Porsche Michelin Junior Programme
The continued support and development of the best young drivers from around the Australasian region has been a key priority for both Michelin Australia and Porsche Cars Australia for several years now. The domestic collaboration has seen the initiative grow into benchmark driver development programme in the country and remain a vital feature of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
For the 2023 season, the French tyre giant has announced that it will again support the Porsche Junior Development Programme offering eligible young drivers from the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series mentorship, support and training from the country’s leading sports professionals and coaches.
The prize pool sees the top three Junior drivers from each series, receive a set of Michelin competition tyres every round.
The Michelin Junior Champion, which will be awarded to the leading point scorer after round 5 of the 2023 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia season in September 2023
Points are allocated as per the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Sporting and Technical Regulation’s, S11.2 (e).
In the event of a tie, the final positions shall be determined by comparing the race results achieved by each tied Driver, with the Driver with the highest number of first places being awarded the higher Series position. If at this stage a tie still exists, it shall be resolved by comparing the number of second, third or fourth places (and so on) achieved by each tied Driver until all positions have been determined.
The winning Junior receives a nomination to attend the global Porsche Motorsport Junior Shootout to represent the Carrera Cup Australia in November 2023.
The Junior Shootout continues to play a crucial role in the development of the best emerging talent from the Australasian region and is seen as the most proven pathway for talented drivers to progress to the highest level abroad.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to qualify as a Porsche Michelin Junior driver in 2023, all drivers must register their details at motorsport@porsche.com.au before 20 January 2023.
Eligible drivers must:
- Attend and complete the Porsche Junior Training Workshop in Melbourne 16-17 February 2023.
- Be born between 30.11.1999 – 01.03.2006
- Commit to a full season in either Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia (8 rounds) or Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia (6 rounds).
- Grant PCA the right to use their driver image and name in the promotion of the Michelin Junior Programme.
- Commit to attendance at a range of promotional events and activities as requested by PCA.
- Comply with all elements of driver standards and behaviour policy as per the 2023 Series Sporting and Technical Regulations.
*Commit to provision of signage positions to Michelin on their Porsche race car on the top and bottom of the rear wing, on the top of the front bonnet and inside the car on an agreed position. (Designated areas to be supplied by PCA)
*Commit to the provision of signage positions to Michelin on the Visor of your driver helmet for the 2023 season. (Designated areas to be supplied by PCA)
*Commit to the provision to PCA of written content (race reports, season updates) upon request.
*If the above cannot be provided due to existing agreements, then an alternative benefit must be provided as agreed with PCA and Michelin.
Please note: Any driver who elects to compete in any other one-make Carrera Cup Championship or Porsche Sprint Challenge Series globally, prior to the 2023 Junior Champion being crowned on 17 September 2023, these drivers will lose their Junior status within Australia and no longer be eligible as a Michelin Junior driver for the 2023 season.
Training Days
The Junior Training Workshop is an integral part of the Porsche Motorsport Development Programme in Australia. Every year Michelin Junior drivers are invited to attend and receive professional coaching from the country's leading experts.
In 2022, the workshop combined elements of the SASR Selection Course with exciting adventure activities, designed to take the drivers out of their comfort zone and offer a unique and unrivalled opportunity for personal development.
Across two days, drivers were assessed and guided by former Special Forces operators and were required to draw upon their courage, resilience and stamina to surmount a series of tough mental and physical challenges. Upon completion, drivers had a sense of confidence that they had enhanced ability to perform optimally under pressure. The techniques are invaluable for drivers in dealing with the duress and pressures in a race car.
Brad Hodge, Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Joshua Rogers and Scott Pye were just some of the top drivers and presenters at the 2020 Michelin Junior Driver Training, which took place via a virtual workshop in 2020 due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions. The workshop centered around mindset, mental preparation, managing their brand, producing social media content, sponsorship, heart intelligence, resilience and coherence.
The 2019 training workshop saw the Juniors receive professional coaching on sports psychology, social media, media training, branding, sponsorship as well as nutrition and dietary advice. Drivers also received nutrition and dietary advice after completing a thorough range of physical assessments.
2020
Porsche Junior Shootout
The main incentive for the Michelin Junior drivers is an opportunity to represent Carrera Cup Australia at the global Porsche Global Junior Shootout. The shootout continues to play a crucial role in the development of the best emerging talent from the region and is seen as the most proven pathway for talented drivers to progress to the highest level abroad.
Drivers that have progressed up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid in recent years via the Australian Junior Programme, include the likes of Matt Campbell (Porsche factory driver), Nick Foster, Andre Heimgartner, Jordan Love, Cameron Hill and Dylan O’Keeffe, who have all gone on to succeed at the highest levels of the sport both locally and internationally.
Contact
For more information on the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme in Australia 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
Darwin native Thomas Maxwell brings European open wheel experience to Carrera Cup Australia, racing in both the British Formula 3 Championship and Formula Renault Eurocup before returning to Australia to compete in the Porsche one-make series.
Maxwell will be one of the four Michelin Junior drivers competing in the 2019 Carrera Cup Australia series.
Driver Bio
Victorian Mouzouris joins the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship battle-hardened following two seasons in the competitive Supercars Super2 Series.
The 2019 Australian Formula Ford Champion, Mouzouris moved into Supercars the following season with Triple Eight Race Engineering, finishing on the podium in his second season.
His move to Carrera Cup reunites him with the team in which he claimed his Formula Ford title, multiple series champions Sonic Motor Racing.
Driver Bio
Second-generation Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia racer Jackson Walls stepped up to the big time in 2021, making his one-make Porsche debut aboard an Objective Racing Porsche, run by the McElrea Racing squad.
The son of Morris Finance Pro-Am class regular Tony, 19-year-old Jackson has plied his trade in junior open-wheel racing, completing two years in Australian Formula 4 before tackling the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series.
He’s since shifted his focus to Porsche racing and made his debut in the non-championship Porsche PAYCE and Michelin event at Sandown in late 2020, impressing by being on the pace immediately.
His first ‘full’ season in 2021 saw him finish 10th in the championship, with a best finish of sixth at Mount Panorama in the final round of the season.
Driver Bio
Another incredibly fast Kiwi from across the Tasman, Callum Hedge, 18, is following in the footsteps of a host of quick New Zealanders to come and race Carrera Cup.
Like most, Hedge started his career young and was a multiple karting champion before he moved into racing cars.
He won the 2018 NZ Formula Ford title and the one-make Toyota 86 championship the following year before switching his attention to racing in Australia.
The recipient of a Porsche New Zealand Scholarship, Hedge linked with Earl Bamber’s team and made his debut in the ultimately abandoned Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in 2021 – winning a race before the season was cut short due to the Pandemic.
He steps up to Carrera Cup in 2022, again with Bamber’s guidance, following his debut in the series at Mount Panorama late last year.
Driver Bio
A graduate from the competitive world of Hyundai Excel Racing, Bayley Hall’s two most recent seasons may have been interrupted by the Pandemic, but he’s still shown plenty of speed in his brief appearances at a National scene to prove he has what it takes at a high level.
Fresh from success in Queensland state-level competition, Hall expanded into national-level racing via the MARC Cars Australia program, including making a start in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
He finished sixth in the Bathurst 6 Hour in 2021 and also made his Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia debut with McElrea Racing that year, scoring one podium finish from two round starts in the pandemic challenged season.
He steps to Carrera Cup this year with the same team.
Driver Bio
The 20-year-old from Adelaide is another to have followed the Porsche Pyramid through the ranks to ultimately end up in the Porsche Paynter Dixon 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.
After Covid-19 saw his 2020 and 2021 Carrera Cup seasons interrupted, Vidau has forged a new relationship with brand-new team TekworkX Motorsport and will drive and work for the team full-time in 2022, driving a car sponsored by Tyrepower.
His brief Carrera Cup career of six rounds has already seen him finish fourth outright at The Bend in 2021, with a top-three race result at the same venue.
Outside of Carrera Cup racing, Vidau has been racing on the dirt tracks of South Australia in his 800hp Sprintcar.
Driver Bio
Christian started in karting, racing karts from 2012 till 2017, winning numerous Regional and State championships and Australian championship rounds. He went on to race in two international championship racing events in Daniel Ricciardo’s race team.
His first move to main circuit was straight into Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2018, where he won the class B championship and impressed by racing with the Pro cars in class A.
In 2019 Christian stepped up again, this time to Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Pro class, where he saw highlight performances including a qualifying pole position, two podiums and a lap record.
In 2021 he joined McElrea Racing, racing in both Sprint Challenge and Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup campaign prior to a full championship tilt with the 992-generation car in 2022.
His early rounds showed plenty of promise, including several front-running performances and a best finish of 6th on three occasions.
Driver Bio
THE Grandson of former Carrera Cup racer Tony and son of Carrera Cup racer Klark, Ryder Quinn is the first, third-generation driver to compete in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia. Linking with McElrea Racing, Quinn comes into the championship fresh from a Formula Ford campaign in 2022, and a summer in New Zealand in Formula Regional Oceania. His first major race win came in the A2 class of the 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour, driving with his ‘Popeye’ and Grant Denyer.
Driver Bio
Two years out of the seat are unlikely to phase Simon Fallon, who returns to one-make Porsche racing in 2021 as the 2018 Porsche Michelin Sprint Cup Champion.
After a funding shortfall sidelined him for two seasons, Fallon re-grouped for 2021 and reunited with the same team with which he won the Sprint Challenge title – beating Cooper Murray in the process – in Sonic Motor Racing.
The young Victorian took over the famous #777 entry for the Melbourne based team, who technically remain the defending champions thanks to their success with Jordan Love (in the same car) in 2019.
He follows in the footsteps of the champion Love, Nick Foster and Andre Heimgartner to have steered the #777 car.
Fallon graduated to Sprint Challenge from open-wheel racing, where he was a regular contender in the Australian Formula 4 Championship.
He contested all five rounds of the 2021 season held, with a best finish of 11th overall at The Bend.
