Cooper Murray preparations on track for Porsche Junior Global Shootout

Following his nomination as the Michelin Junior Winner and Porsche Cars Australia’s nomination for the Porsche Junior Global Shootout in late November, Cooper Murray travelled to Portimao circuit earlier this month for a test session in the new 992 generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and to contest the final round of Porsche Carrera Cup France this last weekend.

The test session offered the Carrera Cup Australia’s youngest race and round winner, his first taste of the famed European circuit, “Portimao is an amazing track, different to any other I’ve driven in Australia. Most corners are all fast and flowing with only a few slow corners. Pictures and video don’t do it justice or give you a real feel for how much elevation the track actually has, it’s really cool.”

Part of his prize for winning the Porsche Michelin Junior Programme this year in Australia was also the opportunity to be the first to test the new 992, which will be used in the Porsche Junior Global Shootout and campaigned in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia from next season, “What an amazing opportunity it was to race and drive the new 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup car on the weekend in Portimao. The new 992 is completely different to the 991 Gen II Cup car I have been used to for the last three years, which meant having to adapt my driving completely and try not implement old habits from the current car.”

Heading into the last round of Porsche Carrera Cup France, the McElrea Racing graduate had to be mindful of his role within the race, as only five points separated Marvin Klein (CLRT) and Murray’s Martinet by Almeras teammate, Dorian Boccolacci, heading into the French season finale.

Klein would eventually triumph and pip Boccolacci - succeeding Jaxon Evans, the 2020 overall champion- to claim the thirty-first edition of the Carrera Cup France Championship.

After top five performances throughout almost every session of the weekend, Murray impressed all and the young Australian would finish fourth in the weekend’s first race and third in the second and final race, “The Carrera Cup France series is very tough, as you have drivers who are proven to be fast enough to win races in Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. It was a challenge that’s for sure, but was made a bit easier thanks to the experienced team at Martinet by Almeras. It was a pleasure to work with them and I really enjoyed the whole experience.

Murray will now have a two day test session in Paul Ricard in France before heading to the Porsche Junior Global Shootout from the 23-25 November, “Going into the shootout in late November I now have confidence knowing how the 992 behaves and handles. I feel ready for the task that is ahead.”