Stephen and Brenton Grove, will be the first Australian father-son pairing in history to compete in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship.

Seasoned Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship campaigner, Stephen Grove will compete against son, Brenton Grove in Belgium for Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup Championship, at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Stephen Grove has been a frequent visitor to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Pro-Am podium this year and comes off a strong third in the Pro-Am class last time out at the Hungaroring in Hungary.

The reigning TAG Heuer Pro-Am Champion said, “It’s fantastic to have Brenton join the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup grid at Spa — it’s not often you get a father and son racing in the same series, especially at this level. Spa is a very special track, one of the best in the world and it’s got some great corners. I haven’t raced there for a few years, but I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel there.”

In preparation for Spa Supercup round, both father and son will also be in action at round 6 of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup championship at Tailem Bend.

Grove Snr highlighted the pair’s intentions, “The Bend is quite a fast and free-flowing circuit, so we’re just trying to set ourselves up for Spa – which is unbelievably fast with high-speed corners. The Bend weekend will all be about conditioning ourselves and building-up to Spa, so we’re not too fussed on where we position ourselves, as long as we can have a dip.”

Brenton too carries good recent form into The Bend Motorsport Park after strong performances in the Dunlop Super 2 Championship this season. The young Victorian started his career in the Porsche 944 Challenge and has progressed up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid over the years before finishing second in the 2017 Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship to Jordan Love.

While the prospect of driving on the world stage in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be one of the highlights of Grove’s promising career thus far, he’s confirmed the opportunity will not become a regular occurrence, “This is just a one-off event for me and I’ll be driving for the same team Stephen drove for in the 2018 24 Hours of Dubai. I have no plans at this stage to go full-time in Supercup. We just saw the opportunity to achieve this milestone as there has never been a father and son compete in the same Supercup race before.

Brenton feels the experience gained through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and Michelin Junior competition will offer a great degree of familiarity, rather than an advantage, given the level of competition, “I’ve progressed through the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge, Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia and Michelin Junior program, so this is just a further opportunity to advance within the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid. At least I won’t be going in with my eyes shut.”

“Porsche do an awesome job to develop juniors and it’s a proven channel. It’s a positive framework to be part of both as a driver and team manager. The domestic championships in Australia are both competitive and professional, hence why we keep coming back each year” he continued.

Both Grove’s will be racing in Ashley Seward Motorsport prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

ASM Team Manager, Ashley Seward is looking forward to working with Brenton, “I’ve watched Brenton race in a number of categories – he has an analytical approach to his racing and is good at adapting to different vehicles, so we’re looking forward to having him in our car for Tailem Bend.

“The Porsche Supercup is the most competitive one-make series in the world, and the level of competition is extremely high, so we’ll be doing our best to ensure Brenton is as well-prepared as possible for his outing at Spa.”

Seward’s Melbourne based outfit will also be hoping to provide Grove Snr with the right car for the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class win, “Stephen has established himself as one of the top Pro-Am drivers in the country, and the experience he has gained against the world’s best Porsche racers in Supercup will have only enhanced his abilities.”

“We pride ourselves on our Pro-Am program, ensuring our competitors are enjoying themselves while also maximising their on-track performances. This season, we’ve worked with some fantastic competitors and Stephen will fit right into our team with his approach to the sport.”

Practice 1 for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia at Tailem Bend gets underway on Friday 23 August at 10:00. Qualifying and Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday with Races 2 and 3 on Sunday. Tickets for the event are available from thebend.com.au.