2024 PORSCHE CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA SEASON TO COMMENCE AT F1

MEDIA RELEASE/Porsche Motorsport Australia – Photos: Velocity Magazine

– 27 car field confirmed for season opener of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia
– 9 Michelin Juniors, 7 drivers on debut this weekend
– 17-strong Equity One Professional class to battle for outright honours
– SP Tools Pro-Am battle to feature 10 cars

THE FIGHT for Australia’s top one-make championship commences anew this weekend as Round 1 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship descends on Melbourne and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Albert Park will see 27 cars contest the opening round of what is set to be another captivating title chase among the field of identical Type-992 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars.

As always the field will be split into two classes, with the Equity One Professional Class to be contested by 17 drivers, both established stars of the sport and a fleet of young, rising stars.

The always competitive SP Tools Pro-Am class returns with 10 entries, including defending class champion Adrian Flack.

The field includes seven drivers on debut, nine Michelin Junior drivers and both the current Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Pro and Pro-Am champions.

While Adrian Flack returns to defend his Pro-Am crown, young Kiwi rising star Marco Giltrap steps up to the ‘main game’ of Carrera Cup this weekend having clinched the Sprint Challenge title in 2023.

Giltrap will continue to race for Earl Bamber Motorsport in a Team Porsche New Zealand-supported car, flying the flag for the traditionally strong Kiwi contingent in Aussie Porsche racing.

He’ll be joined on debut by fellow Sprint Challenge graduates Lachlan Bloxsom (McElrea Racing), Tom McLennan (EBM), Nash Morris (Scott Taylor Motorsport), Harrison Goodman (Sonic Motor Racing) and Marcos Flack (Sonic Motor Racing), while Matt Slavin steps up from the Sprint Challenge Pro-Am class to the Carrera Cup fight this year.

Rounding out the first-timers this weekend is Supercars race winner Scott Pye, who will race a BWT-backed car for Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport this weekend.

2022 champion Harri Jones and 2005 winner Fabian Coulthard complete the PCM squad, Jones’ commencing his full-time return to Aussie competition this weekend.

2023 runner-up Jackson Walls returns for a second shot at the title having claimed the Albert Park round win – his first in Carrera Cup – last year.

Michelin Junior Ryder Quinn, 2023 Gold Coast winner Bayley Hall, Sonic’s Angelo Mouzouris, David Russell – who joins TekworkX Motorsport – and brothers Dale and Glen Wood all return for more this year.

Balancing out the strong rookie group this year, 10 Carrera Cup race winners feature on the grid set for this weekend with nine drivers having started more than 100 Carrera Cup races in their respective careers.

The SP Tools Pro-Am battle will see Flack chased again by drivers that filled the five positions behind the Earl Bamber Motorsport driver last year.

Dean Cook and Sam Shahin return, as done Melbourne-based Matt Belford, Marc Cini and Rodney Jane.

While Matt Slavin joins the fun from Sprint Challenge, a welcome returnee will be Sydneysider Indiran Padayachee while Daniel Stutterd returns with TekworkX after a strong conclusion to the 2023 season in Adelaide.

Meanwhile, a major achievement for one of Carrera Cup’s best will also be a highlight this weekend.

Milestone man Nick McBride, a staple at the front of the Carrera Cup field, will start his 200th Carrera Cup race on Saturday evening should he contest all three races this weekend.

McBride, who races a Hallmarc-backed car at the Melbourne Performance Centre, made his Carrera Cup debut in 2014 and has 4 round and 11 race wins to his credit across his successful career.

The Victorian, a qualified lawyer day-to-day, will become just the fourth driver in series history to have competed in 200 or more Carrera Cup races, joining teammate Marc Cini, David Wall and Rodney Jane in the elite group.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field will tackle three races this weekend at Albert Park.

Following practice and the battle for the TAG Heuer Pole Award on Thursday, Race 1 will be held on Thursday afternoon to kick off the season.

Races on Friday afternoon and then Saturday evening following Formula 1 Qualifying complete the opening round.

Races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports across the Albert Park weekend.

Class	Car #	Sponsor Name	Driver First Name	Driver Second Name	State
Pro	2	TekworkX Motorsport / HAH	David	Russell	QLD
Pro	3	Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport / BWT	Fabian	Coulthard	VIC
Pro-Am	8	Hallmarc / Team MPC	Nicholas	McBride	VIC
Pro-Am	9	Hallmarc / Team MPC	Marc	Cini	VIC
Pro / Jnr	11	Objective Racing	Jackson	Walls	NSW
Pro	12	Hasting Deering / Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport	Harri	Jones	VIC
Pro-Am	13	The Bend Motorsport Park	Sam	Shahin	SA
Pro-Am	14	I.D Land / Team MPC	Matt	Belford	VIC
Pro	19	Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport / BWT	Scott	Pye	VIC
Pro-Am	20	Agas National / EBM	Adrian	Flack	QLD
Pro-Am	22	Dexion / RAM Motorsport	Dean	Cook	NSW
Pro / Jnr	23	Bloxsom Team Navy	Lockie	Bloxsom	QLD
Pro / Jnr	28	Hall Finance & Insurance Solutions	Bayley	Hall	QLD
Pro-Am	35	Rentcorp Hyundai Forklifts	Indiran	Padayachee	NSW
Pro-Am	77	Sonic Motor Racing Services / Bob Jane T Marts	Rodney	Jane	VIC
Pro / Jnr	81	McLennan Motorsport / EBM	Tom	McLennan	QLD
Pro / Jnr	84	Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM	Marco	Giltrap	NZ
Pro-Am	85	Ares Group	Matt	Slavin	VIC
Pro	88	Dexion / RAM Motorsport	Dylan	O’Keeffe	VIC
Pro / Jnr	101	Game Over	Ryder	Quinn	QLD
Pro / Jnr	222	Scott Taylor Motorsport	Nash	Morris	QLD
Pro-Am	702	TekworkX Motorsport	Daniel	Stutterd	VIC
Pro / Jnr	777	Sonic / Bod Jane T Marts / Versalux Lighting Systems	Marcos	Flack	QLD
Pro	880	Sonic / TRUEGRID Parking Surface	Harrison	Goodman	VIC
Pro	911	Ranbuild / EBM	Glen	Wood	VIC
Pro	992	Connected Spaces / EBM	Dale	Wood	VIC
Pro / Jnr	999	Sonic / Bob Jane T Marts / Pit Box io	Angelo	Mouzouris	VIC

 

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