THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 5 PREVIEW - SANDOWN

Porsche Cars Australia

L K Diesel Service

Tyrepower Benalla

Melbourne Paving

Butchers Diner

Don Watson Transport

AVi Technology

Poolmaster Bayside

Trico

888 Home Loans

Pit Lane Clothing

17 Drivers have entered for the Fifth Round of the 2025 944 Challenge Championship, as the category returns to the

Sandown Raceway for the first repeat track of the 2025 Season in their final round for the 2025 Vic State

Championships, with this round of the series is proudly presented by L.K Diesel Service.

Winton was a weekend to forget for Championship leader Cameron Beller in the aqua #1 car, a touch in turn 1 of Race 1

spun him to the back of the pack, followed by a DNF in Race 2 which was the first race of the year that he has not been

on the podium. Despite this, he is still sitting in a commanding position for the State Championship as the Winton Round

was not part of the State Championship, and using Winton as his dropped worst round allows him to maintain his spot

on the top of both Championship Points tables – although he now needs to ensure he does not suffer the same fate in

the final two rounds if he wants to have a chance to take a sixth 944 series championship.

Now second in both championships is Jamie Westaway in the #28 car, after a round where he had to fight his way

through the field in both races 1 & 2 at Winton, he was able to triumph with a victory in the final race which secured him

second in the round honours and move him closer to Beller in the 944 Championship points.

Another having a round to forget at Winton was Adam Brewer in the #3 AVi Technology machine. After securing a

blistering qualifying lap to give him a dominating pole position, it all went downhill at the first corner of Race 1 when

contact with Beller and a spin, and resultant penalty left him classified in 14th for Race 1. He was able to recover by Race

3 where he finished third, but dropped him a couple of points behind Westaway in the season points.

Sitting in fourth position in the 944 Championship after dropping his missed round at Phillip Island is Mark Verdino in his

#44 Sidelink Porsche – with Verdinos weekend results improving after a bad start in the same way as Brewer, an

eleventh place Race 1 finish after a spin improving to a fourth place in the final race, enough for fifth outright in the

round points.

Moving one spot back courtesy of the dropped worst round taking affect is Mark Taubitz, now piloting the #66 Pipecraft

car. Taubitz had high hopes returning to the site of his two race wins last year for the first time, but had an up and down

weekend starting with a qualifying setup mistake saw him line up 10th on the grid. Despite making good progress he was

escorted off track while fighting for third position to be classified sixth. This improved to second in the second race, but

slipped back down in the final race after the car jumped out of gear at the start. Despite this, the misfortune of others meant he finished the round in third position and in position to capitalise if those in front of him falter.

Moving up to an impressive sixth position in the championship points after the dropped worst round is Michael

Westaway in the familiar orange #45 944, with Michael having a great weekend with a fourth, then a third position finish

in the first two races before getting tagged in the final race dropping him down the order.

Following in his brothers footsteps in moving up in the points to sit behind him in seventh in points is Tony Westaway in

the #50 car, Tony was sitting just behind Michael for the majority of the Winton weekend, however outscored him in the

final race after Michael’s last race misfortune which saw Tony take fourth outright in points for the weekend, moving

him to within 9 points of Michael by going into the Sandown round this weekend.

Slipping back a couple of spots behind the Westaway brothers after the worst dropped round comesw into play is Peter

Grant in the #84 Auto Coupe 944. Peter had his lowest scoring round for the season so far, a couple of spins hurting his

results over the Winton weekend, he will look forward to returning to Sandown where he scored some strong results in

the Sunday races earlier in the year.

Turning his 2025 Season luck around at Winton in the biggest way was Chris Lewis-WiIliams in the #37 Tyrepower

Benalla car – taking two race victories and a second as he also scored back-to-back round wins at his hometown circuit,

moving him up to ninth position in the 944 Championship season points. He recovered from a Race 1 DNF to a podium

finish last time at Sandown, and will look keep his Winton performance on board as we return to the Melbourne circuit.

Also slipping a few spots back after the dropped worst round is Jack Atley in the #35 Pit Lane Clothing car, with a Race 3

DNF also counting as Jack’s worst round of the season so far. He was able to end the earlier Sandown Round on a good

note in the final race with an eighth place finish, a result he will be looking to repeat, or improve on this weekend.

Bouncing back from his Phillip Island misfortune was Nick Carpenter scoring a trio of top ten finishes and kept himself

free from drama in an intense Winton round in his #14 Melbourne Paving backed 944. Nick scored his,i best race finish

of the season so far at Sandown at the start of the year so he will hope to continue on with that momentum from

Winton as the series returns to Sandown this weekend.

Another who had a weekend with drama was Sam Rofe in his #68 PCM 944, unfortunately for Sam he was the unlucky

recipient of a couple of tags that saw him spin, preventing him from scoring a stronger points haul for this weekend. Sam

will also be looking to improve on his results from Winton and improve on his best result of the season which also came

at Sandown earlier in the year and look to move back into the top ten in the season pointscore.

Andrew Goldman sits next in the pointscore with the #333 Carpet Shed 944, following on from a reasonable Winton

outing despite a spin in Race 2 into the Winton infield. Andrew had mechanical issues last time out at Sandown that

prevented him from running on Sunday, he will have his sights set on improving on his best results at the Melbourne

circuit this weekend.

A Winton weekend that again showed great pace for Josh Brisbane in the green #56 machine, but was hamstrung by

having to miss qualifying and start from the rear of the 19 car field for Race 1. Josh managed to rise up to seventh place

by the end of the weekend – showing sign of being able to place himself well inside the top ten all weekend if he is able

to have the luck and reliability to enable him to do so.

A character building Winton weekend at Winton for Carter Fox, some qualifying miscues led to him being hampered at

the back in Race 1, an off-track excursion mid race and a part failure ending his weekend early. Carter showed good pace

and scored good results at Sandown earlier in the year, he will be looking for a reset and revisit of that performance this

weekend, and start building momentum for a strong assault on the 2026 season.

Unfortunately there are two last minutes scratchings for this round with Manny Mezzasalma and Andrew Jackman both

unable to make the event - both are expected to return for the final round of the 2025 Season at Phillip Island for Island

Magic, along with Toni Andreevski, Pedr James, John Vainoras, Jared Campione, Lyndon Watson as well as some new

and returning faces that we anticipate joining the grid at Phillip Island to prepare for the 2026 Championship.

With a strong field in attendance, the future is looking even stronger with some more new competitors looking to debut,

or rejoin the series for the Sandown and Phillip Island rounds to round out the year.

If you like what you see on the circuit and want to get on board with the Porsche 944 Challenge series, the series is

enjoying a resurgence with a couple of cars available for purchase and others returning to competition, along with some

freshly built cars being finalised with some of those for lease, or sale.

Get in touch with the guys in the series if you would like to get on track and join in the action.

THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 4 PREVIEW - WINTON FESTIVAL OF SPEED

Porsche Cars Australia

Tyrepower Benalla

Melbourne Paving

Butchers Diner

L K Diesel Service

Don Watson Transport

AVi Technology

Poolmaster Bayside

Trico

888 Home Loans

Pit Lane Clothing

A season high collection of 20 Drivers have entered for the Fourth Round of the 2025 944 Challenge Championship, as the category returns to the Victorian High Country and the famed Winton Raceway in Benalla, with the event proudly presented by Tyrepower Benalla.

The second race of the last round at Phillip Island saw Cameron Beller’s 2025 winning streak come to an end, nevertheless he still scored 1 victory, 2 seconds and a third from the 4-race format at Phillip Island. Last time at Winton Beller wasn’t able to visit the top step of the podium which ended a long winning streak for him at the circuit - He will be hoping to start some new streaks this coming weekend in the #1 machine.

The man who broke Beller’s 2025 winning streak in Race 2 at Phillip Island was Adam Brewer in car #3– now finding himself second in the points standings courtesy of a pair of third places to complement his victory. Brewer was leading the third race but a spin at Honda corner prevented him from being able to repeat and attempt to take the round honours, but could make inroads on Bellers lead if he can prevail this weekend at Winton.

Sitting in a clear third position in the points is Jamie Westaway (#28), taking a narrow round win at Phillip Island courtesy of 2 wins and 2 seconds. Jamie took the pole position last time the series was at Winton but a mechanical failure while leading Race 1 kept him from scoring points that weekend.

Jumping back up in the pointscore into fourth position is Mark Taubitz, behind the wheel of the #66 Pipecraft machine,Taubitz had one of his best Phillip Island weekends, grabbing a third position and a pair of fourth places along with the fastest lap in the final race. Returning to the site where he scored his first two race wins in 2024 (Behind the wheel of the very same car) Taubitz will be looking forward to what the weekend has in store for him.

Holding station in fifth position in the points is Peter Grant, who had what could be described as an off weekend for him with the #84 car lacking overall speed – which was diagnosed to be a mechanical fault in the post event investigation.

Despite having been a regular since early 2024, this weekend will be Peters’ first outing with the 944 Challenge at Winton – so we will wait to see where he slots in pace wise on the tight regional track!

Vaulting up four spots up in the pointscore into sixth position is Jack Atley in the #35 Pit Lane Clothing car, Jack having a successful weekend at Phillip Island with a trio of top-ten finishes across the weekend. He holds a slender lead over the drivers just beneath him in the points ladder, and Jack will be aiming for more top ten finishes at Winton to hold onto that position.

Dropping down from second position in the points after a strong start to the season due to missing the last round at Phillip Island is Mark Verdino in the #44 Sidelink Transport car. 

With the ability to drop a worst-points round of the season, Verdino is still right in the hunt once that rule takes effect after this round. Expect to see him back fighting up at the top of the pointscore if he can have a strong round this weekend at Winton.

Sam Rofe sits in equal seventh position with Verdino in his striking #68 machine, only three points away from his championship adversary Atley. A pair of top ten finishes at Phillip Island despite a Race 1 spin have helped Rofe keep him in the points fight with Atley, but he will be making his first visit to Winton in a very long time and need to get on the pace quick to keep Atley on his toes.

Nick Carpenter slipped a couple of positions to 9th due to a DNF in the third race at Phillip Island after an unfortunate tangle with Carter Fox saw him encounter the tire wall with his #14 Melbourne Paving car, ending his weekend early.

Nick had a good outing last time at Winton and showed encouraging pace in what was his first round with the 944 Challenge last year. If he can improve on that he will be looking to challenge the top ten this weekend.

Having a customary strong weekend at Phillip Island in the Orange #45 machine was Michael Westaway, bringing him into the top ten in points despite missing the first round of the season. Like Verdino, Michael will also potentially jump into a strong position once the worst dropped round comes in effect if he can muster up a strong result at WInton – a track he has had some podium finishes at in the past.

Tony Westaway is another who has missed a round, being absent from the last round at Phillip Island. Tony will also hope for a strong weekend to put him in a good points spot once the worst dropped round is calculated following this round with his #50 944.

Fresh from one of his best points rounds at Phillip Island is Andrew Goldman in the #333 Carpet Shed car. Andrew will revisit Winton for the second time in the 944, but being a track he is more familiar with - will look to move further up the grid this weekend as he will set his sights onto moving closer to, or into the top ten in points once he can drop his worst round.

A disappointing weekend was had at Phillip Island for Carter Fox – a clutch issue following on from a career best qualifying position of 4th position in his #7 car saw him miss Race 1, and grid up from the back of the grid in the borrowed #20 Poolmaster 944 of Andrew Jackman who was sitting out the round. 

A DQ from Race 2 for being underweight after moving up to cross the line in 5th, was followed by a non-classified finish after the clash with Carpenter. Another 5th place finish in the final from the back of the grid again showed the pace and potential that didn’t materialise.

Carter will want a strong weekend to help vault him up also once the worst dropped round is brought in after this round.

Not the season he was hoping to have for our 4 time and 2023 series champion Chris Lewis-Williams in the #37 Tyrepower Benalla machine. A late entry for this event, Chris is the most recent race winner in the 944 Challenge at Winton taking the spoils in the final race of the 2024 round, and will want to have a good showing after suffering DNFs in races at both of the first two rounds and missing the last round at Phillip Island.

Having one of his strongest rounds of his career at Phillip Island was Toni Andreevski in the Purple #27 944 with a trio of 5th place finishes on record in his first round of the season. If Toni can repeat that level of performance, he could certainly signal his intentions if he can commit to a full season attack in 2026!

Another having a breakout weekend at his first event for the 2025 season was Josh Brisbane – with the immaculate green #56 reading the play perfectly before the wet Race 1 at Phillip Island, scything through the field all the way to fourth position despite dropping to dead last after the start with an issue off the line. Three more finishes just outside the top 5 rounded out a great event for Josh and he will be keen to put on just as good a show this weekend at Winton.

Manny Mezzasalma will have his #10 machine back after missing Phillip Island, and will be looking for some reliability after a troubled 2025 that saw him pack up early at both Sandown & Calder, and aim to lay some groundwork for a stronger end to the year and springboard into 2026.

Returning after missing the last couple of rounds is the #88 of Jared Campione – a suspension failure in the final race at Sandown causing a last lap incident and forcing him to sit out those rounds to undertake repairs on the car. 

Expect Jared to have the bit between his teeth as he gets back behind the wheel and looks to having a strong weekend.

Pedr James had his stunning #98 car back out at Calder for the first time in 4 years, but struggled with gearbox issues for most of the weekend, as well as trying to get used to the Calder layout for the first time. He will certainly put on a better show on his return to the Winton circuit, a venue where he took his first race win in the reverse grid race back in 2018.

The #20 Poolmaster Bayside machine of Andrew Jackman will be back on track this weekend – but will again not have Jackman behind the wheel. We will this weekend see Hyundai Excel stalwart Ryan Phillips debuting in the 944 Challenge – and fresh off some race wins at Winton only last weekend in his Excel, no one will be surprised if Ryan is right up at the pointy end this weekend.

With a strong field in attendance, the future is looking even stronger with some more new competitors looking to debut, or rejoin the series for the Sandown and Phillip Island rounds to round out the year.

If you like what you see on the circuit and want to get on board with the Porsche 944 Challenge series, the series is enjoying a resurgence with a couple of cars available for purchase and others returning to competition, along with some

freshly built cars being finalised with some of those for lease, or sale. Get in touch with the guys in the series if you would like to get on track and join in the action.

THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 3 PREVIEW - PHILLIP ISLAND

PORSCHE 944 CHALLENGE - ROUND 3 2025 PREVIEW!

Porsche Cars Australia

Bowden’s Own

Melbourne Paving

Butchers Diner

L K Diesel Service

Don Watson Transport

Tyrepower Benalla

AVi Technology

Poolmaster Bayside

Bowdens Own Car Care Products

Trico

888 Home Loans

Pit Lane Clothing

View fullsize

A smaller collection of 13 Drivers have entered for the Third Round of the 2025 944 Challenge Championship, as the category returns to the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Though what is lacking in quantity is not lacking in quality as some of the best 944 Challenge drivers will be gridding up this weekend, where the field will have an extra race with 4 sprints over the weekend, which is proudly presented by Bowden’s Own Car Care Products. 

Continuing his perfect start to 2025 at Calder Park with 3 more wins in the #1 car is Cameron Beller. Cameron will have his work cut out for him to continue that record this weekend, but as usual he will be putting in 100% effort to continue his winning streak.  

Adam Brewer only found the podium in the final race at Calder Park, but 2 fourth place finishes means he is sitting in equal second in the championship behind Beller. Brewer was on the podium every race at PI last year, but the top step eluded him – a feat he will be looking to change this weekend as he attempts to close the gap on Beller in the points battle.  

Moving up four positions in the pointscore after Calder Park is Jamie Westaway in the #28 car with a trio of podium finishes moving him up to fourth position. With a 50% win record at Phillip Island in 2024, Jamie will have his sights on putting an end to Beller’s 2025 winning streak and look to start clawing back his points deficit to the top three in the points.

Moving up to fifth position in the points is the impressive Peter Grant in the #84 machine. Fresh from scoring a trio of fifth place finishes at Calder in his best round to date, Peter will be hoping to again have a solid weekend to potentially improve his points position, but he will need to improve on his best PI finish to date of 7th position to do that.  

Slipping back a couple positions in the points was Mark Taubitz, his weekend going south early after he was escorted to the gravel trap in the first race from 7th position, dropping him 2 laps down while he was recovered, putting him on the back foot for the rest ofd the weekend. Taubitz missed out on cracking the top 5 last year at Phillip Island, a stat he will definitely be looking to turn around this weekend and recover some points positions lost at Calder Park.

Nick Carpenter showed good speed at Calder in the #14 Melbourne Paving 944 – but was again hampered by virtue of being found the culprit in the incident which sent Taubitz to play in the sand, earning him a 30 second race penalty courtesy of the race stewards. Despite this, he recovered well to secure a pair of seventh place finishes in the two Sunday races. Nick’s best PI finish to date is 9th, and he will be another looking to record a new PB finish at the Island this weekend. 

Sharing the tenth position in the 944 points is Jack Atley in the #35 Pit Lane Clothing car, Jack coming away from the Calder feeling there was missed opportunities after showing good pace on Friday practice, but getting snookered by another damp qualifying session, and a Race 1 spin put him on the back foot. A best finish of 9th at PI last year will rank him as another driver who will have his eyes on besting that result this weekend and to move firmly into the top ten in the pointscore.  

Sam Rofe shares the tenth position in points scoring a pair of top ten finishes, but found himself struggling with matvch fitness over the length of the races and losing some positions in the closing stages in the #68 Porsche. Competing in the recent sh*tbox rally up to Townsville will undoubtedly help him and he will look to have a stronger finish to the races this weekend as he returns to PI for the first time since Island Magic 2015! 

Slipping back from 5th after Sandown, to 13th in the points after missing the Calder Park round is Carter Fox with the #7 car. Carter had a fantastic Sandown and weekend and will be looking to continue as we head to Phillip Island. Last time there, Carter scored a 6th position in the final race, he will be hoping for a strong weekend to put him back to a competitive points position once the worst dropped round comes into effect.  

Having his first 2025 outing, and first time competing at Calder Park was Michael Westaway onboard the familiar orange #45 944. Michael took his time getting used to the track and finding his feet, but had a strong final race where he moved up to eighth position in the final race. Always competitive at Phillip Island, Michael will surely be looking to mix it up in the top half of the field this weekend.  

Heading to his debut round at Phillip Island in his 944 this weekend is Andrew Goldman in the #333 Carpet Shed machine. Gearbox issues in Race 1 put Andrew out at Calder Park, but a great job to source and replace the box overnight enabled him to notch up a top ten finish in the final race on Sunday. He will be looking to learn and score a few more top ten finishes over the course of the weekend.  

Debuting for the first time in 2025 is Toni Andreevski in the #27 944, and Josh Brisbane in the green #56 car. Both drivers scored stong results at their last visits to the Island, a pair of seventh place and eighth place finishes respectively – expect both drivers to factor in the top ten all weekend, and watch out for Andreevski if some weather hits the circuit... 

Unfortunately we are missing a number of regular competitors this weekend for various reasons, with Mark Verdino missing along with Tony Westaway due to being away, Andrew Jackman and Dick Howe are absent due to surgeries, along with Chris Lewis Williams, Manny Mezzasalma, Jared Campione, Pedr James & John Vainoras, some of who we hope to see make the trek over to the Bend for Round 4.  

If you like what you see on the circuit and want to get on board with the Porsche 944 Challenge series, the series is enjoying a resurgence with a couple of cars available for purchase and others returning to competition, along with some freshly built cars being finalised with some of those for lease, or sale. Get in touch with the guys in the series if you would like to get on track and join in the action.

THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 2 PREVIEW - CALDER

PORSCHE 944 CHALLENGE - ROUND 2 2025 PREVIEW!

Porsche Cars Australia

Melbourne Paving

Butchers Diner

L K Diesel Service

Don Watson Transport

AVi Technology

Poolmaster Bayside

Bowdens Own Car Care Products

Trico

888 Home Loans

Pit Lane Clothing

View fullsize

16 Drivers have entered for the Second Round of the 2025 944 Challenge Championship, as the category returns to Calder Park Raceway, in Melbourne’s West for an earlier spot in the calendar than in previous years. This round of the series is again proudly presented by Melbourne Paving.

Kicking off his title defence with a perfect score at Sandown with 3 wins in the #1 car is Cameron Beller. Cameron also took victory in the final race at Calder in 2024, so he will be looking to continue that run of form and as we head to his home circuit this weekend.

Adam Brewer secured second position overall at Sandown in Car #3, though he was unable to snag a race victory despite showing great speed over the weekend, as well as the Pole Position. It could have been much worse however, as he was able to recover from a big moment in Race 2 when he had a slide while leading and was collected by Beller. A trio of third place finishes

The defending Calder round champion from 2024, Mark Verdino was off the podium at Sandown with three 4th place finishes in the #44 Sidelink Transport car, which places him in third position in the points at the end of the round. With Calder being the site of all three of Verdino’s race victories, he will be entering the Calder round as the firm favourite to repeat again.

Sitting in equal fourth place in the 944 Championship points is Mark Taubitz in the #71 Porsche. Mark was on for a good weekend until the closing stages of the final race where he came out on the wrong side of a late safety car restart, and then again when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a failure to Jared Campione’s steering led to contact with Taubitz, and he spun, striking the guardrail – though held onto fourth place by virtue of being able to cross the line in the final position to secure the points for finishing in last place.

In sixth position is the Poolmaster Bayside #20 car of Andrew Jackman, despite also suffering a last lap, last race drama tangle with Nick Carpenter, Jackman secured enough points to hold a one point margin over Peter Grant, who is in seventh outright in the #84 Auto Coupe 944. Peter scored his best race finish to date on the last visit to Calder with a fifth place in the second race, he will look to improve his points position this weekend with another strong outing.

Sitting in an unexpected eighth position is Jamie Westaway in the #28 car, despite a pair of second place finishes, a DNF in the final race hurt his championship pointscore. Jamie secured Pole position last time at Calder, so he will again be up at the pointy end this weekend and aims to get his Championship title bid back on track.

Nick Carpenter sits in equal ninth position in the #14 Melbourne Paving 944 – a position not representative of the positions he crossed the finish line in after he was slapped with a 15 second time penalty for passing under yellow flag conditions, in Race 2, and a 5 point penalty for the last lap clash with Andrew Jackman in the final race. Nick was sixth for the round at Calder Park last year, so he will be hoping to improve on his points position by the end of this round.

Sharing the ninth position in the points is Jack Atley in the #35 Pit Lane Clothing car, Jack coming away from the Sandown weekend feeling content with a straight car and solid points at a track he has traditionally not favoured, and a spring in his step as we head to Calder where he will look to score more top ten results.

Sitting in an uncharacteristic eleventh position following the round is 4-time champion Chris Lewis-Williams in the #37 Tyrepower car. Chris was hampered by a failure in the front suspension in the first race of the Sandown weekend which led to a DNF. He recovered well to finish the final race in second position, but with the 944 Championship points rewarding race finishes heavily, Chris will be looking for a consistent weekend to move up the points order after this weekend.

Sam Rofe had a much better result for his return to the series at Sandown, managing a top ten finish in the final race in his first hitout with his new powerplant. This weekend will be Sam’s first visit to the Calder Park circuit, as he will look to have another reliable weekend and add to his top ten tally.

Tony Westaway had a sub par weekend with the yellow #50 Porsche, a spin in Race 2 and then a suspension failure in the final race sees him also down in a lower position than he would be accustomed to. Tony missed the Calder round last year, so he will refresh his memory back to the previous outing in 2023 and hope to have a much less troublesome weekend and finish all three races.

Manny Mezzasalma sits in 15th position in the points in the #10 machine after his weekend was cut short at Sandown, and he was unable to complete Sundays races after an 11th place finish in Race 1. Also not finishing Sundays races on Sunday was Andrew Goldman in the #333 car, after suspension issues in Race 2 ended his race and could not be fixed for Race 3. The issues have now been sorted, and he will make his Calder Park debut this weekend.

Also entered for their first Calder Park event this weekend, and first event for 2025 are Michael Westaway in the #45 machine, and also a big welcome back to the series to Pedr James in his striking #98 PKJ Rural Fencing 944, after a four year hiatus from racing. No doubt there will be some cobwebs for Pedr to blow out, but he showed good pace when he last competed and will be back in the thick of the action in no time!

Unfortunately, we are missing Carter Fox in the #7 this weekend due to work commitments, as well as Jared Campione who was unable to finish repairs to his car in time for the event, likewise John Vainoras, with all three hoped to return for Round 3 along with a few other drivers expected to make their 2025 debut at Round 3 in May.

If you like what you see on the circuit and want to get on board with the Porsche 944 Challenge series, the series is enjoying a resurgence with a couple of cars available for purchase and others returning to competition, along with some freshly built cars being finalised with some of those for lease, or sale. Get in touch with the guys in the series if you would like to get on track and join in the action.

BELLER HAILED AT ANNUAL PORSCHE PRESENTATION NIGHT

Beller Motorsport driver Cameron Beller was warmly applauded as he received his prestigious 2024 Championship winning trophy during the star-studded Annual Porsche 944 Challenge Series Presentation Night, which took place at the luxurious and elegantly designed Porsche Centre Melbourne.

View fullsize

Many 944 Challenge Series drivers were in attendance as were family, friends and invited guests.

The win by Beller saw him become the first ever driver to take out five 944 Challenge Series Championship titles in the 26 year history of the category.

Also awarded during the night were Mark Verdino, Chris Lewis Williams, Jamie Westaway, Adam Brewer, Nic Carpenter and Carter Fox, with speeches by President Mark Taubitz.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

NO PLACE FOR THE FAINT HEARTED - STUNNING LAST LAPS OF ROUND 1 - VIDEO

If you ever thought the Australian 944 Challenge Series was just ‘a bit of fun’..or ‘not fully committed’…maybe check this video out and think again.

It’s no place for the faint hearted...and this was only Round 1.

944 Challenge Series Rcing - 2025 ROUND 1 - SANDOWN

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

BELLER TAKES FULL POINTS AT CRASH MARRED SANDOWN ROUND 1

Beller Motorsport driver and reigning 944 Challenge champion Cameron Beller has held off strong opposition to take 3 wins from 3 races, during a chaotic and crash-marred Round 1 of the 2025 944 Challenge Season, at Sandown Motor Raceway in Melbourne.

View fullsize

Cameron Beller leads Jamie Westaway at Sandown. pic by: Rebecca Hind

The notorious walled circuit claimed multiple victims over the weekend with many of the drivers coming off second best.

With inclemant weather also adding to the party, multiple safety cars were used across the 3 race weekend.

View fullsize

pic by: Rebecca Hind

Beller stayed ahead of spirited drives from regular front runners, Jamie Westaway, polesitter Adam Brewer, Chris Lewis-Williams and Mark Verdino all weekend to claim full points for the round and to again lead the championship, after taking his fifth 944 Challenge Series title in 2024.

View fullsize

pic by: Rebecca Hind

The current champion Beller said afterwards, ‘This season will clearly be very tight, it wasn't easy this weekend and it isn't going to be an easy season…a lot of guys are fast’.

View fullsize

The field of 17 cars heads towards Turn 2 and Sandown - pic by: Rebecca Hind

Round 2 of the championship heads to another iconic Melbourne circuit, Calder Park Raceway on 28 - 30 March, 2025.

---

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

PROVISIONAL POINTS AFTER ROUND 1 - VIC STATE

View fullsize

THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 1 PREVIEW

PORSCHE 944 CHALLENGE - ROUND 1 2025 PREVIEW!

Porsche Cars Australia

Melbourne Paving

Butchers Diner

L K Diesel Service

Don Watson Transport

AVi Technology

Poolmaster Bayside

Bowdens Own Car Care Products

Trico

888 Home Loans

Pit Lane Clothing

18 Drivers have entered for the First Round of the 2025 944 Challenge Championship, as the category returns to the Home of Horsepower - Sandown Raceway, in the South East of Melbourne. This round of the series is proudly presented by Melbourne Paving. 

Returning to defend his championship from 2024 is Cameron Beller, with the #1 again adorning the Beller Motorsport car. He will once again have to prove himself against a tough field of protagonists hoping to stop him going back-to-back. This will be led by 4-time Champion Chris Lewis-Williams aboard the #37 Tyrepower 944, and 2-time champion Jamie Westaway behind the wheel of the #28 machine. 

After finishing the 2024 season in the runner-up position, Mark Verdino will also be looking to improve on that result in 2025 and wrestle the championship from Beller in his #44 Sidelink machine, as will Adama Brewer, who was in championship contention up until the Calder Park round where a points penalty ruled him out of a chance to take the trophy, but he will again be fast in the #3 AVi Technology car.  

Mark Taubitz will be back in the new #71 car, after scoring his first career race wins in 2024, Mark will be looking to unlock some more pace in the Apple Computer liveried car to join the fast 5 at the front of the championship battle consistently. 

Carter Fox returns for 2025 with the #7 car, as he will look to continue his upward trajectory that he showed in the second half of 2024, as does Tony Westaway in the familiar Yellow #50 car, both drivers having the pace to mix it at the front of the field this weekend. 

Andrew Jackman wheels out his familiar #20 Poolmaster Bayside for Round 1 where he will be looking to make life hard for the front runners, as will newcomer Peter Grant in the #84 Porsche who showed flashes of impressive speed in his rookie year last year. 

Also starting his second season of 944 Competition is Nick Carpenter in the Melbourne Paving #14 car, Nick will have aspirations to move further up the field as he will set his sights on finishes further into the top 10, ditto Jack Atley, who again will be behind the wheel of the Andy Tudor owned #35 Pit Lane Clothing backed machine as Jack also targets the top ten and beyond on a regular basis. 

An aborted return last year for Sam Rofe in the beautiful #68 car after engine woes curtailed his return, Sam has a new engine and will be looking to contest the 2025 season as he blows out the cobwebs and re-familiarises himself with his car, and the circuits! 

Also returning after missing the back end of the 2024 season are Jared Campione in the #88 Campione Electrics machine, and Manny Mezzasalma in the #10 car. Both drivers have had work carried out on their cars in the off-season and will also be looking to move themselves up the running order with some strong results in 2025. 

Andrew Goldman also makes a return to competition with the #333 Carpet Shed 944, with a fresh powerplant after a failure at The Bend last year ended his season prematurely. Andrew will be another who will improve as he gets more comfortable with his 944 as the season progresses.  

Also returning is John Vainoras, after suffering more issues with his car last year, it's hoped that he has got the issues sorted finally in the #32 car.  

An unfortunate late withdrawal is Lyndon Watson in the #5 Watson Transport car, Lyndon will likely miss the first few rounds but we look forward to him joining the championship in the back half of the year. 

Unfortunately, we will be missing one of the Westaway brothers, with Michael not competing this weekend after plans to enter derailed at the last minute. We look forward to having him return for Round 2, along with Keith Marriner and the return of Andy Jones – plus a couple more new, and familiar names to the 944 Challenge field expected to hit the track for Round 2 / 3!  

If you like what you see on the circuit and want to get on board with the Porsche 944 Challenge series, the series is enjoying a resurgence with a couple of cars available for purchase and others returning to competition, along with some freshly built cars being finalised with some of those for lease, or sale. Get in touch with the guys in the series if you would like to get on track and join in the action. .