Former Australian water-skiing champion Jason Miller is hoping for a different kind of success in the wet when he hits the track at Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway this weekend.
Wet weather is forecast for the race meeting, at which Miller will be racing his Stokes Skis Australia Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge.
Driving for the small family team headed by his father – former Supercars privateer Jamie – Miller has punched above his weight so far in season 2022, scoring fourth-place race finishes at both Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway and currently running sixth in the standings.
While this weekend will be Miller’s maiden outing at Sandown in a Porsche Cup car, he has previous experience at the venue in 944 Challenge and the Australian Production Car Series.
“My last event at Sandown was with David Wall in the Mitsubishi Evo back in 2018, so it’s been a while since I’ve raced there, but it’s a good track and I’m looking forward to being back,” Miller said.
“One of the areas I’ve been strong in the Porsche Cup car has been braking, and Sandown has a few big braking zones, especially into Turn 1 and Dandenong Road Corner, which should work to our advantage.
“Looking at the forecast, there’s a good chance it’s going to be wet for at least some of the weekend and I do have some experience in the rain at Sandown, in the Porsche 944 Challenge.
“If there is rain, I’m hoping it will equalise the field. So far this season, our race pace has been our strength, especially in the longer races, but we’ve lacked a little one-lap pace compared to the drivers at the top of the points table.”
This weekend’s round will consist of two sprint races on the Saturday, followed by a longer, 35-lap race on Sunday.
All three races will be shown live on Stan Sport.
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Round 3 Schedule
Friday, 16 September
9:10am – Practice 1 (30 min)
12:30pm – Practice 2 (30 min)
3:40pm – Qualifying (20 min)
Saturday, 17 September
11:10am – Race 1 (14 laps)
2:35pm – Race 2 (14 laps)
Sunday, 18 September
10:45am – Race 3 (35 laps)