Round 2 of the AU4 Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) delivered a spectacular weekend of high-stakes racing and track records.
Following three race sessions, the Gen2 Championship fight is locked in a duel, while a masterclass performance in the Gen1 category saw a clean sweep of all races forge a clear category lead.
Jensen Marold dominated Friday, sweeping the practice sessions, but finding Brock Burton hot on his heels, as the pair broke 29-second lap times for the day.
Marold carried his momentum into qualifying, securing a double pole and smashing 2025 champion Noah Killion’s AU4 lap record by nearly two seconds with a 1:27.94.
In Gen1, Koby Wilson had a stellar Friday, topping Practice 3 to complete the day and edging out teammate, Lewis Gotch. Wilson converted his practice pace into qualifying success, claiming double pole for the Gen1 class.
Starting from pole in the afternoon’s Race 1, Marold nailed the launch to lead the pack into the first corner, followed closely by Marco Manson and Brock Burton in the Gen2 class.
In Gen1, Koby Wilson maintained his advantage to lead teammates Lewis Gotch and Jackson Culver. The green-flag running was short-lived, with the Safety Car deployed after just one lap.
When racing resumed, Marold and Manson immediately locked into a fierce battle for the lead, with Burton holding a steady third.
Late in the race, the yellow flags were flown but fortunately, no Safety Car was required, allowing the field to race to the checkered flag. Jensen Marold held his nerve to cross the line first and claim the Race 1 victory in Gen2 ahead of Manson and Burton, while Wilson converted his early advantage into a flawless win for the Gen1 class over Gotch and Culver.
For Race 2 on Sunday morning, pole-sitter Marold was slow off the line, and Manson took full advantage to snatch the lead heading into Turn 1.
In the Gen1 class, Koby Wilson dodged a stalled car on the grid, narrowly retaining his lead ahead of Gotch and Culver. It was a chaotic opening phase for several drivers.
Xavier Babbage-Hockey found trouble, running wide at Turn 1 after suffering front wing damage; he struggled for several laps before eventually pitting for a replacement nose.
When the green flag finally dropped, Manson and Marold immediately pulled away from the rest of the pack. Manson went on the defensive, fending off Marold’s dive-bombs and outside passing attempts while the two pulled away from Stewart, who held steady in third.
In Gen1, Culver managed to muscle past Gotch, sparking a fierce battle for second place that lasted all the way to the checkered flag with only 0.2 seconds between them.
For Race 3, Manson once again got the jump, but the action quickly turned chaotic behind them.
When the green flag finally dropped again, Burton wasted no time making a fast move on Flack then an inside pass on Baills at Turn 1, making it stick by Turn 3, though he couldn’t quite close the gap to catch Cosolo.
At the front of the pack, Manson controlled the pace beautifully, crossing the finish line 2.5 seconds clear of Marold to take the win, with Cosolo securing third.
Meanwhile in the Gen1 class, Wilson continued his absolute dominance. Behind him, with just minutes remaining on the clock, Gotch pulled off a fantastic move to snatch second place, successfully holding off a hard-charging Culver to the checkered flag.
The Gen2 round win went to Manson (69), then Marold (65) and Cosolo (33), while in Gen1 it was Wilson (79), Gotch (55) and Culver (45).
The championship in Gen2 now stands locked between Marold and Manson, both on 125 points, with Cosolo third on 59 points.
Gen1 has Wilson leading with 142 points, Culver second on 110 points, and Gotch on 103.
The AU4 Championship now heads to The Bend (West Layout) for Round 3 on 17-19 July, remaining there for Round 4 (International layout) on 21-23 August before the finale back at SMSP on 11-13 September.
Championship Standings after Round 2
=1 Manson (125 points), Marold (125 points)
- Cosolo (59 points)
Gen1 Championship Standings after Round 2
- Wilson (142 points)
- Culver (110 points)
- Gotch (103 points)
