Sydney-based motorsport services organisation, GWR Australia has announced a four-car campaign for the 2025 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Series.
In the Pro class, Dylan O’Keeffe will contest the full season while Jackson Walls will compete in the rounds which do not clash with his Dunlop Super2 Series commitments.
Matt Belford joins the GWR squad for an all-out assault on the Pro-Am class, alongside the familiar face of Dean Cook who will race at selected events.
GWR has a long-standing history in Carrera Cup, with team owner Garth Walden formerly racing in the category himself; he says it continues to provide an excellent mix of professionalism and enjoyment.
“Carrera Cup is one of Australia’s longest-standing and most successful motorsport categories because it provides the right combination of ultra-competitive racing, camaraderie between competitors and trackside hospitality for drivers and teams to service corporate partners,” Walden said.
Over the last few years, GWR has achieved pole positions, race wins and round wins in the Pro and Pro-Am classes, and Walden said the next goal is an overall championship victory.
“Dylan achieved our best championship result last season with third, and the goal is for him to go a couple of spots better this year,” Walden said.
“This year we’ll be encouraging him to fight hard for every position to ensure no points are left on the table.
“There will be less pressure on Jackson because he isn’t running the full season, but we know he’ll be contending for podiums and wins at the rounds he does attend.”
Walden is also expecting a strong showing from the team in the Pro-Am class, with new recruit Belford already integrating himself into GWR’s competitive-but-fun culture.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Matt to the team; over the last few seasons, his driving has been on an upward trajectory and we’ll be aiming to lift him to the next level,” Walden said.
“Even before he’s done an event with us, Matt is already fitting into the team – he’s just a great bloke and we’re excited to be part of his continued development as a racing driver.
“It’s also great to have Dean back for another season – he’s a proven front-runner in the Pro-Am class with numerous race wins and podium finishes.
“Dean is a serious competitor when he puts the helmet on, but knows how to have fun outside the car – he’ll be aiming for some more Pro-Am wins throughout 2025.”
The opening Carrera Cup round will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park, 21-23 February.
Dexion Extends O’Keeffe Carrera Cup Partnership
Dylan O’Keeffe has confirmed he will return for his seventh season in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, with Dexion Australia and Asia Pacific extending their support of O’Keeffe’s RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia Porsche Type 992 GT3 Cup car.
O’Keeffe today unveiled a refreshed livery for his Porsche, with the predominantly bright red and white Dexion colour scheme complemented by some black highlights.
“I’m proud to have represented Dexion in Carrera Cup since 2022, and pleased to have grown the relationship,” O’Keeffe said.
“In the early stages, we were solely aligned with Dexion Victoria, but we’ve expanded our partnership to represent the Dexion brand right across the Australia and Asia Pacific region.”
O’Keeffe said Carrera Cup continues to provide an attractive platform for businesses such as Dexion, that see motorsport as a valuable marketing investment.
“Because Carrera Cup travels all over Australia, we can visit Dexion staff, customers and associates all over the country, providing them with benefits such as corporate experiences and passenger rides in the Porsche, which they love!” O’Keeffe said.
O’Keeffe also enters his fourth year as a RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia driver, and is highly-motivated to add some more silverware to the team’s trophy cabinet.
“Mike Sheargold from RAM Motorsport is one of the genuinely nice guys in motorsport, and I’m so thankful to have had his support,” O’Keeffe said.
“Garth Walden is super-passionate about his GWR race team, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. They’ve achieved amazing results across numerous motorsport categories, and I’m proud to have achieved their first Carrera Cup pole position, race win and round win… but now I want to win their first championship!
“Rob Palermo is engineering me again, which is very positive – we’ve built a strong relationship over the last two seasons, and work well together to extract optimum performance from the Porsche.”
This year’s Carrera Cup calendar is slightly different to previous seasons, with the season beginning at Sydney Motorsport Park (rather than opening at the Grand Prix, as has been the case in the recent past). Townsville and Sandown are no longer on the calendar, but The Bend is back and Carrera Cup returns to Queensland Raceway for the first time in many years.
“Overall it’s a well-balanced calendar, with a good mix of street circuits and permanent venues. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend,” O’Keeffe concluded.
