The Panasonic Air Conditioning Sydney Supernight will mark the welcome return of Grove Racing to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.
Three-time Morris Finance Pro-Am Champion, Stephen Grove makes his return to the competition. Grove’s last full campaign in the series was 2018. Meanwhile, Supercars Champion, and five-time Bathurst 1000 Winner, Garth Tander will also join the team as part of a two-car attack for the Sydney event.
Stephen Grove will return to the series with an open mind about additional rounds, understanding the learning curve needed to reacquaint himself with the Porsche Carrera Cup car.
“The motivation for the Sydney weekend is to have fun in a race car. Most of my racing career has been in a Porsche cup car, but as the generations develop, it will be important to learn how to drive the Porsche again."
Most recently, Stephen Grove has driven the Mercedes Benz AMG GT3 car, with the transition back into a Porsche Cup car a new challenge.
“The transition from the GT3 to the Cup Car will be difficult. The GT3 has ABS, traction control, and race weekends usually feature tyre warmers. There’s heavy reliance on aero to produce grip. Now, in the Cup Car, I have to rely on mechanical grip, as well as change my driving style.”
“With the braking pressures required in a GT3 car, I’ve had to left brake. The challenge will now be reverting back to right foot braking in the Porsche.”
For Tander, the Sydney event will prove imperative as he gears up for the Supercars Endurance season with Penrite Racing.
“Running in Carrera Cup in Sydney is for the sole purpose to knock a bit of the racing rust off prior to Sandown and Bathurst. Carrera Cup is super competitive, so jumping into that championship mid-way through the year will ensure that I will be jumping in right at the deep end.”
“You can do all the test days and ride days prior to these events, but there is nothing better than going through the process of a race weekend prior to help prepare.”
“The test at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP) was really beneficial for me to get back into ‘Carrera Cup mode’... so getting back into the groove in the Cup Car was very helpful ahead of the race. I still have plenty of work to do to be where I want to be ahead of the race weekend, but I am looking forward to it!”
The weekend will consist of two-practice sessions, a single qualifying session, and three races.
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