BAYLEY HALL swept all three races to claim Round 7 of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship on the streets of Surfers Paradise, while Harri Jones (Equity One Pro) and Adrian Flack (SP Tools Pro-Am) did enough to seal their respective championship titles with a round to spare.

Hall looked in complete control across Sunday’s two races, to go one better than his pair of wins at the same location in 2023 to sweep the weekend in absolute style.

He fended off race-long pressure from David Russell throughout the final race to complete the job and take the Equity-One Professional Class round win, the second of his career.

Hall’s weekend included pole and three victories and saw his race starts and cold-tyre pace in particular as key highlights.

Both of his round wins have come on the Surfers streets where he grew up watching his motorsport heroes in both IndyCar and Supercars.

Russell finished second overall in a weekend where he fought to keep his championship hopes alive aboard the Hire A Hubby / TekworkX Racing entry, his second consecutive runner-up finish – however his efforts to take the title battle to a final round only just fell short.

Russell charged to a pair of second-placed finishes on Sunday and was never more than a few seconds behind Hall all day, but couldn’t work his way past the home-town hero. A consistent weekend saw Dylan O’Keeffe finish third overall aboard his GWR / RAM Motorsport entry.

The big story on Sunday, however, came from champion-elect Harri Jones, who had watched Russell whittle down his more than 210-point championship lead to just 187 by the time the final race commenced; Jones needing to finish within one position of Russell to ensure the title was secured going to Adelaide.

Jones was one of several to benefit from a lap one, turn four collision between Jackson Walls and Dale Wood that parted the seas, helping him gain some ground.

With teammate Fabian Coulthard in front, the pair passed O’Keeffe – who was running third – for position mid-race before Jones’ passed his teammate to secure a critical third position within sight of the flag.

The result ensured that Jones provisionally takes a 181-point margin to the streets of Adelaide, meaning that even should he score no points and Russell sweep the weekend, the Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport driver will be unbeatable in the championship.

It assures Jones of his second Carrera Cup championship and third one-make Porsche title in Australia, having earlier claimed the Michelin Sprint Challenge crown.

Attention will now turn to second in the championship with Russell set to battle O’Keeffe, Jackson Walls and a resurgent Bayley Hall for the final spots on the podium.

Adrian Flack’s pathway to the SP Tools Pro-Am championship was aided by his continuing strong form, the local driver sweeping all three races despite battling a hand injury sustained in his practice accident on Friday.

Flack had secured enough points by the time he claimed the Endurance Cup race on Sunday morning to become the first two-time Carrera Cup champion of the season – backing up his immense 2023 title with a win with a round to go this year.

Dean Cook enjoyed a strong weekend to secure second in Pro-Am on the Gold Coast, while Matt Slavin continued his strong run of form by finishing third.

Flack will head to Adelaide looking to seal the Enduro Cup title in SP Tools Pro-Am, while the battle for second in the class championship will be decided between Rodney Jane and Matt Slavin – the latter leading by just 7 points.

The Gold Coast weekend saw several outstanding performances with Ange Mouzouris’ pair of sixths not representative of his true pace – a Race 2 non-finish costing him a higher round result.

Ryder Quinn finished fifth overall in what was his most consistent Carrera Cup round yet and a personal best result for the young Queenslander, while on debut Kiwi Clay Osborne impressed with his speed and hovered around the top-12 all weekend.

The final round of the 2024 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will see the series return to the streets of the South Australian capital at the VAILO Adelaide 500 this November, with both Pro and Pro-Am Endurance Cup titles to be decided, plus the minor placings in both classes overall.

The season will then conclude with the end of year gala to be held at the famous Adelaide Oval.