APB Group/President Limo Porsche racer Dylan O’Keeffe will be Carrera Cup Australia’s top gun candidate in the 2017 Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme Shootout.
The 19-year-old Victorian will travel to Europe this weekend to compete in a two-day evaluation against the best up-and-coming talent from each international Porsche Carrera Cup series (Asia, Australia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Scandinavia).
Nominees are assessed on multiple criteria in addition to their ability behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, including engineering and communications skills. Taking it all in his stride, O’Keeffe is confident he can continue Australia’s presence as a country to watch in the prestigious test.
“This is without a doubt the biggest opportunity of my motor racing career to date, I am really looking forward to going to Europe and giving it my best shot,” O’Keeffe said.
“Having raced Porsches throughout my career has worked out really well – from the 944 Challenge through to GT3 Cup Challenge and Carrera Cup. The obvious next step is the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, and my dream has always been to one day race in that series.
“Matt Campbell racing in Porsche Supercup this season has certainly made more people take notice of that series and has shown how extremely competitive it is. It would be a dream to follow in Matt’s footsteps and become a Porsche Junior next season so I’m excited to head over there, do what I would usually do at the race track and see where I end up at the end of it.”
The 2017 representative has big shoes to fill with Campbell quickly becoming a standout in the Porsche Supercup series. Following a similar development pathway to that of his predecessor, O’Keeffe says the chance to be named a Porsche Junior has been a motivating factor from the early stages of his Porsche career.
Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager Troy Bundy says he is proud to announce O’Keeffe as the Australian nominee after seeing the progress he has made in all facets of his motorsport career.
“Like Matt Campbell, Dylan is a perfect example of how Australia’s Porsche Motorsport Pyramid can benefit young drivers looking to make a name for themselves on the international stage,” he said.
“Dylan has made progress in leaps and bounds since making his debut in the Porsche 944 series and we can see that he will only continue to evolve as a driver. He is one of Australia’s leading young drivers and we are confident he can continue where Matt left off and put his best foot forward in year’s shootout.”
O’Keeffe will be the fifth Carrera Cup Australia representative to compete in the prestigious Porsche event, following Matt Campbell (2016), Nick Foster (2015), Sam Power (2014) and Andre Heimgartner (2012).
