Love Leads the Way at Phillip Island as Sonic Sweeps, Grove Takes Pro-Am
A DOMINANT Jordan Love has completed his best ever weekend in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship, winning the third race at Phillip Island to complete a clean sweep of the weekend.
Liam Talbot won the TAG Heuer Pro-Am race, while Stephen Grove took the round to move into a tie for top spot in the all-time winners list.
Having already won the first two races on Saturday, Love led from pole position in Sunday’s 14-lap affair and immediately built a strong lead.
He then survived a race restart and pressure from teammate Dale Wood to take his fifth straight race victory, his second round win overall and lead a Sonic Motor Racing 1-2-3 result of the round three podium.
Championship leader Dale Wood and Michael Almond completed the round sweep for the Melbourne-based team, who have now won the last seven races straight in the championship; finishing 1-2 in six of them.
“It was a good weekend; it doesn’t get much better than that!” said Love, also the Porsche Michelin Junior class leader.
“A pole and three race wins: I can’t thank the team enough. As soon as we rolled the car out of the truck on the Friday it was absolutely mega, so can’t thank them enough and hopefully we can do the same thing in a months time up in Darwin.
”Love’s stunning weekend closes the margin to leader Wood in the championship to just 21 points ahead of the next round in Darwin, this June.Dale Wood has now finished second in the last five races and retains the series lead, while Almond’s podium was his first since Tailem Bend last August.
Behind the Sonic sweep, Nick McBride finished fourth in race three and in the round, while David Wall rebounded from a challenging Saturday to finish fifth.
In a race filled with furious battling for a spot in the top five, Tomas Maxwell, Josh Hunt, Steve Richards, Cooper Murray and Duvashen Padayachee completed the top-10.
In the battle for TAG Heuer Pro-Am, Liam Talbot completed a strong rebound from his race one non-finish by taking his fourth race win of the season in race three.
The first-year Carrera Cup racer quickly worked his way to the front of the class and chased several Professional class contenders in the run to the flag.
Talbot also secured a spot on the podium, finishing second in Pro-Am for the round, behind Stephen Grove and in front of championship leader Anthony Gilbertson.
Grove’s round victory was his 13th in the championship, the equal most of all-time in Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup’s pro-am class to tie him with Max Twigg.
The Melbourne driver, who will commence his first Porsche Supercup season next month, said this weekend ranked as one of his most challenging.
“That was a pretty sweet win, it was tough, and we had to fight all weekend,” Grove said.
“There was a lot of passing, I don’t think I’ve done that much passing for many years now. Everybody was on their game, so to come away as the winner was fantastic.”
Regular TAG Heuer Pro-Am contender Sam Shahin and Warren Luff were early non-finishers in Sunday’s race: Shahin squeezed onto the grass by another car at turn four on the opening lap.
Luff was in his path as the out-of-control The Bend Motorsport Park car made contact with the Pro class contender, who has earlier been forced wide at turn three and was further down the field than expected.
That incident necessitated the sole Safety Car interruption of the weekend, lasting for just one lap as the cars were quickly recovered – Shahin under his own power.
After three rounds, Dale Wood’s outright championship lead has been reduced to 21 points thanks to Jordan Love’s streak of five race wins in a row.
Nick McBride climbs back to third in the standings, with David Wall fourth and Warren Luff fifth.
In TAG Heuer Pro-Am, Anthony Gilbertson retains the series lead following the first three rounds.
With Grove to miss several rounds on account of his Supercup commitments, his closest title challenger is now Liam Talbot who sits 38 points behind the McElrea Racing driver.
Roger Lago sits a further 17 points further back in fourth with Sam Shahin fifth.Following a busy start to the season, the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia Championship takes a well-earned break prior to the next round at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, on June 12-14.
RESULTS: Click Here
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: Click Here
Sources: Richard Craill/Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia
Round 3, 2019: Phillip Island
Practice 1
Position Car Driver Class Fastest lap Gap
1 38 David Wall Pro 1:31.9174
2 777 Jordan Love Pro 1:32.1614 0:00.2440
3 100 Dale Wood Pro 1:32.2097 0:00.2923
4 111 Cameron Hill Pro 1:32.2772 0:00.3598
5 8 Nick McBride Pro 1:32.3873 0:00.4699
6 7 Warren Luff Pro 1:32.4633 0:00.5459
7 36 Cooper Murray Pro 1:32.5577 0:00.6403
8 77 Michael Almond Pro 1:32.6667 0:00.7493
9 12 Steven Richards Pro 1:32.7351 0:00.8177
10 15 Josh Hunt Pro 1:32.9598 0:01.0424
11 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.1589 0:01.2415
12 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 1:33.2940 0:01.3766
13 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.4565 0:01.5391
14 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 1:33.5659 0:01.6485
15 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.5780 0:01.6606
16 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.6978 0:01.7804
17 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.7810 0:01.8636
18 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:34.3684 0:02.4510
19 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:34.6500 0:02.7326
20 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:34.6852 0:02.7678
21 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:40.7646 0:08.8472
Practice 2
Position Car Driver Class Fastest lap Gap
1 8 Nick McBride Pro 1:31.1091
2 7 Warren Luff Pro 1:31.1804 0:00.0713
3 38 David Wall Pro 1:31.2106 0:00.1015
4 77 Michael Almond Pro 1:31.2390 0:00.1299
5 111 Cameron Hill Pro 1:31.3562 0:00.2471
6 777 Jordan Love Pro 1:31.4384 0:00.3293
7 100 Dale Wood Pro 1:31.4805 0:00.3714
8 12 Steve Richards Pro 1:31.6496 0:00.5405
9 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 1:31.6595 0:00.5504
10 15 Josh Hunt Pro 1:31.6935 0:00.5844
11 36 Cooper Murray Pro 1:31.7048 0:00.5957
12 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:31.8675 0:00.7584
13 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:31.9685 0:00.8594
14 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 1:32.0437 0:00.9346
15 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.0981 0:00.9890
16 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.4363 0:01.3272
17 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.8479 0:01.7388
18 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.0894 0:01.9803
19 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.2821 0:02.1730
20 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:33.7136 0:02.6045
21 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:36.2363 0:05.1272
Qualifying
Position Car Driver Class Fastest lap Gap
1 777 Jordan Love Pro 1:30.7789
2 100 Dale Wood Pro 1:30.8110 0:00.0321
3 8 Nick McBride Pro 1:30.8950 0:00.1161
4 7 Warren Luff Pro 1:31.2190 0:00.4401
5 77 Michael Almond Pro 1:31.2563 0:00.4774
6 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 1:31.2824 0:00.5035
7 111 Cameron Hill Pro 1:31.3029 0:00.5240
8 38 David Wall Pro 1:31.3101 0:00.5312
9 36 Cooper Murray Pro 1:31.3353 0:00.5564
10 15 Josh Hunt Pro 1:31.4076 0:00.6287
11 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:31.5459 0:00.7670
12 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:31.8076 0:01.0287
13 12 Steve Richards Pro 1:31.8291 0:01.0502
14 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 1:31.8847 0:01.1058
15 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.2003 0:01.4214
16 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.2719 0:01.4930
17 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.5447 0:01.7658
18 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.6811 0:01.9022
19 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.7454 0:01.9665
20 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:32.8513 0:02.0724
21 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1:35.5679 0:04.7890
Race 1
Position Car Driver Class Laps Race Time Fastest Lap
1 777 Jordan Love Pro 22 34:07.4293 1:32.1368*
2 100 Dale Wood Pro 22 34:13.1705 1:32.2626
3 8 Nick McBride Pro 22 34:14.2992 1:32.3964
4 77 Michael Almond Pro 22 34:14.5232 1:32.4334
5 7 Warren Luff Pro 22 34:14.6189 1:32.4462
6 111 Cameron Hill Pro 22 34:17.5126 1:32.5042
7 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 22 34:18.4720 1:32.5977
8 38 David Wall Pro 22 34:18.6924 1:32.6854
9 36 Cooper Murray Pro 22 34:19.7702 1:32.7799
10 15 Josh Hunt Pro 22 34:21.3033 1:32.8345
11 12 Steve Richards Pro 22 34:29.7353 1:32.8225
12 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 22 34:40.4697 1:33.2502
13 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:41.8272 1:33.2312
14 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:45.0615 1:33.5538
15 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:47.6035 1:33.7404
16 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:48.7669 1:33.3616
17 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:48.8936 1:33.7229
18 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 34:52.2837 1:33.8056
19 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 22 35:01.4209 1:34.2293
20 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 18 35:27.2160 1:35.8718
DNF 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 0
Race 2
Position Car Driver Class Laps Race Time Fastest Lap
1 777 Jordan Love Pro 14 21:43.8283 1:32.4010
2 100 Dale Wood Pro 14 21:45.3814 1:32.4027
3 77 Michael Almond Pro 14 21:46.5585 1:32.2741*
4 8 Nick McBride Pro 14 21:48.9885 1:32.6271
5 111 Cameron Hill Pro 14 21:50.2068 1:32.6436
6 36 Cooper Murray Pro 14 21:50.4509 1:32.4920
7 7 Warren Luff Pro 14 21:54.6675 1:32.4979
8 38 David Wall Pro 14 21:56.1403 1:32.6430
9 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 14 21:57.8753 1:32.9231
10 12 Steve Richards Pro 14 22:04.6160 1:33.2602
11 15 Josh Hunt Pro 14 22:04.8020 1:32.8374
12 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 14 22:11.2761 1:34.0680
13 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:11.7785 1:33.8111
14 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:11.9860 1:33.6958
15 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:13.1861 1:33.9140
16 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:13.8467 1:33.9923
17 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:14.3556 1:33.2629
18 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:21.7372 1:34.3460
19 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:26.4825 1:34.6691
20 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:40.9635 1:33.6562
21 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 22:56.8937 1:34.7482
Race 3
Position Car Driver Class Laps Race Time Fastest Lap
1 777 Jordan Love Pro 14 23:49.7020 1:33.9095
2 100 Dale Wood Pro 14 23:50.3813 1:33.7826
3 77 Michael Almond Pro 14 23:50.5564 1:33.8050
4 8 Nick McBride Pro 14 23:55.9386 1:34.2321
5 38 David Wall Pro 14 23:56.0674 1:33.6615*
6 5 Thomas Maxwell Pro 14 24:00.9285 1:34.1407
7 15 Josh Hunt Pro 14 24:06.3749 1:34.3789
8 12 Steve Richards Pro 14 24:08.6807 1:34.9289
9 36 Cooper Murray Pro 14 24:10.8436 1:35.0953
10 34 Duvashen Padayachee Pro 14 24:10.9922 1:34.7623
11 27 Liam Talbot TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:11.2641 1:34.8489
12 4 Stephen Grove TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:15.2781 1:35.1712
13 19 Anthony Gilbertson TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:16.6461 1:35.1191
14 111 Cameron Hill Pro 14 24:18.9717 1:35.8939
15 20 Adrian Flack TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:19.0994 1:35.1421
16 23 Roger Lago TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:24.3728 1:35.8380
17 6 Tim Miles TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:39.4931 1:35.9149
18 22 Dean Cook TAG Heuer Pro-Am 14 24:47.6404 1:35.9385
DNF 35 Indiran Padayachee TAG Heuer Pro-Am 10 18:59.5971 1:35.9295
DNF 13 Sam Shahin TAG Heuer Pro-Am 1 2:17.7524 2:17.7524
DNF 7 Warren Luff Pro