A Trans-Tasman battle between Earl Bamber Motorsport drivers Oscar Targett and Brock Gilchrist for Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia honours culminates at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.
The pair are the only two who remain in contention for the title, with the Australian entering the round with a 91-point advantage. A maximum of 181 points are up for grabs.
Targett, a part of the Grove Racing junior programme, has won eight races to Gilchrist’s two this year however the latter’s consistency aboard his Team Porsche New Zealand entry has kept him well in the hunt.
Gilchrist holds the advantage in thee Jim Richards Enduro Trophy standings, with a 12-point buffer over his rival.
Now established in Queensland – and working at Queensland Raceway – Gilchrist’s strong season included a clutch Enduro Cup win at The Bend in Round 2 and another strong win in Tasmania amidst a weekend where he and Targett spent much of the event locked together.
After delivering five different race winners from the first five races, this year’s Sprint Challenge title battle has been dominated since by the Earl Bamber Motorsport pair who have claimed nine of the subsequent ten races between them.
New Zealanders Clay Osborne and Ayrton Hodson will also feature across all three races this weekend, looking to cement their places in the top five of the championship.
Osborne, who has nine podiums, including one race win, is third, 138 points behind Gilchrist.
Hodson, who will return to race Sprintcars in New Zealand over the summer, has climbed to fifth, and is only 12 points behind Caleb Sumich ahead of the round. He has finished on the podium once in each of the last two rounds.
Also included on the entry list is a fourth New Zealander, Hunter Robb, the 2023/24 Toyota 86 rookie champion who featured in the GR Cup at Bathurst over the weekend. Robb joins Jones Motorsport for the round, the same squad he tested for in July at Queensland Raceway under the guidance of Carrera Cup championship leader Harri Jones.
This weekend’s action begins with practice at 2.55 pm NZST on Friday, followed by qualifying at 5.55 pm and Race 1 at 8.55 pm.
The Enduro Cup will be decided in Saturday’s 45-minute race that begins at 11.25 am, before the champion is crowned in the season-finale at 4.10 pm.
Header Image: Porsche Motorsport Australia
