Last weekend saw 31 Porsche 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup cars contest Round 2 of Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at Winton. This weekend, 27 previous generation 991 Cup cars will start the opening round of the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season.
15 of the Winton drivers had all progressed from Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge to Carrera Cup Australia, including former champions Simon Fallon and Harri Jones, as well as class champions Christian Pancione, Tim Miles, Geoff Emery and Sam Shahin. 2022 Carrera Cup round winners Max Vidau and Matthew Belford are another pair who have had success in the Porsche national series in the past.
Of the 58 entries running back-to-back, only one driver – Sam Shahin – will be doing double duty, meaning there are (at a minimum) 57 national level competitors racing Porsches this year, showing the strength of Porsche’s Motorsport Pyramid in Australasia.
The last time Sprint Challenge visited Sydney Motorsport Park was in early 2021, when Christian Pancione took his first-round victory in the series. Ryan Suhle and Callum Hedge completed the Pro podium on that occasion, while Sam Shahin dominated the Morris Finance Pro-Am field from Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua.
Ten drivers make their Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge debut this weekend, the most in any one round of the series in the last decade of the competition. These include Nathan Sticklen, Ryan Wood, Thomas Sargent, Gerard Murphy, Jason Miller, Christian Fitzgerald (son of former podium finisher – Peter Fitzgerald), Emanuel Mezzasalma, Aron Shields, Lachlan Bloxsom and Jacob Li.
The likes of Wood and Sargent will bring a wealth of experience to the Pro class and go up against the likes of Courtney Prince, Madeline Stewart and Ollie Shannon – who returns to the series with a new team, Tigani Motorsport.
While the wise money will be on Shahin to take the Morris Finance Pro-Am class this year based on his past performances, The Bend Motorsport Park owner will come under fire from the likes of Brett Boulton, Richard Cowen, , Nathan Murray, Andrew Goldie, David Greig, Indiran Padayachee, Ross McGregor, Terrance Knowles and Rob Woods.
Following two practice sessions and a night qualifying session on Friday, all three races over the course of the weekend will be broadcast live on Stan Sport.
For race information, videos and interviews, follow the Porsche Motorsport Australia social pages: Instagram – @PorscheMotorsportAU / Twitter – @PorscheMspAU / Facebook.com/ PorscheMotorsportAU
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Round 1, Sydney Motorsport Park
ENTRY LIST:
# DRIVER SURNAME Class Team
2 Richard Cowen Pro-Am McElrea Racing
3 Jonathan Gliksten Class B Racing for FA
5 Nathan Murray Pro-Am Garage 1
8 Madeline Stewart Pro Bullrush Rally / EBM
13 Sam Shahin Pro-Am The Bend / OTR
22 Andrew Goldie Pro-Am Cirrus Aircraft
23 Lachlan Bloxsom Pro McElrea Racing
26 Tom Taplin Class B Taplin Real Estate
29 Rob Woods Pro-Am TekworkX Motorsport
32 Courtney Prince Pro Sonic / Local Legends
34 Nathan Sticklen Class B TekworkX Motorsport
35 Indiran Padayachee Pro-Am Hyundai Forklifts
38 Ollie Shannon Pro Tigani Motorsport
40 Ryan Wood Pro Team Porsche NZ / EBM
47 Thomas Sargent Pro Tegra Australia
58 Gerard Murphy Class B Australia Zoo / Wildlife Warriors
59 Jason Miller Pro Stokes Skis Australia
68 Terrance Knowles Pro-Am Ashley Seward Motorsport
74 Christian Fitzgerald Pro – Am EMA Motorsport
84 Brett Boulton Pro-Am Bold Living
87 David Greig Pro-Am DW Motorsport
88 TBC TBC Pro Bob Jane T Marts / Sonic
99 Ross McGregor Pro-Am Southern Star Windows
100 Emanuel Mezzasalma Pro-Am iBOA
116 Aron Shields Pro McElrea Racing
131 TBC TBC Pro-Am Sonic Motor Racing / WRA
266 Jacob Li Class B ASM / Mars Performance
BROADCAST SCHEDULE:
Saturday 28 May
12:40-13:25 Race 1 (27 laps)
16:30-1650 Race 2 (11 laps)
Sunday 29 May
12:40-13:00 Race 3 (11 laps)
2022 CALENDAR:
Rd1 Sydney Motorsport Park 27-29 May
Rd2 Phillip Island 24-26 June
Rd3 Queensland Raceway 05-07 Aug
Rd4 Sandown 16-18 Sept
Rd5 The Bend 21-23 Oct
Rd6 Bathurst Intl 11-13 Nov
