Dylan O’Keeffe has overcome a Sunday illness to record an overall podium finish in the penultimate round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, moving back inside the top three in the series standings.
The weekend started on a positive note, O’Keeffe qualifying in the top three for the first two races and moving up to second with a brilliant start in Race 1.
The second race was a tougher affair; O’Keeffe crossed the line in third after withstanding pressure for the entire race, but was relegated to sixth with a kerb-hopping penalty.
Despite struggling for grip in Race 3, O’Keeffe finished fifth which was enough for him to secure third for the weekend.
“The weekend started well – we had good pace in qualifying and Race 1,” O’Keeffe said.
“Unfortunately, I woke up feeling pretty crook on Sunday morning, and the longer-distance second race was a real battle. I just tried to maintain my position but the kerb strike penalty dropped me a few spots.
“In the last race, we just lacked some race pace on used tyres, so it was a case of staying out of trouble and consolidating a solid result. Thankfully, our consistency was enough to put us on the podium for the weekend.”
With one round remaining in Adelaide, O’Keeffe is keen to secure an end-of-season trophy for GWR Australia.
“The last couple of seasons, I’ve come close to a top three series result but haven’t quite been able to get the job done, so the goal will definitely be to accomplish that task in Adelaide,” he said.
The eighth and final Carrera Cup round will be held at the VAILO Adelaide 500, 14-17 November.
Round 7 Results Summary
Qualifying (Race 1): 3rd
Qualifying (Race 2): 2nd
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 6th
Race 3: 5th
Overall: 3rd
Carrera Cup – Top 10 Points
- Harri Jones – 1067
- David Russell – 886
- Dylan O’Keeffe – 795
- Jackson Walls – 776
- Bayley Hall – 754
- Dale Wood – 683
- Fabian Coulthard – 593
- Ryder Quinn – 513
- Nash Morris – 482
- Angelo Mouzouris – 441