The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia heads to Sandown for the second round of the 2018 season this weekend, supporting the Shannons Nationals.
Rookie Max Vidau is leading the standings after a stellar outing in the first round at The Bend Motorsport Park, edging out fellow rookie Cooper Murray to win two out of the three races held.
Despite the lack of confidence going into his debut race at Tailem Bend due to limited preparation, the 17-year-old goes into this weekend’s Shannons Nationals with a new found confidence after a solid first round.
“I am definitely more confident going into this weekend than I was at The Bend. I wasn’t quite comfortable with the car going into the first round,” Vidau said.
“I hadn’t done much testing in the off season and jumped straight into it. So naturally the first race didn’t quite go to plan due to some mistakes I made, but the next two wins made it a good start to the series.
“Even though I am more confident going into this weekend, it’s going to be a tight battle with all the talent in the series.”
Though The Bend was a newfound experience for all competitors, Vidau is already well versed with Sandown.
“I have always done quite well at Sandown,” Vidau added.
“I think I have won every round that I have competed in during the Formula Ford series, so I definitely like the track.
“It’s going be a different in the Porsche and will take a bit of learning but overall it should be pretty good.”
Preparation will be key if Vidau is to add to his already remarkable start to the season.
“We will be going over lots of footage, as well as analysing a bit of data during the week so when we get to Sandown, we can get straight onto the track,” Vidau explained.
“This needs to be done as quick as we can so we can get into the finer details of the circuit and give ourselves the best chance.
“The walls are pretty close at Sandown so I need to make sure I’m careful.
“Everyone in the Challenge knows the risks at Sandown so I think it should be a clean race.”
Vidau sits on top of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia standings with 174 points, and is six points ahead of Cooper Murray (168). Formula 4 graduate Simon Fallon rounds out the top three on 132 points.
Porsche Junior driver Jimmy Vernon sits outside the top three with 116 points, followed by Chelsea Angelo in fifth (100), Luis Leeds in sixth (93) and last year’s Shannons Nationals Sandown round winner, Sam Shahin in seventh place on 78 points.
Sandown’s action gets underway with practice for the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia this Friday 11 May.
Click here to buy your tickets online to the Shannons Nationals.
