Aron Shields, Hamish Fitzsimmons and Nathan Sticklen form a three-car line-up at TekworkX Motorsport for the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge.

Shields joins the team for his second year in the category, after finishing third in the 2022 Championship in an impressive rookie season. The 20-year-old earned three podium finishes in his maiden year of car racing and will look to build a championship assault in Pro Class for 2023 under the guidance of TekworkX Motorsport’s experienced team.

Fitzsimmons joins the team for his first year of car racing, making the same move as Shields did in 2022 to jump straight from karting to Porsche racing. The three-time Queensland State Champion was recently part of the Australian contingent at the SKUSA Super Nationals event in Las Vegas, with Fitzsimmons making the final of an immensely competitive X30 Senior Class.

Sticklen returns for his second year with TekworkX Motorsport, following a maiden season of racing in 2022 which saw him earn third place in the Class B Championship. Sticklen has developed quickly under the tutelage of Luke Youlden. Remarkably, Sticklen’s first race victory came on his first race around Mount Panorama in what were wet and slippery conditions.

All three drivers recently took part in a test day at Queensland Raceway where they were put through their paces ahead of further testing leading into the season opener at Phillip Island on March 4-5.

Sticklen will retain his iconic colour scheme for the 2023 season, with Shields and Fitzsimmons to reveal their liveries at a later date.

Quotes:
Rob Woods, Team Owner
“Firstly to have two Pro drivers alongside our Class B competitor this year is a testament to what TekworkX has achieved in a short period of time, I am really looking forward to spending this year with these three guys,” said Woods.

We are delighted to have a driver of Aron’s ability join TekworkX in 2023, with the results he gained in his first year of racing last year there is clearly an abundance of talent there. I am quietly confident that there will be even better results this year for him. He spent his first test day with the team getting to know everyone and his times showed he is well on his way for a big season, he will work very closely with our driver coaches, taking on board their experience and knowledge.

To have Nathan back after his first year last year in racing, where not everything went his way early in the year, is a testament to Nathan and his pursuit to improve and get better every time he is in the car. He finished off 2022 with results that any driver would be delighted to achieve, with victory at Bathurst.

We have had Hamish around the team now for around 6 months, he works at the workshop alongside the mechanics, and I really think this will benefit him. His results and achievements in karting show he has the ability, and after the first test day at QR the lap times proved that. With this year being his first year in car racing it is going to be a steep learning curve, but I know he will put in every effort to get the results.”

Aron Shields
“Winning the championship would certainly be the goal to set out and achieve,” said Shields.

“The TekworkX team is growing and there’s plenty of great personnel on board. I saw the opportunity to join the squad as a really positive one, there’s some serious driving talent in their roster that I can really benefit from.

“Having a year under my belt is going to make everything a little smoother this year, it won’t be as steep of a learning curve for me. Hopefully that means we can start the year really strong and build a good season from there.”

Hamish Fitzsimmons
“This is definitely a really big jump for me to come from karting, but I feel really comfortable with the team at TekworkX,” said Fitzsimmons.

“Rob (Woods) and the crew really foster a good culture to be around and that is going to help when it comes to learning, understanding new elements and bettering myself as a driver.

“I have had a chance to drive the car now and it was pretty mind-blowing how much power it had, coming from karting. I was actually surprised by how well the car handled, but the braking was the hardest thing for me to get used to. It’s a great car to drive and I’m really looking forward to going racing with it.”

Nathan Sticklen
“I’ve come back with a different attitude this year, I’ve got a bit more experience and I’m working on my mental toughness,” said Sticklen.

“Anyone who says racing isn’t hard is absolutely kidding themselves. I want to work on the mental side of things this year and really lean on the team a bit more. I can utilise the driver coaches more to get more out of myself and really attack the year with a positive attitude.

“I really enjoyed being back in the car to kick off 2023, I feel twice as comfortable than this time last year. I was really happy with the lap time I was able to produce at the test day. I’ve had plenty of time to reflect as well and now I really understand what the team was telling me last year in terms of feedback and I’m excited to push on in 2023 with everything in mind