Dexion Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia racer Dylan O’Keeffe has kicked off his title defence with a healthy bundle of points, finishing second overall in the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix.
After qualifying his RAM Motorsport/GWR Australia Porsche Cup car third and second for the weekend’s opening two races, O’Keeffe showed rapid form in the first race, progressing to second and finishing just 0.7s behind the race winner.
In Race 2, O’Keeffe made his way to the lead with a decisive pass on the opening lap, but fell to second in the closing stages.
It was a similar story in Race 3; after starting on pole, O’Keeffe led the majority of laps but lost two spots in the last couple of laps, finishing in third position.
While he was disappointed not to win a race, O’Keeffe was still satisfied with the weekend as a whole.
“In qualifying, the car was a jet and even though I caught traffic on my best laps, I was still able to qualify up the pointy end,” he said.
“We were very strong in all three races, especially in the early stages but in Races 2 and 3, I struggled a little with hot brakes and hot tyres towards the end.
“I’m playing the long game – if there’s one thing last year taught me, it’s how important it is to bank consistent results in every race, and we did that this weekend. We know we have the pace to run right at the front as well.
“We’re only two points away from the championship lead and there are six more rounds to go, so it’s a very solid foundation upon which to build our title defence,” O’Keeffe concluded.
The next Carrera Cup round takes place at Darwin’s Hidden Valley circuit, 19-21 June.
Porsche Carrera Cup Round 1 Results Summary
Race 1 qualifying: 3rd
Race 2 qualifying: 2nd
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 2nd
Race 3: 3rd
Overall: 2nd
Porsche Carrera Cup Championship Points
- Harri Jones – 144
- Dylan O’Keeffe – 142
- Marcus Amand – 140
- Clay Osborne – 130
- Glen Wood – 104
- Aaron Love – 96
- Angelo Mouzouris – 84
- Max Geoghegan – 78
- Jake Santalucia – 74
- David Russell – 70
