FIVE CAR CARRERA CUP TITLE BATTLE INTENSIFIES AT THE MOUNTAIN

What was a three-way championship battle has become a fight between five as the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship reaches what is set to be a hugely competitive end to the season at Mount Panorama.

Meanwhile, the ever-fluctuating Morris Pro-Am championship remains on a knife’s edge with a key contender yet to stamp their authority on a pulsating championship battle across the first six rounds this year.

Heading into round 7 at the Bathurst 1000 this weekend, Harri Jones continues to lead the Pro championship, with a 68-point advantage, despite his first non-finish of the season at the previous event at Sandown.

Harri Jones took his first win in Carrera Cup at Bathurst 12 months ago, and returns to the Mountain with a chance to win the Pro championship. – Image: InSyde Media

The unpredictable, wet weekend of racing in the south east of Melbourne affected all the top Pro contenders, and actually saw Jones seal the 2022 Michelin Junior title and grow his Pro class advantage over his nearest rival heading towards Bathurst.

That rival is now David Wall, who returned to second in the standings in round 6 having been passed by the in-form Dylan O’Keeffe at The Bend Motorsport Park in round 5.

Wall’s consistent weekend, coupled with O’Keeffe’s Sunday struggles at Sandown – which included a points penalty for contact with Max Vidau in Sandown’s Enduro Cup race – have positioned the 2017 champion 16 points clear in second position heading into two of his stronger circuits.

Although O’Keeffe remains firmly in the hunt in third, the big mover in the Pro Championship is Aaron Love, who has rocketed himself into contention with back-to-back round victories.

The West Australian has scored 460 points to Jones’ 212 across the last three rounds and despite missing a pair of events earlier in the season, now sits 92 points from the championship lead – with 6 races remaining and a potential 362 points still up for grabs.

Aaron Love enters the final round of the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship season in hot form.

EMA Motorsport’s David Russell also sits in striking distance, a further two points back in fifth place heading to Mount Panorama –  a track he has a lot of experience on.

Dale Wood, Callum Hedge, Christian Pancione, Max Vidau and Luke Youlden complete the current top-10 championship standings, while big improvers across the last three rounds also include Jackson Walls, Brad Shiels and Simon Fallon.

The remarkable battle for the Morris Pro-Am championship continues to impress with an incredible streak ongoing following Round 6 at Sandown last time out. The class has seen a different points leader following every event so far this season and Sandown was no exception. Geoff Emery’s clutch round win saw him return to the top of the standings, that were led by Sam Shahin following his victory at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Emery won the opening round of the championship before losing the lead following round 2 at Winton. He then surrendered the lead to Shahin in Darwin, but quickly bounced back to the top following his win in Townsville a few weeks later.

Shahin struck back with his home-circuit victory at The Bend, reclaiming the points lead, before Emery’s Sandown counterattack.

Emery now leads the ever-consistent Dean Cook by just four points, despite the Zonzo Estate driver having not claimed a race or round victory this year, while Liam Talbot, Shahin, Rodney Jane and Stephen Grove.

This year is the 18th time that Mount Panorama will have hosted a Carrera Cup Australia round and the second race of the weekend will be the 400th Porsche Carrera Cup Australia race.

The seventh and final round 7 of the season commences on Thursday with practice and qualifying, to be followed by one race each day across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Bathurst 1000 event.

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