After a testing opening round on the streets of Adelaide just two weeks ago, 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion Steven Richards is primed and ready for the second event on the 2016 calendar on the streets of Melbourne’s Albert Park, an event he admits is one he looks forward to every year. Richards is one of few drivers who has competed on the Albert Park circuit every year since the Grand Prix first moved to Melbourne in 1996 with the exception of 2007, the former V8 Supercar regular claiming victory there for the first time for Perkins Engineering in 2006.
12-months ago Richards claimed another victory on the 5.027-kilometre street circuit, taking the round win in the Laser Plumbing & Electrical Porsche 991 with two victories and a second placed finish, the result extending his championship points lead on the back of a double victory at Clipsal. This year Richards comes off the Adelaide event in a much stronger position than he started the opening round, despite the setback of contact with the concrete barriers late in race three whilst holding down second.
Whilst the new challengers and the rising stars in the category are expected to feature strongly at Albert Park, history shows that at his ‘home’ venue, Richards finds that little bit something extra. Over the last three years at the Grand Prix, the reigning Bathurst 1000 champion has only been off the podium once, in fact his worst result in the last three seasons was a sixth placed finish in race two in 2013.
Looking back over the last nine Porsche Carrera Cup Australia races held at Albert Park, Richards has claimed four wins (one apiece every one of the last three years – including two wins last year), three second-placed finishes, and one third.. He’s also qualified on the front row in both 2013 and 2014 and stormed to second last year from a third row start, so keep a close eye on the #12 Laser Racing Porsche, it’s bound to be in the mix. The numbers don’t lie!
