R1: Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe Series

Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia champion Marco Giltrap has kicked off his season in remarkable style, making his debut in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe Series at Portimao and securing a spot on the podium.

Representing Team GP Elite, Giltrap demonstrated his skills by finishing in the fifth position during Race 1 and then impressively claiming second place in Race 2.

During the qualifying session on Friday leading up to the opener, Giltrap clocked a fantastic time of 1:44.851, marking the eighth quickest time among a strong field of 28 competitors. He was just 0.658 seconds behind his GP Elite teammate, Ariel Levi, who secured pole position.

In the second qualifying session, Levi continued to dominate, securing pole positions for both races. Marco Giltrap also improved his performance, clocking a time of 1:44.500, narrowly missing out on a front-row lockout for their team by just 0.028 seconds.

During the opening race, Giltrap displayed exceptional racecraft, advancing from his fifth-place starting position. He crossed the finish line in fifth, just seven seconds behind the leading quartet. Giltrap skillfully held off late challenges from Horst Felix Felbermayr and Sacha Norden, while Levi secured the third position.

In Race 2, Giltrap’s stronger qualifying performance paid off as he successfully defended his position against Rousset Louis to secure a second-place finish. Both drivers trailed behind the dominant race leader, Ariel Levi, by 8 seconds and enjoyed a comfortable 6.4-second gap ahead of the fourth-placed driver, Alberto Cerqui.

The Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe Series continues with Round 2 at Estoril, followed by Round 3 in Valencia on February 23-24 and the grand finale at Barcelona on March 1-2.

Fans can look forward to Marco Giltrap’s upcoming Porsche Carrera Cup Australia campaign, which begins at the Melbourne SuperSprint on March 21.