Nick McBride and Dylan Thomas have combined to win an enthralling opening race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am event at Phillip Island.
The Sonic duo kept their heads and went to the lead after the Alex Davison/Geoff Emery combination were handed a 3-minute pitlane penalty for having a crew member over the lane when the car was released after their driver change.
Off the start pole-sitter Stephen Grove was passed in the early stages when all but four teams, including the Grove team, started with their amatuer drivers.
Through the first segment Andre Heimgartner led the way, while Alex Davison was the big mover climbing to second place.
The amateur drivers pitted as soon as the rules permitted at the 25-minute mark. Daniel Gaunt taking over from Sam Shahin, who was making his debutant in the Tag Heuer Carrera Challenge.
Gaunt quickly got into his stride and carved his way through the field as the professional drivers at the point handed over to their am co-drivers.
After taking over the Davison car on lap #22, Emery battled with Aaron Ireland for the lead and was in front two laps later.
This all meant nothing after officials handed down the penalty to not only Emery but also the Tony Bates/Cameron McConville entry after another pitlane infringement.
McBride handed his car over to Thomas in third place, but after passing Ireland and the Emery penalty, he was able to control things through to the finish.
For McBride, it was a big boost for his title chances, while Thomas again proved his value with another race win in the Pro-Am format.
Second place went to the David Wall/Shane Smollen combination, with third Dylan O’Keeffe/Andrew Gowans in third.
Gaunt’s awesome drive saw a fourth-place finish ahead of the pole-sitters Grove/Tim Slade.
The final race of the Pro-Am event will be at 12.30pm tomorrow. The drivers who finished today’s race will start race #2, with the grid positions based on the Race #1 results.
VIDEO: McBride and Thomas speak after winning Race #1
RESULTS: Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am – Phillip Island
| Pos | No. | Drivers | Team | Class |
| 1 | 77 | N.McBride/D.Thomas | Sonic/Bob Jane T Marts | P |
| 2 | 38 | D.Wall/S.Smollen | PAYCE/Wilson Security | P |
| 3 | 88 | D.O’Keeffe/A.Gowans | APB Group / All Star Equipment | P |
| 4 | 13 | S.Shahin/D.Gaunt | HTFU | C |
| 5 | 4 | S.Grove/T.Slade | Grove Group | C |
| 6 | 777 | A.Heimgartner/A.Ireland | Rodney Jane Racing | P |
| 7 | 54 | J.Abela/A. Gilbertson | Horsley Park Gun Shop | P |
| 8 | 7 | J.Evans/T.Miles | Hungry Jacks | P |
| 9 | 9 | M.Cini/D.Fiore | Hallmarc | C |
| 10 | 8 | D.Grant/L.Holdsworth | Porsche Centre Melbourne | C |
| 11 | 131 | G.Williams/N.Foster | WRA | C |
| 12 | 21 | R.Woods/D.Padayachee | Platinum Nightclub Broadbeach | C |
| 13 | 33 | S.Ellingham/J.Goodacre | Peak Marketing | P |
| 14 | 888 | A.Davison/G.Emery | President Limo Australia | P |
| 15 | 5 | C.McConville/T.Bates | Repair Management Australia | P |
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