THE 2024 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship will finish on a high at the VAILO Adelaide 500 this week, a season-best 29-car grid locked in to tackle the world-famous Adelaide Parklands circuit.

Despite the Equity One Pro and SP Tools Pro-Am class champions having been decided on the Gold Coast last month, there’s plenty to play for at the Adelaide finale’ that will see intense battles for second in each class come to a head, as well as the prestigious Enduro Cup titles be decided.

While Harri Jones sealed the Pro class title on the streets of Surfers Paradise last time out, the fight for second is particularly intense with four drivers very much in contention for the runner-up spot, and five fighting for a place on the season podium.

TekworkX star David Russell holds a solid lead over GWR / RAM driver Dylan O’Keeffe in the fight for third, with Jackson Walls and the fast-finishing Bayley Hall, both from McElrea Racing, also in contention.

And while he can’t finish second in the championship, sixth-placed Dale Wood remains a contender for a place on the season’s podium aboard his Connected Spaces EBM machine.

In Pro-Am, Adrian Flack is unbeatable for the series’ title however the fight is well and truly on between Matt Slavin (second) and Rodney Jane (third) heading to Adelaide. Just seven points split the first-year Carrera Cup rookie and the former Pro-Am class champion on corrected scores ahead of the final round.

Harri Jones leads Jackson Walls by just 10 points in the Equity One Pro Endurance Cup standings, with that title likely to be decided by whomever finishes in front in the longer of the three races scheduled for this weekend. In SP Tools Pro-Am, Adrian Flack holds a marginally more comfortable 13-point enduro cup lead over Matt Slavin heading into that showdown.

Adelaide’s 29-strong entry list is the largest of the season, eclipsing the 27-cars that contested the opening round of the championship at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in March.

It’s the largest Porsche grid for an Adelaide 500 event in the prior 16 visits to the Adelaide Parklands circuit, with the field including 10 cars in SP Tools Pro-Am, 19 in Equity One Pro and 11 Michelin Junior drivers.

The field includes one driver on debut at his home event and another set to record a rare Carrera Cup milestone this weekend. 

Making his Porsche Carrera Cup debut in Adelaide will be home-town driver Anthony DiMauro, who steps in to one-make Porsche competition following two successful seasons in the competitive Aussie Racing Cars series, where he proved a regular frontrunner.

DiMauro run a striking car featuring primary sponsorship from Koan solutions, an Adelaide-based automotive aftermarket industry business.

“It’s been a dream of mine to be on the Carrera Cup grid, let alone at the Adelaide 500,” DiMauro said.

“We’ve gone well in Aussie Racing cars in the past but the opportunity to step up is incredibly exciting. The Porsche product is so good and the racing so competitive it’s a dream to be behind the wheel.

“We have no expectations, we just want to get results and finish the races and improve as we go, but also really enjoy the experience as much as possible.”

DiMauro will race a car that was raced successfully last year by Max Vidau. The car to be prepared and run by Vidau’s own MVA team – based in the Adelaide Hills – this weekend.

Returning to the streets of Adelaide will be David Wall, who will reach another milestone in his remarkable Carrera Cup career this weekend.

The Sydneysider, the 2017 series champion, is set to start his 250th career race in the second of three races this weekend.

Wall will become just the second driver in series’ history to reach the milestone, Marc Cini the only other.

The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia field will hit the track on Thursday for a pair of practice sessions ahead of qualifying on Friday morning. 

The Enduro Cup title will be decided on Friday afternoon in race one, while further sprint races on Saturday and Sunday will complete the round. 

All sessions following Practice 1 will be live on Fox Sports 506, Kayo and Sky NZ, while the races on Saturday and Sunday will also be broadcast live on the screens of the Seven Network. 

– Images of Anthony DiMauro’s car are included below. 

ENTRY LIST – Round 8, Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia – VAILO Adelaide 500