A make-or-break penultimate round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series is in store for the Apple Isle this weekend.

Just two weeks after points leader Oscar Targett swept all three races at Queensland Raceway, the title battle returns to Symmons Plains Raceway this weekend as a key support act on the Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint program.

As the fifth round of six this year, the Tassie event represents a critical moment for title contenders to position themselves ahead of October’s finale’ in Sydney.

Targett leads Team Porsche NZ / EBM teammate Brock Gilchrist by 85 points heading to Tassie, though 180 are up for grabs this weekend.

While Gilchrist is yet to compete in Tasmania, Symmons Plains was the scene of Targett’s spectacular Sprint Challenge debut in 2023 having missed the earlier opening round at Phillip Island. 

While the pair battle for the outright / Pro championship, they are also fighting for the lead in the prestigious Jim Richards Endurance Trophy battle where Gilchrist holds the ascendancy by 18 points over his Aussie rival. 

Clay Osborne sits third in the Pro championship race, 178 points from the lead and needing a strong weekend to ensure he can continue to contend heading into the season finale’.

Hamish Fitzsimmons, who misses the Tasmanian event this weekend, sits fourth with Aron Shields and Caleb Sumich, both close behind, looking to make headway with strong performances this weekend.

The outright battle is expected to be intense this weekend with the return of Michelin Junior Conor Somers a welcome sight following his enormous rollover in Townsville earlier this year.

His Sonic Motor Racing team – which includes Somers on the tools – has re-shelled his 991.2 GT3 Cup Car between events with the young gun set for a racing return at a circuit he’s familiar with via his Formula Ford career.

The always unpredictable Pro-Am class battle takes another twist this weekend with a first-time round winner a guarantee – a ‘drop your worst round’ clause in the series point score calculations allowing drivers to skip one round a year while still remining in title calculations.

As such, the top four drivers in the class will be on the side-lines for Tasmania, including championship leader Lachy Harburg and second-placed Danny Stutterd.

Therefore, class success this weekend will be decided between Jonathan Gliksten (Racing to beat FA), Eric Constantinidis (Area Cloud & Cyber Security), Andrew Georgiadis (Bondi Carpets / DNA) and John Papantoniou (Entertainment Park) – all four searching for a maiden class round victory in Sprint Challenge competition.

Of the 14 entries assembled for this weekend, just five drivers have raced a Porsche at Symmons Plains before – Targett, Constantinidis, Sumich and Shields competed last year, while Jonathan Gliksten raced there in 2019. 

The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field will contest three races this weekend as part of a bumper Ned Whiskey Tasmania SuperSprint program at Symmons Plains. 

Following practice and qualifying on Friday, the first two races will be held on Saturday – the second the key Jim Richards Endurance Championship encounter. 

The final race will be contested just after midday on Sunday to decide the weekend. 

Action on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports this weekend, plus coverage on Sky Sports in New Zealand. 

ENTRY LIST – ROUND 5, Symmons Plains Raceway