When it comes to Australian Motorsport heritage, Max Geoghegan carries a lot on his still-young shoulders.
The 23-year-old Queenslander has already carved his own mark in the Aussie motorsport landscape; claiming the 2024 Toyota GR Cup Championship and having his first taste of Supercars last year.
However, his latest career move into to the Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia Championship further links his famous racing family to Porsche’s local motorsport heritage – as if it was meant to be.
The Geoghegan – it’s pronounced ‘Gay-gan’ - surname will be familiar to Australian Motorsport aficionados; at its most well known in the '60s and '70s when attached to Max’s paternal Grandfather, Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, and his brother Leo.
The pair were staples of the Australian Touring Car and GT racing scene for decades: ‘Pete’ claiming five Australian Touring Car Championships between 1964 and 1969 and the 1973 Bathurst 1000 alongside Ford legend, Allan Moffat.
The brothers paired up to finish second at Bathurst in 1967 and raced together in Australia’s most famous race on six occasions. ‘Pete’ was inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of fame in 1999.
“Motor racing is in our blood: we've all loved it,” Max explains of his families’ deep ties to the sport.
“As everyone loves to tell dad, it skips a generation. Granddad obviously has been very, very successful in the Australian Touring Car Championships - which is now Supercars – over the years and had been able to create a great name for himself back there in the '60s and '70s and just to be able to carry that name has been a great thing.
“Unfortunately, Granddad passed away before I could probably even speak, so I wasn't going to be able to ask him any questions, but I quite constantly lean on Nan for a bit of information because she was there the whole way through.”
Max’s career started late, skipping the usual pathway of teenage go-karting before finding his way to the sport later, as a more ‘mature’ junior driver in his late teens.
After starting in one-make Hyundai Excel racing he moved to the Toyota championship that has proved an accessible, entry-level kicking off point for drivers to showcase their talent.
He claimed that title in 2024, partnering that campaign with a step into GT racing in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Championship with the team co-owned by Supercars champion, Chaz Mostert. He would taste success there, too.
“(20)24 was a real breakout year for me, to be able to win the (Toyota) scholarship championship and the GR championship was a really big feat, and then to carry that success along into GT4 and 2025 with (co-driver) Tom Heyman, Chaz and Method Motorsport was big,” Geoghegan details.
“To be able to win that championship as well and it's just kept me... to have that drive, to keep progressing, keep working hard and just have that hunger to go chase more and more podiums and more trophies.”
“Motor racing is in our blood." Max Geoghegan
A challenging year in Supercars in-house development category, Super 2, in 2025 ensured a re-set and a shift to a slightly different direction: The world of one-make Porsche competition.
It also marks his family's return to a brand that played a large part in his famous grandfather’s racing career.
“He drove Laurie O'Neill's 935 Porsche back in, I think it was ‘76 or ‘77 and also won the Australian Sports Car Championship in a 911 as well,” Geoghegan says.
He is correct: among other successes with the brand, ‘Pete’ Geoghegan claimed the 1976 Australian Sports Car Championship driving a 911S and then claimed the 1977 Australian Tourist Trophy at the Phillip Island circuit aboard O’Neill’s powerful 935.
The key titles were Porsche’s first major national circuit racing crowns claimed in the ‘70s.
“It'd be cool if I could lean back and ask him on a fair bit of what he what he did back then to see if it'd translate to any speed now,” Max adds.
“..but it's cool to have that relationship and that sort of connection through that as well.”
Geoghan’s step into GT racing opened his eyes to the potential in following a different direction towards a potential professional racing career.
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“The pathway I took with Method Motorsport with GT4 opened me up a lot to the whole GT scene and really fell in love with that type of racing. I had a meeting with Marcus Cole and Alex from EMA and just found myself so happy with the team before I'd even joined and signed and really had solidified myself with Carrera Cup that it just felt like the right place for me.
“Being able to just get into the car and be comfortable straight away was a really, really big benefit and the team's been really good at helping me get up to speed.
“Carrera Cup has been a category I've always looked at and have always enjoyed watching the racing and have always wanted to dip my toe in and now I'm here, I'm really excited.”
Geoghan’s debut at the opening round of the 2026 championship was solid, to say the least: He qualified 10th and posted consistent finishes of 10th, ninth and eighth to leave Albert Park eighth in the championship.
“The boys have been so supportive in helping me just get up to speed, and Marcus and Benji have been so helpful in just trying to learn the car as much as possible and try and adapt it to anything I've driven before as well.
“They are a very unique car. I have taken a big liking to it as well. That big rear tyre, that Michelin just lets you bag it up and go. So It's been good fun.
“It's something I've always wanted to drive as well. So whenever I'm in the car, as soon as I'm dialled in and I'm consistent, I'm happy, I've just got a biggest smile on my face.
“Being able to get into motorsport in such a late age that I've been able to sort of create my own path and just really put my best foot forward and sort of create my own journey with my amazing partners that I've been able to bring along with me.”
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Images: Mark Horsburgh / EDGE Photographic
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