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Motorsport Recap: Podiums at Phillip Island

Success at Phillip Island in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and GT World Challenge Australia for Giltrap Group Motorsport drivers.

Phillip Island, Australia

William Exton got the perfect start to the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Series Australia, securing pole position in qualifying on Saturday. Exton then dominated Races 1 and 2 to claim the wins. There had been plenty of tight battles on the track all weekend, and during the 45-minute endurance race on Sunday afternoon, William got caught up in the action, dropping down to a P7 finish. The result was still enough for him to walk away with the round win. The next round is at Sydney Motorsport Park, May 2-4.

Brendon Leitch and his Kiwi driving partner, Tim Miles, placed 3rd in the season opener of the GT World Challenge Australia in their Audi R8 LMS EVO II. During the second race on Sunday, the number 7 car was lucky to narrowly avoid falling victim to the tough Phillip Island track, finishing in 5th place.

Supercar driver Ryan Wood was also racing in an Audi R8 LMS EVO II with fellow Kiwi Steve Brooks. They finished P11 in Race 1 and P6 in Race 2.

Brendon Leitch (Team Melbourne Performance Centre) is second in the team standings, while Ryan Woods is ninth in the driver standings. The next round is also at Sydney Motorsport Park, May 2-4.

Japan, Asia

Liam Lawson had a challenging weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from P13, he lost a position to Yuki Tsunoda early in the race. Despite running in 8th at one point, Lawson struggled with worn medium tyres and eventually pitted for softs, finishing in 17th place. He was disappointed with his performance, as he got stuck in a DRS train and couldn't make significant progress. Max Verstappen won the race, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completing the podium. Formula 1 heads to Bahrain next week with the Race starting at 3am, Monday, 14th April (NZST).

Darlington, North America

Shane van Gisbergen collected his best result this season racing on an oval at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400, finishing in 20th place after starting in 36th. NASCAR is heading to Bristol, Tennessee, next for the Food City 500 on the Bristol Motor Speedway, another oval race.