Mark Taubitz 22/11/23 Mark Taubitz 22/11/23

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ROUND 7 PREVIEW

14 Cars are entered for this sixth rounthe seventh and final round of the 2023 944 Challenge Championship as the series returns to Phillip Island for the famed Island Magic event.

Due to his strong consistancy and strong results this season, Chris Lewis-Williams (#37) has put himself into an unbeatable position for his fourth 944 Challenge championship heading into the weekend, due to the dropped worst points rule employed by the series. Even if bad luck befalls Chris this weekend, this would become his worst round, and the points from the first six rounds is enough to seal him the championship. ropped worst points rule employed by the series. Even if bad luck befalls Chris this weekend, this would become his worst round, and the points from the first six rounds is enough to seal him the championship.

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ISLAND MAGIC ROUND 7 PREVIEW

14 Cars are entered for this, the seventh and final round of the 2023 944 Challenge Championship as the series returns to Phillip Island for the famed Island Magic event.

Due to his strong consistency and strong results this season, Chris Lewis-Williams (#37) has put himself into an unbeatable position for his fourth 944 Challenge championship heading into the weekend, due to the dropped worst points rule employed by the series. Even if bad luck befalls Chris this weekend, this would become his worst round, and the points from the first six rounds is enough to seal him the championship.

Resigned to second position in the championship is Cameron Beller (#55) who will look to add to his win tally this weekend and finish 2023 on a strong note as he prepares for a title challenge in 2024. With a 24-point lead over third-placed Adam Brewer (#3) Adam would need to win all three races this weekend with Cameron failing to finish at least one race to take the second place from the 4-time champion.

A breakout weekend at Calder Park which saw him take not only his debut race win, but also the round win – sees Mark Verdino (#44) move up to fourth in the championship, albeit by only one point ahead of 1800Lasagne’s Joey Kellock (#77) who slips back to fifth. Joey showed speed and even moved into the lead in the second race but was cruelly denied a debut win with front suspension failure followed by a gearbox problem in the final race hurting his point tally.

Another decent haul of points at Calder Park has kept Mark Taubitz (#74) within reach of the battle for fourth position, 25 points behind Mark Verdino in the championship. We will see Mark back behind the wheel of his trusty #74 machine this round again after moonlighting behind the wheel of the #20 Poolmaster machine for the last three rounds as he tries to see if he can steal a top 5 position in the championship this weekend.

Returning after missing the last round is Josh Brisbane (#56) - a strong result this weekend could see Josh vault himself up to eighth in the championship behind Carter Fox who is sitting inseventh place in the championship. Josh had a consistant round last time at Phillip Island so he will hope to repeat that this weekend to take eighth position.

An encouraging round was had last time at Phillip Island for John Vainoras (#32) who finished all three races and dropped his lap times by 3 seconds over the course of the weekend - proving there is no substitute for track time. With his car now proving reliable, John is energized and keen to continue this improvement and some stronger times this weekend again

Returning to the seat for the first time in 6 months following surgery is Andrew Jackman (#20) with the Poolmaster car having been kept in action by Mark Taubitz over the last three rounds, Jackman will be easing himself back into action this weekend and looking for a good finish to the year to get him ready for 2024.

Having his second outing at Phillip Island with the 944 Challenge is Jared Campione (#88) - Jared had a great debut round, finishing 10th overall in the points for the round and getting his lap times in the final race to only 3 seconds off the front pack – a sensational effort on his first time at the challenging PI Circuit. He continued his improvements at the last round at Calder and is showing signs of being able to compete in the front pack next year as he continues to get comfortable with his car.

Manny Mezzasalma (#10) showed good pace, but little in the way of results the last time at Phillip Island with a couple of DNF’s in the Sunday races. Manny will hopefully have some luck return this weekend and log three finishes for the weekend and get prepared for the 2024 season on the right foot.

Jim Mitchell (#46) is returning after a couple of weekends to forget at Phillip Island & Calder Park, a broken exhaust in the Saturday race wasn’t able to be repaired on Sunday which meant Jim had to sit out the two races, while a bent valve on Friday practice at Calder meant he had to sit out the weekend. Hopefully no such issues this round for the Martini machine!

A last-minute super-sub in the #50 Tony Westaway machine is none other than outgoing 944 Challenge champion Jamie Westaway, with Tony unable to compete behind the wheel this weekend Tony has again handed over the keys to see if Jamie can get another victory (or more) this weekend in the yellow black & white machine. With some wet weather looking likely, if Jamie’s 10-second win in the wet last time here is anything to go by, there’s a strong chance he might get maximum points for at least one race this weekend.

Michael Westaway (#45) also returns for only the second time this season as he prepares for his 2024 campaign after having the car off the road for the bulk of this season. Michael was strong however at that event scoring a collection of fifth and sixth-place finishes from the weekend, he is a strong chance to replicate or improve on that this weekend.

Unfortunately, there are a number of cars missing this round due to scheduling conflicts, with Keith Marriner, Tim Wolfe, Andy Tudor and Toni Andreevski all away this weekend and not at the circuit, while Tony Westaway will be doing crew chief duties for his son and brother this weekend. Dick Howe is also missing from this round with surgery, while Andy Jones is earmarking a 2024 return after taking some time to test his new car in the off season, likewise Ryan Woods and Sam Rofe who will be back for 2024.

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'd like to get on track and join in the action.

jack atley 29/10/23 jack atley 29/10/23

VERDINO BREAKS THROUGH FOR FIRST VICTORY IN 944 CHAMPIONSHIP

No. 44 Beller Motorsport Sidelink Motorsport Team driver Mark Verdino has broken through to claim his first ever victory in the 944 Challenge Series championship, taking victory in Race 2 this morning at Calder Park in Melbourne.

Verdino held off a fast charging Cameron Beller with Championship leader Chris Lewis-Williams taking third.

RACE 3 is on today at 12.45pm and can be seen LIVE AND FREE TO AIR ON BLEND LINE TV

jack atley 28/10/23 jack atley 28/10/23

BARON OF BENALLA ON BRINK OF 4TH TITLE

The Baron of Benalla, Tyrepower driver Chris Lewis-Williams, sits on the brink of claiming his 4th 944 Challenge Series Australia Championship title after taking victory in Race 1, during Round 6 at Calder Park Raceway today.

story via PIT LANE MEDIA

Lewis-Wiilliams now remains well clear of Cameron Beller, who suffered engine issues in Race 1 and crossed the line in 5th place, whilst Adam Brewer retains third place after a drama filled Race 1 saw him finish 7th.

Mark Verdino and Lynden Watson claimed the final positions on the podium.

Provided the No. 37 driver can hold sway and finish off a clean weekend, he will claim his fourth title.
Races 2 and 3 are set for 9.10am and 12.45pm tomorrow which will round out the Victorian State Championships with the iconic Island Magic event still to follow, at Phillip Island, in late November.

All races can be seen LIVE and FREE TO AIR on Blendline TV

Only two others have ever claimed four titles - Robert Lange (2007-2010) and Cameron Beller (2016-2019) and no driver has ever claimed five.

Mark Taubitz 25/10/23 Mark Taubitz 25/10/23

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ROUND 6 PREVIEW

13 Cars are entered for this round, the sixth round of the 2023 944 Challenge Championship as the series makes a long-awaited return to Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway for the first time in 15 years. This round is also the final event for the Victorian State Circuit Race Championships and will see a new State Champion crowned for 2023.

With no recent history to call on, and only 2 of the 13 drivers having ever raced at Calder (Chris Lewis-Williams, and Tony Westaway) the form book may as well go out the window! With three first time pole-sitters in the last three rounds, could we see another first timer nabbing pole position this weekend?

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ROUND 6 PREVIEW

After taking a three-peat of victories at the last round at Phillip Island, Chris Lewis-Williams (#37) heads into the Calder round with a 28 point lead in the Vic Championship over Cameron Beller (#55) who shadowed him across the line for all three races at PI. With 100 points on offer over the weekend, Beller will need some luck to nab the championship from CLW which will likely not be decided until the chequered flag waves to end the final race.

Sitting third on the State Championship points is Adam Brewer (#3) and he only needs to secure 12 points to lock in third place in the championship, but he sits 66 and 38 points adrift of Lewis-Williams and Beller respectively, so Adams focus will likely be to secure a race, or round win this weekend.

Also sitting fairly comfortably in his fourth position in the State points is Joey Kellock (#77). A solid weekend in fifth place for the majority of the round at PI for Joey, sees him an almost insurmountable 88 points behind Brewer in third, and 71 points ahead of his year-long rival Mark Verdino #44) who has slipped back in the points from Joey after missing the last round at PI. However,with only 17 points separating Joey and Mark in the 944 Championship points however, Joey won’t be able to rest on his laurels this weekend if he wants to retain a top 4 finish in both championships!

A strong weekend in fourth at Phillip Island has pushed Mark Taubitz into sixth position in both championships, and sits only 8 points behind Verdino heading into the weekend with an intention of nabbing fifth place in the championship as he gets behind the wheel of the Miami Blue #20 Poolmaster Bayside Porsche again this weekend for the final time before handing the keys back to Andrew Jackman for the last event of the year.

Slipping slightly adrift of Taubitz after the PI round is Carter Fox (#7) - Carter finished the weekend seventh overall, but a strong points haul for Taubitz opened up the gap to the current 28 points heading into the final round.

Sitting in ninth position in the state series points is Tony Westaway (#50) - the 60 point gap to Carter might prove a bit too much to haul in, but Tony would be looking to at least jump up one spot to eighth in the state points if he can leapfrog the absent Ryan Woods.

Making a welcome return to the circuit at Phillip Island was Lyndon Watson (#5) Lyndon showed his traditional strong pace in qualifying as he was due to line up fifth on the grid, but his weekend soured quickly after an electrical short on the formation lap saw him start Race 1 from pit lane, and things didn’t improve on Sunday, with a pair of DNF’s. If this weekend goes without any issues, expect to see Lyndon up at the pointy end of the field this weekend in the striking Blue & White Don Watson Transport car.

Also showing good pace at Phillip Island, but little to write home to in the way of results is Manny Mezzasalma (#10) - Manny will hope to stitch together some good results this weekend and continue moving up the field to prepare for a strong 2024 season.

An encouraging round for John Vainoras (#32) who finished all three races at Phillip Island, and dropped his lap times by 3 seconds over the course of the weekend - proving there is no substitute for track time. With his car now proving reliable, John is energized and keen to continue this improvement and look for some better results moving forward!

Jim Mitchell (#46) is returning after a weekend to forget at Phillip Island – a broken exhaust in the Saturday race wasn’t able to be repaired on Sunday and meant Jim had to sit out the two races. Hopefully no such issues this round for the Martini machine!

Having his first outing with the 944 Challenge at Phillip Island was Jared Campione (#88) - Jared had a great debut round, finishing 10th overall in the points for the round and getting his lap times in the final race to only 3 seconds off the front pack – a sensational effort on his first time at the challenging PI Circuit. With that sort of debut, it might not be long before brother-in-law Adam Brewer is checking his mirrors for the #88 car.

Unfortunately, there are a number of cars missing this round due to scheduling conflicts, with Josh Brisbane, Keith Marriner, Tim Wolfe, Andy Tudor, Michael Westaway and Toni Andreevski all away this weekend and not at the circuit, while Andrew Jackman is finishing his recovery from his operation and is set to return for Island Magic. Dick Howe is also missing from this round with surgery, while Andy Jones is earmarking a 2024 return after taking some time to test his new car in the off season, likewise Ryan Woods and Sam Rofe who will be back for 2024.

jack atley 25/9/23 jack atley 25/9/23

LEWIS-WILLIAMS EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AFTER TAKING '3 FROM 3' AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Tyrepower Benalla driver Chris Lewis-Williams has extended his overall championship lead after claiming ‘3 race wins from 3 races’ during Round 5 of the 2023 944 Challenge Series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

Tyrepower Benalla Rocket Digital driver Chris Lewis-Williams has extended his overall championship lead after claiming ‘3 race wins from 3 races’ during Round 5 of the 2023 944 Challenge Series at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

After taking 2 of the 3 race wins at Sandown also, Chris led the points standings heading into the fifth round of the championship by a small margin over of Cameron Beller (#55), who kept himself in the championship hunt with a win and two seconds at Sandown.

*Chris Lewis-Williams leads Cameron Beller and Adam Brewer*

An engine change on Friday night following practice did not prevent Beller from still producing a remarkably strong weekend, claiming second place in all 3 races.

The consistent Adam Brewer came home third in all 3 races to further cement his position near the top of the standings.

The series now heads to the historic circuit of Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne as the venue returns to the calendar for the first time in many years, on 28 October.

Mark Taubitz 21/9/23 Mark Taubitz 21/9/23

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ROUND 5 PREVIEW

16 Cars are entered for this round, the fifth round of the 2023 944 Challenge Championship as the series returns to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit a month after the last round of the series at Sandown.

The last time the series was at PI we experienced some topsy-turvey weather with a wet Sunday morning race dominated by Jamie Westaway who was on guest driver duties in the #46 normally piloted by Jim Mitchell, which prevented Chris Lewis-Williams (#37) from making it a perfect weekend, as CL-W took the other two race victories with a second place in the wet race.

THE PRESIDENTS REPORT - ROUND 5 PREVIEW

After taking 2 of the 3 race wins at Sandown also, Chris leads the points standings heading into the fifth round of the championship with a small lead ahead of Cameron Beller (#55), who kept himself in the championship hunts with a win and two seconds at Sandown, but he is needing to take some race victories over CLW to haul back the points deficit.

Continuing his incredibly consistent season is Adam Brewer (#3), who sits in third position in both the 944 & State championships after scoring a trio of third places at Sandown, hot on the bumper of Beller & Lewis-Williams all weekend at Sandown.

Maintaining his 4th position in the State Championship battle is Joey Kellock (#77). A tougher weekend at Sandown for Joey after a huge moment in Race 2 meant he was only 7th outright for the round, but importantly gained points for finishing all races and will look to move up to fourth in the 944 points after this weekend and will have eyes on gaining his first podium finish this weekend.

The battle for sixth position in the points after this weekend will be on in earnest between Carter Fox (#7) and Mark Taubitz who is again behind the wheel of the #20 Poolmaster Bayside car this weekend while regular pilot Andrew Jackman continues his recovery from shoulder surgery. Carter and Mark are alternating 7th and 8th positions in the two championships, with Carter looking for another strong result this weekend and the team has hopefully solved some small niggling car issues.

Taubitz meanwhile showed plenty of potential after scoring a breakout Pole Position at Sandown for the first time (and two first time pole sitters in a row after Tony Westaway scored pole at Round 3!) but the damp track conditions caught him out at the start of Race 1 and the good work was undone as he entered Turn 1 in 7th position, and played catch up from there. His last visit to PI was filled with frustration and car issues, so this will hopefully see a turnaround in fortunes for him.

Returning after a round away, and back to the aforementioned site of his first pole position is Tony Westaway (#50) A new gearbox is installed after Tony’s attempt to capitalise on pole position was also hampered as a result of second gear that decided to leave the building, and he slipped back through the field by the time the field got to Turn 1 – he will be looking for redemption and an opportunity to also move back up the points ladder this weekend.

Also returning after a round away is Keith Marriner (#64) Keith had a test session at the circuit last weekend and was met with wet weather, so if the clouds roll in this weekend Keith might be able to capitalise on some recent wet weather running experience to help move him up the points ladder by the end of the weekend.

Sitting in 12th position in the 944 Championship Points battle is Josh Brisbane (#56) who will be looking to continue with an upswing in performance in the final race at Sandown where he finished 8th, and to improve his position in the championship tables.

A welcome return and having his second outing of the year is Lyndon Watson (#5) Lyndon showed his traditional strong pace at his only outing thus far at Sandown where he came up to finish the final race in fourth position despite not setting a qualifying time. If the weekend goes without issues, expect to see Lyndon up at the pointy end of the field this weekend in the striking Blue & White Don Watson Transport car.

Jim Mitchell (#46) is having his first drive at Phillip Island this year after Jamie Westaway was behind the wheel for the third round of the championship in May. Jim showed a good improvement in pace at the last round at Sandown before unfortunately coming to a halt at the start of the final race to end his weekend early. Jim will be looking to adopt some track tips from Westaway this weekend to ensure he is up the grid order this weekend.

Also making his first appearance for the year at Phillip Island after returning for the last round at Sandown is Manny Mezzasalma (#10) - Manny showed some good speed in his last appearances at Phillip Island last year and set a PB in testing recently, so he will have his eyes firmly set on being well inside the top ten this weekend.

John Vainoras (#32) was well under the weather at the last round at Sandown and was unable to make it for the Sunday events but will hopefully be fully recovered and fighting fit for this weekend at Phillip Island and getting a full weekend in behind the wheel and scoring some good points.

Another driver returning for his second outing for 2023 and first at Phillip Island is Toni Andreevski – Toni was chasing some fuel issues last time out at Winton so will hope this round proves they have been solved and will be a good chance to refamiliarise himself with the car and get in some solid laps this weekend, he will also have aims to be in the top ten this round.

Returning for the first time since Sandown 2022 is Michael Westaway who has had his car repaired and ready to hit the track again. Michael will no doubt be playing down his chances but will surely be as competitive as always – great to see Michael back on track again!

Making his first outing with the 944 Challenge this weekend is newcomer Jared Campione (#88) Jared is having his first foray into circuit racing and with the influence of his brother-in-law Adam Brewer, Jared has jumped in the deep end purchasing the ex-Clayton Sinclair machine. Having just completed his OLT, this will be a baptism of fire this weekend, but Jared looks to just have a clean weekend with lots oof learning and to bring the car home in one piece on Sunday night.

An unfortunate absentee this round is Mark Verdino (#44) with the Sidelink transport driver venturing overseas, this will put a dent in his points haul, thought fortunately will be able to drop this round for the 944 Challenge Championship score and may still be in a strong position at the end of this round.

Also missing this round after an adventure filled weekend at Sandown is Ryan Woods (#17), Ryan electing to give his new car a thorough going over before returning to the racetrack and given his speed, he will no doubt be in the hunt for title contention in 2024.

Andrew Jackman (#20), Andy Tudor (#15) are still recovering from their respective shoulder surgeries, as is Andy Jones (#33) – Andys new car is nearing completion and we may see back on track to return for Round 6 at Calder Park, hopefully along with his namesakes Jackman & Tudor, and the welcome returns of Sam Rofe (#68) and Pedr James who plan their returns after a number of years away from the racetrack.

Also out with surgery is Dick Howe (#8) missing his first round in a long time – Carpal tunnel procedures for Dick means a short time off track and may have to miss a round or two this year, while Vlad Kennedy (#23) continues his recovery from illness.

Tim Wolfe (#66) is also missing this round while he focuses on his Sprint Challenge commitments for the next couple of months, hopefully we will see Tim return for Island Magic in November.

jack atley 23/8/23 jack atley 23/8/23

'CLW CLAIMS THE CHAMPAGNE' - LEWIS-WILLIAMS TAKES ROUND HONOURS AT SANDOWN

Tyrepower Benalla driver Chris Lewis-Williams has taken round honours after claiming 2 wins from 3 races, during Round 4 of the 2023 Porsche 944 Challenge Series, at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne.

The wins extend the championshsip lead of Lewis-Williams, just ahead of 4 time champion Cameron Beller with the ever consistant AVI Technolgy driver Adam Brewer sitting in third.

Chris Lewis-Williams in action at Sandown

The wins extend the championshsip lead of Lewis-Williams, just ahead of 4 time champion Cameron Beller with the ever consistant AVI Technolgy driver Adam Brewer sitting in third.

Hosting seven regular categories, the Australian Sports Sedan Association run event spanned Saturday and Sunday, offering three races per category in what unfolded to be a thrilling weekend of motorsport.

Of the weekend’s categories, it was the Porsche 944 competition that delivered the most nail-biting action as Chris Lewis-Williams took out the round win following three exciting races.

Claiming two wins and a runner-up finish, Lewis-Williams’ victory was not without a serious challenge from Cameron Beller who, after taking the top spot in race one, trailed Lewis-Williams by gaps as small as two tenths of a second, before less than a second separated the top three of Lewis-Williams, Beller and Adam Brewer in the final race.

TIGHT RACING: Lewis-Williams led Beller and Brewer home at Sandown

jack atley 23/8/23 jack atley 23/8/23

MA FIRE EXTINGUISHER UPDATES FOR CIRCUIT COMPETITORS

Please carefully read upcoming changes to fire extinguisher requirements

Fire Extinguisher updates for circuit competitors

Motorsport Australia wishes to inform competitors of upcoming changes to fire extinguisher requirements for Circuit Race Events.

Following investigations into several incidents at Circuit Race Events at all levels of the sport, Motorsport Australia will be mandating the fitment of fire extinguishers for all Automobiles in Circuit Races.

A fire extinguisher installed in a competition vehicle is primarily designed to delay the development of a fire and consequently give the occupant more time to exit the vehicle.

From 1st January 2024, all automobiles competing in a Circuit Race Event will be required to install either a plumbed in or handheld fire extinguisher dependent on competition level.

National Championship or Series
Automobiles competing in a National Championship or Series will be required to install a plumbed in extinguisher system from FIA Technical List No. 16 or FIA Technical List No. 52.

Systems must be installed in accordance with FIA Sporting Code, Appendix J, Article 253.

Standalone classification National Competition and all other Circuit Race
Automobiles competing in a standalone National Competition (i.e. Improved Production Nationals), or any other Circuit Race (i.e State and below level including 5th Category) will be required to install either a hand-held extinguisher or a plumbed-in extinguisher system from FIA Technical List No. 16 or FIA Technical List No. 52.

Plumbed-in Extinguisher Systems

Approved systems, detailed in FIA Technical List No. 16 or No. 52, utilise a remote mounted bottle securely installed inside the cockpit which can be triggered both internally and externally to supply extinguishant to specific areas of the automobile. All plumbed-in systems must be installed in accordance with FIA Sporting Code, Appendix J, Article 253.

Systems with both mechanical and electrical trigger options are available together with a range of FIA approved extinguishants.

Plumbed-in extinguishers are required to be serviced by the manufacturer’s authorised service agent every 24 months.

Hand-held extinguishers

Approved Hand-held extinguishers are either 1 kg (minimum) Australian Standard 1841.5 ABE Powder or an FIA standard handheld extinguisher.

Hand-held extinguishers must be installed in accordance with Motorsport Australia Manual, Technical Appendix, Schedule H.

An AS1841 ABE Powder extinguisher must be serviced or replaced every 3 years.

An FIA Standard hand-held extinguisher must be serviced every 2 years.

Motorsport Australia has been working with fire extinguisher manufacturers and Australia’s leading suppliers to limit potential supply chain issues and ensure an adequate nationwide service network is available to all competitors.

For further information please contact the Motorsport Australia Technical Department at technical@motorsport.org.au