Danny Stutterd won in his first race with TekworkX Motorsport while Nathan Sticklen and Zoe Woods also claimed podiums on the weekend in Sandown.

In the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Stutterd qualified on pole position in the Pro-Am class. Sticklen in Class B looked set for pole position as well before being pipped at the end by just three hundredths of a second. In the Australian Production Cars, Woods qualified second in her first ever session in the rain.  

The opening race for Australian Production Cars was held under heavy rain conditions, with Woods quickly moving through the field. Unfortunately, a technical fault ended her run in the Hyundai i30 early. Race two was cancelled in the wake of torrential downpours that flooded the circuit in parts.

In Sprint Challenge, Sticklen and Stutterd made their way to the circuit right as the rain began to fall with both drivers peeling straight to the pits for the wet tyres. Stutterd used his wealth of experience to navigate the challenging conditions and win the opening race of the weekend in Pro-Am. Sticklen unfortunately was hit just moments after the lights went out as he dodged a number of slower cars, the resulting damage forcing him out of the race. Much like the Production Cars, the Porsche’s did not get their second scheduled race in on Saturday due to the rain.

Woods was first on track on Sunday for a one-hour race on a rare dry track. Starting from the back after the race one retirement, Woods showed experience beyond her years as she expertly made her way through the field to finish in 14th outright and second in Class C.

“This weekend was an interesting one, coming to a new track and having to learn it quite quickly,” said Woods.

“The rain made it very tricky, and a DNF in the first race was not what we expected but it was out of our control and not something we could have prevented.

“We went out on Sunday and really pushed the car and had a great result, so we did everything we could, and I enjoyed the challenge overall.”

The final race of the weekend, in the Porsche’s, was a wild affair with Sticklen starting on wets and Stutterd on the slicks. The slick tyre gamble didn’t pay off as the rain increased and Stutterd nursed his car home. Sticklen however enjoyed a personal best performance, getting as high as 12^th outright as he made good use of his wet tyres. Sticklen came home second in Class B.

The next round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and Australian Production Cars  will take place at The Bend Motorsport Park from October 21-23.