31 cars ready for Sydney Motorsport Park Michelin Sprint Challenge battle
A STUNNING season-high field of 31 cars will tackle the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Sydney Motorsport Park next week.
One of the most broadly competitive grids assembled in series history, the field includes 13 drivers in the Pro class - a record since the introduction of the current class structure.
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The series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park with New Zealand teenager Marco Giltrap leading the standings following victories in the first two rounds, at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains, respectively.
He leads Ronan Murphy in the series standings, the second-generation racer fresh from his first race win on Aussie soil last time out in Tasmania.
A consistent performance so far this year has Sonic Motor Racing / Bob Jane T-Marts racer Harrison Goodman third in the standings, breaking up what has otherwise been a series dominated by Kiwi drivers.
That's reflected with Zac Stichbury sitting fourth in the standings, just ahead of young Aussie Michelin Junior driver, Tom McLennan.
Meanwhile, Nash Morris will add to the broad list of cars he has raced this year by making his one-make Porsche racing debut aboard a car entered by TekworkX Motorsport.
In the Pro-Am battle, Sam Shahin and Brett Boulton have finished first and second in every race so far this season, though a Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia ring-in could upset the applecart this weekend.
Adrian Flack will join the field this weekend to gain more racing laps amidst his Carrera Cup campaign, where he and Shahin regularly go head-to-head.
Class B, which caters to the previous-generation Type 991.1 GT3 Cup Car, will see its strongest entry yet with five cars to race for class honours.
Phil Morriss has a comfortable lead in the championship thanks to finishing second or third in every race so far, however 2022 champion Lachy Harburg - who swept the opening round this year - returns this weekend having missed the Tasmanian event.
Round 2 winner Brad Carr sits equal second in the championship having won all three races in Tasmania, but missed the first round.
Sydney Motorsport Park was a highlight of the 2022 Michelin Sprint Challenge season with Ryan Wood and Tom Sargent going head to head across three gripping races.
Wood scored pole and the first two race wins, while Sargent claimed the finale' after plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing.
Carrera Cup graduate Courtney Prince finished third overall while Sam Shahin won Pro-Am.
The series hits the track for the first time at 9:35am on Friday, July 28 for practice one, followed by the second session at 12:30pm.
The grid will be set at 2:40pm that afternoon with the three races spread across Saturday and Sunday.
Race one will be run under lights at 6:25pm on Saturday evening as the lead-in act to the Supercars Championship race that evening.
Races two and three will start at 10:00am and 1:35pm respectively on Sunday. All three races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports, plus Sky Sports NZ.