Carrera Cup heads to Bathurst with first 2024 title to be decided

THE PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship heads to Mount Panorama this week as key records continue to be broken in this year’s competitive title chase.

This weekend marks the 20th Carrera Cup round at the iconic circuit in Country New South Wales, with the annual pilgrimage a feature on the championship calendar every year.

A 24-strong field will tackle the three races this weekend, including the Sunday morning curtain-raiser to the Repco Bathurst 1000, which last year was one of the most-viewed Carrera Cup races of all time.

Key storylines continue to unfold in the championship this year with one milestone to be decided on the mountain – the latest winner of the Porsche Michelin Junior Championship.

There, Jackson Walls and Bayley Hall will battle for the right to represent Carrera Cup Australia against the world’s best young one-make Porsche stars. Walls leads Hall by 147 points, with 181 up for grabs this weekend.

Walls, who sits second outright in the Equity-One Professional class standings, also leads the Enduro Cup standings by 20 markers with three of the longer-distance races to run this year.

While Harri Jones is 180 points in front of the championship – with 181 available in Bathurst – there’s lots on the line for second, third and fourth. Walls leads Dylan O’Keeffe by just five points, while David Russell is 43 further back in fourth.

O’Keeffe remains the only driver on the grid to finish every race in the top 10 this season.

Jones’ recent Sandown round win was just the 9th time in history a driver has won 3 rounds in a row.

The Mount Panorama field welcomes back former series champion David Wall and his Wall Racing teammate, Drew Hall, who will make his first start of the season this weekend.

The SP Tools Pro-Am battle has seen a record-smashing year for title leader Adrian Flack, who has a comfortable 300-point lead over closest rival, Matt Slavin – though that is before the worst round score for the season is dropped, with only 7 of 8 championship rounds counting to the overall season.

Flack has helped to re-write the Carrera Cup record books this season with an incredible year so far.

His 13th SP Tools Pro-Am round win, achieved at Sandown last time out, equalled Max Twigg for second on the all-time list (led by Stephen Grove on 17). Flack has won eight consecutive Pro-Am rounds, a series record. No driver in series history has won more than 6 in a season, irrespective of the class.

Flack has won 37 races, now second of all time in Carrera Cup’s Pro-Am class.

His twelve consecutive race wins between Race 2, Round 1 in Melbourne and Race 2, Round 5 at Sandown, equalled an all-time record held by Rodney Jane, set in 2006.

Flack now has 17 TAG Heuer Pole awards, the most of any driver in Pro-Am history.

He has scored 7 consecutive poles, dating back to Surfers Paradise last year. That equals the Carrera Cup record, set twice by Rodney Jane in 2006 and 2007. One more consecutive pole would be the most of all time in Pro-Am PCCA history.

British driver Harry King won the 2023 Carrera Cup round at Mount Panorama following a trio of intense races with a then-returning Harri Jones.

King and Jones’ battled all weekend long, at one point trading paint in a close moment at turn two.

King also set the Carrera Cup Bathurst lap record during the races, while Jones owns the Qualifying record and was the first driver to lap beneath 2m05 seconds in a Cup Car on Mount Panorama.

Action commences on Thursday this week with practice and qualifying, with one race each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the Great Race program.

Every session will be broadcast live on Fox Sports ‘Bathurst Channel’ and Kayo Sports in Australia, and Sky Sports in New Zealand.

2024 PORSCHE PAYNTER DIXON CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA
Round 6, Entry List

No.Class#Sponsor Driver  State
1Pro2TekworkX Motorsport / HAHDavidRussellQLD
2Pro3Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport / BWTFabianCoulthardVIC
3Pro-Am4Grove RacingStephenGroveVIC
4Pro11Objective RacingJacksonWallsNSW
5Pro12Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport / Hasting DeeringHarriJonesVIC
6Pro-Am13The Bend Motorsport ParkSamShahinSA
7Pro-Am14I.D Land / Team MPCMattBelfordVIC
8Pro-Am20Agas National / EBMAdrianFlackQLD
9Pro23Bloxsom Team NavyLockieBloxsomQLD
10Pro28Hall Finance & Insurance SolutionsBayleyHallQLD
11Pro38Wall RacingDavidWallNSW
12Pro-Am77Sonic Motor Racing Services / Bob Jane T MartsRodneyJaneVIC
13Pro81McLennan Motorsport / EBMTomMcLennanQLD
14Pro84Team Porsche New Zealand / EBMMarcoGiltrapQLD
15Pro-Am85Ares GroupMattSlavinVIC
16Pro-Am86Wall RacingDrewHallNSW
17Pro88Dexion / RAM MotorsportDylanO’KeeffeVIC
18Pro101Game OverRyderQuinnQLD
19Pro222Scott Taylor MotorsportNashMorrisQLD
20Pro777Sonic / Bod Jane T Marts / Versalux Lighting SystemsMarcosFlackQLD
21Pro880Sonic / TRUEGRID Parking SurfaceHarrisonGoodmanVIC
22Pro911Ranbuild / EBMGlenWoodVIC
23Pro992Connected Spaces / EBMDaleWoodVIC
24Pro999Sonic / Bob Jane T Marts / Pit Box ioAngeloMouzourisVIC

Working full time in the motorsport industry since 2004, Richard has established himself within the group of Australia’s core motorsport broadcasters, covering the support card at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix for Channel 10, the Bathurst 12 Hour for Channel 7 and RadioLeMans plus Porsche Carrera Cup & Touring Car Masters for FOX Sports’ Supercars coverage. Works a PR bloke for several teams and categories, is an amateur motorsport photographer and owns five cars, most of them Holdens, of varying vintage and state of disrepair.

http://www.theracetorque.com/

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