Ashley Seward Motorsport (ASM) will have three drivers competing in this year’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia series, which gets underway at the Australian All Wheels Race Fest at Phillip Island later this month.
Series veteran Ross McGregor will be joined by Andrew Goldie and Terry Knowles for the Melbourne based outfit as it looks to have a serious crack at some silverware in the 2021 season.
The experienced McGregor will contest his eighth season in the series, having been a consistent performer throughout his Porsche career and a regular on the Pro-Am podium throughout the journey.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back onto the track and having some fun,” McGregor said.
“The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge has a great group of competitors who are all sensible and show respect for one another on the track.
“Geoff Emery will be on board as my driver coach again this year, which is a big positive because he knows how to encourage me and bring out the best in my ability.”
West Australian driver Goldie was also looking forward to racing in the series for 2021, having finished runner-up in Class B aboard a 997 Cup car in 2019.
Upgrading to a 991 Gen 1 car last year, Goldie made the most of limited opportunities to go racing in 2020, contending at Challenge Bathurst before scoring a clean sweep of race wins in the Pro-Am class of the Porsche PAYCE and Michelin Cup at the Shannons Motorsport Australia Festival at Sandown in December.
“The new car is beautiful to drive, very smooth and refined,” Goldie explained.
“The paddle-shift gearbox makes the whole experience much more relaxed and I noticed the extra horsepower as well.
“It was great to score a clean sweep at Sandown, but I had to work hard for it as there is some high-quality opposition and the Pro-Am class will be very competitive this season.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Knowles enters the season as the least experienced of the three, having recently completed some track days with ASM ahead of competitive racing debut.
While Knowles endured some initial challenges behind the wheel of the Porsche, some assurance from Goldie and the rest of the team gave the future debutant some confidence about the year ahead.
“I had to learn the paddle shift system and acquaint myself with a left-hand-drive car, but Ross, Andrew and everyone else in the team have been very encouraging,” Knowles said.
“For my first year, the goal is to learn as much as possible by finishing all the races, challenge myself and above all, have fun.”
The 2021 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia will commence its season as part of the first round of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit