers

FAMOUS Insurance Brokers will bring their passion for motoring and motorsport as the Official Insurance Partner of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.

Famous branding appeared on the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field at The Bend Motorsport Park recently, with the new partnership racing into the second half of the 2025 season at major events including the Repco Bathurst 1000, Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 and BP Adelaide Grand Final.

An Australian family owned and run business, Famous are more than just insurance – they are a specialist team of motor enthusiasts supporting people on their journey making sure their pride and joy is protected.

Famous provides customers with policy features including Agreed Value, Your choice of repairer and salvage rights, among others.

Customers can request a quote online at the Famous Insurance website or by calling 1300FAMOUS (1300 32 66 87).

The recognisable Famous brand has already appeared in the championship this year as an ongoing partner of Embrey Attachments / EBM driver, Glen Wood.

“This partnership represents more than just brand alignment, it’s about building a future and creating memorable experiences for our customers and the Porsche Motorsport community,” said Famous Insurance Brokers owner, Belinda Scott.

“Both Porsche and Famous service high performance and premium markets and their history and passion for the sport mirrors our own.

“We look forward to building a successful, enduring relationship with Porsche built on our mutual pursuit of excellence.”

The new major partnership with Porsche Carrera Cup Australia runs through the end of the 2025 season, with Famous branding apparent on the field of Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Cars.

“We are proud to welcome Famous Insurance Brokers as a major partner to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia family,” said Porsche Cars Australia Senior Motorsport Manager Craig Nayda.

“With the brand’s long history in motoring and motorsport, Porsche is a brand all about passion. Our paddock is filled with passionate people who love the sport and make the cars they drive, own or work on their pride and joys.

“We’re excited to partner with Famous to showcase their similar passions to the motorsport community in Australia and we’re proud to fly their flag alongside Australia’s top one-make category.”

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see a 27-strong grid tackle Mount Panorama as a key act on the Repco Bathurst 1000 program on October 9-12.

Aussies winners in Carrera Cup Asia Singapore finale

Pro-Am win for Matt Belford, podiums for O'Keeffe, Hall and Cook in Singapore

PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia contenders have all grabbed some silverware following the final round of the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship event on the streets of Singapore. 

All four drivers making cameos in the Asian series this weekend had their time to shine on the podium, with the biggest highlight perhaps a Pro-Am victory for Matt Belford in Race two on Sunday – followed home by Dean Cook.

Belford had finished second in Pro-Am on Saturday but stepped up a spot in the final race following a race long battle with Aussie teammate Cook.

The latter actually crossed the line first before a 10-second penalty dropped him behind Belford but ensured he remained on the podium.

In a guest appearance for EBM, Bayley Hall finished second in race one and third in race two, while Dylan O’Keeffe rebounded – from a post-race penalty in race one that dropped him from fourth to ninth – to second in Sunday’s finale in a stout performance for Toro Racing.

The pair ran nose-to-tail in Sunday’s race after fighting their way through from starting positions in the lower half of the top 10.

It ensured all four Aussie drivers racing as guests this weekend will take home at least one trophy as they prepare for next weekend’s sixth round of Carrera Cup Australia at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.

A large Aussie travelling contingent was on hand to support the Carrera Cup racers with representatives from O’Keeffe’s partners National Make Good Solutions, Tempur and Lowbake travelling with a large contingent of Aussie automotive industry representatives this weekend.

Hall’s car supported backing from his Aussie sponsors too – Vacationer caravans – while families of all four drivers were on hand.

Part of this weekend’s operation was facilitated by Porsche Carrera Cups Asia and Australia working together – a continuation of a relationship between the two regional one-make series that dates back to the Asian series first visiting Australia in 2016, and a return Aussie visit to Sepang in Malaysia a year later.

All four drivers will return to their usual cars and will be in action next week at Mount Panorama.

2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion Dylan Pereira won both races in Singapore to cap off a dominant Carrera Cup Asia season.

Evolutionary changes confirmed for Carrera Cup

Focus shifts to 2026 and beyond as Porsche plans for the future

PORSCHE Motorsport Australia has presented plans to teams for the 2026 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season and beyond, ensuring long-term stability for Australia’s top one-make category.

Evolutionary changes to both sporting and technical regulations are designed to bring Carrera Cup Australia closer in line with other major Carrera Cups around the world, while at the same increasing sustainability for competitors.

Changes to the sporting regulations are designed to align Australia’s top one-make class with key Carrera Cup series around the world, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and international GT racing in general.

Race format changes will see four of the scheduled 2026 rounds adopt the international Carrera cup format of two, 45-minute races, while the remaining events will feature the current three, 30-minute sprint race format.

Rounds featuring the longer races will contribute towards the Endurance Cup titles in Equity-One Pro and Pro-Am classes in 2026. The full schedule and format structure will be announced following the public release of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship calendar.

In advance of the arrival of the 992.2 generation model to Australian shores in 2027, all current 992-generation cars will run with Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) in 2026, also mirroring other key Carrera Cups around the world.

The move to ABS also supports Porsche Michelin Junior competitors who will require experience with ABS-specified cars should they contest the Porsche Junior shootout or global Porsche competition.

ABS has been utilised sporadically in Carrera Cup Australia, including several seasons where Pro-Am competitors had exclusive use. Its use across the entire field will be a first for the local competition.

An additional subsidy on selected parts – averaging at more than 20% on the listed price across ABS kits and brake components and consumables – will also lower the price of spare parts for competing teams.

Plans have also been outlined for the introduction of the latest-generation one-make Porsche 911 racer to Australian shores, with the first demonstration model destined to land Down Under early in 2026.

It has been confirmed that 28 cars will be available to the Australian market for the 2027 season.

The current 992 Cup Car will become eligible for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at the same time the new 992.2 Cup is introduced into Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

Further announcements regarding the 2026 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be announced in due course.

Craig Nayda – Senior Motorsport Manager Porsche Cars Australia

“Our presentation to teams is about getting ahead of the curve, for not just 2026 but also get on the front foot for the introduction of the new car in 2027.

“Part of the reason Carrera Cup is so successful is that it is a truly international formula and these changes bring Australia closer into line with how the major Carrera Cups in Asia, America and Europe all operate.

“As well as making it easier for our drivers to adapt should they tackle any Carrera Cup racing globally, it will work in reverse when overseas drivers come to race here.

“ABS has been a talking point but ahead of the 992.2 introduction it made sense to bring the system in now.

“Sporting, technical and operational changes, along with our 2026 calendars, will position Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge as even better value propositions within the Australian Motorsport landscape.”

Jones takes The Bend, Amand breaks through

Matt Belford takes Pro-Am victory at The Bend

HARRI JONES has continued his charge towards a third Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, claiming victory in Round 5 at The Bend in South Australia.

Meanwhile, Marcus Amand broke through for a first Australian race victory in the final race of the weekend after several ‘near misses’ at both his Queensland Raceway debut and across the weekend at The Bend.

Jones claimed the Equity-One Pro win ahead of Amand and Dylan O’Keeffe – his nearest title rival – to extend his championship lead ahead of the next round at Mount Panorama.

In the Pro-Am class, Matt Belford claimed two of the three race victories to take his second round win of the season, entrenching his position in second in the championship and closing the margin slightly on series leader Rodney Jane.

Jane finished second overall at The Bend with home-town hero Sam Shahin completing the podium in third.

Sunday was an action-packed day with an action-packed enduro cup opener chaotic from the start.

An issue with the starting lights saw some make regular starts while others were slow away – polesitter Marcus Amand tumbling from the front of the grid to outside the top 10, while Jones started third but clearly led the field into turn one.

He wouldn’t be headed in the 45-minute encounter, pulling away to claim a 26th career victory.

Amand, however, was on fire and scythed his way through the pack with a series of surgical passes to work his way back into contention – passing Bayley Hall late in the race to recover to second position.

Hall rebounded from a tough Saturday to finish third, while Dale Wood was another in the recovery group following his race one non-finish, finishing fourth. Dylan O’Keeffe was next, Oscar Targett, Clay Osborne, Angelo Mouzouris, David Russell and Marco Giltrap completing the top-10.

The Pro-Am battle was a thriller and came down to the final few corners of the race.

A recovering Sam Shahin crossed the line first, however he had a 15 second penalty for an earlier incident hanging over his head – ensuring that the battle for the actual win was waging behind.

In a gripping exchange, Brett Boulton and Rodney Jane swapped spots in the final two turns, the former slipping pas the championship leader to take his first ever Carrera Cup class win.

Race three was far more straightforward with Amand and Jones starting from the front row of the grid – the former making his customary flying start that saw him lead the field into turn one from the outside of the front row.

He was never to be headed, sweeping to his first win on Aussie soil and the first of the season for TekworkX Motorsport.

Jones finished a solid, points-scoring second position while Dylan O’Keeffe chased him home to ensure he minimised any championship points loss to his nearest rival.

David Russell and Bayley Hall were next across the line with Angelo Mouzouris and Lockie Bloxsom next; Oscar Targett, Glen Wood and Max Vidau completing the top-10.

The latter was fortunate to make the finish following a dramatic sequence late in the race as Clay Osborne, Marcos Flack, Vidau and Dale Wood were involved in a dramatic exchange at turn 17 with just a few laps remaining.

The contact saw Vidau sandwiched between other cars and Osborne speared across into the path of Wood, both cars damaged enough to be non-finishers.

In the Pro-Am battle, Matt Belford charged to an early lead and was never headed; doing the job to claim his fourth win of the season and close on series’ leader Rodney Jane.

Sam Shahin finished second and Jane third to secure their respective spots on the round podium alongside the winner.

With five rounds complete, attention turns to the Mountain as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns to the Repco Bathurst 1000 in mid October.

Carrera Cup leaders battle as Jones prevails again

Matt Belford takes Pro-Am victory in Tailem Bend opener

HARRI JONES has claimed his 25th career Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship race win, fending off fellow title leader Marcus Amand to take race one at The Bend on Saturday afternoon. 

The Jones Motorsport driver extended his series lead with a victory over the TekworkX star with Dylan O’Keeffe third.

Matt Belford converted pole position to a race win in the Pro-Am class, leading home Dean Cook and Sam Shahin.

Starting from pole, Jones led clearly into turn one and was never headed in the round five opener, while Amand – who currently leads Carrera Cup France – made a flying start from fifth on the grid to jump to second by the first turn.

The French-Finnish driver had initially qualified second however received a three grid position penalty for a yellow flag infringement for qualifying – but recovered all of those positions on the run to turn one.

He set the quickest lap of the race in his pursuit of Jones but after pressuring for the lead late in the race before a running wide on the penultimate lap and dropping ground to the leader – ultimately settling for second position with Dylan O’Keeffe third.

Jones’ win was his eighth of his remarkable 2025 season and the 25th of his career, the Sunshine Coast local trailing only Craig Baird, Alex Davison and Jim Richards on the all-time race winners list.

In fourth was Lockie Bloxsom: who was now only the top of the Michelin Juniors but also secured his best ever Carrera Cup race finish – backing up a similar result in the earlier qualifying session.

He fended off a returning Christian Pancione, who was fifth on his comeback drive and first Carrera Cup race start since 2023 aboard his VCM Performance / Team MPC entry.

David Russell was sixth in his milestone 200th Porsche Carrera Cup Australia race, enjoying a spirited battle for much of the early running with Dale Wood. The latter suffered a puncture on the inside sidewall, pitting for new rubber before resuming but finishing last of the 27 runners.

Angelo Mouzouris and Marcos Flack were next aboard their Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic entries, while Bayley Hall was a quiet ninth in his EMA Motorsport car – chasing the Sonic duo home.

Rounding out the top-10 was Marco Giltrap, enjoying his strongest race since round three in Darwin.

Matt Belford claimed his third Pro-Am win of the season in style, converting pole position to a race win after a busy start within the Pro-Am ranks.

The result was a GWR Australia 1-2, the Victorian trailed home by Dean Cook in his Dexion entry.

Sam Shahin rebounded to third position after a slow start that saw him tumble down the order from a second-placed start.

With Rodney Jane fourth on the road in Pro-Am, the result further tightens the battle for the class title lead entering the second half of the season.

Aside from Wood’s puncture and some early combat in the midfield, the opening race was a trouble-free affair ahead of tomorrow’s busy program that includes two races; opening with the Enduro Cup race and followed by a final sprint.

The morning race will double as the milestone 400th Carrera Cup race for series stalwart Marc Cini, thought to be the first in the world to achieve the milestone in one-make Porsche racing.

Coverage on Sunday will be shown on Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky NZ.