Danny Stutterd has extended his lead in the Pro-Am class of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge for TekworkX Motorsport following round two of the season at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Hamish Fitzsimmons also featured on the podium after an overtaking masterclass, while Rob Woods’ return netted a top 10 result. In GT4 Australia, Zoe Woods excelled in changeable conditions and put together a personal best effort in qualifying.

Qualifying for Sprint Challenge was held in extremely difficult conditions, with the circuit still wet and extremely cold weather putting a damper on tyre warming efforts. Fitzsimmons qualified in eighth, as did Stutterd in Pro-Am, with Woods 13th in class.

Stutterd delivered a strong performance in the opening race, as he effortlessly raced through the field to finish second in class. Woods had risen up the overall order by nine spots before late contact from another car forced the Topline Civil car to an early retirement. Fitzsimmons was caught up in some unavoidable accidents, which left him down the order.

The 45-minute Endurance Cup race on Sunday morning was the scene of Fitzsimmons’ stunning overtaking display, as the 18-year-old stormed his Nuvento Porsche from 24th overall to sixth place at the line and third after post-race penalties in front.

Finishing off the weekend was another strong display, as Fitzsimmons battled his way to the lead of the race and was first across the line. Unfortunately, Fitzsimmons received a five second penalty for a restart infringement when the car in front ran wide before the control line. A superb string of laps near the end, including the fastest lap of the race, allowed Fitzsimmons to build a buffer large enough to still earn third place.

Stutterd carved his way through the field as well, taking his fifth podium of the season in the Innovation Race Cars Porsche, while Woods came from the back to finish sixth in class.

In GT4 Australia, Zoe Woods kick started the weekend with an exceptional showing in a wet second practice session, posting the fourth quickest time. Saturday’s dual qualifying sessions were held in drier conditions with Woods putting in a personal best effort of seventh in the second session.

Starting 13th for race one, Woods shot out of the gates to sit seventh after the opening sequence of corners. Against a field filled predominantly with professional grade drivers in the first half of the race, Woods held firm and held on to a top 10 spot by the time she peeled in for the compulsory pit stop. A strong finish saw Woods climb back up the order to finish in seventh overall and fifth in class.

Starting from seventh for race two, Woods’s charge to another strong results was halted with brake issues late on in the 60-minute race. Despite the trouble, Woods nursed her car home to finish in 11tb.

Round three for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge takes hlace at the Townsville Street Circuit from July 12-14, while GT4 Australia are next in action from August 2-4 at Queensland Raceway.

TekworkX Motorsport’s next event is round three for the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, in Darwin from June 14-16.

Quotes:
Hamish Fitzsimmons
“I felt pretty comfortable in that second race, coming through the field,” said Fitzsimmons.

“To be honest it’s all about me trying to settle down, and making sure I maximise every opportunity. So, I just tried to stay calm and composed even though it was frustrating. I believe overall the car we’ve got is quick anywhere we go. We’ve seen that speed on two different styles of circuit now.

“We are quick as a team, in Pro and Pro-Am, I feel like we’re confident in that area and now we just need to put it together over a full weekend and make it happen.

“I’m keen for Townsville, I went well at Bathurst and that’s a bit like a street circuit. It should be to my advantage, no one can test and it’s all a level playing field rolling out for practice,” concluded Fitzsimmons.

Zoe Woods
“Overall, we had a really good weekend, lots of track time, with some extra practice on Thursday and a bit of wet weather running on Friday,” said Woods.

“I was pretty stoked to be in fourth in the wet session, as I don’t consider myself a very confident wet weather driver. The race on Saturday afternoon, was pretty good, to ended up in seventh. We had some issues with our brake in race two, so that just made it a little bit more interesting for me. I had to keep reminding myself about the extra work needed, such as pumping the brake before the corners.

“I am really looking forward to our next round, our home event at Queensland Raceway,” concluded Woods.