The success of the first Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia round in New Zealand will further the Trans-Tasman relationship between Porsche Motorsport entities on both sides of the ditch.
That’s the word from both Aussie and Kiwi Porsche Motorsport Management following a hugely successful weekend at the ITM Taupo Super400 event.
“We’re really pleased with the results of our New Zealand adventure,” Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager Barry Hay said.
“Once we were there, everyone approached it in the right way and had a fantastic weekend. The racing was high-quality, and we put on a great show for the New Zealand fans, which was a key objective.
“We will complete a full review of the event and see what the future entails. I think it is something we can do again, whether it’s next year or after a year or two is a question for later once the reviews are complete and we have all the feedback from our stakeholders. But there’s no doubt it was a very worthwhile exercise.
Nineteen Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Cars were freighted to New Zealand to compete at Taupo last weekend alongside the Repco Supercars Championship. They were joined by two local entries to create the largest one-make grid of Porsche GT3 Cup Cars in New Zealand for decades.
The effort required a significant collaboration between Porsche Motorsport Australia and Porsche Motorsport New Zealand and resulted in a hugely successful weekend.
Flow-on effects will include the two New Zealand entries – Sam Fillmore and Rick Armstrong – joining the Australian championship later this year.
Both were rewarded with podium finishes in the SP Tools Pro-Am class over the weekend. As a direct result of competing, the pair are already planning to contest several rounds in Australia later this year.
“The fact that the two Kiwi boys are keen to come and play in Australia later this year is a testament to how well the weekend worked,” added Hay. “They had a fantastic time, really raised their own personal level and competed wheel to wheel with the best Pro-Am operators we have.
“The beauty of Porsche Motorsport is they can come and do that on our side of the ditch, driving the same cars the same way. It’s been a great outcome, and we can’t wait to see them in Australia later this year.
“We are working closer than ever with Nathan (Pilcher, Porsche Motorsport NZ Coordinator), Porsche Motorsport New Zealand and their team to build the relationship. It’s good for us, it’s good for New Zealand and it’s good for the sport, so we all want to grow it much bigger than it already is.”
Other Kiwi competitors have also shown interest in potential Carrera Cup cameos later this year.
Meanwhile, the opportunity to showcase the Australasian region’s top one-make championship, along with its teams and drivers to the New Zealand Motorsport scene, resulted in significant interest from all areas of the sport across the Tasman.
Both parties will also work closely to open potential opportunities for Aussie competitors to compete in key Porsche-supported events in New Zealand, including the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship.
Plans are in place to continue to build the collaborative efforts between the Porsche Motorsport teams on both sides of the Tasman in a bid to continue growing the brand both in Australia and in New Zealand.
“First and foremost, Rick and Sam had a fantastic weekend and showed that our top guys in Porsche competition in New Zealand can absolutely compete head-to-head with the best in Carrera Cup,” said Pilcher.
“They’re well advanced in planning to come and compete in several Aussie rounds later this year.
“Porsche Motorsport has a huge and important history in New Zealand and having Carrera Cup on our shores was a key element in our plans to build it to a level where we know it can be.
“There’s already huge involvement by Kiwi’s in Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge and we want to build that, while having a really strong base at home for them to use as a launching pad to Australia and beyond, or just as a great place to race a Cup Car or GT3 car.
“We’ve all got some great ideas about how we can grow the brand here in collaboration with what our Aussie cousins are doing, and this weekend was a huge and vital part of that.”
David Russell (Equity-One Pro) and Adrian Flack (SP Tools Pro-Am) claimed their respective class victories in the Taupo round at the weekend.
Porsche Motorsport Australia thanks the support of Porsche New Zealand, the Giltrap Group, Gibson Freight and other key partners who made the international effort a success, as well as the support of the teams and drivers for their efforts.
