The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Championship heads to Darwin this weekend for round three, with David Russell and TekworkX Motorsport the in-form team following Taupō victory.

Separated by some 5,312 kilometres, the trip from what was a wet weekend in New Zealand to the often-brutal heat of Darwin offers a host of new challenges for the team to navigate around Hidden Valley Raceway.

“It’s not my first time up there so I know what I’m in for,” said Russell.

“There’s several things with the car, temperatures running high, but also the tyres with not only the pressures but the degradation that comes with the added heat. You’ve got to make sure you’re not hard on the tyres early in the race, and making sure in the cockpit that the drink bottle has got plenty of fluid in it.”

Last time the Hire A Hubby Porsche hit the track the TekworkX Motorsport team earned their second round victory in Carrera Cup, as Russell won two races to claim his first round success after 60 attempts. The breakthrough weekend catapulted Russell to second in the Championship after two rounds, just 10 points off the series lead.

“We haven’t had a test day in the car since then, but Darwin provides a bit of a level playing field in that regard. I’ve had a good test in the PremiAir Supercar since Taupo though, so I’ve been behind the wheel in the meantime.

“In previous years some teams have managed to test before this round, but with the logistics of getting the cars back to Australia it hasn’t been possible. Everyone’s in the same boat and we need to figure out the challenges of setup on Friday.”

TekworkX have had success in Darwin previously, when Thomas Maxwell enjoyed his best round of the season and scored a podium for the team in 2023. The Hidden Valley Circuit is often characterised by it’s 1.1 kilometre main straight and subsequently one of the biggest braking applications of the year at turn one.

“All tracks are technical in ways, even a place like QR, and for Darwin a very heavy focus is that your braking is strong. You also need to be strong exiting that last corner otherwise it will leave you vulnerable down the straight and on the brakes.

“There’s also the hairpin that then leads in to a series of long and flowing corners so creating a good package that can handle all of those areas can be a challenge.

“We’re in a good position in the Championship so we need to consider making sure we’re in it for the points game as well, but we’re feeling good and ready to go,” concluded Russell.

Round three of the 2024 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Championship takes place from June 14-16 at Hidden Valley Raceway.