Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Round 5

Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst

Published on Monday, 12th of October 2026

The awesome MR crew headed to the Mountain for round 5 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship as part of the massive Bathurst 1000 weekend. We arrived at Mount Panorama with plenty to play for and three Pro cars for Harri, Lockie and Daniel. Bathurst is obviously one of those places every driver wants to perform at, and with 24 Carrera Cup cars on the grid and three races across the weekend, we knew there would be no shortage of action.

Adding another challenge to the weekend, Harri was doing double duty, jumping between his Hastings Deering MR Porsche and the Matt Stone Racing Supercar for the Bathurst 1000. Despite a pretty hectic schedule, the objective on our side of the garage remained exactly the same - keep banking championship points and try to win some races!

McElrea Racing crew at Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst 2026

Harri Jones #12

Pro

Leigh Geyer

Mikey Connell

1^st

Harri qualified on the front row, only 0.0919 seconds from pole, which was a pretty handy effort considering his busy Supercar commitments. In race 1 he got a ripper start and immediately took the lead, controlling the race until a kangaroo on Conrod Straight brought out a late safety car. Harri nailed the restart to take another impressive victory.

Race 2 was a bizarre affair when a starting light issue caused chaos and a red flag before the race was restarted for just two racing laps. Harri started the restart 3rd and maintained his position to bank some valuable championship points.

In race 3 he got another cracking start and controlled the race from the front, despite plenty of pressure from Russell, eventually winning by 0.69 seconds. Two wins, a 3rd and another round victory was an outstanding result, especially while juggling his Bathurst 1000 duties!

Harri Jones #12 racing at Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst 2026

Lockie Bloxsom #23

Pro, Michelin Junior

Louis Kapitsas

Dan Ensor

3^rd

Lockie qualified a solid 8th, just 0.36 seconds from pole for race 1 and took his first Carrera Cup pole for race 2! He followed that up with another mature drive in race 1, finishing 7th in the highly competitive Pro field.

Race 2 was one he won't forget in a hurry! Lockie started from pole courtesy of his second-fastest qualifying lap, but the original race start was red flagged after a start light schemozzle. After a lengthy delay the race restarted with just two racing laps remaining. Lockie absolutely nailed the restart and drove two superb laps under enormous pressure from Russell and team mate Harri, pulling a one-second gap to take his first Carrera Cup race victory in his 59th start. Awesome stuff!

In race 3 Lockie was again right in the thick of the leading group, challenging Flack for 4th before bringing the Graphinex Porsche home 5th. This secured his first Carrera Cup round podium with an outstanding 3rd overall.

Lockie Bloxsom #23 racing at Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst 2026

Daniel Quimby #24

Pro, Michelin Junior

Louis Kapitsas

Stewart Notley-Smith

P14

8^th

Daniel qualified 14th in another extremely competitive session but, as we have seen plenty of times this year, his race pace was considerably better than his qualifying position suggested. He got a great start in race 1 and made his way through the field to finish an impressive 8th, gaining six positions.

Race 2 was severely disrupted by the starting light drama, leaving only two racing laps after the restart. Daniel kept his nose clean and finished 8th.

In race 3 he was again battling hard in the Pro field, with a final-lap incident involving Love at turn 1 bringing a frustrating end to his weekend. Despite the drama, Daniel finished 8th in the round points, another great performance in his Carrera Cup development.

Daniel Quimby #24 racing at Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst 2026

Team Corner

McElrea Racing drivers at Mount Panorama Circuit Bathurst 2026

Summary

What an absolutely cracking weekend for the awesome MR crew at one of the world's most challenging race circuits!

Harri's two race wins and another round victory were outstanding, particularly considering he was also preparing for and competing in the Bathurst 1000. But the big highlight was undoubtedly Lockie's breakthrough Carrera Cup victory in race 2. After steadily improving throughout the season, including his personal-best 4th at Queensland Raceway, he grabbed his opportunity with both hands and delivered a brilliant drive under enormous pressure. His 5th in race 3 also secured his first Carrera Cup round podium, which was a fantastic reward for all the effort Lockie, his family and the MR crew have put in over the last few years.

Daniel also continued to show plenty of promise, with another excellent recovery drive from 14th to 8th in race 1 and a solid result in the disrupted second race. While his final race didn't quite go to plan, there were plenty of positives to take away from another competitive weekend at the top level of Porsche racing in Australia.

Taking all three race wins, with Harri winning twice and Lockie claiming his maiden victory, plus 1st and 3rd in the overall Pro round results, was a pretty special achievement for everyone involved. With just two rounds remaining in the championship, the MR crew will now turn our attention to the notoriously unforgiving Gold Coast street circuit on 23 - 25 October. Bring it on!