Porsche Michelin Junior Programme
Porsche Cars Australia and Michelin Australia have again partnered to deliver the most proven and successful driver development programme in the country. The programme remains an integral part of the Porsche Motorsport pyramid spanning across both the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship and the newly rebranded Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible as a Michelin Junior in 2020, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge drivers must be aged under 23 as of January 01, 2020, while Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup drivers must be aged under 25 as of January 01, 2020.
All Michelin Juniors in each series must commit to a full season and carry additional Michelin Junior branding on their racing apparel and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. All eligible young drivers across both Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup will enjoy a massive prize pool for the 2020 season, valued at approximately AUD$300,000.
Training Days
All Michelin Juniors will also be invited to attend the Michelin Junior Training day program which will take place in Melbourne in the first half of next year. The 2019 Michelin Junior Training days saw Australia’s top junior drivers receive professional coaching on sports psychology, social media, media training, branding, sponsorship and more from Australia’s leading experts.
The drivers also received nutrition and dietary advice after completing a thorough physical assessment. At the end of the comprehensive two-day programme, drivers were able to compare their physical condition against that of their rivals and gain knowledge of a range of aspects including their body fat percentage, resting metabolic rates and body mass index to name but a few.
2020
Porsche Junior Shootout
The main goal for the Michelin Junior drivers is an opportunity to attend the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout which continues to play a crucial role in the development of the best emerging talent globally and is seen as the benchmark pathway for talented drivers to progress to the highest level.
The driver who wins the Michelin Junior competition in the premier Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship will be nominated to attend the Porsche Junior Shootout at the end of the 2020 season.
In 2019, Michelin Junior Champion, Jordan Love competed against Carrera Cup Champions from the leading one-make Porsche championships around the world in three-day, all expenses paid driving evaluation at the Portimao circuit.
In addition to this, the 2020 Michelin Junior winner will also receive a trip to Germany in December to attend the 2020 Porsche Motorsport Night of Champions in Weissach.
The 2020 Michelin Junior programme will again feature a Michelin Super Round, to be held at the Australian Grand Prix, from which the round-winning Michelin Junior will receive a trip to France to attend the 2020 Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance race.
Contact
For more information on the 2020 Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia email motorsport@porsche.com.au
Junior Programme
About Junior Programme
Porsche Cars Australia and Michelin Australia have joined forces to launch one of Australian motorsport’s most extensive driver development programmes, providing total benefits of up to $300,000. The Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia supports seven young drivers across Australia’s two Porsche one-make series – Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia and Carrera Cup Australia – providing all Michelin Juniors financial support by way of entry fee support and an allocation of Michelin race tyres, along with access to training, mentorship and education throughout the racing season.
The Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia will consist of two teams – the GT3 Cup Challenge Junior Team, consisting of three drivers, and the four-driver Carrera Cup Junior Team.
2018 Junior Drivers
Driver Bio
Following in the footsteps of fellow Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia champions Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans, Harri Jones is the next discovery to rise through the Porsche Pyramid with the help of McElrea Racing.
Skipping the tradional starting-point in Karting, Jones began racing Formula Fords in 2015 before moving into ‘wings and slicks’ competition in 2018, winning the Australian Formula 3 title on debut. The following year he moved to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series, winning the title on debut and also sealing the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy along the way.
Harri made his debut in Carrera Cup in the final round of the 2019 championship on the Gold Coast, and will contest the full 2020 championship with McElrea Racing. When not racing, Harri splits his time working at McElrea and major sponsor, HeliMods, while also studying a bachelor of Civil Engineering and Maths at the University of Queensland.
Driver Bio
Cooper Murray is one of Australia’s brightest young sports car drivers, standing out as an incredible talent during the 2018 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season, where he ultimately placed second.
He then made his Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia debut in 2019 and, racing as a Michelin Junior driver, starred. Ultimately finishing second in the junior category, Murray finished his first full season fifth in the championship with a dominant round victory on the streets of Townsville; clean-sweeping the weekend.
Podium finishes in the final two rounds set him up as a key contender and potential favourite for the 2020 championship, where he again returns to McElrea Racing.
Driver Bio
Runner-up in the 2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series, Aaron Love makes the step to the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia in 2020 as a Michelin Junior.
He follows in the footsteps of his older brother Jordan, who won the 2019 Championship and Junior prize.
Love, 17, started his career in karting before stepping into open-wheel racing in Formula 4 competition. From there he graduated to Porsches, coming close to winning the 2019 Sprint Challenge title for Sonic. After making his Carrera Cup debut on the Gold Coast at the end of the 2019 season, Love will step up to the main game in 2020 with a view to replicate his brothers remarkable achievements – just at a younger age.
Driver Bio
23-year-old Sydney driver Joey Mawson has successfully made the switch from the open-wheel pathway to tin-top competition following a remarkable debut season in the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which included a podium finish at the famous Monza circuit in Italy.
Having won multiple Australian karting titles, Mawson committed to racing in Europe from an early age and won the 2016 German Formula 4 Championship, before moving to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2017 and then GP3 (Now FIA Formula 3) a year later.
A change of tack saw him shift to Porsche one-make competition and a successful debut in Supercup, racing in the same ‘Team Australia’ branded outfit as Carrera Cup regulars Stephen Grove and Marc Cini.
Driver Bio
Canberra racing driver Cameron Hill chose Porsche power for the next phase of his career, announcing he would undertake a full-time campaign in the 2018 Carrera Cup Australia series following a stint in the Toyota 86 Racing Series.
The 21-year-old demonstrated his talent ahead of his Carrera Cup debut, winning the coveted Australian Formula Ford Series in 2015 and scoring more race victories than anyone else in the Toyota 86 Racing Series during 2016 and 2017.
Hill was also announced as one of four drivers that form the Carrera Cup component of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia.
He finished ninth in his debut season but improved to sixth in his second full year in 2019, a season that importantly delivered not only his first pole position (at Hidden Valley) but also a maiden race win, at the same round.
Hill enters his third season again carrying Michelin Junior status and racing with his own, family-based team from Canberra.
Driver Bio
The 18-year-old from Adelaide is another to have followed the Porsche Pyramid through the ranks to ultimately end up in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
The 2017 Australian Formula Ford Champion, Vidau joined the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge (GT3 Cup Challenge) in 2018, driving for Sonic Motor Racing Services with backing from Bob Jane T-Marts.
Vidau was instantly effective, finishing third in his debut season. He was even more competitive in his second and though he finished in the same championship position, he was a regular contender for race and round victories along the way and won more races than any other driver.
Now based in Melbourne and working full-time for Sonic Motor Racing, Vidau joins the ultra-competitive ranks of the Michelin Junior drivers in 2020 and will race the iconic #777 Bob Jane T-Marts backed car steered by Jordan Love to a championship in 2019.
