Bayley Hall has confirmed his place in next year’s Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge with the talented youngster to team up with Queensland outfit McElrea Racing for his first assault on the series.
The 17-year-old will step into the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car having already experienced some success in circuit racing with victory during the Motorsport Australia GT Championship’s Gold Coast round in 2019 and the 2020 Bathurst combined sedan series.
In another major boost for the Queenslander, he will be part of the 2021 Porsche Michelin Junior Programme, which boasts an impressive list of graduates including Dylan O’Keeffe, Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Jordan Love and Matt Campbell, all of whom have competed at the highest level both in Australia and abroad.
Believing his progression into the one-make series is the most logical pathway for his career, Hall was looking forward to the opportunity as he looks to move up the Porsche pyramid.
“I’m very excited for this new chapter in my racing career,” Hall said.
“It’s all a bit surreal, but it’s a dream come true to announce that I will be with the McElrea team in a Porsche next year.
“I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can in the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme and my goal is to ultimately win the Sprint Challenge series, before I make the step into the main game in Carrera Cup.”
Team Principal Andy McElrea was also enthusiastic about the partnership with Hall coming to fruition next year, having kept a close eye on the youngster in his career to date.
“We’ve been watching Bayley’s progress for a couple of years and for such a young guy, he already has vast mileage and experience in a variety of cars,” McElrea explained.
“A year ago, we chatted about a potential future with MR and having a shot at the Porsche Pyramid, following in the footsteps of Matt (Campbell) and Jaxon (Evans) in Europe.
“We did an evaluation test with him a couple of weeks ago and we were very impressed with his first run in a cup car, needless to say, he has a very exciting few years ahead of him.”
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge will feature as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships for every round in 2021, starting with the Australian All Wheels Race Festival at Phillip Island on 19-21 February.
