Russell, title rivals pace Friday at The Bend

TekworkX driver sets early marker as title rivals remain close ahead of Qualifying

DOUBLE DUTIES are proving no deterrent to success for Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia contenders on day one of the AirTouch 500 at The Bend today. 

David Russell and Harri Jones – both co-drivers in the Supercars enduro this weekend – topped today’s running following a pair of 30-minute practice sessions at the South Australian Circuit despite bouncing between Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car and Supercar today.

Russell’s 1m49.9489s flyer late in practice two was the only sub-1m50 lap recorded today and saw the TekworkX racer top the Equity-One professional class by just under three-tenths of a second, with Jones second.

Jones’ nearest title rival, Dylan O’Keeffe, ended the day third and just behind his key rival for this year’s Carrera Cup crown, while Marcus Amand started his second local round in strong form with fourth.

A welcome return to local form for Porsche Michelin Junior Oscar Targett saw the EBM driver end the day in fifth position, fresh from a podium finish in the most recent round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship in Indonesia.

Sonic’s Marcos Flack was sixth, Dale Wood ensured the trio of drivers doing double duty all ended the day in the top seven while Ange Mouzouris, local Max Vidau and Glen Wood completed the top-10.

Just one second covered the top 14 cars today with the entire Equity-One Pro field covered by 1.7s.

Notables outside of the top 10 included Bayley Hall – who sits third in the championship – who ended the day 15th – just behind Caleb Sumich, who is coming off a career-best qualifying weekend in Queensland.

Sam Shahin topped the runners in the Pro-Am class with Matt Belford second and the returning Dean Cook third.

The day was relatively free of incident for a majority of the field, though Hamish Fitzsimmons found the concrete in practice one after a braking issue saw him struggle to slow at turn one early in the session.

Meanwhile, the second session was paused with a Red Flag momentarily for a working vehicle in an unsafe position.

Several returning drivers enjoyed strong performances with the local hope Max Vidau strong, while Christian Pancione returned to the series in style in the first session to finish second, before ending 13th in the second practice.

Tomorrow will see the battle for the TAG Heuer pole award and race one contested at The Bend, both sessions to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports – plus Sky NZ.

Major Porsche Carrera Cup milestones to be reached in South Australia

400th race for longest-serving one-make Porsche legend on the cards this weekend

TWO Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship legends will reach career milestones at The Bend this week – one of them thought to be a world first for one-make Porsche racing.

A Carrera Cup ‘OG’, Marc Cini will reach the remarkable milestone of his 400^th career championship race start in race two.

The milestone comes at Round five of the championship which will see the series return to the South Australian circuit for the first time since 2023, a 27-car grid ready to do battle on the 4.95km International circuit alongside the opening race of the Supercars Enduro Cup, the AirTouch 500.

Cini’s upcoming milestone represents more than twenty years of continuous competition in Australia’s top one-make category.

In the more than 30-year heritage of Carrera Cup racing, it is believed to be the first time any driver will have reached the four hundred race milestone globally.

The Victorian made his debut in the third round of the debut 2003 Carrera Cup Australia season and has since competed at 136 rounds, starting a minimum of two events in each of the 20 seasons prior to 2025.

His 13 full season championship campaigns is also a Carrera Cup Australia record, while he has twice tackled the Carrera Cup support race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and completed the 2019 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as part of a ‘Team Australia’ attack alongside Stephen Grove and Joey Mawson.

With those races added to his tally, plus races in Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia and non-championship Carrera Cup Australia races, Cini has started more than 450 one-make Porsche races in his career.

The Victorian, famous for his Hallmarc Property Group-backed Porsche, has driven in every generation of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car to have raced in Australia, starting with the 996 and progressing through two generations each of the 997 and 991, and now the 992.

Fiercely loyal, Cini spent a majority of his career with Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport with long links and a close friendship with Porsche Motorsport Australia hall of famer Karl Batson across his epic Porsche career.

Meanwhile, David Russell will become just the sixth member of the Carrera Cup Australia ‘200 club’, set to reach his 200^th start in The Bend’s opening race on Saturday.

Russell’s Carrera Cup career spans two stanzas, the first commencing in 2006 before a second stint from 2014 that has established him as one of the series’ elite drivers.

Twice a runner-up in the championship, Russell has won eight races, scored five pole positions and finished on the round podium 18 times in his career, winning the 2024 Taupo round. Russell currently sits fourth in the championship following a recent string of strong results, including a podium finish at Queensland Raceway last time out.

The TekworkX driver will join fellow ‘double ton’ members including Cini, David Wall, Rodney Jane, Stephen Grove and Nick McBride when he starts The Bend’s opening race this Saturday.

As well as the return of Marc Cini, the grid set for this weekend also includes the return of fellow Pro-Am runner Indiran Padayachee and three-time class champion Stephen Grove, who is set to make his first Carrera Cup race start since the conclusion of the 2024 season in Adelaide. Dean Cook also returns in the #22 Dexion / RAM Motorsport / GWR entry.

In the Equity-One Professional class ranks, Finnish teenager Marcus Amand returns for a second round following an impressive Australian debut with TekworkX at Queensland Raceway, ending the weekend second in the final race.

Meanwhile, South Aussie home-town hero Max Vidau returns at his local circuit, while Christian Pancione will make his first start in the category since the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Championship leader Harri Jones, Connected Spaces EBM ace Dale Wood and double centurion David Russell will all do double-duties this weekend balancing their Carrera Cup commitments alongside co-driving roles in the Supercars race.

Practice gets underway this Friday at Shell V-Power Motorsport park with three races set for the weekend – all to be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia, and Sky Sport NZ.

ENTRY LIST – Round 5, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, The Bend

Double dose of The Bend for Porsche teams in massive fortnight

'It's a huge logistical challenge, but we will make it work'

PORSCHE MOTORSPORT Australia teams will complete one of the busiest fortnights in their respective histories with a unique double-header to be held in South Australia across the next two weeks.

Shell V-Power Motorsport Park – The Bend – located to the Southeast of the city will host consecutive weekends of one-make Porsche racing, with the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia kicking things off at the Shannons SpeedSeries GT Festival next week.

That will be followed by a strong Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship grid lining up as the key support on the AirTouch 500 at The Bend program as the Supercars endurance season kicks off.

All told, 50 entries have been lodged across the two categories with 48 drivers and 13 different teams to compete across the 10-day period.

Three generations of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car will be represented across the two events, ironically both of which serve as the fifth round of their respective seasons.

Only two drivers – Equity-One Pro / Michelin Junior Lockie Bloxsom and Pro-Am regular Indiran Padayachee – will contest both rounds, with 30 Professional class drivers, 19 Pro-Am entries and 1 Sprint Challenge Class B runner locked in.

Seven teams will run cars at both events, some of them entering multiple cars at both, creating a challenging logistical exercise to swap vehicles and inventory in the four-day gap between completing the Michelin Sprint Challenge event and commencing the Carrera Cup round.

Compounding the challenge is that four teams running both rounds are Queensland based – the two-day, 4,000km round trip back and forward offering up some challenging logistics to plan for both events.

Based on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, Jones Motorsport will essentially operate as if running three separate events – a Carrera Cup test day planned on the Thursday prior to the Sprint Challenge round adding in another element to the mix.

“We’re breaking it up as three outings,” explained Team Principal, Matt Cook.

The team will complete more than 10,000km on the road across the fortnight, running back and forth between their Queensland base as they splitting their efforts between their two programs.

The Sprint Challenge round will conclude on Saturday, freeing up an additional day of travel and preparation for teams.

“Harri is testing the Carrera Cup Car on the Thursday prior to the Sprint Challenge round, so we’ll send one truck down first with that car to get ready for the test. A second truck will leave a day later, on Tuesday, with the Sprint Challenge cars and gear for bump-in on Thursday.

“Half our crew will then work on Harri’s car testing while the other sets up for the Sprint Challenge round, then on Friday everyone will be on the Sprint Challenge cars for the event.”

The support of local squads has also allowed the interstate teams room to move while in South Australia.

“Dean Canto has been good enough to rent us some space in his shop at The Bend to prep the Carrera Cup Car, so we’ll prep that on Sunday and Monday and then fly home for a few days between rounds.

“One truck will also come back to Queensland, swap out the Sprint Challenge gear for the Carrera Cup equipment and come back.

“By Thursday we’ll all be back at The Bend and set up with the Carrera Cup car and ready to go. It’s a huge logistical challenge but it’s well organised and with the right planning It can go smoothly.

“Our week is added to by the fact Harri will be doing double duties with the Supercars enduro, but he knows that we will be good to go and everything will be as normal in the Carrera Cup paddock.”

Sonic Motor Racing driver Jake Santalucia leads the Sprint Challenge standings with two rounds remaining, holding a narrow 16-point lead over McElrea’s Lockie Bloxsom, with Ryan Casha (DNA Motorsport) third and Tom Bewley (Team Porsche NZ / EBM) fourth.

Ramu Farrell leads the Pro-Am standings ahead of Andrew Georgiadis and Jacque Jarjo, while Daniel Quimby leads class B.

In Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, reigning champion Harri Jones reasserted himself at the top of the standings following the most recent round at Queensland Raceway and enjoys a 58-point lead over Dylan O’Keeffe, with Bayley Hall sitting third.

The Pro-Am race is led by Rodney Jane over Matt Belford and Matt Slavin.

Round 5 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will be held with the Shannons SpeedSeries GT Festival at The Bend on September 5-6, while Round 5 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia will compete at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend the following weekend, September 12-14.

August and September will prove a busy period of Porsche activity at The Bend with the Porsche Track Experience program spending more than a week at the venue prior to the race meetings.

Additionally, customer entries will also compete at the Shannons SpeedSeries event competing in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Championship with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Club Sport.

Fans can follow the action on the Porsche Motorsport Australia social media channels, @porschemotorsportau on Facebook and Instagram.

Jones, Shahin sweep Queensland as Carrera Cup reaches half way

Championship lead changes hands in Eqiuty-One pro as second half of 2025 looms large

HARRI JONES and Sam Shahin have swept their respective weekends in Round 4 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway, as the championship reaches its half-way point. 

Jones’ perfect weekend came with pole, three wins and a new lap record as he turned a 10-point championship defecit prior to the round to a 58-point lead ahead of the next event at The Bend in September.

It was a weekend to remember for the Queenslander, who with wife Emily welcomed baby Leo to the world on Saturday morning before producing perhaps one of his most comprehensive weekends in his remarkable career to date.

Click here to read the report from Sunday Morning’s Enduro Cup race

Shahin’s weekend was similarly complete despite battling jetlag after only arriving back in Australia late on Thursday prior to the round. Shahin’s win was his first of the season.

The Equity-One Professional Class podium was completed by a delighted TekworkX Racing duo of David Russell (Second) and Marcus Amand in third.

Russell’s consistent weekend ensured he recorded his 19th career podium and climbs to fourth in the championship, within striking distance of Bayley Hall in third.

Amand, meanwhile, took advantage of starting on the second row of the grid in the third and final race of the weekend to finally have his chance to challenge for the race lead, having spent the previous two races starting in the bottom half of the top-10.

Starting fourth in the finale, he exited turn one in third place and then passed Russell for second before trying to chase down leader Jones – ultimately settling for second position and third overall for the weekend.

Race three was a combative affair behind that leading trio with Dale Wood fourth and Dylan O’Keeffe scoring points but losing his championship lead in fifth.

Clay Osborne was first Porsche Michelin Junior home in the race to complete a rounded three-race performance, while Lockie Bloxsom, Angelo Mouzouris and Hamish Fitzsimmons completed the top-10.

Shahin claimed the race 3 Pro-Am win over Boulton and Jane, with that result mirroring the round result.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will return the series to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia in September, supporting the Airtouch 500 Supercars enduro.

The week prior will see the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia tackle their penultimate round at the Shannons SpeedSeries event.

Jones again in personal-best filled Enduro Cup affair

Wood second, Amand third in entertaining Enduro Cup race

HARRI JONES delivered again to extend his Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia lead further in the Enduro Cup race on Sunday morning at Queensland Raceway, in a race filled with personal-best performances throughout the field. 

Jones’ performance was a near carbon-copy of his race one win as he got the jump into turn one and pulled away from the field from there.

It extends to 34 points his championship lead ahead of the final race this weekend, while Jones’ also now takes a clear lead in the Enduro Cup points standings having entered the round equal on points with Dylan O’Keeffe.

Behind him, though, were several season-best performances that stood out among the racy 22-car grid.

Dale Wood finished runner up, his best race finish and first in the top three of the season so far aboard his Connected Spaces / EBM entry.

Marcus Amand finished third for TekworkX in a starring performance that saw the teenage Finn charge through the top-10 runners in the early laps, picking his way through the intense battle from fifth back to elevate himself into the five by the second lap.

He dispatched Hamish Fitzsimons for fourth position on the eighth lap and then eased past teammate David Russell for third five laps later.

With Wood in front and Russell behind, the three ran at a hard pace for the remainder of the race without changing positions.

Angelo Mouzouris finished a strong fifth on his 24th birthday, another season-best performance and the best from the #999 Sonic car of the season so far. The same could be said for Fitzsimmons, who ran fourth early before slipping back behind Amand and Mouzouris before consolidating his best ever Carrera Cup performance in sixth; a strong rebound from a challenging Saturday.

A quiet performance from Dylan O’Keeffe saw him finish seventh with Clay Osborne Eighth, Bayley Hall ninth and Caleb Sumich 10th.

In Pro-Am Sam Shahin mirrored Jones’ Pro performance to claim a comfortable victory; getting the best of the starts and easing away from the field to claim his second win of the weekend.

Matt Belford rebounded from a Saturday non-finish to finish second, importantly taking championship points away from class leader Rodney Jane who finished a lap behind following a trip into the turn three gravel early in the race – one that saw the Safety Car briefly called early in the race. Brett Boulton finished third after rebounding from an early spin.

Jones beats Russell by 0.009 in QR qualifying thriller

Sam Shahin's return delivers Pro-Am pole position

HARRI JONES has beaten David Russell to pole position in Round 4 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, in an all-time great battle for the TAG Heuer Pole Award at Queensland Raceway.

In a pulsating 30-minute session, Jones had a relatively comfortable – at least in one-make Porsche racing terms – margin over the entire field for much of the session before a late Russell flyer forced the champion to dig deep in a bid to secure his third pole of the year.

His final push lap did just that, his 1m08.8130s best denying Russell’s TekworkX entry a home-track pole by 0.0099 seconds – the fourth closest pole position margin in Carrera Cup Australia history.

The entire field lapped beneath the existing Carrera Cup qualifying record at Queensland Raceway today.

It was Jones’ third Equity One class TAG Heuer pole award and fourth consecutive front row start this season, with the bonus championship point on offer edging back his margin to new championship leader Dylan O’Keeffe – who was fourth.

Russell’s qualifying performance comes amidst an upturn of form from the TekworkX driver who has climbed to fifth in the championship following three rounds. It’s Russell’s best qualifying performance since scoring pole in New Zealand last year.

Dale Wood was third in a strong performance aboard his Connected Spaces EBM entry with Bayley Hall fifth for EMA Motorsport and Clay Osborne a career-best sixth for McElrea.

Fellow Porsche Michelin Juniors Caleb Sumich and Lockie Bloxsom were next, just in front of international import Marcus Amand – who will start his first Carrera Cup race on Australian soil in ninth position. Ange Mouzouris was the best of the Sonic entries, rounding out the top-10.

Just 0.63 seconds covered the entire Equity-One Professional class field following a session that sets the tone for three compelling races across the weekend.

Jones’ scored pole for both races one and two at QR by virtue of setting both the quickest and second quickest laps of the session.

He’ll start on pole for race two with Dale Wood alongside him on the front row. Russell will start race two third alongside a standout performance from Caleb Sumich, who was fourth. Mouzouris, Hamish Fitzsimmons, Osborne, O’Keefe, Hall and Amand will complete the top-10.

In Pro-Am, a long journey from Europe has delivered reward for Sam Shahin as he rebounded from a tough practice session to put his The Bend Motorsport Park entry on pole for both races one and two this weekend.

Shahin’s best of 1m08.63s late in qualifying saw him only 0.8s away from Jones’ outright pole time and at the same time three-tenths up on Matt Belford, who was second.

Brett Boulton’s return delivered him third on his home circuit with Rodney Jane, Matt Slavin and Scott Taylor next.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field races just once on the Saturday program of the Century Batteries Ipswich Super440 event at Queensland Raceway, Race 1 commencing at 2:10pm local time – with live coverage on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Sky Sports NZ.

O’Keeffe: ‘I will keep pushing’

New championship leader ready to continue attacking form in Queensland

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship leader Dylan O’Keeffe says he won’t be changing his approach to this weekend’s fourth round at the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440, despite his recent rise to the top of the leaderboard.

The Dexion/RAM Motorsport driver dominated the previous round at Hidden Valley, and says he needs to continue that form if he is to win the title.

“I might be leading the championship, but the margin is extremely close so there’s absolutely no thought of being conservative – I need to keep attacking winning races,” O’Keeffe said.

“Hidden Valley was a brilliant weekend but I need more rounds like that; fortunately, the GWR Australia crew have given me a brilliant car all year, so I have the confidence I’ll have the package to keep delivering those results.”

While Carrera Cup may not have visited the Queensland Raceway circuit for many years, O’Keeffe has recent experience at the venue in TCR Australia, highlighted by an overall round win in 2019.

“It may not look like the most spectacular circuit on paper, but QR always produces good racing – there are some fast corners, some big braking zones and some good passing opportunities,” O’Keeffe said.

“We had a productive test last week where we were able to experiment with the car setup, especially finding the right balance between the high and low-speed sections, and power-down out of the slower corners like Turns 3 and 6.

“The competition has been close all year, so we’ll have to bring our A-game if we’re to repeat our results from Darwin,” O’Keeffe concluded.

The Carrera Cup Queensland round kicks off with practice and qualifying on Friday, with those sessions and the three races live on Fox Sports and Kayo.

International ace, returning Pro-Ams and new leader highlight Porsche QR return

17 years since last visit, Carrera Cup returns to Queensland Raceway this weekend

THE LONGEST gap between rounds at any given circuit in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia history ends this week as the championship returns to Queensland Raceway, Ipswich. 

Marking the halfway point of the championship, the return to QR marks the first championship round at the venue since July 2008 –  a gap of 17 years or 6,230 days.

Queensland Raceway has hosted just five Carrera Cup rounds, four of them claimed by New Zealand champions of the series; Jim Richards (2003), Fabian Coulthard (2005) and Craig Baird (2007 and 2008). 2004 winner Alex Davison is the only Aussie to win at the circuit in Carrera Cup competition.

Baird holds both the qualifying and race lap records at the circuit with four generations of GT3 Cup Car having competed in Australia since the last top-level Porsche round at the venue.

David Russell and Rodney Jane are the only two drivers remaining on the grid with Carrera Cup experience at the circuit, both having competed in 2008. That’s not to say there’s not been one-make experience gained at QR however; 15 drivers entered this week having contested Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge races at the venue in the intervening period.

The return to Ipswich comes at a critical time for a championship that last time out welcomed a brand-new leader for the first time in more than 18 months; Dylan O’Keeffe powering his Dexion / GWR / RAM Motorsport Porsche to the lead thanks to a stunning victory in the Top End at Hidden Valley.

He leads defending champion Harri Jones – who lines up for his home-town event this weekend – by just 10 points with Queenslander Bayley Hall in third and fellow Porsche Michelin Junior Marcos Flack climbing to fourth off the back of several strong recent results.

Another finding form is David Russell, who will enjoy a home-town race aboard his TekworkX entry having climbed to fifth in the standings in Darwin. Jackson Walls, who will focus on Super2 competition this weekend, Porsche Michelin Juniors Oscar Targett and Marco Giltrap, Angelo Mouzouris and Clay Osborne complete the top 10, with the brothers Wood just on the outside looking in.

Six of the top-10 in the championship call QR home while there will be nine Queenslanders represented on the grid this weekend. Queensland Raceway his home turf for Jones Motorsport, McElrea Racing, Earl Bamber Motorsport, TekworkX Motorsport and Scott Taylor Motorsport, accounting for 14 of the 22-strong grid this week.

Other highlights on the Round four entry list include the debut of a teenage star from Europe and an expanded Pro-Am battle with some familiar faces returning to the grid.

18-year-old Marcus Amand joins TekworkX Motorsport in his Aussie one-make debut, though comes down under as the current leader of the Porsche Carrera Cup France championship.

Amand arrived in Australia last week and completed a successful test with the Gold Coast-based TekworkX squad to ensure he stands ready for his Aussie debut.

In the Pro-Am ranks, Sam Shahin makes a welcome return in his EMA Motorsport-prepared The Bend Motorsport Park entry battle hardened from his double duties in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Queenslander Brett Boulton and Scott Taylor also return to the Pro-Am ranks this weekend, the class led by Rodney Jane while Matt Belford claimed the most recent round at Hidden Valley.

A busy fourth round of the championship commences Friday with two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday afternoon at this weekend’s Century Batteries Ipswich Super440.

One sprint race on Saturday will then be followed by the enduro cup race Sunday morning and a final sprint later that afternoon.

Qualifying and all three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sport this weekend.

ENTRY LIST
Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, Round 4 – Queensland Raceway 

New sponsor for Sumich as West Aussie targets strong QR round

Engine change to help spur on Porsche Michelin Junior

Western Australian talent Caleb Sumich is gearing up for the next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, taking place this weekend at the Century Batteries Ipswich 440, part of the Repco Supercars Championship calendar.

The high-speed Queensland Raceway will provide a new challenge as Sumich looks to build on his strong performances in the ultra-competitive one-make series.

Post Darwin engine issues where still evident at a recent test day and has resulted in the team reverting to Caleb’s older engine for the weekend ahead.

With growing momentum, Caleb and the team are also excited to welcome Welder Rentals as a new sponsor for the remainder of the season.

Based in Western Australia, Welder Rentals specialises in the hire and servicing of high-performance welding equipment for industrial, construction, and mining sectors.

Known for their reliable solutions and expert support, Welder Rentals aligns perfectly with the team’s pursuit of precision and performance.

“I’m really looking forward to hitting the track at Ipswich,” said Sumich.

“It’s a fast layout with some great overtaking opportunities, and I’m confident we can push for a strong result. It’s also fantastic to have Welder Rentals onboard—partnerships like this make all the difference.”

Fans can catch all the action live this weekend as the Carrera Cup supports the headline Supercars event at Queensland Raceway.

(Team Release)

Scott Taylor set for Carrera Cup return at Queensland Raceway

STM driver to make first start since 2022 season finale when series returns to QR

Robertson returns to add to Porsche’s technical depth

Carrera Cup Australia return for industry expert adds to customer, team support in 2025

PORSCHE MOTORSPORT Australia has confirmed that former Motorsport Technical Manager, Stephen Robertson, will return to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship commencing at Queensland Raceway next week.

Robertson, who served as the full-time Sporting & Technical manager for Porsche Motorsport in Australia between 2015 and 2021, will return in a consulting role that adds to the depth of the current technical team, working alongside Motorsport Sporting & Technical Manager Jesse Hammond.

Robertson’s role will be focussed on race meeting technical compliance and support, allowing Jesse Hammond to focus closer on the sporting side of the championship while increasing customer service and support at events.

He returns to Porsche following successful full-time stints in Supercars team land, notably at Grove Racing and more recently, PremiAir Racing.

Robertson commences his role at Round 4 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway on 8-10 August.

Stephen Robertson, Technical Officer

“I’ve had long ties to Porsche and it’s going to be good to be back in the paddock with people I know and a product I’m very familiar with.

“I left the Supercars world to slow down a little bit and then focus on building my contract business and this has been a well-timed opportunity, I think for both of us.

“There’s a great crew working at Porsche Motorsport and my role will be to support the competitors and the customers and instil even more confidence in the product we have, and to help verify the good work that has already been done.

“I’m looking forward to working with Craig and the team moving forward.”

Craig Nayda, Senior Motorsport Manger

“Stephen’s experience in the championship and his knowledge of both the Type 992 GT3 Cup Car and the teams involved means he will be able to fit straight into his role commencing at Queensland Raceway next week.

“His addition to our team adds technical depth and allows us to better provide a service to our customers, teams and drivers to ensure the championship operates at the level expected.

“We welcome Robbo back to the Porsche family as we continue to showcase the premier one-make category in Australia.”

International ace to join TekworkX at Queensland Raceway

Porsche Carrera Cup France leader to make Australian debut

TEKWORKX Motorsport has signed Finnish/French teenager Marcus Amand to contest the upcoming fourth round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway.

The 18-year-old is the current leader of the Porsche Carrera Cup France Championship, having recently claimed his first one-make Porsche race victory in the series’ most recent round at Misano.

Amand will tackle Round 4 of the Australian Championship at TekworkX’s home circuit as a third entry from the Gold Coast-based team, joining David Russell and Tom McLennan in an expanded squad.

Amand, who has both French and Finnish heritage, enjoyed a successful karting career before progressing to wings and slicks racing in Formula 4 and, more recently, Formula Regional in Europe.

He made his Porsche Carrera Cup debut in the French championship last year, finishing fourth in his rookie season and scoring four podium finishes in the 12-race season.

Following a consistent start to his second season in the championship, Amand moved to the championship lead following the most recent round at Misano, with four races remaining. Carrera Cup France this year includes several key Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup runners including Mathys Jaubert, Marvin Kelin and Keagan Masters – among others.

TekworkX currently sit fifth in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, with David Russell building momentum in the most recent round at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, scoring the team’s first top three finish of the season in race one.

Amand arrived in Australia earlier this week and will test with the team at Queensland Raceway prior to competing in the fourth round of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the circuit on August 8-10.

MARCUS AMAND

“I’m grateful for this opportunity with TekworkX Motorsport to race in a new and very competitive championship.

“As a driver, it’s always exciting to take on new challenges and compete at the highest level.

“I am under no illusion that it will be ultra-competitive, I’m looking forward to testing at the track prior to the round, working closely with the team, building a strong relationship and pushing for the best possible results, for the team and myself.

“TekworkX have proven results in Porsche Carrera Cup and there is a lot of potential there.

“I’m confident we can achieve something special together.”

ROB WOODS – TekworkX Motorsport

“Marcus is a fast, young guy who has been opening eyes in Europe this season and we’re excited to have him in one of our cars for Queensland Raceway.

“If you can lead any Carrera Cup series around the world you’re clearly world-class so we’re looking forward to seeing how he stacks up against the Aussie field.

“He’s going to be a great addition to the team and our initial conversations have been really positive – he seems like a great, engaging young guy.

“It will be good for David and Tom to feed off him while at the same time Marcus will have great teammates to learn how we go racing here. We can’t wait.”

O’Keeffe sweep delivers Carrera Cup championship lead change

GWR double Darwin delight as Matt Belford picks up Pro-Am round win

THE Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship has a new name at the top of the standings for the first time in 18 months, Dylan O’Keeffe charging to the top of the leader board thanks to a clean sweep in Darwin this weekend. 

The Dexion Australia / GWR Australia driver claimed pole and three race wins to rocket himself to the title lead, beating Harri Jones and Bayley Hall in the Equity-One Professional class round results.

It’s both O’Keeffe and GWR Australia first round win since September 2023 – a result made even better by the fact that teammate Matt Belford claimed the Pro-Am class victory, delivering the team a double victory.

Belford claimed the win following a winner-take all scenario in race three that ensured whomever won the final race would also claim the weekend overall, Belford doing the business to edge out Pro-am championship leader Rodney Jane and Race 1 winner Matt Slavin for the class win.

Sunday started with the 45-minute Enduro Cup race, which was claimed in a lights-to-flag performance by O’Keeffe despite starting on the outside of the front row.

He led home Bayley Hall, who capitalised on a rare late-race slip up from Harri Jones, who ran wide at turn five while running second to let the EMA driver through.

Jackson Walls charged to fourth position while Glen Wood was fifth in an equal career-best performance from the Embrey Attachments / EBM driver. Sonic’s Marcos Flack was next, taking advantage of a strange incident where both he and teammate Angelou Mouzouris ran wide at turn one at the same time – the former coming off the least compromised of the pair.

Oscar Targett grabbed seventh in a stout comeback from 15th on the grid while Mouzouris, Marco Giltrap and Tom McLennan completed the top-10.

After finishing third in race one, Matt Belford claimed the Pro-Am win over Jane and Slavin.

The race had early drama after contact on the opening lap between Dale Wood and David Russell saw the latter spinning on the exit of turn five, contacting the Connected Spaces / EBM car. Wood, who failed to finish, was penalised 15 championship points for the initial contact, while Russell recovered to 11th.

Race three saw a winner-take all shootout with O’Keeffe once again leading Jones on the race to turn one.

An aggressive Jackson Walls then worked his way to second at turn one to split the weekend-long contenders before a late mistake saw him run wide and cede the position to Jones.

Though the #1 car closed on O’Keeffe, he couldn’t make any impression on the final lap to allow O’Keeffe to claim the clean sweep.

With Jones second, Hall again finished third while David Russell executed an excellent comeback to finish fourth. Glen Wood was fifth once again in a consistent weekend, while Marcos Flack finished sixth.

The top-10 was completed by Mouzouris, Targett, Marco Giltrap and Walls – who slipped further back in the closing stages.

Belford grabbed the Pro-Am win, fending off pressure from Rodney Jane all race to claim the victory and deliver him the round result as well.

With three rounds now complete, Dylan O’Keeffe now claims the championship lead in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship with a narrow 10-point lead over Jones heading to Queensland Raceway in August.

Bayley Hall retains third in the standings while Marcos Flack sits fourth and Russell climbs to fifth for TekworkX.

Matt Belford’s Pro-Am success sees him close the championship margin to leader Rodney Jane to 67 points. Matt Slavin has climbed to third, while the absent Brett Boulton drops to fourth position. Pro-Am contenders can drop their worst round of the season.

The next round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see the series return to Queensland Raceway in Ipwsich for the first time since the 2008 season on 8-10 August.

O’Keeffe grabs breakthrough win in Darwin

Matt Slavin claims Pro-Am win as polesitters convert in the Top End

DYLAN O’KEEFFE and GWR Australia have ended a winless drought dating back to September 2023 to take the first race in Round 3 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship in style. 

Starting from pole, O’Keeffe spent the entire race fending off defending champion Harri Jones to claim the fifth race win of his Carrera Cup career, edging closer to the Equity-One Professional class championship lead in the process.

The race was an intense battle between the pair as they traded fastest laps at the front of the field, pulling away from the pack in their own private battle for the win – the GWR driver running mistake-free, despite the pressure, to claim the win.

O’Keeffe is yet to finish outside the top five this in seven races to date this season, while he now provisionaly sits just eight points behind Jones in the championship race.

Jones was second in another solid performance, while a strong opening lap ensured David Russell scored he and TekworkX Motorsport’s best race finish of the season in third place.

Dale Wood finished a solid fourth in his Connected Spaces / EBM entry while Bayley Hall passed Angelo Mouzouris early in the race to score another top five finish for EMA Motorsport and consolidate third position in the championship.

Mouzouris’ top six place ensured six different teams finished in the top six while Glen Wood, Jackson Walls, Lockie Bloxsom and Marcos Flack completed the top-10.

The Pro-Am battle was just as competitive as the outright fight, with polesitter Matt Slavin ceding his early lead to Matt Belford before the pair started battling for the class lead.

Slavin was able to sneak past for the lead later in the race, a late spin from Belford in the leading battle elevating Rodney Jane to second at the finish.

Earlier in qualifying, O’Keeffe scored his first TAG Heuer Pole Award since Sandown 2023 after a session-long fight with Jones that ended with the pair separated by just 0.03 seconds.

Matt Slavin, meanwhile, claimed his first Pro-Am pole position award in style by edging Rodney Jane for the top spot by a similarly tiny margin.

Sunday’s action at the betr Darwin Triple Crown will see two races complete Round 3 of the championship, including the Enduro Cup race on Sunday morning before the final sprint later in the day.

Both races will be shown live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, with race three also live on Channel 7.

Intense practice points to tight times in the Top End

Title contenders at the front however tiny margins highlight how close things are in Darwin

IT may have been nearly 100 days since the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field took to the track, but the moment the field returned to the track today at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin it was abundantly clear that nothing has changed. 

Two intense practice sessions have set the tone for the third round of the championship in the Top End, with the pair of sessions topped by Dylan O’Keeffe and Harri Jones, respectively.

However it was the second session of the day that properly set the tone as Jones’ headed a Equity-One Professional class field as tight as any in the championship.

Jones’ topped the charts by 0.006 seconds with O’Keeffe second and David Russell a further 0.007 seconds further back in third.

Double Darwin winner Dale Wood was fourth – a comparatively large 0.085 seconds from Jones’ – while Marcos Flack was fifth and Oscar Targett sixth.

Glenn Wood, Angelo Mouzouris, Hamish Fitzsimmons and Marco Giltrap completed the top 10 however the relative margins between them were negligible, the difference between fifth and 10th in the session just 0.05 seconds.

In the end just 0.53 covered all Equity-One Professional Class runners in the remarkable scorecard that had all the hallmarks of qualifying rather than a mere practice session.

Earlier in the cooler conditions of the morning, Dylan O’Keeffe set the quickest time of the day to top practice one ahead of teammate Jackson Walls and Harri Jones, with Wood fourth and Mouzouris fifth.

In Pro-Am two different drivers topped the two sessions, with Matt Belford quickest in practice one over Rodney Jane and Matt Slavin. The afternoon session saw Jane – fresh from a trip to compete at Le Mans – top the charts ahead of Slavin, with Belford surviving a spin at turn one to finish third.

The two relatively-incident free sessions point to an intense qualifying session tomorrow morning, to be followed by the opening sprint race of the weekend – both sessions will be shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo, while the race will also be live on the screens of Seven around Australia.

Porsche Carrera Cup returns to action in Darwin

Battle to recommence following lengthy break as Top End awaits title contenders

THE PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship bursts back into life this week at the betr Darwin Triple Crown, following a nearly 100-day break between rounds. 

The third round of the 2025 championship will get underway a full 96 days following the most recent race, held at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in March.

Incredibly, it’s an identical number of days between the final race of the 2024 season and the first of the 2025 season – meaning teams have essentially had another entire offseason to prepare for a return to racing.

Since the Grand Prix, three rounds of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge have been contested, as have nine Repco Supercars  Championship races, four rounds of IMSA Sports Car Championship competition – three of them won by Porsche Penske Motorsport – and three rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship including the Le Mans 24 Hours.

This weekend marks the 12th visit by Australia’s top one-make championship to the Northern Territory, with history dating back to 2003.

Defending champion Harri Jones will lead a 20-car field to the Top End this weekend, the Queenslander’s #1 Jones Motorsport Porsche holding a narrow 15-point Equity-One Professional class lead over perennial contender Dylan O’Keeffe’s Dexion GWR Australia entry.

Bayley Hall (EMA Motorsport), Marcos Flack (Sonic Motor Racing) and Oscar Targett (Earl Bamber Motorsport) complete the top five in the Equity-One Pro standings, with five different teams represented.

Jones’ won in Darwin twelve months ago on his way to his second Carrera Cup title and, after winning round 1 this year, will be keen to return to the top of the standings after a challenging weekend at the Australian Grand Prix that ate into his early championship lead.

Another Darwin contender could also be Jackson Walls, who claimed Round 2 of the championship in Melbourne as he embarks on a part-time campaign this season amidst his commitments in the Super 2 championship. Walls’ finished third overall in Darwin twelve months ago.

Returning to the Top End will be another driver with strong local form – in fact he’s the most successful Porsche driver the Hidden Valley circuit the event has ever seen.

Dale Wood’s Connected Spaces Porsche finished runner-up in 2024, backing up round victories scored in 2023 and 2022. The Victorian has won six times in the Top End, as well as claiming the TAG Heuer Pole Award on two occasions. Wood also retains the Hidden Valley Qualifying and Race lap records for Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

The Pro-Am battle heads to Darwin wide open, with defending Darwin winner Adrian Flack on the sidelines for this round.

That clears a pathway for current championship leader Rodney Jane (Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic Motor Racing) to potentially extend his series lead, while Brett Boulton will be looking for a strong Darwin debut aboard his stunning Lightning Macqueen-inspired car from McElrea Racing.

Matt Belford sits third in the Pro-Am class while Matt Slavin will look to rebound from a challenging round at the Grand Prix that saw him leave Melbourne with zero points.

Five drivers will make their respective Darwin debuts this weekend: Porsche Michelin Juniors Oscar Targett, Caleb Sumich, Clay Osborne and Hamish Fitzsimmons and Pro-Am frontrunner Brett Boulton.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship field hits the track on Friday for a pair of practice sessions ahead of qualifying and race one on Saturday.

Two further races, including the 45-minute Enduro Cup race, complete the program on Sunday.

Practice 2, qualifying and all three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, while races one and three will also be shown on the screens of Seven.

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, Round 3
betr Darwin Triple Crown, Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin, NT.

Matt Campbell second in Le Mans 24 Hours

Campbell joins elite group with outright podium finish in around-the-clock epic

MATT CAMPBELL has finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, propelling Porsche Penske Motorsport and the Porsche 963 Hybrid to their first podium of the Hypercar era in the iconic race.  

A late race stint from Campbell was key to pushing the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry – shared with Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre – into podium contention after the team had run inside the top five for much of the race.

A flat out, intense affair had turned into a pitched battle between Campbell’s Porsche and the three factory Ferrari’s as other challengers faded.

Though the car slightly struggled for raw pace during the night time running, it came alive as the sun rose over La Sarthe on Sunday as the trio moved forward to challenge the Ferrari trio as the race evolved.

Campbell was in the car for the penultimate stint and when he handed the car over to Estre for the final 90 minutes of the race they sat in second position, but under pressure from the Ferrari’s.

Estre then steadied the car in second and ensured they followed the winning Ferrari home by less than twenty seconds. The result was made even sweeter by the fact they had started 21st and last of the Hypercar runners after being excluded from qualifying earlier in the week.

“Tomorrow we will look at the result and think that we have achieved more than we could have expected after the practice sessions and qualifying,” Laurens Vanthoor said.

“Today, however, the disappointment prevails. We delivered an absolutely perfect race and virtually had one hand on the biggest trophy – you don’t often come that close to such a triumph. What a pity!”

The winners completed 387 laps, or more than 5,100 kilometres of the iconic Le Mans circuit, while Porsche received the Sustainability award from event promoter ACO, for their mission to donate 500 Euro per lap completed during the race – the Porsche trio completing 1,159 laps in total.

In a productive day for Porsche, all three Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s finished inside the top-10 outright, while Manthey Racing also backed up their 2024 win in the LM GT3 category with their Porsche 911 GT3R.

It’s the third time Campbell has stood on the Le Mans podium, having already been part of the 2018 LM GTE Am class winning combination on his debut at the circuit in 2018. He also went on to finish second in the same class two years later. It was, however, his best finish in the outright class – backing up sixth position last year.

Campbell joins an elite group of just seven Australian drivers to have finished on the outright podium at Le Mans, and one of even fewer to do so in a Porsche.

Ryan Briscoe finished second outright in 2022 and was the last Aussie to score an outright podium Mark Webber was the last to do so in a Porsche, finishing runner-up in 2014.

Vern Schuppan, one of just three Australians to win the race outright, did so in a Porsche 956.