Summary
Porsche Carrera Cup 2025, Round 5, The Bend Motorsport Park 12-14 September
A Challenging Weekend at The Bend for Hamish Fitzsimmons
Hamish Fitzsimmons returned to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, also known as The Bend, for Round 5 of the Porsche Carrera Cup 2025 with a positive outlook despite a history of challenges at the circuit. The event, held from September 12-14 in Tailem Bend, South Australia, marked Hamish’s first time competing on the 4.95 km International Circuit, a different layout from his previous races at the venue.
In 2023, his rookie year, he competed in the Porsche Sprint Challenge on the shorter West Circuit, qualifying and finishing P4 for the weekend despite setbacks. His return in 2024 on the same West Circuit was even more difficult, with penalties in qualifying and the first race pushing him back, and another penalty in the final race demoting him to P3 from a race win, leaving him P4 for the round.
This year's race on the International Circuit, with its 18 turns and long main straight, is known for its "very Euro-style" feel and fast, flowing corners. The circuit's design places a significant load on the car's tyres and chassis, demanding a stable setup. Additionally, the track's open location makes it susceptible to wind and dust, which can affect grip levels.
The weekend started tough for Hamish with technical problems marring both of Friday's practice sessions. He was only able to complete two push laps across both 25-minute sessions, finishing Practice 2 in P17.
On Saturday, Hamish's first time on new tyres at The Bend saw him spend the first half of the qualifying session getting familiar with the track. After a mid-session pitstop for setup changes and fresh tyres, he progressively got faster, with his final lap being his quickest, securing him P14 overall. Starting from P14 in Race 1, he got a great start and moved up two spots in the first half of the lap. He held his position for the remainder of the race and finished P11, noting afterward that he still felt like he was "battling the front a bit" and had "some work to do before tomorrow's races".
Sunday's races presented new challenges. In Race 2, starting from P16, he fell back ten spots at the start after being caught off guard by the lights. A safety car period helped to compress the field, and he finished in the same position he started, P16. Race 3 saw Hamish start from P15 and get a great start, although he couldn't capitalize on it during the first lap. He finished a clean race, moving up two positions to P13.
Reflecting on the weekend, Hamish stated, "Overall, a tough weekend after our mechanical failure in practice 1, it really put us on the back foot in qualifying, which is so important in Carrera Cup". He is now looking forward to regrouping for the next round.
