Sargent and Wood among 10 debutants for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

25/05/2022

14^th season of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia to kick off at Sydney Motorsport Park

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