Sargent and Wood among 10 debutants for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

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:

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