THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - ROUND 5 PREVIEW - SANDOWN RACEWAY
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PORSCHE 944 CHALLENGE - ROUND 5 2026 PREVIEW!
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This weekend sees a smaller field of 12 Drivers return to the home of horsepower – Sandown Raceway in Melbourne's East for Round 5 of the 2026 944 Challenge Championship.
Holding a narrow championship lead of just three points is Adam Brewer (#81) after he was able to rebound after a Race 1 spin at Winton to come home with a pair of second places and a fourth as his best results from the four race weekend. Adam was dominant the last time we were at Sandown for Round 1, a clean sweep only being denied due to a delaminated tyre 2 laps from home in the final race. Will he be able to repeat his form as the stakes for the championship are higher than ever?
Moving up the second in the 944 points after a Winton victory combined with a pair of third place finishes is Jamie Westaway (#50) Jamie Westaway started his Winton weekend off in the strongest way taking a Race 1 victory, but throttle failure while holding a comfortable lead in the second race put him on the back burner for the rest of the weekend, as he was unable to get higher than third place in either Race 3 or 4. With only three points separating he and Brewer, it will be all out for both competitors this weekend to see who is on top come Sunday night.
Returning after missing the Festival of Speed is Lyndon Watson (#5) - Lyndon showed good speed at Sandown on his return to the series at the start of the year, and sits fourth in points after taking the missed round at Winton out of the calculations. He will have to continue his good run of consistency to hold onto the position as others are hot on his heels in the points battle!
Yet another difficult weekend for Cameron Beller, again rolling out the Red & White Beller Motorsport machine that he has raced since Sunday at Calder for Round 2. A spin to avoid the stranded Brewer in Race 1 put him on the back foot at Winton, he was able to snatch a second place in Race 2 but slipped back to fourth in Race 3 and fifth in Race 4. Beller was second in the first race at Sandown before engine failure in Race ruled him out for the weekend – will the red & white car have the pace down Sandown's long straights to take the fight to the top 3?
A breakout performance at Winton for Josh Brisbane (#56) scoring his first podium finish in Race 2 of the weekend as well as a fourth and sixth places to move him up to sixth in the season pointscore. On the pace all weekend at Winton, Josh will be riding high on that momentum as he sets out on the Sandown circuit for the first time in 2026 having missed Round 1 at the start of the year, with his sights no surely set on a Top 5 position in the championship.
A season of frustration for Mark Taubitz in the #22 machine, again showing good qualifying pace to start Race 1 from third, but a mechanical failure with a broken distributor rotor button ending his race on turn 3 of Lap 1. Taubitz fought back with a strong drive in Race 2 from the back of the pack to finish in 5th in Race 2, a feat he repeated in Race 3 but a coming together while diving off track to avoid a spinning car on Turn 1 of Race 4 ended his race with a severe tyre rub. Taubitz drops to seventh in the points and will be looking to have a weekend where nothing goes wrong, something that has eluded him this year.
Back behind the wheel of the Blue Poolmaster Bayside #20 car is Tony Westaway. After Kerry Bright took the wheel at Winton while Tony steered the Mark Taubitz owned Apple car, Tony will be back in a more familiar machine as he chases down Taubitz, as well as tries to keep ahead in the Veterans Cup in his quest for back-to-back titles!
An up and down Winton weekend for Andrew Goldman (#333) at Winton, though by finishing all four races he remains in touch with Tony Westaway in the veterans cup points only three adrift, as we head to Sandown where some power gains will hopefully help him move up the order as he takes the fight to Westaway.
A good time was had for the first two days of the weekend for Sam Rofe in the #68 Porsche 944 at Winton, with a sixth place in Race 2 backed up by a seventh and ninth, before a touch in Turn one of Race 1 with Peter Grant, and the resulting crunch with Taubitz who was fleeing to avoid the scene put an early end to his weekend. He goes into this round tied with Goldman for tenth in points, with the battle between the two of them and the Westaway brothers only separating the four drivers by three points heading into Sandown. Sam was strong last time out, running as high as fourth before a mechanical failure ended his Race 3 early.
Having his first Sandown outing will be Nick Carpenter in #14, where his refreshed engine will be more noticeable down Sandowns long straights than around the tight Winton venue. Nick will be able to move himself up significantly in the points with a decent reliable weekend.
Welcome returns for their first outings for 2026 will be Toni Andreevski aboard the #27 machine, in what will hopefully be a renewed campaign for a full 2027 season.
Another new entry joining the category this weekend is Antoine Chamoun in the #95 car formerly owned by Jamie Weswtaway. Antoine showed good speed during a test at Calder with Jamie giving him some tips, as Antoine makes the step up from Karting this weekend at Sandown for his debut race weekend.
A few drivers will be missing form action this weekend, with Chris Lewis-Williams a sad withdrawal this weekend after a crash in the final race at Winton trying to avoid the incident unfolding in front of him, with Pat Klein, who was also unfortunately involved in the melee having to withdraw, with both drivers having to undergo repairs to ge their cars back on track. Hopefully we will see them back for Round 1 in 2027. Carter Fox will also miss the round along with Andy Jones, along with Manny Mezzasalma. Michael Westaway and Andrew Jackman are still out with recent operations.
With some new drivers debuting this year, and some good strong vehicles on the market, the 2027 season could be one of the most competitive seasons to date! If you like what you see, get in touch and come and join in on the action for the 2027 championship season!