Porsche Cars Australia and Michelin Australia will again partner up in 2020 to continue their successful driver development programme.
An integral part of the Porsche Motorsport pyramid, the programme features both the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Series and the rebranded Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, formerly known as the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia.
To be considered a Michelin Junior, which has seen recent success stories such as Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans excel in overseas competition, aspiring drivers have to meet a number of requirements.
To be eligible for the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, drivers must be under the age of 23 as of 1 January 2020, and Carrera Cup requires drivers to be under the age of 25.
All juniors must also commit to a full season in their respective categories and carry additional Michelin Junior branding on their racing apparel and cars.
Porsche Cars Australia’s Head of Motorsport, Troy Bundy, was happy to continue the partnership with Michelin, which in turn helps the development of aspiring drivers.
“The Porsche Michelin Junior Programme is an important element of our local motor racing programme and the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid continues to cement a pathway for the best young talent to reach the highest levels of the sport,” Bundy said.
“Our 2016 and 2018 Carrera Cup champions, Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans are the best examples of this and have both gone onto established professional racing careers in Europe.
“Locally, we’re immensely proud to have had these two incredible talents rise through our system and we hope that this programme gives the 2020 cast of Michelin Juniors the best possible chance to follow in Matt’s and Jaxon’s footsteps.”
“Such a comprehensive driver development programme wouldn’t be possible without the support of Michelin Australia, who sees the potential in current Australian-based Porsche drivers and the importance to providing a programme through which young drivers can realise their racing dreams.”
As part of the program, Michelin juniors will be invited to attend the Michelin Junior Training day program, where they will receive professional coaching on sports psychology, social media, media training, dietary branding and sponsorship.
The news also comes off the back of the recent financial prize announcement, which will have all eligible drivers in the running for a prize pool of AUD$300,000.
With the main goal for the Michelin Junior drivers to attend the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout, Michelin Australia’s Marketing Manager Oceania, Swaroop Tulsidas was excited about continuing a partnership with a successful category.
“We are proud to continue our support of the next generation of motor sport stars through the Porsche Junior program,” Tulsidas explained.
“The Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Series and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge categories are like no other in Australia; highly competitive, showcasing door-to-door racing from an incredible group of talented drivers.
“The young drivers receive unprecedented support from both the Porsche and Michelin team to develop their skills through a one-of-a-kind training program; providing them with the tools they need to succeed both on and off the track.”