Kiwi drivers starred in Race 2 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia round at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, with Clay Osborne securing overall round honours and fellow Kiwis Marco Giltrap and Tom Bewley also featuring prominently in a dominant showing.
Starting from the front row alongside pole-sitter Harri Jones, Giltrap lined up second on the grid for the 30-minute race, while Race 1 winner Osborne occupied third. Bewley started from seventh, giving New Zealand three strong contenders near the front of the field.
When the lights went out, Jones led the field into Turn 1 and immediately established himself at the front. Giltrap held onto second place, but Aaron Love quickly challenged and edged ahead of Osborne, dropping the TekWorkX Motorsport driver to fourth in the opening stages.
The race was quickly neutralised after an incident involving Marcos Flack and Ryan Casha. While Casha was able to continue after rejoining at the rear of the field, Flack’s car sustained significant front-left damage and steering damage after making contact with the barriers, bringing out the Safety Car for recovery efforts.
Racing resumed with 26 minutes remaining, Jones leading from Giltrap, Love, Osborne and Dylan O’Keeffe, while Bewley had already positioned himself inside the leading group.
The defining moment of the race came shortly after the restart. Love launched an attack on Giltrap for second place and briefly moved alongside, but ran wide while attempting the pass. Osborne capitalised immediately, sweeping past both drivers in a decisive move to jump into second place. Giltrap also benefited, retaining third while Love tumbled down the order to ninth.
As Jones continued to lead, Osborne set about chasing down the McElrea Racing driver, while Giltrap comfortably held third. Bewley continued his impressive run through the field and climbed into fifth place, putting all three New Zealanders inside the top five.
In the closing stages, Osborne rapidly reeled in Jones, reducing the gap to just two-tenths of a second as he searched for a way past and a clean sweep of the Darwin weekend. Giltrap remained secure in third, several seconds clear of the battle behind, while Bewley continued to fend off a recovering Love, who had charged back through the field after his earlier mistake.
Despite Osborne’s late pressure, Jones held firm to claim his 28th Porsche Carrera Cup Australia race victory.
Osborne crossed the line in second place, a result that, combined with his Race 1 victory, was enough to secure overall round honours and further strengthen his lead in the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Drivers’ Championship.
Giltrap completed the podium in third, making it a double Kiwi podium, while Bewley delivered another strong drive to finish fifth.
The result capped off an outstanding weekend for the New Zealand contingent, with Osborne, Giltrap and Bewley claiming three of the top five finishing positions and firmly establishing themselves among the leading contenders in the championship battle.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns for Round 3 at Queensland Raceway on August 21-23.
Header Image: TekworkX Motorsport/Porsche Motorsport Australia
