Words by Nick Crockford
North Lakes driver Ryan Suhle has stepped up into a new, bigger, faster sporting “theatre”.
The 19-year-old has joined the Earl Bamber Motorsport team for the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
Suhle also has Australian-owned SP Tools, which is represented in 30 countries, as the title sponsor for his debut season in the Carrera Cup.
It is a significant step up from the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, which Suhle led after the shortened 2021 season.
Driving the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car, (Type 992), Suhle will start his Carrera Cup campaign on April 7-10 at the Australian Formula One meeting in Melbourne.
Very strong
“I think he will be a strong contender for this year’s championship,” Earl Bamber said. “He was very strong in Sprint Challenge last year, being a race winner.”
The car will also be an upgrade on the Porsche GD Cup car he has been racing, with improved development, technology and aerodynamics.
Suhle will face a number of young, emerging drivers, like himself and some household names. Craig Lowndes raced in the Carrera Cup last year.
“I’m very excited to be not only working with Earl Bamber Motorsport, but also to make the transition into Carrera Cup Australia,” Suhle said.
“The new cars for this year look fantastic and the depth of the field will make for a really competitive season.
Great testing
“Hopefully after some turbulent years for all of us including everyone involved in the racing community, we get a full season of racing in for 2022.
“It feels like everyone is just itching to get back to the track and go racing again!”
Suhle has already driven the new Porsche 911 GT3 at Sydney Motorsport Park, in the week his team’s two cars arrived in Australia.
“I had a great pre-season testing and feel really confident,” he said, “it’s a much bigger theatre this year.”
His next career target will be the Porsche Supercar Championships, which has a number of its rounds at Formula One meetings around the world!
2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia:
Rd1 - Melbourne, VIC, April 7-10
Rd2 - Darwin, NT, June 17-19
Rd3 - Townsville, QLD, July 8-10
Rd4 - The Bend, SA, July 29-31
Rd5 - Sandown, VIC, August 19-21
Rd6 - Bathurst 1000, NSW, October 6-9
Rd7 - Gold Coast, QLD, October 28-30
Rd8 - Sydney, NSW, November 18-20
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