Porsche Carrera Cup Australia competitors Marco Giltrap and Zac Stichbury, along with Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia drivers Brock Gilchrist, Ayrton Hodson, and Clay Osborne, have been awarded a contract for the Porsche Michelin Junior Program.
Porsche and Michelin will support a record 23 drivers aged between 17 and 23 this year, competing across the Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge.
Michelin Junior winners in each category at each round receive a free set of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and free entry to a subsequent round of their series.
The second and third-placed drivers also receive a complimentary set of tyres.
The top Junior point scorer in the Carrera Cup also secures Australia’s nomination to contest the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe at the end of the season, with Porsche Motorsport Australia funding travel.
Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) scholarship recipient for 2023 Callum Hedge was Australia’s nominee for last year’s global Shootout, having led the championship after the Sandown round.
In total, more than $250,000 worth of prizes and support are on offer this year, a record investment by both Porsche Cars Australia and major partner Michelin.
“We are very proud of the group of young drivers who will be representing Porsche and Michelin in Sprint Challenge and Carrera Cup this year,” said Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager Barry Hay.
“It is not only the largest group of Junior drivers we have ever had in our pathway, but it’s a group filled with incredible ability, motivation, talent and drive to become the best at their craft.
“The Michelin Junior program isn’t just about arriving and driving—all of these drivers earned their tickets at our Porsche Michelin Junior Camp powered by BWT, held in February this year.
“They all worked hard for it and proved to us that they had the right stuff, which is incredibly exciting.
“We looked around this group of drivers and knew straight away that there were going to be some world-class champions among them. It’s an elite group, and it bodes incredibly well for the 2024 season and beyond.
“We’re very proud of the film that documents the Junior Camp – it’s fun, engaging and showcases the personalities and abilities of the drivers while hopefully inspiring the next group of Michelin Juniors looking to enter the program in the future.”
All 23 drivers recently attended a three-day event in Coolangatta and received their contracts at the end of the camp.
The rigorous program, developed by renowned motorsport coaching and training specialists at Reaction Performance, featured a diverse range of development opportunities throughout the camp, incorporating various physical and mindset challenges.
Classroom sessions included physical and mindset preparation, engineering insights, and, for the first time, a serious media training element focusing on interview skills and social media.
A 15-minute documentary, titled ‘Seas the Day’, has been released and showcases the process the class of 2024 went through to obtain their Junior Contracts via an intensive three-day training course held on the Gold Coast in late February.
The film showcases the entire camp, highlighting the array of challenges, including a Surf Lifesaving course hosted by the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Lifesaving Club, fun, camaraderie, and incredible locations in the southern end of the Gold Coast.
Seas the Day is available to watch on YouTube via the link above.
The 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia begins next weekend, racing in support of the Melbourne Grand Prix. They will then venture across the Tasman for the first time to compete in support of the ITM Taupo Super400.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge season begins on April 12-14, during the Shannons Speedseries round at Phillip Island.
