PORSCHE MICHELIN GT3 CUP CHALLENGE TITLES TO BE DECIDED AT THE BEND

MEDIA RELEASE/Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge – Photo: Supplied

The sixth and final round of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge series gets underway this weekend in Tailem Bend in South Australia with all three class titles up for grabs. The fast and flowing turns of the 4.95km circuit that characterize The Bend Motorsport Park are tailor-made for the Porsche 911 GT3 cup cars and traditionally very hard on the Michelin control tyres.

The track is also the longest of all the tracks on the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge calendar and a favourite among both Pro and Pro-Am drivers due to its fast, but technical nature. With the outright, TAG Heuer Pro-Am and Class B titles all still to be decided, fans are likely to see the titles to go down to the wire in the final race on Saturday.

The Queensland based McElrea Racing team is leaving nothing to chance, having recently conducted test sessions at the circuit with their leading Pro and Pro-Am drivers including series leader Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle as well as TAG Heuer title contender Brett Boulton.

Jones sealed the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in the last round at Sandown Raceway, ahead of Aaron Love and Christian Pancione. With three races (180 points) available over the weekend, the Helimods backed driver will be hoping to extend to stay out of harm’s way and maintain his 92 point advantage over Sonic Racing’s Aaron Love in second.

Both Love and teammate Max Vidau (who trails Jones by 142 points) still have a mathematical chance of clinching the Pro title and come off strong form leading into the event after dominant race victories in Sandown. Others in the hunt for race wins will be Christian Pancione, Tom Taplin and Ryan Suhle who have all showed good qualifying pace and consistency in the second half of the 2019 season.

The ultra-competitive Pro battle will again welcome the GWR Australia run entry of Oliver Shannon after his debut in the series in Sandown. With the third-most starts in series history, Sam Shahin will be looking for a fairy tale ending to his 2019 campaign by clinching the TAG Heuer Pro-Am series title at his own track.

Shahin comes off an amazing Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia performance in recent weeks, after winning all three Pro-Am races on the final round on the Gold Coast. The South Australian has a 73 point lead over Brett Boulton in second in the TAG Heuer standings for Michelin GT3 Cup challenge and the battle between the pair will be one of the highlights of the race weekend.

The Southern Star Windows entry of Ross McGregor sits a strong third in the Pro-Am championship standings, with a small, but mathematical chance (157 points adrift of Shahin) of taking the class title should the front runners have misfortune. McGregor is well clear of Rob Woods, Michael Hovey and Graham Williams in the points table, who are locked in their own battle for fourth and fifth position in the series.

After Sandown, McGregor is now the record holder for the highest number of race starts in the series’ history at 101, a record previously held by John Goodacre. Round 6 will also see the return of experienced Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge campaigner Michael Loccisano in the Porsche Centre Melbourne prepared Hallmarc entry, after missing the Sandown round due to work commitments abroad.

The closest class battle to be contested this weekend, will not be at the sharp end of the field, however, but rather toward the rear in the Class B category. The 2019 Class B season has witnessed a season-long tussle between Andrew Goldie and David Greig, with only 30 points separating the pair heading into this weekend, every race will count. With Tony Martin injuring his hand earlier in the season, Nathan Murray is assured of third in the Class B classification.

After a pair of practice sessions and a late afternoon qualifying session on Friday, all three races will be held on a busy Saturday and streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.

Car #   CLASS   DRIVER  SURNAME SPONSOR
1     3   Pro-Am   Jonathan Gliksten      Cure FA
2     5   Class B   Nathan    Murray        Garage 1
3     7   Pro          Ryan       Suhle          Ryan Suhle Racing – Ray White
4     9   Class B   Tony        Martin        TM Motorsport / The Triffid Bar. Venue
5    10  Pro-Am    Michael   Loccisano  Hallmarc
6    12  Pro           Harri       Jones         Heli Mods
7    13  Pro-Am    Sam        Shahin       The Bend/HTFU
8    14  Pro-Am    Matt        Belford       ID Land
9    22  Class B    Andrew   Goldie       Woodford Trailers
10  26  Pro           Tom        Taplin        Taplin Real Estate
11  29  Pro-Am     Rob        Woods      GWR/Commercial Interior Projects
12 38   Pro           Oliver      Shannon
13 76   Pro           Christian Pancione   VCM Performance
14 77   Pro           Max        Vidau         Sonic Motor Racing
15 78   Pro           Aaron     Love           Sonic Motor Racing / SRG Global
16 84   Pro-Am    Brett       Boulton       Bold Living
17 87   Class B    David     Greig           Daikin Air Conditioning / DW Motorsport
18 93   Pro-Am     Marty    Ewer            Dr Marty Ewer
19 99   Pro-Am     Ross     McGregor    Southern Star Windows P/L
20 131 Pro-Am     Graham Williams      Sonic Motor Racing / Williams Racing

Schedule – Round 6, The Bend

Friday, 15 November
08:45-09:15 Practice 1
11:00-11:30 Practice 2
15:35-15:55 Qualifying

Saturday, 16 November
09:00-09:20 Race 1
11:45-12:05 Race 2
15:40-16:00 Race 3

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