2009 Australian GT Championship - Porsche eligibility and seeded drivers.
Following the demise of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship for 2009, a meeting between CAMS, the management of the Australian GT Championship and other parties has resulted in the opportunity for a number of drivers/owners/entrants of Porsche 997 Cup Cars to compete in the 2009 Australian GT Championship.
This is a wonderful result for fans of the Carrera Cup Australia Championship, given 997 Cup Cars were previously excluded from the Australian GT Championship – mainly due to regulations specifically relating to these vehicles.
CAMS and the management of the Australian GT Championship must be complimented for the manner in which they have swiftly integrated the Porsche 997 Cup Car into the GT Championship for 2009.
The 2009 Australian GT Championship will limit specific vehicle types to a maximum of eight vehicles in any of the three divisions (Championship, Challenge, and Production) of the category.
This is certain to provide race fans with a diverse grid of incredible race cars showcased across the 2009 season. The mix of vehicles currently includes: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mosler, Lamborghini, Porsche, Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette, Lotus, BMW and Nissan.
Due to the fact that the 2009 Australian GT Championship entrants list already contained two registered Porsche entries in the Championship division (a GT3 Cup S and a GT3 RSR) the maximum number of additional Porsche vehicles in that division is limited to six. Applications for those six positions in the GT Championship division from Porsche 997 Cup Car entrants/drivers have been received and reviewed.
Drivers that have been selected are, James Koundouris, Theo Koundouris, Marc Cini, Max Twigg. The seeded drivers registered for the 2009 Australian GT Championship are: Craig Baird, David Wall and Jim Richards.
Seeded drivers face a substantial parity adjustment to the performance of their vehicle, in an effort to ensure a level playing field with non seeded drivers.
This parity adjustment is in addition to that which already exists, to achieve equal performance between various marques featured in the 2009 Australian GT Championship, and is achieved by way of weight, ride height, and engine power output.