A BRAND-NEW Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship awaits, the 20th competitive season of Australia’s top one-make category to commence this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park in New South Wales.

A 25-strong grid of Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Cars will compete this weekend, comprised of experienced Professionals, up-and-coming Michelin Juniors and a large Pro-Am grid competing as a Carrera Cup ‘race within the race’ this weekend.

The chase is on to beat defending Equity-One Pro and outright Champion Harri Jones, who commences his quest for both back-to-back and three Carrera Cup titles this weekend.

Jones’ returns with his own family-run Jones Motorsport team preparing his #1 Hastings Deering CAT-supported entry. It’s the first time anyone has run the #1 since the 2018 season when David Wall fielded it during his title defense.

It’s the same situation in Pro-Am, with defending champion Adrian Flack looking for three titles in a row aboard his AGAS National EBM entry.

However, both current champions will find themselves targeted by a host of rivals in both categories this year.

Reigning Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Champion Oscar Targett makes his Carrera Cup debut this weekend as he leads the charge of a stacked Junior grid.

It marks the first time since the 2018 season that both of Australia’s one-make Porsche series champions will be represented on the same grid.

Eight members of the 2025 Porsche Michelin Junior class are represented this year, including proven Carrera Cup winners Bayley Hall and Marcos Flack, the returning Lockie Bloxsom and rookie Hamish Fitzsimmons, who also steps up from Sprint Challenge alongside Clay Osborne and Caleb Sumich.

2023 Sprint Challenge Champion Marco Giltrap, driving for Team Porsche NZ, also returns this year fresh from a strong summer in New Zealand's Porsche Endurance Trophy.

They’ll be aiming to beat the experienced Professional class grid which includes last year’s runner-up David Russell, 2024 third-place finisher Dylan O’Keeffe, 20-time race winner Dale Wood, brother Glen, the returning Max Vidau and Angelo Mouzouris, among others.

The Pro-Am field is equally competitive with nine cars to race within Carrera Cup’s ‘Race within a race’ this weekend.

Those who join the Pro-Am grid include former Sprint Challenge class champion Brett Boulton and 2024 Sprint Challenge Class B winner, Jacque Jarjo.

Four drivers - Targett, Jarjo, Fitzsimmons and Boulton - will make their Carrera Cup debuts this weekend while 11 drivers have less than a full season’s worth of competition in the championship.

To balance that, 14 drivers have made 20 or more round starts offering a year-long battle of youth versus experience this year.

Two drivers, Dale Wood and Dylan O’Keeffe, will start their 50th Carrera Cup Australia events this weekend.

The 2025 grid also offers the broadest spectrum of team representation seen in some time, with 10 different outfits fielding the 25 cars entered in Sydney.

Jones Motorsport and DNA Autosport will make their respective Carrera Cup debuts this weekend, joining the returning EMA Motorsport and existing squads McElrea Racing, Sonic Motor Racing Services, TekworkX Motorsport, GWR Australia, Melbourne Performance Centre, Ashley Seward Motorsport and Earl Bamber Motorsport in a competitive teams battle this year.

The 2025 championship commences this weekend in Sydney and then backs up with the regular support slot at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, before trips to Darwin, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, Bathurst, Gold Coast and Adelaide to complete the year.

Following two practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and Race 1 will be held on Saturday at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, with the Enduro Cup opener (Sunday morning) and the final race of Round 1 to be held on Sunday.

All sessions will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo, while Races 1 and 3 will also be broadcast live on the Seven Network.