A massive field of 30 Porsche will take to the famed Mount Panorama this weekend, with the grid featuring six Carrera Cup champions with nine titles across four different series this weekend.
New Zealand’s Chris van der Drift accounts for three titles, winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He currently sits third in this year’s Carrera Cup Asia standings, driving for Team Shanghai Yonda.
Van der Drift is no stranger to the mountain, having competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour four times and the Bathurst 1000 once. In the 2019 12-hour, he partnered Phillip Hamprecht, Bao Jinlong and Paul Tresidder in the Team Carrera Cup Asia Porsche 991 GT3 Cup to finish second in Class B. He also finished 17th in the 2016 Bathurst 1000 when he joined Shae Davies at Erebus Motorsport.
Fabian Coulthard will be kept busy as one of several drivers running double duties this weekend, competing in the Bathurst 1000 with Nick Percat for Walkinshaw Andretti United and in the Carrera Cup for Porsche Centre Melbourne.
Despite missing the opening round at the Australian Grand Prix, Coulthard sits eighth in the standings with a best result of fourth this season, achieved in two of the three races at Townsville.
Coulthard won the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia before his successful Supercars career, where he won 13 times and podiumed a further 44. This year’s Bathurst 1000 will be his 20th, with his best results being as runner-up with Chaz Mostert last year and third with Tony D’Alberto in 2017.
Other previous champions in the field include Alex Davison (2004), who partners brother Will in this year’s Great Race, David Wall (2017), and Harri Jones (2022).
Harry King, the 2020 Carrera Cup GB champion, will also make a cameo appearance for EMA Motorsport. At just 22 years old, King has won 29 global Carrera Cup races in his career to date.
The Bathurst field accounts for wins in more than 30 per cent of all Carrera Cup Australia races ever held, with 12 former race winners currently entered.
New Zealand Tim Miles will also be in the Pro-Am class, led by The Bend Motorsport Park owner Sam Shahin.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia will race three times over the weekend following qualifying at 5.45 pm (NZ Time) on Thursday.
The Enduro Cup race, of 15 laps, opens the race action on Friday at 4.20 pm, followed by nine-lap sprints on Saturday at 5.15 pm and Sunday at 11.30 am.
This year’s Bathurst action will be shown on Sky Sport 5, beginning at 9.25 am on Thursday.
