Remarkable Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge campaign continues

THE most wide-open Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season in ages continues its rollercoaster ride this weekend at Queensland Raceway. 

A 24-strong field will roll to the midway point of the championship this week with most none the wiser as to where real championship-contending form sits within the highly competitive field.

The dramatic pair of opening rounds has been remarkable in its diversity: five drivers have won the first six races, five different drivers have been represented on the overall round podiums and a remarkable nine drivers have scored top three race finishes to date.

Nine different teams feature in the top nine championship standings in the Pro Class after two rounds, a first in the history of one-make Porsche racing in Australia.

McElrea Racing’s Lachlan Bloxsom leads the championship to his home circuit this weekend with a narrow nine-point lead over EBM / Team Porsche NZ rival Tom Bewley.

The dynamic duo up top are the only two drivers to have finished every race in the top six so far this season with that consistency likely to be key to building a title challenge this year. Both broke through for maiden victories at Sydney Motorsport Park last time out.

Sonic Motor Racing’s Jake Santalucia sits third overall while a resurgent Ryan Casha jumped to fourth thanks to a strong Sydney round last time out.

Round 1 winner Willie Exton dropped to fifth in the championship following a tough weekend in Sydney, though is only 65 points from the series lead.

Kmal Mrad – who scored a remarkable pair of thirds in Sydney – Tyler Greenbury and Sydney winner James Lodges are next with Hunter Robb and Jackson Rooney completing the top-10.

Lodge’s Sydney weekend was critical for his title hopes following a disastrous opening round at Phillip Island that left him with a pair of DNFs in the first two races of the year.

All the Pro contenders return from Sydney this weekend, while Harry Walker will make his second start in the championship following a solid debut with Wall Racing last time out.

The Pro-Am fight will again be elevated this weekend as defending champion Lachy Harburg returns to the field having missed the recent Sydney event – competitors able to drop their worst round of the season in the Sprint Challenge ‘race within a race’.

He’ll front up with the rapid Ramu Farrell and Jacque Jarjo this weekend, both of whom tasted success in Sydney.

The Pro-Am field is every bit as wide-open as the outright battle with six drivers having scored a top three race finish to date; four of them winning in the first six starts.

The Queensland field includes Eric Constantinidis, Kent Leicester, Andrew Georgiadis, David Grieg and John Papantoniou, while Mark Darling returns for his second PSCA start having made his debut at QR last year – he’ll drive with Jones Motorsport.

Newcomer Tim Farrell will make his debut at his home circuit this weekend.

In Class B, Daniel Quimby will be the lone entrant this weekend, though his focus will again be punching on with the Pro contenders at the pointy-end of the field despite running an older-model car.

The open-wheel graduate, a teenager from Sydney, did just that in Sydney in a starring weekend for both he and teammate, Kmal Mrad.

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will tackle three races this weekend at Queensland Raceway, traditionally a highly competitive and action-packed venue for the one-make Porsche championship.

Last year, Oscar Targett scored pole at the Ipswich venue in a weekend dominated by the EBM team, the Queenslander winning all three races and the round – re-setting the qualifying and race lap records in the process.

Qualifying and all three races will be shown live on 7plus this weekend, with the first race on the Sunday program also shown live on 7mate.

ENTRY LIST – Round 3, Queensland Raceway