Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Long Beach

Tom Sargent put a pause on his endurance obligations to appear in the North American line-up for Porsche Carrera Cup in Long Beach.

Sargent, a former race winner and championship runner-up in Carrera Cup, was a late call up for the one-off drive this weekend at Long Beach. Team founder and driver James Sofronas was set to defend GMG Racing’s stellar record on the 1.968-mile track, only to learn a recent non-racing accident left him with several broken ribs.

Sargent wasted no time displaying his raw pace, clocking the second-fastest and fastest lap times in the two practice sessions for GMG Racing, which served as a strong indication for the race to come.

Sargent then secured pole position in qualifying with a fastest lap of 1:19.679, claiming the front row box by three-hundredths of a second.

Sargent led flag-to-flag en route to the Race 1 win, continuing his red-hot form which includes a Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium, a GT World Challenge by AWS class win at Sonoma, and a European Le Mans Series victory in Barcelona.

The following day, Sargent opened up a comfortable lead from the start of Race 2, and then drove a clean race to the finish for a two-second victory in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 Cup.

Sargent returns to the GT World Challenge America grid for Round 2 at Circuit of the Americas this weekend.

Radical Cup Europe – Spa-Francorchamps

Australian Radical Cup legend Peter Paddon traversed his way to race win over the weekend in Belgium, claiming Race 2 in the second round of Radical Cup Europe.

It was anything but conventional for Paddon, who capitalised of others’ misfortunes to cross the chequered flag first at the iconic Spa circuit.

The race was turned on its head when a third safety car coincided with the opening of the pit window.

The lead held by the Radical Sweden SR10 then evaporated when Peter Gustafson spun shortly after taking over, tumbling to 16th.

Amidst the chaos, the Radical Cup Australia series winner leapt to the front of the race order to jump into a significant lead. The race ultimately finished under yellow flags following an incident involving Luc Breukers and Paddon cruised to the win as a result.

The win was a major rebound for Paddon after failing to finish Race 1 the day before following a contact incident into turn one after starting from fourth on the grid.

Paddon’s compatriots in Shaun Hannah and Steve Champion collected race results of 13th/9th and 16th/13th respectively to round out promising weekend’s of their own.

After a weekend of high-speed chess, Radical Cup Europe heads to the sun-drenched Circuit Paul Ricard in France for Round 3 at the start of June.

China GT Championship – Shanghai

In front of a packed crowd at the Shanghai International Circuit, Bayley Hall impressed in the opening round of the China GT Championship.

Alongside co-driver Zhou Bihuang for Climax Racing, Hall secured an outright podium finish in the first race of the season, before adding a runner-up finish a day later in Race 2 in the GT3 Pro-Am International class.

After a strong qualifying performance, the pair started sixth on the grid in Race 1 and second on the grid in Race 2 to put themselves in a strong position outright at the beginning of each race.

The results over the two races provided enough points for the #999 car to claim the overall Championship for the Shanghai round.

Round 2 of the China GT Championship is scheduled for 22-24 May at Ningbo International Circuit.

FIA World Endurance Championship – Imola

Yasser Shahin delivered a marvellous stint at the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship to secure P3 in the LMGT3 class alongside drivers Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera.

Only qualifying 11th at the 6 Hours of Imola, the trio needed to work some magic in the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche come the main race.

Over the 193 laps, the team drove seamlessly, avoiding any major incidents in the process against some of the best endurance teams and manufacturers on the planet.

There was an early wake-up call during the drive, following an early race spin by Shahin, however, the reigning champion Manthey team were typically on point with strategy as they opened up their defence of the LMGT3 title in solid style.

Carrera Cup Deutschland – Imola

Prominent Carrera Cup figure Dr Sam Shahin has reached a new milestone in his racing career, winning his first-ever race on European soil by claiming P1 in the Pro-Am at Imola as part of the recent Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland round.

It was not all smooth sailing for Shahin, pushing 29th outright in Qualifying 1 and dead last in Qualifying 2. Shahin quickly improved his stock in the race order, punching his way up to 22nd outright and first in the Pro-Am class by the end of the 30-minute session.

The class win for Shahin provided a major achievement for the South Australian, before he finished on the podium again in Race 2 for the weekend and 25th outright in a session that saw multiple vehicles involved in incidents.

Shahin was not the only Australian in attendance, with 20-year-old Caleb Sumich also among the grid.

Sumich formed part of the grid’s rookie competitors as he battled his way through qualifying, lapping the 23rd and 18th (third fastest among rookies) fastest times in both qualifying sessions.

Sumich then posted a 17th place finish in Race 1 before finishing 12th in Race 2 in the #14 Target Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) to wrap up a solid weekend of performances.

International GT Open – Portimão

Christian Mansell delivered an impressive and competitive performance at the Portimão season opener of the International GT Open, furthering his transition into GT3 machinery with a podium finish and strong pace across the weekend.

Driving alongside Maximilian Göetz for Team Motopark, Mansell showed early promise by running inside the leading group throughout practice and qualifying, matching the frontrunners at the Algarve International Circuit.

In Race 1, Mansell played a decisive role in securing second place outright and in the Pro class. After Göetz’s solid opening stint from sixth on the grid, Mansell took over and produced a composed and determined drive under pressure.

While outright victory went to the ZRS Motorsport Porsche, the Motopark pairing’s P2 result marked a highly encouraging start to the campaign.

This was built upon in Race 2, as the pair managed to get onto the second step of the podium in back-to-back races, leading all cars on the track bar the Greystone GT McLaren after 35 laps.

The International GT Open season continues with Round 2 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 15–17 May, where Mansell will look to build on his strong Portimão debut.

IndyCar – Long Beach

Will Power made his way to the 2026 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he again showed strong elements of speed despite a challenging result.

Qualifying seventh, Power positioned himself firmly in the fight at the front of the field, maintaining solid track position through the opening stages on Long Beach street circuit.

Power stayed within reach of the leaders and capitalised on pit strategy to briefly cycle to the front, leading two laps as the race unfolded.

Power came unstuck during the pit sequence, resulting in a drive-through penalty, which interrupted what had been shaping as a highly competitive drive.

Despite the time loss, Power remained on the lead lap and continued to push, showcasing resilience and determination on a circuit where passing opportunities are limited.

Power finished 19th, not fully reflecting the pace he displayed on the weekend, but bolstered by positive moments to build on at the Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis on 9 May. Power remains 14th in the Drivers’ Standings with 89 championship points.

Legend Cars Italia – Vallelunga

Lachlan Ward commenced the Legend Cars Italia season at Vallelunga, managing to earn his way onto the podium in the final race of the weekend.

Ward’s round started in good spirits, ending the practice session with a P6 performance, doubling down on his speed to end qualifying in fourth.

The Australian then secured a top 10 in the opening race session with a P9 and the fastest lap, but was unable to complete the following session after a collision on the last lap of the second race cut short a solid drive from Ward.

Ward was able to bounce back strong in the third and final race, getting over the line in third and securing a trophy for the plane ride back to Australia.

The trip to Italy for Ward was a brief pause away from duties in Australia, where he now returns.

British F4 Championship – Donington Park

George Proudford-Nalder made a promising start to his 2026 F4 British Championship campaign, delivering a consistent and composed performance at the season-opening round at Donington Park.

The Australian showed strong early pace in qualifying, posting a best lap of 1:05.359 to secure a position inside the top five, putting him closer to pole than the back of the grid.

Proudford-Nalder carried that momentum into the races, producing three clean drives to finish P8, P10 and P14 across the weekend.

The consistency inside the top 10 is a promising sign for the youngster, hitting the ground running while avoiding incidents in what can be a chaotic opening round.

In a curious quirk, Proudford-Nalder is the 17th Australian to have competed in the British F4 Championship since its debut season in 2015, and the championship has featured at least one Australian across every season. Australia’s best result in the championship was a pair of runner-up title placings for Oscar Piastri in 2017 and Alex Ninovic in 2024.

Next up for Proudford-Nalder will be Round 2 on 9-10 May at the Brands Hatch Indy track.