CHRIS LEWIS-WILLIAMS CROWNED X4 CHAMPION OF PORSCHE 944 CHALLENGE SERIES
Tyrepower Benalla Rocket Digital driver Chris Lewis-Williams has been crowned the 2023 Porsche 944 Challenge Series champion for the fourth time, following the ‘Island Magic’ final round event of the 2023 season at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
story by PIT LANE MEDIA
Tyrepower Benalla Rocket Digital driver Chris Lewis-Williams has been crowned the 2023 Porsche 944 Challenge Series champion for the fourth time, following the ‘Island Magic’ final round event of the 2023 season at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Chris Lewis-Williams
Lewis-Williams previously took out the title in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
He now joins Robert Lange (2007-2010) and Cameron Beller (2016-2019) as the only other two drivers who have claimed four titles.
No one has yet achieved five.
Chris Lewis-Williams fights with Cameron Beller
Lewis-Williams finished the year on 447 points with Cameron Beller in second place on 415.
Adam Brewer rounded out the top 3 with 399 points.
Chris Lewis-Williams leads Cameron Beller and Adam Brewer at Phillip Island
On the championship victory, the man nicknamed ‘The Baron of Benalla’ said,
‘We had 6 good rounds, our worst round was Winton where we got a fourth and two thirds. But after that we sort of found some more pace and won three of the next four rounds.
Chris Lewis-Williams
I took some time away from racing for a while but when I got back into it, I found my old mechanic David Bath, rang him and said, ‘I'm going to race again, do you want to come and engineer it again’ and he said, ‘I’d love to’.
We originally built the car back in 2014 and it's such a good little series because it's quite controlled, the way we've kept the rules tight means that it's not about how much money you throw at it, it's about the driver.
So it's been a really good year.
To come back after being away for four years and to then be competitive has been kinda cool’.
The Porsche 944 Challenge Series 2024 season kicks off on 16 February 2024 at Sandown International Motor raceway.
MA MANDATES QUICK EXIT REQUIREMENT
Competitors at Motorsport Australia events will be required to be able to extract themselves from their race vehicles in 10 seconds or less from 2025. In the interim, that is 2024, there will be a 15s limit.
In line with advice from the Motorsport Australia Risk and Safety Committee, and FIA standards, the phased introduction will provide competitors the opportunity to practice the best way to self-extract themselves before being tested at events.
story via Speedcafe
Competitors at Motorsport Australia events will be required to be able to extract themselves from their race vehicles in 10 seconds or less from 2025. In the interim, that is 2024, there will be a 15s limit.
In line with advice from the Motorsport Australia Risk and Safety Committee, and FIA standards, the phased introduction will provide competitors the opportunity to practice the best way to self-extract themselves before being tested at events.
This requirement will not apply to those competing in categories that already have a shorter extraction time listed in their regulations. MA has implemented the requirement to ensure competitors are trained and ready if they are required to self-extricate during an emergency.
“The ability to self-extract from a vehicle is an important part of motorsport safety in line with international guidelines being used around the world. This is important as in the event of a serious incident, time is crucial,” said Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith.
Smith said the new requirements would not be overly onerous, based on the test results across the sport. Several tests were conducted across disciplines at events this year, and the tested averaged well below the 10s requirement.
“Like anything, the more practice competitors get at self-extraction, the better they will become. This is also something people can practice at home or at the workshop without adding any additional testing costs, as you simply need to belt yourself in wearing your full race gear and practice the best way to exit your vehicle.
“When it comes to fire and other leaks or issues, a quick self-extraction is key to surviving and minimising or preventing serious injury.
“Our officials and staff will be very happy to work with those who may not initially be able to meet this goal to ensure they can understand how to meet the self-extraction requirements,” Smith added.
WONDERFUL WESTAWAY WINS ISLAND MAGIC FEATURE RACE THREE YEARS IN A ROW
Westbon Management driver Jamie Westaway has taken out victory in race 3 of 3, to claim his third Island Magic feature race trophy in three years, during the Porsche 944 Challenge Series Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Westbon Management driver Jamie Westaway has taken out victory in race 3 of 3, to claim his third Island Magic feature race trophy in three years, during the Porsche 944 Challenge Series Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Jamie Westaway takes vitory in Race 3 at Phillip Island
In a spectacular ‘rain interrupted’ race of attrition and final race of the season, front runners Cameron Beller, Adam Brewer, Mark Verdino, Emanuel Mezzasalma and Jared Campione all failed to see the chequered flag, whilst championship leader and 2023 champion-elect Chris Lewis-Williams stormed through the field after starting from the rear of the grid due to a penalty after race 2.
Jamie Westaway with Island Magic Trophy
In the end it was a commanding victory for Westaway who has now taken out the last three wins at the inaugural end of year event and trophy race.
Jamie Westaway wins Island Magic Event Trophy Race
BREWER TAKES VICTORY AS BELLER ENGINE GOES BOOM
AVI Technology driver Adam Brewer has claimed victory in race 2 of 3, during the Porsche 944 Challenge Series Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
The race was red flagged after leader Cameron Beller’s engine exploded exiting turn two and into the high speed turn three in spectacular fashion.
AVI Technology driver Adam Brewer has claimed victory in race 2 of 3, during the Porsche 944 Challenge Series Island Magic event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
The race was red flagged after leader Cameron Beller’s engine exploded exiting turn two and into the high speed turn three in spectacular fashion.
With the safety car called and marshalls on track to remove the stricken car, it was Brewer who led the field home to take another victory in the category.
Adam Brewer
Adam Brewer
The engine failure proved costly for Beller, with end of season points on the line, dropping him back with the DNF result.
Champion elect Chris Lewis-Williams, who finished second in the race, now heads into the final race of the season with an unassailable lead.
MAGICAL BELLER BACK ON TOP - CB TAKES WIN IN RACE 1
Beller Motorsport driver Cameron Beller has taken out a hard fought victory, during Race 1 of 3, in the 2023 Porsche 944 Challenge Series ‘Island Magic’ event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Beller Motorsport driver Cameron Beller has taken out a hard fought victory, during Race 1 of 3, in the 2023 Porsche 944 Challenge Series ‘Island Magic’ event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Cameron Beller
The win did not come easy with serious competition and close racing between the top 6 all race.
Cameron Beller leads Chris Lewis-Williams and Adam Brewer at Phillip Island
2023 ‘champion elect’ Chris Lewis-Williams battled hard to come home in second place with Adam Brewer and Mark Verdino tussling all race for the final spot on the podium.
2X former champion Jamie Westaway led the race early but mechanical issues saw him drop back, before coming home to complete the top 6, finishing behind the No 77 of Joey Kellock.
Races 2 and 3 will be completed tomorrow with all races are available to be seen LIVE and FREE TO AIR on Blendline TV.
CLICK THE LINK HERE TO VIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37Sz0Q-DNbk
Cameron Beller
Chris Lewis-Williams
Adam Brewer
JAMIE WESTAWAY ON POLE FOR ISLAND MAGIC
Former double 944 Challenge Series champion Jamie Westaway has bounced back to take pole for the final Race 1 of the 2023 season, during the Island Magic event at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Former double 944 Challenge Series champion Jamie Westaway has bounced back to take pole for the final Race 1 of the 2023 season, during the Island Magic event at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Westaway, returning from an absence, outpaced incoming 2023 champion Chris Lewis- Williams, with Cameron Beller just back in third.
This weekend, Jamie sits in the famous No.50 yellow and black liveried car, usually raced by his father Anthony Westaway.
Race 1 begins today at 12.50pm with Races 2 and 3 tomorrow to conclude the 2023 season.
All races are available to be seen LIVE and FREE TO AIR on Blendline TV.
CLICK THE LINK HERE TO VIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37Sz0Q-DNbk
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.
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.
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.
Mark Verdino
RACE 3 is on today at 12.45pm and can be seen LIVE AND FREE TO AIR ON BLEND LINE TV