Record SuperUtes, Porsche grids for Sydney

V8 SuperUte Series and Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series will deliver large grids at next weekend’s Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

Supercars’ seventh round of 2023 at Sydney Motorsport Park will be supported by five categories.

The SuperUtes and Porsche categories will be joined by the S5000 Tasman Series, Australian GT and Toyota 86.

Both SuperUtes and Porsche confirmed big grids for next weekend’s round, with the Ute category confirming the largest field in its dual-cab era.

Some three months after the season-opener in Perth in late April, the SuperUtes Sydney round will feature a record 21 entries.

Queenslander Lachlan Gardner takes over from Rob McMahon, Jensen Engelhardt joins the series, and Holly Espray debuts after a stint in the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series.

Espray is only the second female to compete in the current era of V8 SuperUtes, joining series regular Ellexandra Best.

V8 SuperUte Series opened its season in Perth

Reigning champion Aaron Borg leads the series, ahead of George Gutierrez in second and Adam Marjoram.

“The edge-of-your-seat racing in Perth really showed the potential of how good the series can be with a bumper field,” category operations manager Filippa Guarna said.

“By topping the numbers again with 21 cars in Sydney next week will only bring about more great racing."

A 31-car field headlines the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series.

The field includes 13 drivers in the Pro class — a record since the introduction of the current class structure.

New Zealand teenager Marco Giltrap leads the standings after taking wins at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains.

Giltrap leads countryman Ronan Murphy, who claimed his first race win on Aussie soil last time out in Tasmania.

Super2 driver Nash Morris will make his one-make Porsche racing debut with TekworkX Motorsport.

All support categories will take to Sydney Motorsport Park for practice sessions next Friday.

All 31 Porsches will race under lights on the Saturday evening prior to the feature 51-lap Race 19 of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship.