A fast-paced Pro field will grace the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia grid next week as the all-Porsche championship lines up for the season opening Adelaide 500.
The 2018 Pro class features a strong blend of former Supercar racers, seasoned Porsche drivers and several young guns eager to assert themselves as 2018 front-runners.
Leading the field into opening practice will be reigning champion David Wall. The Sydneysider had a standout 2017 season, ultimately winning the championship in the final race, and will now become the benchmark driver for his 2018 rivals.
Two drivers transitioning from the Supercars Championship to Carrera Cup in 2018, James Moffat and Dale Wood, come equipped with Porsche one-make experience. Moffat placed third in the 2008 Carrera Cup series before a two-year stint in Super2 and seven years in the top-flight Supercars Championship. Meanwhile, Wood joins Carrera Cup with two Pro-Am starts, performing co-driver duties alongside James Bergmuller in both 2013 and 2014.
Several seasoned Porsche drivers will look to capitalise on their familiarity of the 911 GT3 Cup in order to start the season strong. Nick McBride and Michael Almond both have 32 round starts entering Adelaide, while Jaxon Evans and Dylan O’Keeffe bring one and two seasons’ experience, respectively, and will look to impress against their more experienced competition.
Reigning Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia champion Jordan Love will look to continue his strong form from 2017 after a record-breaking season in the Carrera Cup feeder series, while four Pro drivers – Adam Garwood, Peter Major, Josh Hunt and Cameron Hill – will make their Carrera Cup debut in Adelaide.
In a field of brand new 911 GT3 Cup cars, reigning champion Wall expects tough competition from the season opening race.
“Starting the season in a brand new race car is something all race drivers want to do. We’ve done plenty of testing and to say the car is impressive is an understatement,” said Wall.
“There are many great drivers entered in Carrera Cup this year and we’re certainly prepared for some tough competition from the start of the season in Adelaide.”
Moffat is also looking forward to returning to the series after a decade-long absence. “It’s been 10 years since I last raced in Carrera Cup, so I’m eager to get out there and experience the cars again and see what we can achieve on track throughout the year,” said Moffat
The announcement of the final driver to line up on the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia grid in Adelaide will be made in the coming days.
2018 Entry List: Pro Class
#1 David Wall, PAYCE/Wilson Security (Debut: Adelaide, 2006; Round starts: 42)
#7 Jaxon Evans, Morris Finance (Debut: Adelaide, 2017; Round starts: 8)
#8 Nick McBride, Porsche Centre Melbourne (Debut: Adelaide, 2014; Round starts: 32)
#12 Adam Garwood, Garwood Motorsport (Debut: Adelaide, 2018; Round starts: 0)
#14 Peter Major, Sonic/Totally 4×4 (Debut: Adelaide, 2018; Round starts: 0)
#15 Josh Hunt, Volante Rosso Motorsport (Debut: Adelaide, 2018; Round starts: 0)
#18 James Moffat, PAYCE/Wilson Security/JBL (Debut: Adelaide, 2008; Round starts: 9)
#77 Michael Almond, Sonic/Bob Jane T Marts (Debut: Sydney, 2012; Round starts: 32)
#88 Dylan O’Keeffe, Allstar Equipment Sales (Debut: Adelaide, 2016; Round starts: 16)
#100 Dale Wood, Sonic/Polyflor (Debut: Sydney, 2013; Round starts: 2)
#111 Cameron Hill, Southern Star Truck Centre/Anytime Fitness (Debut: Adelaide, 2018; Round starts: 0)
#777 Jordan Love, Bob Jane T Marts (Debut: Sandown, 2017; Round starts: 3)
