With no practice at Round 1 following an early red flag, and limited laps in qualifying, Casha was on the back foot attempting to learn a brand new car and track.
Mid-pack finishes in the opening two races culminated in a heavy crash at Turn 5, slipping on fluid dropped by Pro-Am contender Richard MacDonald.
Casha’s #79 DNA Autosport machine careened heavily into the concrete, ending the race under safety car.
“It’s been a big turn-around for the crew at DNA Autosport to get the car ready for Darwin after our unfortunate end to Round 1 in Melbourne,” Casha said.
“Fortunately, we had plenty of time between rounds to get things sorted, test and prepare for a big weekend at another new track for me.
“The extent of the repairs, as typical with cars and concrete, went above what we initially thought, however we were fortunate to not do any structural damage.
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“We came away relatively lucky, however it is extremely disappointing to have such an avoidable issue occur as a result of a lack of awareness from another competitor.”
More than three months on from the season opener, Carrera Cup returns for Round 2 at Hidden Valley Raceway, another new track to the Queenslander.
The team conducted a test day in Darwin alongside several Carrera Cup competitors, alongside a shakedown at Sydney Motorsport Park for the repaired car.
Casha continues to be an integral part of the DNA Autosport fabric, working closely in a driver coaching capacity with its two Michelin Sprint Challenge drivers John Papantoniou and Indiran Padayachee.
“It has been extremely busy between rounds with driver coaching duties, which has been an exciting task and super enjoyable to watch both guys make huge gains round-by-round,” Casha added.
“Despite the large gap it’s been an incredibly busy time and will only get busier as we hit crunch time in the Carrera Cup championship.
“I’m hungrier than ever to deliver this team the results they deserve and to build on what we learnt at Round 1 and throughout the break.”
Round 2 of Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup sees the Australian debut of the international ‘Enduro’ race format, with Casha among a capacity grid of 28 cars.
Following the event in Darwin, Carrera Cup heads to Casha’s home circuit Queensland Raceway for Round 3 in August, the site of a round podium en route to second in the 2025 Sprint Challenge standings.
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