The opening race of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in Melbourne witnessed a commendable performance from Kiwi drivers Clay Osborne and Marco Giltrap.
The second round of the 2025 season commenced with a single practice session yesterday morning, followed by qualifying.
During the 30-minute practice, Giltrap in the Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche encountered mechanical issues, hindering the 21-year-old’s progress. Despite the limited track time and the developing problem, Giltrap managed to finish the session in 11th, 1.7402 seconds behind pacesetter Bayley Hall. Meanwhile, Osborne of McElrea Racing had ground to make up, with all four McElrea cars finishing outside the top ten. Osborne concluded the session in 13th, three-tenths behind his fellow countryman.
In qualifying, Giltrap’s throttle issues persisted, preventing him from setting a representative lap time and resulting in a 26th-place finish, nearly seven seconds off the pace. This was not the start Giltrap had hoped for, especially after a strong season opener in Sydney.
Osborne, however, displayed encouraging speed in the #15 car, clocking a 1:49.2164 to secure ninth position, just two-tenths shy of the top six – a solid starting point for the first 12-lap race.
The race saw Osborne launch well off the line, maneuvering around the outside of Turn 1 to move to sixth place on the opening lap. Osborne maintained a strong rhythm, initially tailing Dylan O’Keeffe before O’Keeffe overtook Jackson Walls. Subsequently, Osborne found himself pressuring the back of the Objective Porsche.
Giltrap, facing a significant challenge from the back of the grid, also had a blistering start, gaining five positions on the first lap, followed by another five before the safety car was deployed mid-race due to Matt Slavin’s heavy impact with the Turn 2 wall.
Osborne lined up sixth for the restart, with Giltrap in 16th. Unfortunately, the race was quickly interrupted again as Indiran Padayachee went off at Turn 1 at the restart, prompting another safety car and setting up a one-lap sprint to the finish.
At the second restart, Osborne couldn’t quite mount a challenge on O’Keeffe and Walls ahead, but he defended well against the charging Marcos Flack behind, holding onto sixth position by less than two-tenths at the finish line. This result was further improved when Alesssandro Ghiretti, initially victorious in the battle with Harri Jones at the front, received a five-second penalty for weaving at the restart, dropping him to eighth in the final classification.
The penalty elevated Osborne to fifth, marking his best result in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, surpassing his sixth-place finish at the season-ending Adelaide 500 last year.
For Giltrap, the final lap proved decisive. The 21-year-old Kiwi overtook Earl Bamber Motorsport teammates Dale and Glenn Wood on the last lap to finish in 13th – a remarkable recovery considering his starting position.
Race 2 of the weekend for Porsche Carrera Cup Australia commences at 8:25 pm NZT tonight.
Header Image: McElrea Racing Facebook
