David Russell has put together a crucial weekend in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup, moving the TekworkX Motorsport driver to third in the standings with four rounds to go in the season.

On the other side of the TekworkX stable Bradi Owen continued his near-perfect start to the season in TGRA GR Cup as he retained his series lead, while Lincoln Taylor and Zoe Woods both showed strong progress over the weekend.

Russell qualified sixth fastest for the opening race of the weekend, with his second fastest lap also earning him sixth on the grid for race two. A lightning start vaulted the Hire A Hubby Porsche to third on the opening lap of the weekend, from which Russell cruised to his first podium finish since Taupō.

Back to sixth for the start of Race 2, Russell was again fast off the line and laid claim to fifth spot in the early running. After applying the pressure for fourth in the closing stages of the 45-minute race, Russell brought it home in fifth for his seventh top five finish of the season.

The Porsche veteran looked comfortable once again in the final race, notching up another third-place finish and securing third overall for the round. The results see Russell climb to third in the overall standings.

“For sure, we’re putting ourselves in a good position in the series,” said Russell.

“We had a good test day leading in to SMP and thought we were in the window but over the weekend I guess as the track evolved we found ourselves at a point where we were a little disappointed with our pace.

“However, it’s great to bank more good points and good to have a podium for the weekend. I definitely think we have some homework to do if we’re going to push those guys at the front so for us we’ll regroup, debrief, and come back even stronger.

“I think it’s a good time for this sort of round in the championship, there’s still four rounds to go and we have an idea of where we need to sharpen it up so we can really fight for the remaining wins. We continue to get good points so overall a good round for us in that regard,” concluded Russell.

In TGRA GR Cup, Owen defended his early series lead with another strong run of podium finishes. After qualifying third, Owen battled fiercely to finish third in the first two races of the weekend before notching up a second-place finish in Race 3.

It was a strong weekend as well for Lincoln Taylor and Zoe Woods. Woods enjoyed a consistent weekend in her Iron Boats Toyota. After qualifying in 27^th, a strong trio of races saw Woods climb the order and contend in the battle for the top 20 amongst the hotly contested field.

Taylor, the youngest driver in the field, finished 12^th in the opening race before battling for a place inside the top 10 in Race 2. A gearbox failure unfortunately resulted in a DNF, but it allowed Taylor to showcase his overtaking abilities as he stormed from 31^st to 18^th in the final race.

“I’m happy with our weekend in Sydney. We had a good solid points haul being on the podium every race,” said Owen.

“We struggled a little bit earlier in the weekend but as a team we were able to stick to the plan and follow the process and get the car in a window where we were able to fight for podiums.

“I can’t thank all my sponsors, the team and family enough for their support. Bring on Sandown,” concluded Owen.

Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup and the TGRA GR Cup both return to action from September 13-15 at Sandown Raceway. TekworkX Motorsport’s next event will be at Queensland Raceway from August 2-4 for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge.