Round 2 of the AU4 Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) this weekend delivered a spectacular weekend of high-stakes racing, broken track records, and fierce rivalries. Following three action-packed races, the Gen2 championship fight is now locked in a dead heat, while a masterclass performance in the Gen1 category saw a clean sweep of all races forge a clear category lead..
Jensen Marold (Gen2) dominated Friday, clean-sweeping the practice sessions but finding Brock Burton hot on his heels; the pair being the only drivers to break into the 29-second lap times for the day. Marold carried his unstoppable momentum into qualifying, securing a massive double pole and smashing 2025 champion Noah Killion’s AU4 lap record by nearly two seconds with a 1:27.94.
In the Gen1 Category, Koby Wilson had a stellar Friday, topping Practice 3 to complete a clean sweep of the day and edging out his teammate, Lewis Gotch. Wilson converted his practice pace into qualifying success, claiming the double pole for the Gen1 class.
Starting from pole in the afternoon’s Race 1, Marold nailed the launch to lead the pack into the first corner, followed closely by Kiwi driver Marco Manson and Brock Burton in the Gen2 class. In Gen1, Koby Wilson maintained his advantage to lead off the start from teammates Lewis Gotch and Kiwi driver Jackson Culver.
The green-flag running was short-lived, with the Safety Car deployed after just one lap. The field bunched up and spent four laps under Safety Car conditions before the track was cleared. When racing resumed, Marold and Manson immediately locked into a fierce, close battle for the lead, with Burton holding a steady third. Late in the race, the local yellow flags were flown but fortunately, no Safety Car was required, allowing the field to race to the checkered flag.
The pace was fierce, with the top six drivers all in the 1min 29s, under last year’s SMSP AU4 record. Ultimately, Jensen Marold held his nerve to cross the line first and claim the Race 1 victory in Gen2 ahead of Manson and Burton, while Wilson converted his early advantage into a flawless win for the Gen1 class over Gotch and Culver.
For Race 2 on Sunday morning, pole-sitter Jensen Marold was slow off the line, and Marco Manson took full advantage to snatch the lead heading into Turn 1. Marold slotted right in behind him in second, with De’Argo Stewart following closely in third. In the Gen1 class, Koby Wilson dodged a stalled car on the grid, narrowly retaining his lead ahead of Lewis Gotch and Jackson Culver.
It was a chaotic opening phase for several drivers. Burton went off track early and, while he managed to rejoin, was forced into the pits for a new front wing. Xavier Babbage-Hockey also found trouble, running wide at Turn 1 after suffering front wing damage; he struggled for several laps before eventually pitting for a replacement nose. A Safety Car was then called to recover a beached vehicle, bunching the field up and neutralizing the race for several laps.
When the green flag finally dropped, Manson and Marold immediately pulled away from the rest of the pack. Manson went on the defensive, fending off Marold’s divebombs and outside passing attempts while the two pulled away from Stewart, who held steady in third.
In Gen1, Culver managed to muscle past Gotch, sparking a fierce battle for second place that lasted all the way to the checkered flag with only 0.2 seconds between them.
For Race 3, Manson once again got the jump on polesitter Marold off the line, but the action quickly turned chaotic behind them. On the hunt heading into Turn 2, Hockey turned Beck around forcing the rest of the pack into sudden evasive action.
Adding to the early drama, Anton Wu stalled on the grid with a mechanical issue and had to be towed in, triggering a multi-lap Safety Car period. The team worked frantically on the car in pit lane, but sadly, Wu was ultimately forced to retire from the race.
When the green flag finally dropped again, Burton wasted no time making a fast move on Flack then an inside pass on Baills at Turn 1, making it stick by Turn 3, though he couldn’t quite close the gap to catch Cosolo. De’Argo Stewart was forced into the pits to replace a left-rear tire, dropping him down the order and out of contention.
At the front of the pack, Manson controlled the pace beautifully, crossing the finish line 2.5 seconds clear of Marold to take the win, with Cosolo securing third.
Meanwhile in the Gen1 class, Koby Wilson continued his absolute dominance. Behind him, the scrap for second was fierce once again. With just minutes remaining on the clock, Lewis Gotch pulled off a fantastic move to snatch second place, successfully holding off a hard-charging Jackson Culver to the checkered flag.
The Gen2 round win went to Manson (69), then Marold (65) and Cosolo (33), while in Gen1 it’s Wilson (79), Gotch (55) and Culver (45).
The championship in Gen2 now stands locked between Marold and Manson, both on 125 points, with Cosolo third on 59 points. Gen1 has Wilson leading with 142 points, Culver second on 110 points, and Gotch on 103.
The AU4 Championship now heads to The Bend (West Layout) for Round 3 on July 17 – 19, then remains for Round 4 (International layout) on August 21 – 23 before the finale back at SMSP on September 11 – 13.
Round 2 Results – Gen2
1/ Manson (69
2/ Marold (65)
5/ Cosolo (33)
Round 2 Results – Gen1
1/ Wilson (79)
2/ Gotch (55)
3/ Culver (45).
Championship Standings after Round 2
=1 Manson (125)
=1 Marold (125)
3/ Cosolo (59)
Gen1 Championship Standings after Round 2
1/ Wilson (142)
2/ Culver (110)
3/ Gotch (103)
Comments