RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia driver Dylan O’Keeffe has bounced back from a troubled Saturday in Round 3 of the championship at Queensland Raceway to score a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race.
After demonstrating promising pace in Friday practice, O’Keeffe conceded he was unable to maximise his second set of tyres during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, recording results of ninth and eighth for the two races.
“I was near the top of the leaderboard during the first run, but once we changed to our second set of tyres, we didn’t quite get things right with track position or tyre phasing, and my best times were achieved after the tyres had passed their peak,” O’Keeffe said.
In Race 1, O’Keeffe made a strong start and was making up positions when an engine hose blew on the approach to the final corner; fortunately, O’Keeffe was able to drive straight into pit lane and park his Dexion Porsche, minimising damage to the engine.
“It was a shame to suffer a mechanical problem, because the car felt really good in race trim and I definitely had the speed to make up positions,” O’Keeffe said.
The GWR Australia crew executed some overnight repairs and in Race 2, O’Keeffe was able to demonstrate the Dexion Porsche’s strong race pace, progressing from eighth on the grid to fourth.
“Race 2 was much better – I made a strong launch and gained spots at the start, and the package was strong throughout the 45-minute race. I was able to move up to fourth, and was pressuring the third-placed car near the end.”
While the Race 1 non-finish was disappointing, O’Keeffe said there were plenty of positives to take out of the weekend.
“Compared to the previous rounds, we’ve definitely made some gains with our race package, which we were able to demonstrate in the Sunday race.
“The key area of improvement for us to focus on is qualifying, particularly with phasing our new sets of tyres to maximise their one-lap performance – this is something we’ll be working on during our upcoming test day.”
O’Keeffe and the RAM Motorsport/GWR squad will test at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park ahead of Round 4 of the Carrera Cup Championship, which supports the AirTouch 500 at the Tailem Bend venue on 11-13 September.
Porsche Carrera Cup Round 3 Results Summary
Race 1 qualifying: 9th
Race 2 qualifying: 8th
Race 1: DNF
Race 2: 4th
Overall: 12th
Porsche Carrera Cup Championship Points
- Harri Jones – 477
- Clay Osborne – 421
- Aaron Love – 302
- Dylan O’Keeffe – 286
- David Russell – 277
- Glen Wood – 247
- Angelo Mouzouris – 243
- Jake Santalucia – 222
- Max Geoghegan – 196
- Lachlan Bloxsom – 196
