Aron Shields has won for the first time in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, in his first round after joining TekworkX Motorsport, while teammate Hamish Fitzsimmons finished fifth in his category debut.

The two day event at Phillip Island marked the start of the 2023 Sprint Challenge season, with two practice sessions and qualifying on Saturday preceding a trio of races on Sunday, culminating in the 25 lap Jim Richards Enduro race on Sunday afternoon.

Shields and Fitzsimmons were consistently in the top five all through practice and delivered the pace in qualifying to set themselves third and fifth on the grid, respectively. A fast start from Shields was negated as he got boxed in, but he quickly reclaimed third place before winning out in an enthralling battle for second position and setting the fastest lap of the race. Fitzsimmons was sitting comfortably inside the top 10, amidst his first ever racing laps outside of karting, before he was hit at the penultimate corner which forced a retirement – and set up a spectacular charge in the remaining two races.

In race two Shields won the race off the line, with another fast start which saw him take the race lead into turn one. The 20-year-old went on to lead every lap as he stormed to his first race victory in Sprint Challenge, the result also marked TekworkX Motorsport’s first outright victory in the category after winning two races in Pro-Am in 2022. Fitzsimmons mirrored Shields’ race winning pace right through the 10 lap affair as he moved himself up 11 spots from the back of the grid to finish in 13^th place.

The final race of the weekend was a standout performance from Fitzsimmons who, after starting 13^th, carved his way through the field to finish in fifth place after a series of impressive overtakes. The 25 lap race was more than double the length of the first two races, and tyre wear became a deciding factor. Shields started on pole but had a battle on his hands with tyre performance, as he battled his way to a sixth in class finish. The result was good enough to secure second overall for the round for Shields.

Quotes:
Aron Shields, #116
“It’s great to get the first weekend with TekworkX Motorsport under my belt, and I couldn’t really ask for much more to get it started,” said Shields.

“The team gave me a really great car, fast in qualifying and the race, which he proved with third on the grid and a race win. It’s really tough out there, this year there’s five or six cars at least who are all capable of winning so there is really no room for error but I’ve got great belief in myself and the team after this weekend.

“We’re at Queensland Raceway for the next round which is the team’s home track. We’ve done plenty of testing there and got the car pretty dialled in around that place so I’m really looking forward to that one and we’ll chase after the round win up there,” Shields concluded.

Hamish Fitzsimmons, #16
“I am really happy with how we ended the weekend, it was a whirlwind welcome to the category for me,” said Fitzsimmons.

“In that first race there was a lot going on and a lot to take in. The level of competition was a lot higher than I’d anticipated, which is actually great because it forces us to be at the top of our game to have success.

“By race three I had really good pace and I’d settled into the racing. I was just doing my thing really in that final race, I was focused on my own driving and was able to pick off a few people and keep my car out of trouble and we were able to get into the top five.

“The next round will be a lot more comfortable for me, I know what to expect and I’m excited to go racing at our home track,” Fitzsimmons concluded.