• Latest
  • Trending

Kiwi 1-2! Exton seals maiden Porsche Sprint win as Kiwis dominate Phillip Island opener

April 6, 2025

Respect and Rivalry: Zilisch vs. Van Gisbergen on NASCAR’s road courses

July 18, 2025

Cassidy backs Lawson: “People in motorsport have short memories”

July 18, 2025

Douglas heads to Toronto for penultimate round of USF Pro 2000 season

July 18, 2025
#88: Shane Van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing, Red Bull Chevrolet

Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

July 18, 2025

Ben Stewart impresses in debut Australian Toyota GR Cup weekend at Townsville

July 17, 2025

McElrea denied podium in rollercoaster IMSA race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

July 17, 2025

Liam Lawson beats WRC Champions in impressive rally debut at Goodwood

July 16, 2025

Bamber back on the podium as Toyota endures tough São Paulo return

July 15, 2025
#88: Shane Van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing, Red Bull Chevrolet

“Nobody Can Run With Him”: Denny Hamlin and Co. hail SVG’s road course dominance after Sonoma victory

July 15, 2025

Consistent Hedge claims third-straight P6 at Iowa Speedway

July 15, 2025

Chaos and heartbreak for Kiwis in Porsche Sprint Challenge in Townsville

July 15, 2025
Saturday, July 19, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

Kiwi 1-2! Exton seals maiden Porsche Sprint win as Kiwis dominate Phillip Island opener

by Jessica Barnes
April 6, 2025
in Australia, New Zealand, Porsche Sprint Challenge
0

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.

William Exton in the #42. Image: TekworkX Motorsport Facebook

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.

Hunter Robb. Image: Jones Motorsport Facebook

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.

Jackson Rooney. Image: TekworkX Motorsport Facebook

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.

William Exton. Image: TekworkX Motorsport Facebook

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia opener wraps up with two more races at Phillip Island on Sunday.

Header Image: Giltrap Group Motorsport

Tags: Hunter RobbJackson RooneyJones MotorsportPhillip IslandPorsche Michelin Sprint Challenge AustraliaTeam Porsche New ZealandTekWorkX MotorsportTom BewleyWilliam Exton

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.