Clay Osborne looked set for one of his strongest weekends yet, improving with each race and on course for back-to-back top-10 finishes, before a last-lap collision cruelly ended his run in the final at The Bend. Meanwhile, Marco Giltrap found it harder to make progress across the event.
In qualifying, Harri Jones stamped his authority early by setting a provisional pole time that went unbeaten until he bettered it by two seconds later in the session. His final lap of 1:49.8344 secured pole for Saturday’s race.
Giltrap emerged as the top Kiwi performer, consistently inside the top 10 and ultimately qualifying 9th with a 1:50.3307 lap, just 0.496 seconds adrift of Jones. Osborne, however, was unable to break into the top 10, clocking a 1:50.8521 to finish 17th in a tightly packed session.
Race 1:
Starting from 17th, Clay Osborne made an impressive launch, quickly moving past Caleb Sumich and Max Vidau to climb into 15th. Marco Giltrap had the opposite fortune, slipping two positions to Angelo Mouzouris and Marcus Flack and falling out of the top 10 to 11th.
From there, both Kiwis settled into their rhythm. Osborne picked up another spot at mid-distance with a clean move on Glen Wood, advancing to 14th. Meanwhile, Giltrap’s race was steadier, as he struggled to recover lost ground.
Further up the order, Dale Wood’s contact with Russell left him with damage, forcing a pit stop that dropped him to the back before ultimately retiring from the race. That handed Giltrap one more position, allowing him to cross the line in 10th, though his lack of fast laps meant a lower grid slot for Race 2.
Osborne’s charge ultimately netted him a four-place gain, finishing 13th. His strong pace ensured a more favourable starting position for the second race.
Race 2:
Giltrap lined up 13th on row seven for Race 2, with fellow Kiwi Clay Osborne starting just behind in 15th.
Drama struck immediately at the start when the lights went out early, sending Harri Jones surging off the line and creating chaos behind him as some drivers launched while others hesitated. In the confusion, Caleb Sumich was turned around, sparking further disorder through the pack.
Osborne reacted quickly, one of the first to follow Jones’ early getaway, and the bold move paid off as he rocketed up 10 positions to run 5th. Giltrap also benefitted from the chaos, climbing three places.
Their gains didn’t last long, however. On the opening lap, Angelo Mouzouris slipped past Osborne, while Marcus Amand dispatched Giltrap, dropping the pair back a spot and knocking Giltrap out of the top 10.
The safety car was soon deployed after Indiran Padayachee’s left-side door tore off down the front straight, sending his car spearing across the grass and into another section of the circuit.
At the restart, Osborne fought back immediately. He repassed Mouzouris into turn one, and Dylan O’Keeffe followed him through at the next corner to put Osborne up to 4th. Half a lap later, though, O’Keeffe reclaimed the spot, demoting Osborne back to 5th.
A minute after the restart, Marcus Amand continued his charge, sweeping past Osborne to climb from 10th on the grid to 5th in just a couple of laps.
Osborne’s hold on the top five slipped further when David Russell muscled his way past, forcing the Kiwi onto the grass, with Oscar Targett also taking advantage to demote him further down the order.
Giltrap, meanwhile, finally found a way through on Marcus Flack after sitting behind him for nearly 10 minutes, moving back into the top 10.
From there, both Kiwis held steady, securing top-10 results by the flag. Osborne’s 7-place gain was the most of any driver in the race, capping off a strong recovery despite the mid-race setbacks.
Up front, Harri Jones controlled the race from start to finish following the chaotic getaway, with no penalties issued over the early start light drama.
Race 3:
Race 3 saw Clay Osborne line up 10th, with Marco Giltrap starting just behind in 12th.
Giltrap got away strongly, snatching 11th off the line and briefly going side by side with Osborne through the opening corners. Osborne held firm, keeping his place inside the top 10.
Drama followed soon after when Osborne, tapped from behind, was pushed into Christian Pancione. The contact forced Pancione’s #76 off the road and into the grass, where he momentarily came to a stop. At the same time, Giltrap ran wide through the grass on the outside and tumbled back to 18th.
Osborne then found himself locked in a back-and-forth battle with Marcus Flack, trading positions several times before finally pulling clear. He secured 9th and opened a half-second buffer to consolidate the spot.
Giltrap, meanwhile, set about recovering. He worked past the Pro-Am runners to climb into 14th, leaving him with a two-second gap to Tom McLennan ahead.
Giltrap quickly reeled him in but was stuck in his mirrors for several laps before finally making a move stick at turn one, slotting into 15th.
In the final 90 seconds, Marcus Flack closed onto the back of Osborne, piling on the pressure. Osborne locked his tyres under braking, opening the door for Max Vidau to attack around the outside. Contact between Vidau and Flack sent Flack into Osborne, spinning the Kiwi directly into Vidau’s path.
As Osborne’s car slid wide, Dale Wood arrived on the outside line and was struck in the side by Osborne’s front end. Both cars were sent off the track, Osborne’s car sustaining heavy front-end damage that forced him out of the race.
The incident brought the contest to a close, with Osborne classified as a DNF, while Giltrap recovered to finish where he started in 12th.
In the overall standings, Giltrap ended the weekend 11th, while Osborne holds 7th in the championship despite his misfortune.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season continues at Mount Panorama, with the Bathurst round scheduled for October 9–12.
Header Image: Porsche Motorsport Australia
