Porsche Michelin Junior Programme
Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) 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 Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship (Carrera Cup) and the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia (Sprint Challenge) Championship, and continues to produce and promote some of the most elite young driving talent from Australia and New Zealand.
Young drivers competing in one-make Porsche competition are invited to apply to join our 2024 Junior Programme, which includes our Porsche Michelin Junior Training Camp in Queensland, that will be held across several days, and will feature an extensive schedule designed specifically for young drivers.
For each round of the Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge Championship series in 2024, the top three Michelin Junior drivers will receive a prize of one (1) set of Michelin Competition tyres.
Michelin Junior Champions will be awarded in both categories. Additionally, the top junior in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the nominated cutoff point will also receive the only Australian nomination to enter and contest the exclusive Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe, with the winner of that competition receiving a scholarship towards a season in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
A full breakdown of both eligibility criteria and benefits to Michelin Junior competitors is included overleaf, including an Application Form to complete to formally lodge your submission to participate in the 2024 Junior Programme. Should PCA accept your application, the Application Form will also serve as your Junior driver contract for the duration of the 2024 season.
We look forward to young drivers taking part in the 2024 Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia and we wish you all the success in your future motorsport career with Porsche.
Eligibility Criteria
Benefits & Deliverables
Being a member of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme opens access to a range of benefits and support including:
- The right to use the designation ‘Official Driver of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia’ and ‘Michelin Junior in the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia’, subject to approval from PCA.
- Entry to the Porsche Michelin Junior Training Camp on 27-29 February 2024 (travel and accommodation provided by PCA). The Junior camp will be a three-day program developed in partnership with leading motorsport training organisation, Reaction Performance, which will develop physical and mental attributes required for elite talent in motorsport, offer team building with fellow Michelin Juniors, media training and more.
- The right to use the logo of the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme Australia, subject to approval from
- Promotional benefits from PCA as a Michelin Junior in the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme
Prize Pool
The following prizes are on offer to Porsche Michelin Junior drivers in 2024 across each Round of both the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia Championships:
- Round Winner – 1 x free round entry and 1 x set of Michelin race tyres
- Second for the Round – 1 x set of Michelin race tyres
- Third for the Round - 1 x set of Michelin race tyres
In addition, the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Junior Champion will receive PCA’s only nomination to contest the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe (Date TBC) at the conclusion of the 2024 season. PCA will contribute 2,000 EURO towards the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Junior Champion’s travel costs to the Porsche Junior Shootout.
*Please note all prizes are not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
To be eligible for the 2024 Junior Programme and to receive the above benefits, PCA requires applicants to satisfy all the following conditions (Conditions):
- Be born between 30 November 2000 – 01 March 2007.
- Have already committed to, or can show evidence to PCA’s satisfaction, of their intention to commit to a full season in 2024 of either Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia (8 rounds) or Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia (6 rounds).
- Attend and complete the Porsche Michelin Junior Training Camp in Queensland on 27-29 February.
- Grant PCA the right to use their driver image and name in the promotion of the Michelin Junior
- Commit to attend a range of promotional events and activities during 2024, as requested by
- Comply with all elements of the 2024 Series Sporting and Technical Regulations issued by Motorsport Australia for each championship, including the driver standards and behaviour policy.
- Grant Michelin the right to place signage on agreed positions of their Porsche race car driven during the 2024 season, including on the top and bottom of the rear wing, on the top of the front bonnet and inside the car (designated areas to be supplied by PCA via separate bulletin).
- Grant Michelin the right to place signage on the visor of your driver helmet worn during the 2024 season (designated areas to be supplied by PCA via separate bulletin).
- Participate in interviews with PCA and provide material for written content (race reports, season updates), as requested by PCA.
*If any of the above Conditions cannot be provided due to existing agreements, then an alternative benefit must be provided as agreed with PCA and Michelin.
Training Days
Our comprehensive, three-day Michelin Junior camp will be held on the Gold Coast between February 27-29 and is inclusive of becoming a Michelin Junior in 2024 - with all expenses paid for by Porsche Motorsport for drivers accepted to the program.
The three-day camp is designed to arm Michelin Juniors with the skills required to become a successful, professional racing driver.
While the core focus is on physical and mental training, there are also elements dedicated to engineering and media coaching to ensure each drivers’ presentation skills are up to the level required to compete at a national level.
In 2024 media skills will form a larger part of the training camp alongside the physical training exercises.
The junior drivers’ participation in the camp will also be well publicised, giving an early pre-season boost in media awareness and exposure for competitors.
The program has been developed by industry experts, Reaction Performance, led by high-performance coach Leigh Stamation and his team - with added elements from the experienced Porsche Motorsport team.
Each driver will be assessed individually to ensure that they leave the camp with an understanding of their relative strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to focus on improvement throughout the season, following the camp.
The three-day program will allow drivers to learn and develop skills, forge relationships with teammates and rivals, and – importantly – enjoy themselves throughout the process.
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
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
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 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.
