Kiwi racer William Exton delivered a commanding performance to clinch victory in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge at Phillip Island, Australia, on April 5, 2025. Starting from pole position, Exton secured his maiden win in the series.
A chaotic and thrilling 30-minute curtain-raiser delivered plenty of action as Exton turned pole position into a debut win—though it was anything but straightforward.
Despite starting from the front, Exton was sluggish off the line and lost ground heading into Turn 1, overtaken by fellow front-row starter Jake Santalucia and second-row contender Tyler Greenbury.
The opening laps saw a tight battle among the leaders until lap four, when Santalucia had a dramatic moment at the Hayshed, running wide and skating across the circuit toward Lukey Heights. Fortunately, he avoided contact and rejoined at the rear of the pack, eventually clawing his way back to 13th.
Greenbury inherited the lead in the aftermath, but his stint at the front was short-lived. On the next lap, Exton reclaimed the top spot with a move at Turn 1.
From there, the TekworkX Motorsport driver from New Zealand—fresh off a national GT4 title win—controlled the race with poise, leading all the way to secure first-place victory.
Kiwi rising star Hunter Robb of Jones Motorsport put in a strong comeback after falling to sixth early on, capitalizing on a final-lap error from Kiwi Tom Bewley to snatch second place. Greenbury completed the podium in third.
Bewley, who had qualified second for the race, brought home a top-five with a strong fifth-place finish on his series debut.
Collectively, New Zealand drivers occupied three of the top five positions, underscoring the nation’s growing prominence in international motorsport.
Also hailing from New Zealand, Jackson Rooney delivered a commendable performance by finishing 12th, narrowly missing out on a top-ten spot.
Exton’s journey to this triumph has been marked by rapid progression through the motorsport ranks. After excelling in karting and making a notable impact in the Toyota 86 Championship, he earned the Giltrap Motorsport Junior Scholarship in 2024.
This accolade provided him with a funded drive in a McLaren Artura GT4 within the GT New Zealand Championship under the NextGen NZ Championship program.
Exton joined TekworkX Motorsport to build on this momentum for the 2025 Porsche Sprint Challenge season. Team owner Rob Woods expressed confidence in Exton’s abilities, stating,
“We will give him a car and the attention required to have him at the pointy end of the field from the onset of round one at Phillip Island.”
The race at Phillip Island saw Exton capitalize on his pole position, maintaining composure under pressure and demonstrating exceptional racecraft.
This win positions Exton as a formidable contender in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge series.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia opener wraps up with two more races at Phillip Island on Sunday.
Header Image: Giltrap Group Motorsport
