Harri Jones has continued his rise up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid after winning the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
 
In becoming the 2022 Carrera Cup champion, the Queenslander has now won both of Australia’s Porsche series after winning the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series in 2019.
 
That same year saw Jones make his Carrera Cup debut on the Gold Coast, where he enjoyed a solid start to his career in the championship before being crowned champion there three years later.
 
“I am absolutely over the moon. We led the championship going into the weekend, so we were in prime position. However, there was no room for complacency, and I feel the team and myself executed perfectly,” Jones said.
 
“We left nothing to chance. We were as ready as we were ever going to be, and I was determined not to let this one slip away.
 
“In 2019 I raced the Surfers Paradise Street circuit when I made my debut in Carrera Cup, so I knew what to expect in terms of it being very tight, technical and unforgiving.
 
“To start my Carrera Cup career on this track and now take home the championship a few years later in front of my friends, family and partners is a dream come true. So much hard work has gone into this season, and it has most certainly paid off.”


Heading into the eighth and final round of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship season as the outright leader, Jones just needed to score points in every race to stay ahead of fellow contender Aaron Love.
 
Although he didn’t pick up any podiums or victories in the round, two sixths and a fifth-place finish were enough to seal the championship for Jones, as he finished just 11 points ahead of Love, who won the final two races of the season, while three podiums to David Russell was enough to secure third place overall.
 
Jones ended his title winning campaign with four wins and a five further podiums, with his best two performances coming in rounds two (Winton) and three (Darwin), where he finished on the podium in all six races across both rounds, half of which were on the top step.
 
Having already sealed the 2022 Porsche Michelin Junior Championship earlier this year, Jones will now head over to Europe for the Porsche Motorsport Junior Shootout where he will go up against a number of other international drivers for a spot with Porsche Motorsport overseas.
 
In addition to the potential of becoming a Porsche factory driver, a €225k scholarship for a seat in the 2023 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is also on the line.
 
“I am so fortunate to have an amazing network of support around me. Thank you to all my partners, my team, and my family for constantly instilling me with confidence and being by my side every step of the way,” Jones added.
 
“Hastings Deering and Mackellar Group have gone above and beyond this year with their support and to win the championship yesterday with so many of their crew on the sidelines, along with so many of my local supporters on our home turf in Queensland, meant we all won together. It felt incredible.”


As for the Pro-Am Championship, Geoff Emery took out the title after a dramatic weekend that saw multiple overall lead changes throughout the weekend.
 
Emery went into Sunday’s final two outings as the leader before contact with Rodney Jane saw him finish seventh in class, giving eventual race winner Liam Talbot the win and the lead with one race to go.
 
Unfortunately, Talbot couldn’t avoid drama in the finale as he was involved in a crash himself early on, giving Emery the advantage, only for the Dean Cook to secure his first race win of the year equalling Emery’s point score in the process.
 
Emery would eventually take out the title due to countback.
 
“It feels unbelievable,” Emery said post-race.
 
“Dean Cook did a very good job all year, he’s been an awesome teammate and a fierce competitor as well, so really happy to equal the points with him and win on the count back.
 
“It couldn’t be more exciting, I'm very happy with the Championship. It’s been a pretty up and down season to be honest, I got into a bit of trouble here and there, but we are going to celebrate.”
 
The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship will announce its 2023 calendar shortly.